Extension of use of isomalto-oligosaccharide as a novel food pursuant to Regulation (EU) 2015/2283

Following a request from the European Commission, the EFSA Panel on Nutrition, Novel Foods and Food Allergens (NDA) was asked to deliver an opinion on the extension of use of isomalto-oligosaccharide (IMO) as a novel food (NF) pursuant to Regulation (EU) 2015/2283. The NF consists of glucose oligomers with degrees of polymerisation of 3-9, along with various amounts of mono- and disaccharides. The NF comes in both syrup and powder form. The applicant intends to extend the current uses of the NF as an ingredient in several foods, and use the NF in food supplements aimed at the general population older than 10 years of age. The information provided on the manufacturing process, composition and specifications of the NF is sufficient and does not raise safety concerns. Along with literature data, the applicant carried out a tolerability study in adult volunteers with the NF at doses up to 120 g/day. The Panel concludes that this study provides reassurance that the NF is tolerable at doses of 120 g/day. Conservative intake estimates resulting from the use of the NF as an ingredient according to the currently authorised uses and new proposed uses result in a highest intake estimate in adolescents of 112 g/day at the 95th percentile, and reach 142 g/day in adolescents when the use as a food supplement is included. The Panel notes this amount is higher than the dose of 120 g/day for which tolerability has been demonstrated. However, considering the source, compositional characterisation, production process and nature of the NF, as well as the available nutritional and toxicological data on the NF, the Panel considers that the NF does not present safety concerns under the proposed conditions of use.

Supporting Bystanders and Other Staff Exposed to Negative Workplace Behaviour: Developing and Testing the IMO Intervention Framework in the Clinical Workplace

BACKGROUND

Medical student and health-care staff bullying remain international concerns. Our understanding about what might solve such problems is still developing. A common approach suggested for bystanders to bullying is that they challenge or "stand up" to the bully. At the same time, the considerable risks should they act (eg, verbal rebuke) are rarely acknowledged, and neither is the potential for considerable cognitive dissonance should they choose not to.

METHODS

Drawing on a substantial literature review, we developed an interventional program, initially with medical student bullying in mind, that generally employed a discourse for values cultivation. We implemented and evaluated this program through 6 cycles of action research methodology in 6 different departments of one tertiary teaching hospital. Data include individual interviews, discussions with key participants plus freehand comments from wider staff's workshop evaluations.

RESULTS

Alongside others, an early serendipitous finding was the "IMO" [Indirect, focus on Me, focus on Outcome] framework, intended for bystanders to student bullying. From using this framework, participants reported developing confidence in tackling negative behaviours, that interactions had better outcomes and that the workplace atmosphere felt more relaxed. It's use also significantly reduced cognitive dissonance. Encouragingly, participants went on to use IMO for staff-staff bullying incidents, and other common negative behaviours. We attribute IMO's utility to its memorability, simplicity and for catering to the many possible causes of bullying, including values issues, without perpetuating or creating conflict.

CONCLUSION

The IMO framework is offered as a widely usable framework for all staff in a clinical environment - a useful addition to popular frameworks used in the clinical workplace, ideas from which might also help these be further refined. Further evaluation would establish whether IMO invites long-term change and its utility in other contexts.

The critical adenosine triphosphate (ATP) concentration in treated ballast water

Measuring Adenosine triphosphate (ATP) provides a proxy to check compliance with IMO's ballast water D-2 standard: <10 cells mL^-1 in the 10-50 μm size class. Measured with standard boiling techniques the ATP concentration in aquatic eukaryotic microorganisms is 0.6 mol m^-3. Model calculations with 10-50 μm spherical organisms show their ATP content is 0.2 to 20 pg cell^-1, in line with several cell lysis data. However, at 10 cells mL^-1, these ATP contents lead to a maximum of only 2 to 200 pg ATP mL^-1, at least 7.5× below a D-2 test kit 1500 pg ATP mL^-1 upper limit. Different cell shape and ATP extraction scenarios to reach 1500 pg ATP mL^-1 are discussed but remain improbable. Because cell lysis data are inconclusive, and a novel phosphoric acid-benzalkonium chloride method indicates up to 3× higher ATP concentrations, an independent test kit validation and a comparison of all three techniques are recommended.

Effect of osmotic dehydration with different osmosis agents on water status, texture properties, sugars, and total carotenoid of dehydrated yellow peach slices

The water status, texture properties, sugars, and total carotenoid of dehydrated yellow peach slices pretreated with or without osmotic dehydration (OD) combined with heat pump drying were studied. In this study, different osmotic agents were used, namely, sucrose and isomaltooligosaccharide (IMO) with 30 °Brix for 1, 3, and 5 h. Results showed that the dehydrated samples pretreated by sucrose-OD with the best shape and cell structure showed lower hardness compared to the dehydrated yellow peach slices with IMO-OD pretreatment and without OD pretreatment. Notably, the highest total carotenoid content was found in dehydrated yellow peach slices pretreated by IMO-OD, followed by samples without OD, and samples with sucrose-OD pretreatment. In addition, the lowest a_W (0.517) was obtained in samples with IMO-OD for 5 h, which was beneficial for storage. The assessment of water status and total carotenoid content of dehydrated yellow peach slices showed that IMO-OD pretreatment could better improve the quality of dehydrated fruits. Moreover, the use of IMO in OD treatment was a good alternative to sucrose.

Delivery of exogenous proteins into eggs by injection into the mother's ovary (IMO) in zebrafish

Genome editing has had profound effects on biological experimentation and can now be applied to many organisms, including non-conventional models. However, the introduction of genome editing components is time- and labor-consuming and sometimes requires special skills for microinjection. In this study, we developed a technique to deliver exogenous proteins into eggs by injection into the mother's ovary (IMO), which leads to the delivery of CRISPR/Cas9 into the eggs of oviparous animals, including fish. To test this technique, we examined whether exogenous proteins tagged with GFP or luciferase (Luc), and fluorescent-labeled RNP (Cas9 and sgRNA complex), can be delivered into eggs by IMO. When GFP-Luc or Cas9-Luc was delivered by IMO, their incorporation into fertilized eggs was confirmed by GFP fluorescence or luciferase activity; proteins were accumulated in the yolk. Cas9-RNP (targeting tyrosinase) was also incorporated into the eggs. However, genome editing of the target gene, tyrosinase, was not observed yet. This is presumably because the RNP delivered by IMO was packed in the yolk granules and did not reach into the embryonic nuclei. Thus, this report shows that exogenous molecules including Cas9-RNP were successfully delivered into fertilized eggs by IMO. Transferring the delivered RNP into nuclei will be critical for successful genome editing via the IMO delivery system.

Harnessing wind energy on merchant ships: case study Flettner rotors onboard bulk carriers

Shipping faces challenges of reducing the dependence on fossil fuels to align with the international regulations of ship emissions reduction. The maritime industry is in urgent need of searching about alternative energy sources for ships. This paper highlights the applicability of harnessing wind power for ships. Flettner rotors as a clean propulsion technology for commercial ships are introduced. As a case study, one of the bulk carrier ships operating between Damietta port in Egypt and Dunkirk port in France has been investigated. The results showed the high influence of the interaction between ship course and wind speed and direction on the net output power of Flettner rotors. The average net output power for each rotor will be 384 kW/h. Economically, the results reveal that the use of Flettner rotors will contribute to considerable savings, up to 22.28% of the annual ship's fuel consumption. The pay-back period of the proposed concept will be 6 years with a considerable value of levelized cost of energy. Environmentally, NOx and CO2 emissions will be reduced by 270.4 and 9272 ton/year with cost-effectiveness of $1912 and $55.8/ton, respectively, at annual interest rate of 10%.

Impact assessment of a mandatory operational goal-based short-term measure to reduce GHG emissions from ships: the LDC/SIDS case study

The purpose of this paper is to describe the impact assessment of a mandatory operational goal-based short-term measure to reduce green house gas (GHG) emissions from ships. The specific measure has been proposed by Denmark and other co-sponsors in the context of the relevant discussion at the International Maritime Organization (IMO) and in particular the so-called Initial IMO Strategy. The IMO is a specialized United Nations agency that regulates shipping. The Initial IMO Strategy, adopted in 2018, has been the most recent major international environmental agreement on how to reduce GHG emissions from ships at a global level. The central research question in this paper is to ascertain the potential impacts of the aforementioned measure to least developed countries (LDCs) and small island developing states (SIDS). There are concerns that such states may be negatively impacted, or even disproportionately negatively impacted, by whatever measure is decided by the IMO. After gaps in the literature and data are identified, our methodology develops a list of potential negative impacts, and looks at a set of factors that may influence these impacts. Then, we discuss how the goal-based measure may impact LDCs/SIDs as regards each of the identified negative impacts. The analysis argues that for LDCs and SIDS a risk for negative and disproportionately negative impacts exists. The only negative impact of which both the probability and the consequence are considered high is the difficulty to finance retrofitting of old ships or investment in new ships. As such, this is likely a disproportionally negative impact. At the same time, the degree of share (or responsibility) of the goal-based measure with respect to such potential negative impacts, vis-à-vis the share of other factors contributing to these impacts, cannot be precisely ascertained, even though we conjecture this share to be low.

Assessment of renewable energy supply for green ports with a case study

Seaports are considered one of the sources involved in the deterioration of the maritime environment due to the excessive amount of exhaust gases emitted from their activities. The majority of seaports depend on the national electric grid as a source of power for the domestic and ships' electric demands. This paper discusses the possibility of shifting ports from relying on the national grid electricity to green power-based ports. Offshore wind turbines and fuel cell units appear as two typical promising clean energy sources for ports. As a case study, the paper investigates the prospect of converting Alexandria Port in Egypt to be an eco-friendly port with the study of technical, logistic, and financial requirements. The results show that the fuel cell, followed by a combined system of wind turbines and fuel cells, is the best choice regarding electricity production unit cost by 0.101 and 0.107 $/kWh, respectively. Furthermore, using fuel cells and offshore wind turbine as a green power concept will achieve a reduction in emissions' quantity of CO₂, NOx, and CO emissions by 80,441, 20,814, and 133,025 ton per year, respectively. Finally, the paper highlights the role that renewable energy can play when supplying Alexandria Port with green energy to lift the burden on the government in supporting the electricity, with a possibility of achieving a profit from 3.85 to 22.31% of the annual electricity cost compared with the international prices.

Climate change and maritime security narrative: the case of the international maritime organisation

Both climate change and maritime security are currently ranking high on states' and international organisations' political and governance agendas. However, academics and practitioners alike have hardly tackled the actual interlinkages and dependencies between the two issues. Taking the International Maritime Organization (IMO) as a case study, this article pioneers the use of corpus linguistic method to unravel the nonexistence of a narrative linking climate change impacts and the occurrence of maritime criminality despite some connections in practice. However, direct narrative links between climate change and migration as well as migration and maritime security were found, which can point at an indirect link between climate change and maritime security. The article concludes on the implications of these findings for academics and practitioners alike. The latter are encouraged to reflect on their current narrative in a bid to contribute to a better acknowledgement of the existing links between the impacts of climate change on natural and human systems and aspects of maritime security.

Targeting NSG Mice Engrafting Cells with a Clinically Applicable Lentiviral Vector Corrects Osteoclasts in Infantile Malignant Osteopetrosis

Infantile malignant osteopetrosis (IMO) is a rare, lethal, autosomal recessive disorder characterized by nonfunctional osteoclasts. More than 50% of the patients have mutations in the TCIRG1 gene, encoding for a subunit of the osteoclast proton pump. The aim of this study was to develop a clinically applicable lentiviral vector expressing TCIRG1 to correct osteoclast function in IMO. Two mammalian promoters were compared: elongation factor 1α short (EFS) promoter and chimeric myeloid promoter (ChimP). EFS promoter was chosen for continued experiments, as it performed better. IMO osteoclasts corrected in vitro by a TCIRG1-expressing lentiviral vector driven by EFS (EFS-T) restored Ca²⁺ release to 92% and the levels of the bone degradation product CTX-I to 95% in the media compared to control osteoclasts. IMO CD34⁺ cells from five patients transduced with EFS-T were transplanted into NSG mice. Bone marrow was harvested 9-19 weeks after transplantation, and human CD34⁺ cells were selected, expanded, and seeded on bone slices. Vector-corrected IMO osteoclasts had completely restored Ca²⁺ release. CTX-I levels in the media were 33% compared to normal osteoclasts. Thus, in summary, evidence is provided that transduction of IMO CD34+ cells with the clinically applicable EFS-T vector leads to full rescue of osteoclasts in vitro and partial rescue of osteoclasts generated from NSG mice engrafting hematopoietic cells. This supports the continued clinical development of gene therapy for IMO.

Fermentation properties of isomaltooligosaccharides are affected by human fecal enterotypes

Isomaltooligosaccharides (IMOs) are enzymatically synthesized oligosaccharides that have potential prebiotic effects. Five IMO substrates with 2-16° of polymerization (DP) were studied for their fermentation capacities using human microbiomes in an in vitro batch fermentation model. Eleven fecal slurries belonging to three enterotypes, including the Bacteroides-, Prevotella- and Mixed-type, exhibited different degradation rates for long chain IMOs (DP 7 to 16). In contrast, the degradation rates for short chain IMOs (DP 2 to 6) were not affected by enterotypes. Both 16S rRNA gene sequencing and quantitative PCR demonstrated that, after fermentation, the Bifidobacterium growth with IMOs was primarily detected in the Bacteroides- and Mixed-type (non-Prevotella-type), and to a lesser degree in the Prevotella-type. Interestingly, the Prevotella-type microbiome had higher levels of propionic acid and butyric acid production than non-Prevotella-type microbiome after IMOs fermentation. Moreover, principal coordinate analysis (PCoA) of both denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) profiling and 16S rRNA sequencing data demonstrated that the microbiome community compositions were separately clustered based on IMO chain length, suggesting significant impact of DP on the bacterial community structure. The current results clearly demonstrated that the IMO chain length could modulate the structure and composition of the human colonic microbiome. Different responses to short and long chain IMOs were observed from three human enterotypes, indicating that IMOs may be used as therapeutic substrates for directly altering human colonic bacteria.

The role of the P2X7 receptor on bone loss in a mouse model of inflammation-mediated osteoporosis

In inflammatory autoimmune diseases, bone loss is frequent. In most cases, secondary osteoporosis is caused by treatment with systemic glucocorticoid. However, the pathogenesis behind the bone loss is presumed multifactorial. We aimed to elucidate the role of the P2X7 receptor on bone mineral density (BMD), microarchitecture, and bone strength in a standardized mouse model of inflammation-mediated osteoporosis (IMO). In total 146 mice completed our protocol, 70 wild type (WT) mice and 76 P2X7 -/- (knockout, KO). BMD at the femur and spine decreased significantly from baseline to day 20 in the WT IMO mice (p < 0.01). In the WT vehicle, KO vehicle and KO IMO, no significant BMD changes were found. Bone strength showed a lower mid-shaft max strength (p = 0.038) and also a non-significant trend towards lower strength at the femoral neck of the WT IMO group. Trabecular bone volume fraction (BV/TV) and connectivity density (CD) after 20 days were significantly decreased in the WT IMO group (p = 0.001). In contrast, the WT vehicle and KO vehicle, BV/TV and CD did no change at 20 days. Cortical bone revealed no significant microarchitectural changes after 20 days in the WT IMO group, whereas the total cortical area increased significantly in WT vehicle and KO IMO after 20 days (5.2% and 8.8%, respectively). In conclusion, the P2X7 receptor KO mice did not respond to inflammation with loss of BMD whereas the WT mice had a significant loss of BMD, bone strength and trabecular microarchitecture, demonstrating a role for the P2X7 receptor in inflammatory bone loss.

Alpha-synuclein interferes with cAMP/PKA-dependent upregulation of dopamine β-hydroxylase and is associated with abnormal adaptive responses to immobilization stress

Parkinson's disease (PD) is clinically characterized not only by motor symptoms but also by non-motor symptoms, such as anxiety and mood changes. Based on our previous study showing that overexpression of wild-type or mutant α-synuclein (α-SYN) interferes with cAMP/PKA-dependent transcriptional activation in norepinephrine (NE)-producing cells, the effect of wild-type and mutant α-SYN on cAMP response element (CRE)-mediated regulation of the NE-synthesizing enzyme dopamine β-hydroxylase (DBH) was evaluated in this study. Overexpression of wild-type or mutant α-SYN interfered with CRE-mediated regulation of DBH transcription in NE-producing SK-N-BE(2) cells. Upon entering the nucleus, α-SYN interacted with the DBH promoter region encompassing the CRE, which interfered with forskolin-induced CREB binding to the CRE region. Interestingly, mutant A53T α-SYN showed much higher tendency to nuclear translocation and interaction with the DBH promoter region encompassing the CRE than wild type. In addition, A53T α-SYN expressing transgenic mice exhibited increased anxiety-like behaviors under normal conditions and abnormal regulation of DBH expression in response to immobilization stress with abnormal adaptive responses. These data provide an insight into the physiological function of α-SYN in NErgic neuronal cells, which further indicates that the α-SYN mutation may play a causative role in the generation of non-motor symptoms in PD.

Mucopolysaccharidosis IVA: correlation between genotype, phenotype and keratan sulfate levels

Mucopolysaccharidosis IVA (MPS IVA) is caused by deficiency of N-acetylgalactosamine-6-sulfate sulfatase (GALNS), leading to systemic skeletal dysplasia because of excessive storage of keratan sulfate (KS) in chondrocytes. In an effort to determine a precise prognosis and personalized treatment, we aim to characterize clinical, biochemical, and molecular findings in MPS IVA patients, and to seek correlations between genotype, phenotype, and blood and urine KS levels. Mutation screening of GALNS gene was performed in 55 MPS IVA patients (severe: 36, attenuated: 13, undefined: 6) by genomic PCR followed by direct sequence analysis. Plasma and urine KS levels were measured by ELISA method. Genotype/phenotype/KS correlations were assessed when data were available. Fifty-three different mutations including 19 novel ones (41 missense, 2 nonsense, 4 small deletions, 1 insertion, and 5 splice-site) were identified in 55 patients and accounted for 93.6% of the analyzed mutant alleles. Thirty-nine mutations were associated with a severe phenotype and ten mutations with an attenuated one. Blood and urine KS concentrations in MPS IVA patients were age-dependent and markedly higher than those in age-matched normal controls. Plasma and urine KS levels in MPS IVA patients with the severe phenotype were higher than in those with an attenuated form. This study provides evidence for extensive allelic heterogeneity of MPS IVA. Accumulation of mutations as well as clinical descriptions and KS levels allows us to predict clinical severity more precisely and should be used for evaluation of responses to potential treatment options.