Exploring public risk perceptions of microplastics: Findings from a cross-national qualitative interview study among German and Italian citizens.

Microplastics are receiving growing attention in the public debate, while the scientific assessment of risks of microplastics to ecological and human health is still ongoing. Previous studies suggest concerns among the general public with country-specific differences. However, little is known about the reasoning underlying these concerns. By conducting qualitative interviews with German (n = 15) and Italian citizens (n = 15), this study adopted a cross-national perspective to investigate which concepts shape citizens' perceptions of microplastics. A qualitative content analysis was used, with coding categories and subcategories developed inductively. Results showed that interviewees formed assumptions around microplastics despite own uncertainties, transferred knowledge from macro- to microplastics, and used the concepts of accumulation and dose-response relationship to make sense of the topic. Moreover, they saw the domains of human health and the environment as intertwined and expressed helplessness when discussing solutions to the microplastics issue. Many themes on the topic were similar in both samples, but there were also some differences. For instance, whereas Italian participants talked about marine-related microplastics, German participants talked about airborne sources; also, German participants tended to recognize more strongly the actions their country was putting in place to address the problem. These findings underscore the need for proactive risk communication despite remaining gaps in scientific risk assessment. Beyond providing technical information, communicators should consider the reasoning behind risk perception on microplastics and address scientific uncertainty as well as the interconnectedness between the domains of human health and the environment.

A novel self-report scale of interoception: the three-domain interoceptive sensations questionnaire (THISQ).

OBJECTIVES: The self-reported perception of bodily sensations is assumed predictive for health and disease. Existing questionnaires mostly focus on aversive sensations, and associated emotions and cognitions, which potentially confounds associations between interoception and illness. Therefore, we developed the Three-domain Interoceptive Sensations Questionnaire (THISQ), assessing self-reported perception of neutral respiratory, cardiac, and gastroesophageal sensations. DESIGN: Using cross-sectional surveys, we developed and validated the THISQ. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: In Sample 1 (n = 357), a pool of 28 Dutch items was subjected to exploratory factor analysis. Eighteen items with a primary factor loading >.40 were retained for confirmatory factor analysis in Sample 2 (n = 374) and Sample 3 (n = 484) for the validation of the Dutch and English questionnaire, respectively. RESULTS: Analyses supported the 3-factor solution: cardiorespiratory activation, cardiorespiratory deactivation, and gastroesophageal sensations. Scales showed acceptable to good internal consistency. Convergent validity was confirmed by significant medium associations between THISQ scores and other self-report measures of interoception. Divergent validity was supported by non-significant or small associations with measures of negative affectivity and symptom-related anxiety. CONCLUSION: Our findings suggest that the Dutch and English THISQs are valid and reliable self-report measures of interoception, which could advance our understanding of interoceptive processes in health and disease.Supplemental data for this article is available online at https://doi.org/10.1080/08870446.2021.2009479 .

A systems-based approach to the environmental risk assessment of multiple stressors in honey bees.

The European Parliament requested EFSA to develop a holistic risk assessment of multiple stressors in honey bees. To this end, a systems-based approach that is composed of two core components: a monitoring system and a modelling system are put forward with honey bees taken as a showcase. Key developments in the current scientific opinion (including systematic data collection from sentinel beehives and an agent-based simulation) have the potential to substantially contribute to future development of environmental risk assessments of multiple stressors at larger spatial and temporal scales. For the monitoring, sentinel hives would be placed across representative climatic zones and landscapes in the EU and connected to a platform for data storage and analysis. Data on bee health status, chemical residues and the immediate or broader landscape around the hives would be collected in a harmonised and standardised manner, and would be used to inform stakeholders, and the modelling system, ApisRAM, which simulates as accurately as possible a honey bee colony. ApisRAM would be calibrated and continuously updated with incoming monitoring data and emerging scientific knowledge from research. It will be a supportive tool for beekeeping, farming, research, risk assessment and risk management, and it will benefit the wider society. A societal outlook on the proposed approach is included and this was conducted with targeted social science research with 64 beekeepers from eight EU Member States and with members of the EU Bee Partnership. Gaps and opportunities are identified to further implement the approach. Conclusions and recommendations are made on a way forward, both for the application of the approach and its use in a broader context.

Technical assistance in the field of risk communication.

This report assesses peer-reviewed and grey literature on risk communication concepts and practices, as requested by the European Commission to support the implementation of a 'General Plan for Risk Communication', i.e. an integrated framework for EU food safety risk assessors and risk managers at Union and national level, as required by the revised EU General Food Law Regulation. We conducted a scoping review of social research studies and official reports in relation to risk communication in the following areas: understanding and awareness of risk analysis roles and tasks, reducing misunderstanding of the different meaning of the terms 'hazard' and 'risk', tackling misinformation and disinformation, enhancing confidence in EU food safety, taking account of risk perceptions, key factors in trade-offs about risks, audience segmentation and tools, channels and mechanisms for coordinated risk communications. We structured our findings as follows: i) definitions of key concepts, ii) audience analysis and information requirements, iii) risk profiling, models and mechanisms, iv) contributions to communication strategies. We make several recommendations for consideration by the Commission, both in terms of actions to support the design and implementation of the general plan, and research needs that we consider crucial to further inform appropriate risk communication in the EU. EFSA carried out a targeted consultation of experts and a public consultation open to all interested parties including the general public, in preparing and finalising this report.

Prebiotic effect on mood in obese patients is determined by the initial gut microbiota composition: A randomized, controlled trial.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Metabolic and behavioural diseases, which are often related to obesity, have been associated to alterations of the gut microbiota considered as an interesting therapeutic target. We have analyzed in a cohort of obese patients treated with prebiotic inulin versus placebo the potential link between gut microbiota changes occurring upon intervention and their effect on psychological parameters (mood and cognition). METHODS: A randomized, single-blinded, multicentric, placebo-controlled trial was conducted in 106 obese patients assigned to two groups: prebiotic versus placebo, who received respectively 16 g/d of native inulin or maltodextrin combined with dietary advice to consume inulin-rich or -poor vegetables for 3 months as well as to restrict caloric intake. Anthropometric measurements, food intake, psychological questionnaires, serum measures, and fecal microbiome sequencing were performed before and after the intervention. RESULTS: Inulin supplementation in obese subjects had moderate beneficial effect on emotional competence and cognitive flexibility. However, an exploratory analysis revealed that some patients exhibiting specific microbial signature -elevated Coprococcus levels at baseline- were more prone to benefit from prebiotic supplementation in terms of mood. Positive responders toward inulin intervention in term of mood also displayed worse metabolic and inflammatory profiles at baseline (increased levels of IL-8, insulin resistance and adiposity). CONCLUSION: This study shows that inulin intake can be helpful to improve mood in obese subjects exhibiting a specific microbial profile. The present work highlights some microbial, metabolic and inflammatory features (IL-8, insulin resistance) which can predict or mediate the beneficial effects of inulin on behaviour in obesity. Food4gut, clinicaltrial.gov: NCT03852069, https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03852069.

Specific gut microbial, biological, and psychiatric profiling related to binge eating disorders: A cross-sectional study in obese patients.

BACKGROUND & AIMS: Binge eating disorder (BED) is a frequent eating disorder associated with obesity and co-morbidities including psychiatric pathologies, which represent a big health burden on the society. The biological processes related to BED remain unknown. Based on psychological testing, anthropometry, clinical biology, gut microbiota analysis and metabolomic assessment, we aimed to examine the complex biological and psychiatric profile of obese patients with and without BED. METHODS: Psychological and biological characteristics (anthropometry, plasma biology, gut microbiota, blood pressure) of 101 obese subjects from the Food4Gut cohort were analysed to decipher the differences between BED and Non BED patients, classified based on the Questionnaire for Eating Disorder Diagnosis (Q-EDD). Microbial 16S rDNA sequencing and plasma non-targeted metabolomics (liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry) were performed in a subcohort of 91 and 39 patients respectively. RESULTS: BED subjects exhibited an impaired affect balance, deficits in inhibition and self-regulation together with marked alterations of eating behaviour (increased emotional and external eating). BED subjects displayed a lower blood pressure and hip circumference. A decrease in Akkermansia and Intestimonas as well as an increase in Bifidobacterium and Anaerostipes characterized BED subjects. Interestingly, metabolomics analysis revealed that BED subjects displayed a higher level of one food contaminants, Bisphenol A bis(2,3-dihydroxypropyl) ether (BADGE.2H(2)O) and a food derived-metabolite the Isovalerylcarnitine. CONCLUSIONS: Non-targeted omics approaches allow to select specific microbial genera and two plasma metabolites that characterize BED obese patients. Further studies are needed to confirm their potential role as drivers or biomarkers of binge eating disorder. Food4gut, clinicaltrial.gov:NCT03852069, https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03852069.

Link between gut microbiota and health outcomes in inulin -treated obese patients: Lessons from the Food4Gut multicenter randomized placebo-controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: The gut microbiota is altered in obesity and is strongly influenced by nutrients and xenobiotics. We have tested the impact of native inulin as prebiotic present in vegetables and added as a supplement on gut microbiota-related outcomes in obese patients. Metformin treatment was analyzed as a potential modulator of the response. METHODS: A randomized, single-blinded, multicentric, placebo-controlled trial was conducted in 150 obese patients who received 16 g/d native inulin versus maltodextrin, coupled to dietary advice to consume inulin-rich versus -poor vegetables for 3 months, respectively, in addition to dietary caloric restriction. Anthropometry, diagnostic imaging (abdominal CT-scan, fibroscan), food-behavior questionnaires, serum biology and fecal microbiome (primary outcome; 16S rDNA sequencing) were analyzed before and after the intervention. RESULTS: Both placebo and prebiotic interventions lowered energy intake, BMI, systolic blood pressure, and serum γ-GT. The prebiotic induced greater weight loss and additionally decreased diastolic blood pressure, AST and insulinemia. Metformin treatment compromised most of the gut microbiota changes and metabolic improvements linked to prebiotic intervention. The prebiotic modulated specific bacteria, associated with the improvement of anthropometry (i.e. a decrease in Desulfovibrio and Clostridium sensu stricto). A large increase in Bifidobacterium appears as a signature of inulin intake rather than a driver of prebiotic-linked biological outcomes. CONCLUSIONS: Inulin-enriched diet is able to promote weight loss in obese patients, the treatment efficiency being related to gut microbiota characteristics. This treatment is more efficacious in patients who did not receive metformin as anti-diabetic drugs prior the intervention, supporting that both drug treatment and microbiota might be taken into account in personalized nutrition interventions. Registered under ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier no NCT03852069.

A heartfelt response to Zimprich et al. (2020), and Ainley et al. (2020)'s commentaries: Acknowledging issues with the HCT would benefit interoception research.

In two Commentaries, Zimprich et al. (2020), and Ainley et al. (2020) dispute conclusions raised by Zamariola et al. (2018) in a large sample study that questioned the validity of IAcc scores derived from the Heartbeat Counting Task (HCT). After clarifying the reliability of our procedures and the robustness of our main findings, we address the four points of contention discussed in the Commentaries. In doing so, we spell out why research using the HCT faces important interpretational issues, and we call for a theoretical clarification on the construct. In our conclusion, we provide recommendations for improving HCT research and research on interoception in general.

Depressive symptoms in response to COVID-19 and lockdown: a cross-sectional study on the Italian population.

The COVID-19 pandemic and the lockdown orders adopted to prevent the spread of the disease had a huge impact on a personal, social, and economic level for the world population. In Europe, Italy was one of the frontrunner countries dealing with an emergency that significantly affected people's lives. Previous research on the psychological impact of the pandemic revealed an increase in anxiety, depression, and feelings of distress; however, these studies were conducted on non-representative samples of the population reached through social media channels, a method that is likely to lead to many forms of statistical and methodological bias. For the first time to our knowledge, we assessed the psychological impact of COVID-19 on 6700 Italian individuals, representative of the Italian population in terms of age, gender, and geographical areas revealing higher scores of depressive symptoms in females, younger adults, people reporting professional uncertainty and lower socio-economic status. A positive correlation was also found for individuals living alone, those who could not leave home for going to work, and people with a case of COVID-19 in the family, whereas the region of residence was not a significant predictor of depressive symptoms. These findings underline the importance of considering the psychological effects of COVID-19 and providing support to individuals seeking mental health care.

Effects of a diet based on inulin-rich vegetables on gut health and nutritional behavior in healthy humans.

BACKGROUND: Inulin-type fructans (ITFs) are a type of fermentable dietary fiber that can confer beneficial health effects through changes in the gut microbiota. However, their effect on gut sensitivity and nutritional behavior is a matter of debate. OBJECTIVE: We evaluated the impact of consuming ITF-rich vegetables daily on gut microbiota, gastro-intestinal symptoms, and food-related behavior in healthy individuals. METHODS: A single group-design trial was conducted in 26 healthy individuals. During 2 wk, the participants were instructed to adhere to a controlled diet based on ITF-rich vegetables (providing a mean intake of 15 g ITF/d). Three test days were organized: before and after the nutritional intervention and 3 wk after returning to their usual diet. We assessed nutrient intake, food-related behavior, fecal microbiota composition, microbial fermentation, and gastrointestinal symptoms. RESULTS: The major microbial modifications during the intervention were an increased proportion of the Bifidobacterium genus, a decreased level of unclassified Clostridiales, and a tendency to decrease Oxalobacteraceae. These changes were reversed 3 wk after the intervention. The volunteers showed greater satiety, a reduced desire to eat sweet, salty, and fatty food, and a trend to increase hedonic attitudes towards some inulin-rich vegetables. Only flatulence episodes were reported during the dietary intervention, whereas intestinal discomfort, inversely associated with Clostridium cluster IV and Ruminococcus callidus, was improved at the end of the intervention. CONCLUSIONS: A higher consumption of ITF-rich vegetables allows a substantial increase in well-tolerated dietary fiber, which may in turn improve food-related behavior. Moreover, it leads to beneficial modifications of the gut microbiota composition and function. This trial is registered at clinicaltrial.gov as NCT03540550.

Does it help to feel your body? Evidence is inconclusive that interoceptive accuracy and sensibility help cope with negative experiences.

In four studies (total N = 534), we examined the moderating impact of Interoceptive Accuracy (i.e. IAcc, as measured with the heartbeat counting task) and Interoceptive Sensibility (IS, assessed via questionnaire) on negative affect, following social exclusion or after receiving negative feedback. Results from an integrative data analysis combining the four studies confirmed that the manipulations were successful at inducing negative affect. However, no significant interaction between mood induction (control versus negative affect induction) and interoception on mood measures was observed, and this was true both for objective (i.e. IAcc) and subjective (i.e. IS) measures of interoception. Hence, previous conclusions on the moderating impact of interoception in the relationship between mood induction and self-reported mood were neither replicated nor generalised to this larger sample. We discuss these findings in light of theories of emotion regulation as well as recent concerns raised about the validity of the heartbeat counting task.

Relationship between interoception and emotion regulation: New evidence from mixed methods.

BACKGROUND: Interoception is the ability to perceive one's inner bodily feelings and is thought to be associated with the capacity of recognising and experiencing emotions. Previous research on interoception and emotion regulation has presented limitations arising from the low reliability of the interoceptive measurement and provided inconsistent results. The current study used a mixed method approach to investigate this relationship from the individuals' perspective. METHODS: In the first phase (quantitative), questionnaires assessing interoceptive sensibility, the subjective, self-reported ability to perceive internal states, were administered to 100 healthy participants. In the second phase (qualitative), individual semi-structured interviews were conducted with nine participants. The interviews were analysed using the Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis. Three main dimensions were explored with open questions: 1) Perception of internal bodily states; 2) Emotion regulation; 3) Potential relationship between bodily states perception and emotion recognition and regulation. RESULTS: Findings revealed that people with low interoceptive abilities show more difficulties in verbalizing their feelings and in decreasing the impact of emotions generated by negative experiences in daily life LIMITATIONS: The generalization of the results is limited by the specific age and gender of the recruited sample. CONCLUSIONS: Responses of the participants supported recent evidence regarding the lack of reliability of the heartbeat counting task as a measure of interoceptive accuracy, however interviews sustained the importance of recognising the bodily states in order to be able to understand and regulate emotions.

Effects of prebiotics on affect and cognition in human intervention studies.

Studies conducted in rodents have highlighted that neurobiological processes underlying cognition and affect are modulated by the gut microbiota. Certain dietary fibers are able to modulate the composition of gut microbiota and are thus considered prebiotics. A review of the impact of the available prebiotic intervention studies in humans on cognition and affect, addressing the potential mediating role of the microbiota, was conducted. PubMed, Scopus, and PsycINFO were selected as sources. Fourteen articles were eligible for narrative synthesis. Data extraction and quality assessment were performed with characteristics established a priori. Some chronic prebiotic interventions (>28 d) improved affect and verbal episodic memory compared with a placebo. Acute prebiotic interventions (<24 h) were more efficient in improving cognitive variables (eg, verbal episodic memory). Future research should measure microbiota using adequate methodologies and recruit patients with dysbiosis, inflammation, or psychopathology. More research is needed to unravel the conditions required to obtain effects on affect and cognition.

Interoceptive accuracy scores from the heartbeat counting task are problematic: Evidence from simple bivariate correlations.

Interoception, the capacity to perceive internal bodily states, is thought to influence cognitive, affective and interpersonal functioning. It is frequently assessed using the heartbeat counting task, introduced recently in interoceptive research. In this task participants are requested to count their heartbeats without relying on external cues. Interoceptive Accuracy (i.e., IAcc) scores are then computed based on absolute comparisons between actual and reported heartbeats. In a large sample of participants (N = 572), we observed that, whereas IAcc scores are meant to be theoretically agnostic to error type (i.e., over- or underestimation of heartbeats), these scores massively (i.e., > 95%) reflect under-reports. Of concern too, the correlation between actual and reported heartbeats is low overall (r = .16), varies non-linearly across IAcc score quantiles, and suggests undistinguishable interoceptive capacities within the top 60% IAcc scorers. We also found that IAcc scores, which are conceptually independent from actual heart rates, are structurally bound to them. Finally, we show that IAcc scores vary across the time intervals used in the task. We encourage researchers using this score for studying cognitive and emotional processes to reconsider its meaning.

Can you feel the body that you see? On the relationship between interoceptive accuracy and body image.

Interoception and exteroception for body signals are two different ways of perceiving the self: the first from within, the second from outside. We investigated the relationship between Interoceptive Accuracy (IAcc) and external perception of the body and we tested if seeing the body from an external perspective can affect IAcc. Fifty-two healthy female subjects performed a standard heartbeat perception task to assess the IAcc, before and after the Body Image Revealer (BIR), which is a body perception task designed to assess the different aspects of body-image. The performance of the lower IAcc group in the heartbeat perception task significantly improved after the exteroceptive task. These findings highlight the relations between interoceptive and exteroceptive body-representations, supporting the view that these two kinds of awareness are linked and interact with each other.

Your place or mine: shared sensory experiences elicit a remapping of peripersonal space.

Our perceptual systems integrate multisensory information about objects that are close to our bodies, which allow us to respond quickly and appropriately to potential threats, as well as act upon and manipulate useful tools. Intriguingly, the representation of this area close to our body, known as the multisensory 'peripersonal space' (PPS), can expand or contract during social interactions. However, it is not yet known how different social interactions can alter the representation of PPS. In particular, shared sensory experiences, such as those elicited by bodily illusions such as the enfacement illusion, can induce feelings of ownership over the other's body which has also been shown to increase the remapping of the other's sensory experiences onto our own bodies. The current study investigated whether such shared sensory experiences between two people induced by the enfacement illusion could alter the way PPS was represented, and whether this alteration could be best described as an expansion of one's own PPS towards the other or a remapping of the other's PPS onto one's own. An audio-tactile integration task allowed us to measure the extent of the PPS before and after a shared sensory experience with a confederate. Our results showed a clear increase in audio-tactile integration in the space close to the confederate's body after the shared experience. Importantly, this increase did not extend across the space between participant and confederate, as would be expected if the participant's PPS had expanded. Thus, the pattern of results is more consistent with a partial remapping of the confederate's PPS onto the participant's own PPS. These results have important consequences for our understanding of interpersonal space during different kinds of social interactions.