Publications by authors named "Alexandra-Maria Michaelidou"

Article Synopsis
  • * After reviewing 28 studies with nearly 40,000 pregnant women, the researchers categorized dietary patterns into "Westernized," "Nutritious," "Plant-based," and "Miscellaneous," finding mixed associations with GDM risk.
  • * Results show that while "Westernized" diets may increase GDM risk, "Nutritious" and "Plant-based" diets could be protective, indicating a need for more standardized research to guide effective dietary recommendations.
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Preterm delivery (PTD) is a notable pregnancy complication, affecting one out of every ten births. This study set out to investigate whether analyzing the metabolic composition of amniotic fluid (AF) collected from pregnant women during the second trimester of pregnancy could offer valuable insights into prematurity. The research employed H-NMR metabolomics to examine AF samples obtained from 17 women who gave birth prematurely (between 29 and 36 weeks of gestation) and 43 women who delivered at full term.

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Article Synopsis
  • * Three DPPs were identified: "Dairy-focused" (high animal protein), "Med-fusion" (lowest protein-to-fat ratio), and "Traditional-inspired" (higher plant protein and fiber).
  • * Babies born to mothers on the "Dairy-focused" diet had better growth outcomes, with higher height centiles and lower ponderal indexes, while metabolic tests showed distinct profiles linked to different DPPs, suggesting the need for better dietary recommendations for pregnant women.
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Fetal and perinatal periods are critical phases for long-term development. Early diagnosis of maternal complications is challenging due to the great complexity of these conditions. In recent years, amniotic fluid has risen in a prominent position in the latest efforts to describe and characterize prenatal development.

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This study aimed to explore the nutritional profile of 608 women during the second trimester of pregnancy, in terms of nutrient patterns, dietary quality and nutritional adequacy. Dietary data were collected using a validated Mediterranean-oriented, culture-specific FFQ. Principal component analysis was performed on 18 energy-adjusted nutrients.

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The aim of this study was to unravel the methodological challenges when exploring nutritional inadequacy, involving 608 healthy pregnant women. The usual intake of twenty-one nutrients was recorded by employing a validated FFQ. Simulated datasets of usual intake were generated, with randomly imposed uncertainty.

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Fermentation, as a process to increase the security of food supply, represents an integral part of food culture development worldwide. Nowadays, in the evolving functional food era where new sophisticated technological tools are leading to significant transformations in the field of nutritional sciences and science-driven approaches for new product design, fermentation technology is brought to the forefront again since it provides a solid foundation for the development of safe food products with unique nutritional and functional attributes. Therefore, the objective of the present review is to summarize the most recent advances in the field of fermentation processes related to cereal-based products.

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Maternal diet may influence offspring's health, even within well-nourished populations. Amniotic fluid (AF) provides a rational compartment for studies on fetal metabolism. Evidence in animal models indicates that maternal diet affects AF metabolic profile; however, data from human studies are scarce.

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The objective of the present survey was to study the dietary behavior of university students residing away from the family home. In this context, we (a) compared their dietary habits in two time periods, namely 2006 and 2016; and (b) explored the possible impact of gender on the behavioral changes in nutritional choices. A total of four hundred and five university students (2006, = 242; 2016, = 163) participated in the study.

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Objective: The precise etiopathogenesis of preeclampsia (PE) still remains enigmatic. In recent published work, there is a scientific trend aiming to unveil early biomarkers of PE based on amniotic fluid compositional changes before the development of clinical symptoms.

Case Report: We describe a case of an apparently clinically healthy woman, whose amniotic fluid, retrieved after amniocentesis at 22 gestational week, had elevated uric acid and potassium concentration, as well as cysteine to methionine ratio.

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The objectives were to develop a Mediterranean oriented semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) and evaluate its validity in measuring energy and nutrient intakes. For FFQ development, the main challenge was to merge food items and practices reflecting cultural Mediterranean preferences with other food choices ensuing from diet transition to more westernized dietary patterns. FFQ validity was evaluated by comparing nutrient intakes against the average of two 24-h dietary recalls for 179 pregnant women.

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The objective of the present exploratory study was to assess compliance with the nutrient recommendations among a convenience sample of adults diagnosed with cardiovascular risk factors in northern Greece and evaluate their dietary intake patterns. Ninety-two people participated in this cross-sectional study. Dietary assessment was carried out using a semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire.

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The objective of this study was to monitor the post-partum variation of polyamine content, in ovine and caprine milk, from indigenous Greek breeds. Twenty samples of ewe and 20 samples of goat colostrum and milk were collected at the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th and 15th day post-partum. Putrescine, spermidine and spermine were measured as dansylated derivatives by high-performance liquid chromatography.

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Article Synopsis
  • The study aimed to analyze changes in amniotic fluid (AF) components like glucose and uric acid during the second trimester of pregnancy and their links to maternal and neonatal characteristics.
  • Results showed that uric acid levels increased, while phosphate and glucose decreased, with maternal pre-pregnancy BMI significantly correlating with uric acid concentrations.
  • The findings suggest that AF phosphate and uric acid levels could be used as potential biomarkers for assessing fetal growth and birth weight, highlighting the importance of maternal nutrition.
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Objectives: Our aim was to identify and quantitate free amino acids in human amniotic fluid (AF) specimens collected during 2nd trimester amniocentesis and determine the correlation between amino acid concentrations, gestational age, and estimated fetal weight.

Methods: Seventy-eight AF samples were retrieved between 18 and 22 weeks of gestation. Fetal weight estimation was based on fetal biometric measurements.

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