Food Based Dietary Guidelines (FBDG) are a set of recommendations that describe the quantity and types of foods to consume to promote healthy eating and prevent diseases such as obesity. However, when assessing compliance with FBDG, calculating contributions from composite dishes is challenging, since the specific recipe ingredients are often unknown. This project aims to establish proportional contribution of composite dishes to food groups defined by the Irish and UK FBDG. This will facilitate automated assessment of compliance with FBDG for users of novel technology such as Nutritics, a suite of integrated nutrition analysis software tools for healthcare professionals, educators and industries. Territory specific food composition data (n = 3291) for Ireland and the UK were downloaded from the 2015 McCance & Widdowson Composition of Foods Integrated Dataset (CoFIDs). Recipes were identified and classified into groups broadly aligned with the food groups defined in the Healthy Food for Life Ireland and the Eatwell Guide UK. Supplementary recipe details were accessed from McCance & Widdowson 7th Edition book and online resources. Recipes were categorised by recipe type and ingredients were categorised into food groups. Percentage contribution of each food group to the total recipe was calculated. Of the 3,291 foods, 1,108 were classified as recipes, details were available for 138 of these. Of the 138 recipes, there were fruit & vegetable dishes (n = 20), breads, potatoes, pasta and rice dishes (n = 12), meat, fish and alternative protein sources dishes (n = 40), dairy dishes (n = 23), high fat/oil, sugar, salt dishes (n = 43). For fruit & vegetable dishes, the median percentage contribution to the fruit & vegetable food group was 67% (15% min/ 100% max). For breads, potatoes, pasta and rice dishes the median percentage contribution to the breads, potatoes, pasta and rice food group was 53% (17% min/ 89% max). For meat, fish and alternative protein sources dishes, the median percentage contribution to meat, fish and alternative protein sources food group was 55% (16% min/ 85% max), for dairy dishes, the median percentage contribution to the dairy food group was 90% (53% min/ 96% max). For high fat/oil, sugar, salt dishes the median percentage contribution to the high fat/oil, sugar, salt food group was 22% (3% min/ 97% max). The calculation of recipes into percentage contribution to food groups can support assessment of adherence to FBDG when using reference recipes. This is a useful tool to support healthcare professionals when assessing dietary intake where specific recipe components are unknown.

In Ireland SI 489/2014 mandates food businesses (FB) to present written allergen information on food and drink at the point of presentation or sale. Despite this requirement being in place since 2014, compliance is low. A 2017 audit published by the Food Safety Authority Ireland reported that corrective action was required by 88% of FB assessed.

Calorie labeling, although not legally required, has strong consumer demand. Furthermore when FB implement calorie labeling, improvements to stock management resulted in reduced costs.

This study aims to establish a baseline of available information to evaluate the progress of the public health initiative “Libro Healthy Towns”: a pilot project aimed at supporting FB to provide food information to consumers.

A catchment area was established to identify FB for inclusion. FB were categorised by business type: Multi-site (MB) or Independent site (IB), and service type: Restaurant/Café (RC), Restaurant/Takeaway (RT), Hotel, Pub/Restaurant and Takeaway. Availability of allergen and calorie information were collected by observing and photographing food information on display. Where information was not observable, it was requested. Employees were asked if consumers requested calorie information. Responses were recorded for input into a spreadsheet. Statistical analysis was conducted using SPSS (ver. 24). Results were assessed using Chi-Square and Likelihood Ratio.

In total 54 FB were assessed (31 = MB, 23 = IB), 63% had allergen information displayed and 31% had it available on request. There was no statistically significant difference between business type and allergen information being available on display or by request. Three businesses (6%) had no allergen information available; 100% of these were IB. MB were significantly more likely to have allergen information available (100%) compared with IB (87%) (p-value = .021). Calorie information was available for 24% (n = 13) of FB, of which significantly more (92%) were MB (p-value = .003). Calorie information was requested in 56% of FB, most frequently requested in RC and RT, 62% and 55% respectively. Significantly more MB reported that consumers requested calorie information compared with IB, 77% and 26% respectively (p-value = < .001).

Only half of businesses displayed allergen information in writing at the point of presentation or sale. Consumer interest in calorie information was strong, supporting previous research showing consumers want to make informed food choices. Access to food information was easier in MB however this study shows that measures to improve the availability of food information are necessary across all business types.

Food Based Dietary Guidelines (FBDG) are dietary recommendations described in terms of amounts of foods that should be consumed. They are designed to support healthy eating through simple messaging and indicate how to achieve a nutritionally adequate diet. However, assessing compliance with FBDG targets can be difficult. The quantity of food either being consumed or prescribed and the amount of that food that constitutes a serving are needed to calculate the contribution of the food towards a food group target. The aim of this study was to define the serving weight of foods, guided by definitions from Irish FBDG, to the McCance and Widdowson Composition of Foods Integrated Dataset 2015 (CoFID). This will enable the automatic assessment of compliance to FBDG using Nutritics nutrition analysis software. Foods from CoFID were categorised into six food groups as defined by Ireland's FBDG. Quantified servings from the Irish FBDG were matched to foods. Calculation criteria were developed to establish a serving size for remaining foods within each food group. For fats and oils, as well as raw fruits and vegetables, household measurements were converted to grams, using Food Portion Sizes from the Food Standards Agency. Quantities for cooked fruits and vegetables were calculated using weight-change factors published by Bognar. For the breads, cereals and potatoes group a serving size was calculated using the midpoint for the calorie bands in this group, as defined by the Food Safety Authority of Ireland. For the dairy group, a serving size was determined by calculating the quantity needed to provide 250 mg of calcium. This was in line with achieving the total daily recommended amount of calcium from the dairy group from 3 servings. For meat, fish and alternatives (MFA), serving sizes were developed using the recommended amount of protein per body weight reference value for males and females. For foods high in fat, sugar and salt, serving sizes were defined using 100kcal as the recommended amount of energy provided for snacks. Out of 3,291 foods, 1,980 were grouped into 6 food groups. Quantified servings were available for 694 foods in 3 food groups. Calculated serving sizes were developed for the remaining 1,276 foods. The quantity of each food that constitutes a serving will be integrated into Nutritics to automatically assess compliance to FBDG. This will enable Health Care and Food Industry Professionals to deliver informed advice on meeting population health targets.

‘Libro Healthy Towns’ is a joint public health initiative developed under the Healthy Ireland Charter. The initiative ultimately aims to improve the food environment and support informed food choices through technology. Food businesses are required by EU regulation 1169/2011 on the Provision of Food Information to Consumers, to provide allergen information on foods served. Calorie labelling, while not required, has been established as a strong public desire. This study aims to establish a protocol for implementation of allergen and nutrition declaration in food outlets. A catchment area was used to identify food businesses that were categorised by service sector and organisational type. Two businesses from each service sector were contacted to establish their willingness to participate in the study. A template was developed to collect the food information necessary for nutrition and allergen declaration including: menu items, component recipes and sub-recipes, recipe ingredients and quantities, cooking methods, servings per recipe and recipe weight following cooking. Facilitated weighing was used to establish ingredient weights. Ingredient specific food information: food name, brand, ingredient list, supplier and food form, were observed from packaging. Foods suitable for analysis using generic composition data were identified. Feedback from food businesses was recorded during recruitment and observationally, during onboarding. Of the 54 food outlets included within the catchment area: 57% were classified as ‘restaurant/takeaway’, 28% ‘restaurant/cafe’, 7% ‘pub/restaurant’, 7% ‘takeaway’ and 4% ‘hotel’. 57% of businesses were ‘multisite’, 43% ‘independent’. Of the 10 businesses contacted, 2 businesses volunteered to take part. (Site A & B; a restaurant/cafe and restaurant/takeaway, respectively). In total, 72 ingredients were used for recipe analysis in site A, most (n = 41) were branded. In total, 75 ingredients were used for recipe analysis in site B, most (n = 73) were generic. Reasons for not participating included: fear that declaring nutrition information would negatively impact sales 12.5%, concern regarding digital security of proprietary recipes 12.5%, limited technological skills 12.5%, no reason 25% and unavailability of a decision maker 37.5%. Furthermore, difficulty measuring ingredients, reluctance to waste food and lack of knowledge of brands purchased were identified as barriers to recipe information collection. This study establishes parameters for implementing nutrition and allergen declaration in food outlets. It highlights challenges to providing and collecting food information. Ensuring that provisions are made to address these will be vital to the success of the ‘Libro Healthy Towns’ public health initiative.

Research suggests that early adversity places individuals at risk for psychopathology across the life span. Guided by concepts of allostasis and allostatic load, the present study examined whether early adversity contributes to the development of subsequent internalizing symptoms through its association with traitlike individual differences in hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal axis regulation. Early adolescent girls (n = 113; M age = 12.30 years) provided saliva samples at waking, 30 min postwaking, and bedtime over 3 days (later assayed for cortisol). Objective contextual stress interviews with adolescents and their mothers were used to assess the accumulation of nine types of early adversity within the family environment. Greater early adversity predicted subsequent increases in internalizing symptoms through lower levels of latent trait cortisol. Traitlike individual differences in hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal axis activity may be among the mechanisms through which early adversity confers risk for the development of psychopathology.

Please note that the self-compassion Website (www.self-compassion.org) and the Mindfulness Self-Compassion program (MSC) offer some similar self-compassion and guided meditation exercises, but differ in structure and content. As currently described on www.CenterforMSC.org, MSC is an 8-week empirically-supported program targeting non-clinical populations. It is offered in a group format and is not led by therapists necessarily. MSC is not considered by the authors as a form of group therapy. As such, ‘resource-building course’ should have been used in the original paper in lieu of ‘group therapy’.

Background: Low levels of self-compassion are associated with a number of mental health problems. Recent findings suggest that self-compassion can be significantly increased through traditional therapist led interventions such as Mindful Self-Compassion (MSC). Aims: The goal of this study was to assess the impact of a psychoeducational website modeled on MSC on measured levels of self-compassion and two related constructs: shame and rumination. Method: Participants (N = 9) were recruited from a pool of university students and employees. Single case AB protocols were used. Results: Analyses using the Critical Difference statistic revealed significant improvement in self-compassion and shame for the majority of participants, but limited changes in rumination. Conclusions: These preliminary findings suggest that self-compassion may be enhanced through the use of a psychoeducational website. It may be worthwhile to develop a structured internet-based treatment course for individuals who would not otherwise access traditional psychological services.

Self-help cognitive behaviour therapy has been found helpful in treating anxiety and depression. Recent evidence suggests that self-help schema therapy may represent another treatment alternative. The present study aimed to provide a preliminary assessment of the efficacy of self-help schema therapy on psychological distress and early maladaptive schemas (EMSs) using a 6-week treatment protocol with minimal email contact. Method: Participants were recruited from the general population and randomly assigned to self-help schema therapy (n = 32) or a waitlist (n = 32). Intent-to-treat analyses and study completer analyses were conducted using repeated-measures analyses of variance (time × group). Results: Intent-to-treat analyses revealed that treatment produced a marginal improvement in distress, but no change in EMSs. Among study completers (n = 34), self-help schema therapy yielded large reductions in distress scores on the Outcome Questionnaire-45.2 (partial eta squared = .16). Compared to the waitlist, self-help schema therapy also produced a moderate decrease in EMSs (partial eta squared = .10). The majority of study completers showed reliable clinical change in distress and reported high levels of satisfaction with the intervention. Conclusion: Self-help schema therapy may be an effective treatment for those individuals who persist in treatment. Self-help schema therapy has the potential to help a large number of individuals who may not otherwise have access to services. More research is needed to determine variables associated with treatment adherence and successful outcome.

The objective of this study was to evaluate associations between adverse outcomes in twin pregnancies and preterm prelabour rupture of membranes (PPROM). A chart review of 246 consecutive twin pregnancies with confirmed PPROM was conducted. Regression analysis (β [natural log of the odds ratio] and odds ratio [OR]) was performed to identify independent predictors. Two hundred and forty-six twin pregnancies, 492 liveborns, and 20 neonatal deaths. Mean (SD) PPROM gestational age (GA): 31.3 (3.8) wk; delivery GA: 32.0 (3.3) wk. PPROM < 30wk was associated with increased parity (OR: 2.66), and log (admission leukocyte count) (OR: 9.99). Shortened latency was associated with PPROM GA (β = −0.17) and chorioamnionitis (β = 0.95). Neonatal sepsis was predicted by lower delivery GA (OR: 2.04). Adverse perinatal outcomes were protected against by older GA at PPROM (OR 0.53) and shortened latency (OR 0.73). It was concluded that increased leukocytosis and parity implies an infectious aetiology in earlier PPROM. Increased risk for neonatal sepsis at earlier delivery GA is consistent with gestation-dependent fetal immunocompetence. Early PPROM and long latencies were associated with increased adverse perinatal outcomes.

Immunoblotting combined with computer imaging and a simple, non-linear mathematical model were used to demonstrate the potential of a technique for non-destructive visualisation and analysis of fungal growth of Rhizoctonia solani over the surface of non-sterile sand. Immunoblotting detected actively growing regions of mycelium enabling visualisation of individual hyphae at the colony edge. A zone of active growth was detected expanding radially over time. Active growth did not continue in the centre of the fungal colony leading to the development of a ring of mycelium surrounding the inoculum. Change in the density of actively growing mycelium with distance from the inoculum unit was summarised for each colony at each time by a Gaussian function, describing a wave of actively growing mycelium, symmetrical in density about its centre but differing amongst replicate colonies. The effectiveness of the immunoblotting technique to detect differences in colony growth was tested by comparing the growth of replicate colonies for two contrasting isolates of R. solani. When both isolates of R. solani were grown at 23 °C the amplitude of the wave increased to a maximum and then decayed over time, the location of the centre of the wave moved outwards at a constant rate, whilst the width of the wave increased. Increasing the temperature to 28 °, accelerated this intrinsic growth process for one isolate, but retarded growth of the other.

Infant attachment and mother–child interaction were evaluated for 65 primiparous women and their singleton infants conceived through in vitro fertilisation (IVF) and a control group of 61 women and their infants conceived naturally. The sample was enrolled during pregnancy as part of a longitudinal study. At 12 months postpartum, security of infant attachment was assessed using the Strange Situation procedure, and mother–child interaction was assessed in a free play context using the Emotional Availability Scales. IVF children demonstrated predominantly secure attachment relationships with their mothers (64.6% IVF, 55.9% controls), and there were no significant between-group differences in the proportion of IVF compared to control group children classified in any of the secure or insecure attachment groups. Furthermore, there were no significant group differences on maternal (sensitivity, structuring, hostility) or child (responsivity, involving) dimensions of interaction during play. The majority of IVF mothers (86%) were sensitive and their infants responsive (91%). Contrary to expectation, mother's ratings of greater anticipated infant difficultness assessed during pregnancy and higher ratings of infant temperament and behaviour difficulty assessed at 4 and 12 months postpartum were associated with secure attachment relationships and more optimal mother–child interaction in both the IVF and control groups.