Papers by Andriana Kaliora
International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 2022
Whereas the etiology of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is complex, the role of nutriti... more Whereas the etiology of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is complex, the role of nutrition as a causing and preventive factor is not fully explored. The aim of this study is to associate dietary patterns with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) parameters in a European population (Greece, Italy, and Serbia) affected by NAFLD. For the first time, iron-corrected T1 (cT1), proton density fat fraction (PDFF), and the liver inflammation fibrosis score (LIF) were examined in relation to diet. A total of 97 obese patients with NAFLD from the MAST4HEALTH study were included in the analysis. A validated semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) was used to assess the quality of diet and food combinations. Other variables investigated include anthropometric measurements, total type 2 diabetes risk, physical activity level (PAL), and smoking status. Principal component analysis (PCA) was performed to identify dietary patterns. Six dietary patterns were identified, namely “High...
AIM: To evaluate the effectiveness of mastic administra-tion on the clinical course and plasma in... more AIM: To evaluate the effectiveness of mastic administra-tion on the clinical course and plasma infl ammatory me-diators of patients with active Crohn’s disease (CD). METHODS: This pilot study was conducted in patients with established mild to moderately active CD, attend-ing the outpatient clinics of the hospital, and in healthy controls. Ten patients and 8 controls were recruited for a 4-wk treatment with mastic caps (6 caps/d, 0.37 g/cap). All patients successfully completed the protocol. CD Ac-tivity Index (CDAI), Nutritional Risk Index (NRI), C-re-active protein (CRP), interleukin-6 (IL-6), tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), monocyte chemotactic protein-1 (MCP-1), and total antioxidant potential (TAP) were evaluated in the plasma at baseline and at the end of
Nutrients, 2021
Osteoarthritis (OA) is the most common form of arthritis and a major cause of limited functionali... more Osteoarthritis (OA) is the most common form of arthritis and a major cause of limited functionality and thus a decrease in the quality of life of the inflicted. Given the fact that the existing pharmacological treatments lack disease-modifying properties and their use entails significant side effects, nutraceuticals with bioactive compounds constitute an interesting field of research. Polyphenols are plant-derived molecules with established anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties that have been extensively evaluated in clinical settings and preclinical models in OA. As more knowledge is gained in the research field, an interesting approach in the management of OA is the additive and/or synergistic effects that polyphenols may have in an optimized supplement. Therefore, the aim of this review was to summarize the recent literature regarding the use of combined polyphenols in the management of OA. For that purpose, a PubMed literature survey was conducted with a focus on some pre...
Pharmacological Research, 2021
Pore-scale modeling is becoming widely applied in the oil industry. The objective of porescale im... more Pore-scale modeling is becoming widely applied in the oil industry. The objective of porescale imaging and modeling is to predict the properties of multiphase flow in porous media. Pore-network model construction of geologically realistic samples and determination of rock and two-phase fluid flow properties are described and discussed in this paper. Pore-network models were constructed using published micro-computed tomography images of different rock samples. Effective porosity, average absolute permeability, capillary pressure, tortuosity (in 3 directions), and relative permeability were calculated for 2 types of displacement (drainage and imbibition). Avizo® Software and two-phase code were used for volume rendering of rock samples and calculations of rock and two-phase fluid flow properties, since it is a valuable and reliable tool for prediction of petrophysical properties and has advances in visualization of the pore space. Created 3D models of core samples based on micro-computed tomography scan data will allow oil and oilfield service companies to create a digital core database on a computer instead of storing physical cores in warehouses, which in turn greatly facilitates access to cores for further work with them.
Nutrients, 2020
Deficiencies in vitamin D, folate and cobalamin are common in Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD). T... more Deficiencies in vitamin D, folate and cobalamin are common in Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD). The aim of the present study was to assess serum levels of these vitamins in IBD adults based on the respective serum cut off values for vitamin deficiencies, and to explore possible associations with IBD-related biomarkers and nutritional intake. A cross-sectional study was carried out and patients with Crohn’s disease (CD) or ulcerative colitis (UC) from Attica-Greece were enrolled. Medical and dietary history, clinical examination and blood/stool biomarkers were evaluated. In total, 87 patients participated in the study. Serum levels of 25(OH)D, folate and cobalamin were deficient in 36.8%, 18.4% and 5.7% of patients, respectively. Linear regression analysis in the overall patients showed positive associations between (a) serum 25(OH)D with serum iron (beta = 0.083, p = 0.005) and (b) serum cobalamin with total bilirubin (beta = 0.357, p = 0.020) and direct bilirubin (beta = 0.727, p =...
Foods, 2020
Monoterpenes are bioactive compounds, however studies on their metabolic fate in humans are scarc... more Monoterpenes are bioactive compounds, however studies on their metabolic fate in humans are scarce. The present work aimed to identify and quantify the bioactive monoterpenes myrcene, α- and β-pinene of the Mediterranean product Mastiha Oil, in human plasma after acute consumption of a single dose. This was an open-label, single-arm acute study. After overnight fasting, healthy males were administered with Mastiha Oil. Blood samples were collected on different time-points before and after consumption. A novel GC-MS-MS application was performed to detect and quantify terpenes in MO and in plasma. Serum lipid resistance to oxidation was also determined. Alpha-Pinene, β-pinene and myrcene were identified and quantified in plasma. Alpha-pinene concentration significantly increased after 0.5 h of Mastiha Oil consumption, remaining significantly increased at 1 h, 2 h, 4 h, 6 h and 24 h. Beta-pinene and myrcene followed similar patterns. The increase in serum lipid resistance to oxidation ...
Dietetics, 2021
Osteoarthritis is the most common inflammation-based joint disease. Polyphenols are plant seconda... more Osteoarthritis is the most common inflammation-based joint disease. Polyphenols are plant secondary metabolites with established antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. Recognizing the need for holistic approaches in the management of knee osteoarthritis, we designed a two-arm, randomised clinical trial to evaluate the efficacy of a supplement rich in phenolic compounds in OA. Primary outcomes included changes in Visual Analog Scale (VAS) and Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis (WOMAC) pain subscale. Secondary outcome measures were the changes in WOMAC stiffness and functionality subscales. Patients were randomised (1:1) to receive a mixture of phenolic compounds and ascorbic acid (PhAA,) or ascorbic acid (AA). Μedical history, biochemical profile and anthropometric measurements were obtained. Eighty-six patients were screened and 25 were randomly allocated in a pilot study to receive a mixture of phenolic compounds and ascorbic acid (PhAA,) or ascorbic ac...
Nutrients, 2021
Background: Dietary and lifestyle habits constitute a significant contributing factor in the form... more Background: Dietary and lifestyle habits constitute a significant contributing factor in the formation of anthropometric and biochemical characteristics of overweight and obese populations. The iMPROVE study recruited overweight and obese Greek adults and investigated the effect of gene–diet interactions on weight management when adhering to a six-month, randomized nutritional trial including two hypocaloric diets of different macronutrient content. The present paper displays the design of the intervention and the baseline findings of the participants’ dietary habits and their baseline anthropometric and biochemical characteristics. Methods: Baseline available data for 202 participants were analyzed and patterns were extracted via principal component analysis (PCA) on 69-item Food-Frequency Questionnaires (FFQ). Relationships with indices at baseline were investigated by multivariate linear regressions. A Lifestyle Index of five variables was further constructed. Results: PCA provid...
Pharmacological Research - Modern Chinese Medicine, 2021
As evidenced by the rise in extreme far-right movements in the last few years, the ideology of th... more As evidenced by the rise in extreme far-right movements in the last few years, the ideology of the National Socialist movement did not gain traction only within Nazi Germany, but rather around the world. In the time leading up to World War II, a growing relationship between Nazi Germany and militarist Japan encouraged the spread of Nazi ideology to Japan and led to the development of the Tokyo-Berlin Axis.
Food Chemistry, 2021
Treatment and disposal of wineries and olive-oil mills waste is usually associated with complex p... more Treatment and disposal of wineries and olive-oil mills waste is usually associated with complex processes, which are often of limited wide-scale applicability. Olive-leaves plus two-phase olive mill waste (OLW) or grape marc plus wheat straw (GMW) were assessed as substrates for the cultivation of the choice edible mushroom Pleurotus citrinopileatus. GMW led to increased mushroom biological efficiency and shorter production cycles. Antioxidant activities, triterpenic acids, free amino acids, lovastatin and ergosterol were significantly higher in fruitbodies from GMW; the latter compound was positively correlated with squalene concentrations in substrates. Glucans, resveratrol and fatty acids content showed minor differences among mushrooms from the three substrates examined, whereas ergothioneine was significantly higher in fruitbodies grown on OLW. High correlations were noted for oleanolic, ursolic and amino acid content in mushrooms and their respective substrates. Moreover, FTIR spectra revealed variations in fruitbodies content in bioactive compounds which were associated with the substrates used.
Molecular Nutrition & Food Research, 2021
SCOPE Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is the most common liver disease with poor therap... more SCOPE Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is the most common liver disease with poor therapeutic strategies. Mastiha possesses antioxidant/anti- inflammatory and lipid lowering properties. We investigated the effectiveness of Mastiha as a non-pharmacological intervention in NAFLD. METHODS AND RESULTS 98 patients with NAFLD in three countries (Greece, Italy, Serbia) were randomly allocated to either Mastiha or Placebo for 6 months, as part of a multicentre, randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel-group clinical trial. We assessed NAFLD severity via Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) scanning and LiverMultiScan technique and evaluated the effectiveness of Mastiha through medical, anthropometric, biochemical, metabolomic and microbiota assessment. Mastiha was not superior to Placebo on changes in iron-corrected T1 (cT1) and Liver Inflammation Fibrosis score (LIF) in entire patient population; however, after BMI stratification (BMI≤ 35 kg/m2 and BMI> 35 kg/m2 ) severely obese patients showed improvement in cT1 and LIF in Mastiha versus Placebo. Mastiha increased dissimilarity of gut microbiota, as shown by the Bray-Curtis index, downregulated Flavonifractor, a known inflammatory taxon and decreased Lysophosphatidylcholines-(LysoPC) 18:1, Lysophosphatidylethanolamines-(LysoPE) 18:1, and cholic acid compared to Placebo. CONCLUSION Mastiha supplementation improved microbiota dysbiosis and lipid metabolite levels in patients with NAFLD, although it reduce parameters of liver inflammation/fibrosis only in severely obese patients. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
Biomedicine & Pharmacotherapy, 2021
Dysregulation of intestinal immune response plays a critical role in the pathogenesis of Inflamma... more Dysregulation of intestinal immune response plays a critical role in the pathogenesis of Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD). Mastiha's anti-inflammatory properties are well established. Our aim was to investigate Mastiha's regulatory effect on IL-17A serum levels in IBD patients. Alterations of the faecal metabolome as a functional readout of microbial activity were explored. A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel-group design was applied for a total of 3 months in active and 6 months in inactive IBD patients. Serum IL-17A increased significantly in Mastiha group (p = 0.006), and the mean change differed significantly between Mastiha and placebo (p = 0.003) even after adjusting for age, sex and BMI (p = 0.001) in inactive patients. In inactive UC patients IL-17A decreased significantly only in placebo (p = 0.033). No significant differences were detected in active disease. Faecal metabolomics indicated that intervention with Mastiha influenced considerably the metabolic profile of IBD patients in remission exhibiting, in between others, increased levels of glycine and tryptophan. Glycine has been proposed to have a therapeutic effect against IBD, while tryptophan derivatives are involved in immunoregalutory mechanisms, such as the Th17 cells differentiation. Thus, it is quite possible that the immunoregulatory role of Mastiha in quiescent IBD involves the regulation of Th17 cells function and differentiation.
Molecules, 2020
Previous studies have demonstrated the feasibility of employing by-products of the olive and wine... more Previous studies have demonstrated the feasibility of employing by-products of the olive and wine sectors for the production of Pleurotus mushrooms with enhanced functionalities. In this work we investigated the influence of endogenous and exogenous factors on free amino acids (FAAs) profile of Pleurotus ostreatus, P. eryngii and P. nebrodensis mushrooms produced on wheat straw (WS), alone or mixed with grape marc (GM), and on by-products of the olive industry (OL). Overall, 22 FAAs were determined in substrates and mushrooms, including all the essential amino acids, the neurotransmitter γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) and ornithine. On a dry weight (dw) basis, total FAAs ranged from 17.37 mg/g in P. nebrodensis to 130.12 mg/g in P. ostreatus samples, with alanine, leucine, glutamine, valine and serine predominating. Similar distribution patterns were followed by the monosodium glutamate (MSG)-like, sweet and bitter FAAs. Significant differences in FAAs level were observed among the spec...
Diagnostics, 2020
Branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs) are involved in immune system’s metabolic pathways and play fu... more Branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs) are involved in immune system’s metabolic pathways and play fundamental role in gut health. Our aim was to assess BCAA plasma levels in patients with ulcerative colitis (UC) and associations of plasma BCAAs with disease-related parameters. This was a case-control study in adult patients with UC and BMI-matched controls. A total of 150 volunteers were screened between May 2016 and June 2017; 43 patients and 34 healthy controls were enrolled. Medical and dietary history (3 × 24 h recalls, MedDiet score), anthropometric measurements, blood and fecal samples were collected. We measured BCAAs in plasma with gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. In patients, fecal calprotectin, lactoferrin, lysozyme and defensin were quantified. Dietary pattern was similar in patients and controls. Plasma-free BCAA profiles did not differ between groups. Regression analysis showed that i) valine was inversely associated with calprotectin (p = 0.007) and ii) isoleucine wi...
Nutrients, 2019
Tinnitus is the perception of sound in the absence of any external stimulus. Oxidative stress is ... more Tinnitus is the perception of sound in the absence of any external stimulus. Oxidative stress is possibly involved in its pathogenesis and a variety of antioxidant compounds have been studied as potential treatment approaches. The objective of the present study was to assess the effects of antioxidant supplementation in tinnitus patients. This is a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial. Patients (N = 70) were randomly allocated to antioxidant supplementation (N = 35) or to placebo (N = 35) for a total of 3 months. Demographic, anthropometric, clinical, and nutritional data were collected. Serum total antioxidant capacity (TAC), oxidized LDL (oxLDL), and superoxide dismutase (SOD), tinnitus loudness, frequency, and minimum masking level (MML), and scores in Tinnitus Handicap Inventory questionnaire (THI), Tinnitus Functional Index (TFI), and Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) were evaluated at baseline and follow-up. Tinnitus loudness and MML significantly decreased fr...
European Journal of Nutrition, 2019
Purpose To assess the adherence to MD in patients with Crohn’s disease (CD). Methods Outpatients ... more Purpose To assess the adherence to MD in patients with Crohn’s disease (CD). Methods Outpatients with CD were enrolled in this protocol. Medical history, disease activity, dietary intake, habitual Mediterranean diet (MedDiet) score, anthropometric measurements and Inflammatory Bowel Disease Questionnaire (IBDQ) were recorded. Blood samples were collected for quantification of biochemical and inflammatory indices. Results A total of 86 patients with CD were enrolled: 41 in relapse (5 ≤ Harvey Bradshaw Index ≤ 14) and 45 in remission (Harvey Bradshaw Index ≤ 4). Adherence to MD was greater in patients with inactive disease. The MedDiet score correlated positively with the IBDQ ( p = 0.008) and negatively with disease activity ( p < 0.001). Conclusions Adherence to Mediterranean diet is associated with improved quality of life in CD patients. Higher adherence to Mediterranean diet could be of importance in patients with CD to improve quality of life and reduce disease activity.
Journal of Hepatology, 2019
Phytotherapy Research, 2018
There is keen research upon the effects of nutraceuticals on Inflammatory Bowel Disease. The purp... more There is keen research upon the effects of nutraceuticals on Inflammatory Bowel Disease. The purpose of this study was to explore the effect of Mastiha supplement, rich in bioactive nutraceuticals, in active Inflammatory Bowel Disease. This is a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial. Α total of 60 Inflammatory Bowel Disease patients were enrolled and randomly allocated Mastiha (2.8g/day) or placebo groups for 3 months adjunct to stable medical treatment. Medical and dietary history, Inflammatory Bowel Disease Questionnaire, Harvey-Bradshaw Index, Partial Mayo Score, biochemical indices, faecal and blood inflammatory markers were assessed. A clinically important difference between groups in IBDQ was defined as primary outcome. Inflammatory Bowel Disease Questionnaire score significantly improved in verum compared with baseline (p=0.004). There was a significant decrease in faecal lysozyme in Mastiha patients (p=0.018) with the mean change being significant (p=0.021) and significant increases of faecal lactoferrin (p=0.001) and calprotectin (p=0.029) in the placebo group. Fibrinogen reduced significantly (p=0.006) with a significant mean change (p=0.018), whereas iron increased (p=0.032) in Mastiha arm. Our results show regulation of faecal lysozyme by Mastiha supplement adjunctive to pharmacological treatments in active inflammatory bowel disease. An effect secondary to a prebiotic potency is proposed.
Nutrients, 2018
Oxidative stress is present in patients with Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD), and natural supple... more Oxidative stress is present in patients with Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD), and natural supplements with antioxidant properties have been investigated as a non-pharmacological approach. The objective of the present study was to assess the effects of a natural Pistacia lentiscus (PL) supplement on oxidative stress biomarkers and to characterise the plasma-free amino acid (AA) profiles of patients with active IBD (Crohn’s disease (CD) N = 40, ulcerative colitis (UC) N = 20). The activity was determined according to 5 ≤ Harvey Bradshaw Index ≤ 16 or 2 ≤ Partial Mayo Score ≤ 6. This is a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial. IBD patients (N = 60) were randomly allocated to PL (2.8 g/day) or to placebo for 3 months being under no treatment (N = 21) or under stable medical treatment (mesalamine N = 24, azathioprine N = 14, and corticosteroids N = 23) that was either single medication (N = 22) or combined medication (N = 17). Plasma oxidised, low-density lipoprote...
Nutrients, 2018
We aimed to explore whether plasma-free amino acids are modified in response to terpenes administ... more We aimed to explore whether plasma-free amino acids are modified in response to terpenes administration in healthy humans. In this open-label, single-arm acute trial, seventeen healthy male volunteers were administered with a naturally occurring product of known terpenes-namely mastiha-after overnight fasting. Blood samples were collected at different time points before and after ingestion. We aimed at identifying and quantifying 60 free amino acids in plasma applying Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry. A total of 24 free amino acids were quantified. Branched-chain valine significantly decreased 4 h post-ingestion, whereas proline decreased at 6 h and ornithine at 2 h, compared to 0 h. These novel findings demonstrate that free amino acids levels are modulated in response to terpenes intake in healthy subjects.
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Papers by Andriana Kaliora