Mediterranean vs. western dietary patterns: preventing and treating obesity and other diseases

Mediterranean diet seems to be the most highly recommended dietary pattern due to both preventive and therapeutic properties, as well as its positive impact on wellness and quality of life. It has been abandoned in western and westernized societies lately. However, the health benefits derived from it are widely recognized. This is an effort to demonstrate the impact of Mediterranean diet to human health, in relation to obesity and other diseases. There is sound evidence that this dietary pattern favors the control of the epidemic of obesity, as well as its management. High quality of this diet seems to be able to help in avoiding/minimizing the possibility of developing cancer and cardiovascular diseases. The new fields of nutrigenomics and nutrigenetics seem to be really promising for individualized management in the near future. The Mediterranean diet pattern seems to consist of nutrients of high quality, which can favor pathophysiological processes and prevent, as well as treat, obesity, cancer and/or cardiovascular diseases. Therefore, health care professionals could recommend this dietary pattern to wide populations, in order to promote public health and quality of life, and to minimize heath care system expenses

Are dietary intakes related to obesity in children?

AIM: The purpose of this study was to report obesity status and identify any dietary substances that may be related to obesity in healthy school children from Northern Greece. METHODS: Four hundred and twenty-five (n = 425) children were randomly selected to participate in the study. A 24-h recall of three days (two weekdays and one weekend day) was used to analyze the dietary data of the subjects. RESULTS: Out of 425 subjects, 146 (34.3%) of them were found to be overweight and obese. Energy, protein, carbohydrate and thiamin intake was statistically positively correlated with obesity while dietary iron intake was statistically negatively correlated with obesity. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that the children with dietary iron deficiency were 1.128 (95% CI: 0.002, 0.161 P \u3c 0.031) times more likely of being obese compared to the normal group after adjustment for energy intake. CONCLUSIONS: Although most of the dietary intakes of our subjects were adequate, special consideration should be given to energy, carbohydrate, protein, and sugar and iron intake especially and its relation to obesity. Furthermore, additional studies are required to investigate any possible relation of low dietary iron consumption and obesity

Apolipoprotein E gene polymorphism in Greek children with nephrotic syndrome

Apolipoprotein E (ApoE) genotypes were determined for children with nephrotic syndrome (NS) (study group, N=17) and control group (N=31). In controls, ε3/ε3 was prominent. In study group, ε2 allele was present in contrast to con­trols. Hypercholesterolemia seems related to apoE genes polymorphism. Genotyping could predict the clinical course of NS

Prevalence of childhood obesity in schools of Northern Greece

Prevalence of obesity in 592 Greek pupils (7-15 years old) was investigated. Body Mass Index (BMI) was calculated and percentages of overweight and obese children in age groups were assessed. High percentage of Greek children is overweight and obese. Comparison of BMI between schools of Thessaloniki center and the suburbs and between boys and girls showed no statistically significant difference

Does combined training of biofeedback and neurofeedback affect smoking status, behavior, and longitudinal brain plasticity?

Introduction: Investigations of biofeedback (BF) and neurofeedback (NF) training for nicotine addiction have been long documented to lead to positive gains in smoking status, behavior and to changes in brain activity. We aimed to: (a) evaluate a multi-visit combined BF/NF intervention as an alternative smoking cessation approach, (b) validate training-induced feedback learning, and (c) document effects on resting-state functional connectivity networks (rsFCN); considering gender and degree of nicotine dependence in a longitudinal design.Methods: We analyzed clinical, behavioral, and electrophysiological data from 17 smokers who completed five BF and 20 NF sessions and three evaluation stages. Possible neuroplastic effects were explored comparing whole-brain rsFCN by phase-lag index (PLI) for different brain rhythms. PLI connections with significant change across time were investigated according to different resting-state networks (RSNs).Results: Improvements in smoking status were observed as exhaled carbon monoxide levels, Total Oxidative Stress, and Fageström scores decreased while Vitamin E levels increased across time. BF/NF promoted gains in anxiety, self-esteem, and several aspects of cognitive performance. BF learning in temperature enhancement was observed within sessions. NF learning in theta/alpha ratio increase was achieved across baselines and within sessions. PLI network connections significantly changed across time mainly between or within visual, default mode and frontoparietal networks in theta and alpha rhythms, while beta band RSNs mostly changed significantly after BF sessions.Discussion: Combined BF/NF training positively affects the clinical and behavioral status of smokers, displays benefit in smoking harm reduction, plays a neuroprotective role, leads to learning effects and to positive reorganization of RSNs across time.Clinical Trial Registration:https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT02991781

Elevated Asymmetric Dimethylarginine is Associated With Oxidant Stress Aggravation in Patients With Early Stage Autosomal Dominant Polycystic Kidney Disease

Background/Aims: In experimental models of polycystic kidney disease impaired bioavailability of nitric oxide (NO) and elevated mRNA expression of oxidative stress markers at the kidney level was noted. However, clinical studies investigating the potential role of endothelial dysfunction and oxidative stress in the pathogenesis of autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD) are limited. We evaluated asymmetric dimethylarginine (ADMA) as marker of NO synthase inhibitor as well as 15-F2t-Isoprostane and oxidized-low density lipoprotein (oxidized-LDL) as measures of oxidative stress in patients with early stages ADPKD. Methods: We recruited 26 ADPKD patients (Group A) with modestly impaired renal function (eGFR 45-70 ml/min/1.73m2), 26 age- and sex-matched ADPKD patients (Group B) with relatively preserved renal function (eGFR)>70 ml/min/1.73m2), and 26 age- and sex-matched controls (Group C). Determination of circulating levels of ADMA, 15-F2t-Isoprostane, oxidized-LDL and routine biochemistry was performed. Results: Group A and B had significantly higher ADMA levels as compared to controls (1.68±0.7 vs 0.51±0.2 μmol/l, P2t-IsoP and oxidized-LDL levels were also significantly higher in Group B relative to controls (788.8±185.0 vs 383.1±86.0 pgr/ml, P2t-Isoprostane (r=0.811, PConclusion: This study shows elevation in circulating levels of ADMA along with aggravation of oxidative stress from the early stages of ADPKD

The Interplay between Myocardial Fibrosis, Strain Imaging and Collagen Biomarkers in Adults with Repaired Tetralogy of Fallot

Background: We sought to assess the interplay between right ventricle (RV) fibrosis, biventricular dysfunction based on global longitudinal strain (GLS) analysis, and biomarkers such as Galectin-3 (Gal-3), procollagen type III (PCIII), and NTproBNP. Methods: We studied 35 adult patients with rToF. All patients underwent a cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) scan including feature tracking for deformation imaging. Blood biomarkers were measured. Results: LGE RV was detected in all patients, mainly at surgical sites. Patients with the highest RV LGE scoring had greater RV dilatation and dysfunction whereas left ventricular (LV) function was preserved. LV GLS correlated with RV total fibrosis score (p = 0.007). A LV GLS value of −15.9% predicted LGE RV score > 8 (AUC 0.754 (p = 0.02)). Neither RV GLS nor biomarker levels were correlated with the extent of RV fibrosis. A cut-off value for NTproBNP of 145.25 pg/mL predicted LGE RV score > 8 points (AUC 0.729, (p = 0.03)). A cut-off value for Gal-3 of 7.42 ng/mL predicted PR Fraction > 20% [AUC 0.704, (p = 0.05)]. Conclusions: A significant extent of RV fibrosis was mainly detected at surgical sites of RV, affecting RV performance. CMR-FT reveals subtle LV dysfunction in rToF patients, due to decreased performance of the fibrotic RV. Impaired LV function and elevated NTproBNP in rToF reflect a dysfunctional fibrotic RV