Aleksandra Konic Ristic

• MSc, PhD
• Lecturer at University College Dublin

Total phenolics, total anthocyanins, mineral content, radical scavenging activity and antiproliferative activity against human cancer cell lines were evaluated in fresh pressed juices of five different berries. Total phenolic content ranged from 133.0 to 260.3mg of gallic acid equivalents/100g of fresh weight, for red currant and black currant, res...

An increasing number of evidence suggests a protective role of dietary anthocyanins against cardiovascular diseases. Anthocyanins' extensive metabolism indicates that their metabolites could be responsible for the protective effects associated with consumption of anthocyanin-rich foods. The aim of this work was to investigate the effect of plasma a...

Abstract Berry fruits are a rich source of polyphenols, especially anthocyanins: well-known potent anti-oxidant phytochemicals. The purpose of this study was to evaluate beneficial effects of long-term consumption of polyphenol-rich organic chokeberry juice on different markers of antioxidant/pro-oxidant status in healthy female volunteers. Twenty-...

Abstract The aim of our study was to investigate possible beneficial effects of organic chokeberry juice (OCJ) consumption in the treatment of cellulite. Twenty-nine women aged 25-48 with a cellulite grade 2 according to the Nurnberger-Muller scale were included. Anthropometric and biochemical parameters were measured. Skin structure was analyzed b...

The effect of long-term polyphenol-rich chokeberry juice consumption on activities of antioxidant enzymes and membrane lipid status in erythrocytes of 25 healthy women was examined. Percentages of membrane fatty acids, superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione peroxidase (GPx) activities were assessed at a baseline, in the middle and at the end of...

Introduction: The intestinal microbiome is a diagnostic indicator and therapeutic target for non-communicable diseases. The aim of this work is to test the relationship between arterial stiffness, elasticity, gut microbiota and inflammation markers in the patients with acute coronary syndrome. Methods: Elastic properties of arteries were evaluated...

The effects of the consumption of an extract of the brown seaweed Ascophyllum nodosum (BSW) on postprandial glucose and insulin responses to white bread were investigated in an acute, randomized, double-blind, three-arm, crossover, controlled trial in healthy, normoglycemic subjects. Sixteen subjects were administered either control white bread (50...

The effects of the consumption of an extract of the brown seaweed Ascophyllum nodosum (BSW) on postprandial glucose and insulin response to white bread were investigated in an acute, randomized, double-blind, three-arm, crossover, controlled trial in healthy, normoglyacemic subjects. Sixteen subjects were administrated either control white bread (5...

Background and Aims Excessive intake of fructose is a significant contributor in the development of hypertension and pathogenesis of cardiometabolic diseases. We previously showed that dietary inulin can prevent fructose-induced hypertension in rats. Nevertheless, molecular mechanisms of both fructose and inulin in aorta remain unknown. The aim of...

We aimed to evaluate the changes in eating behaviours of the adult population across 16 European countries due to the COVID-19 confinement and to evaluate whether these changes were somehow related to the severity of the containment measures applied in each country. An anonymous online self-reported questionnaire on socio-demographic characteristic...

Type II diabetes is considered the most common metabolic disorder in the developed world and currently affects about one in ten globally. A therapeutic target for the management of type II diabetes is the inhibition of α- glucosidase, an essential enzyme located at the brush border of the small intestinal epithelium. The inhibition of α-glucosidase...

Prevalence of type 2 diabetes mellitus has significantly increased in the last three decades and currently affects about 1 in 10 globally. A common therapeutic target for type 2 diabetes is α- glucosidase, an essential enzyme located at the brush border of the small intestinal epithelium. The inhibition of α-glucosidase results in a reduced digesti...

Purpose The quality of the study design and data reporting in human trials dealing with the inter-individual variability in response to the consumption of plant bioactives is, in general, low. There is a lack of recommendations supporting the scientific community on this topic. This study aimed at developing a quality index to assist the assessment...

Chokeberry polyphenols have been suggested to reduce cholesterol and blood pressure and thus protect against cardiovascular diseases (CVD), but the evidence in humans is limited and inconsistent. This randomized double-blinded three-parallel groups trial investigated the changes in various anthropometric and clinical biomarkers, and in plasma phosp...

A correction to this article has been published and is linked from the HTML and PDF versions of this paper. The error has been fixed in the paper.

A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials exploring the role of inter-individual variability on the effect of flavanols on insulin and HOMA-IR - Volume 77 Issue OCE2 - N. Alshammari, S.A. Palma-Duran, G. Jiang, A. González-Sarrías, P. Pinto, M. Garcia-Aloy, E. Gibney, MT. García-Conesa, P. Kroon, A. Konić Ristić, A. Kats...

Accumulating evidence suggests that anthocyanins play an important role in the cardioprotective effects associated with consumption of anthocyanin-rich foods. These benefits may partly be attributed to their effects on platelets, significant contributors to cardiovascular disease development. This study aimed to investigate the impact of physiologi...

Understanding interindividual variability in response to dietary polyphenols remains essential to elucidate their effects on cardiometabolic disease development. A meta-analysis of 128 randomized clinical trials was conducted to investigate the effects of berries and red grapes/wine as sources of anthocyanins and of nuts and pomegranate as sources...

Cardiometabolic disease, comprising cardiovascular diseases, type 2 diabetes, and their associated risk factors including metabolic syndrome and obesity, is the leading cause of death worldwide. Plant foods are rich sources of different groups of bioactive compounds, which might not be essential throughout life but promote health and well-being by...

Chemotherapy in patients with inoperable or advanced breast cancer inevitably results in low-dose exposure of tumor-cell subset and senescence. Metabolically active senescent cells secrete multiple tumor promoting factors making their elimination a therapeutic priority. Viscum album is one of the most widely used alternative anti-cancer medicines f...

BACKGROUND Pomegranate juice is a rich source of polyphenols and is thus a promising dietary antioxidant with numerous health-promoting effects. These include a beneficial impact on cardiovascular health that could be partly attributed to the effects of polyphenols on lipid metabolism. The aim of this study was to investigate whether consumption of...

Despite the numerous benefits of milk constituents for human health a considerable number of the general population follow a milk-restricted diet due to clinically confirmed or self-assessed adverse reactions to cow’s milk consumption. Recurrent aphthous ulcers (RAU) are currently one of the most common oral disorders, with a worldwide distribution...

Products suitable for use as controls in food interventions designed to demonstrate the role of minor components are largely lacking. In the present study, we aimed to develop a formulation to be used as a placebo in a clinical trial designed to assess the effects of aronia juice polyphenols on platelet function. Three formulations with the same nu...

Oxidative and nitrosative stresses, resulting from either excessive production of reactive species or the disturbance in antioxidant defense, have been implicated as an underlying cause of a variety of diseases. The use of natural antioxidants was proposed as rational strategy to combat stress-related diseases. However, trials assessing the effects...

The aim was to determine the effect of steeping and sprouting on wheat grain proteins and the functional consequences in this regard. The solubility of proteins and the polypeptide composition of albumins, globulins, gliadins and glutenins were determined, as well as the content of non-protein nitrogen and free sulfhydryl groups (–SH), and the acti...

This study aimed to investigate effects of citrus flavanones naringenin (NAR) and hesperetin (HES) on liver antioxidant status and membrane phospholipid composition in 24-month-old rats. NAR and HES (15mg/kg) were administrated orally to male Wistar rats, once per day, for 4weeks. Control group received either vehicle (sunflower oil) or remained in...

Background: Pomegranate juice is rich source of polyphenols and thus promising dietary antioxidant with numerous health-promoting effects. This includes beneficial impact on cardiovascular health that could be partly attributed to the polyphenols' effects on lipid metabolism. The aim of this study was to investigate whether 6-week long pomegranate...

Background/aim: Numerous epidemiological studies have shown beneficial effects of cruciferous vegetables consumption in cancer chemoprevention. Biologically active compounds of different Brassicaceae species with antitumor potential are isothiocyanates, present in the form of their precursors - glucosinolates. The aim of this study was to determin...

Background/Aim. There is little information, about the difference in cytokine levels in the gingival crevicular fluid (GCF) during orthodontic tooth movement (OTM), between juveniles (children) and young adults (adults). The aim of this study was to examine the levels of interleukins IL-1β and IL- 6 in GCF of these two age groups during the acute p...

During orthodontic tooth movement comes to remodeling of periodontal ligament and alveolar bone in response to mechanical loading. Mechanical loading, which comes from the orthodontic force causes aseptic inflammatory reaction within the periodontal tissue, which, in turn, initiates the biological processes associated with bone remodeling. As one o...

A huge amount of espresso spent coffee grounds (SCG) are obtained as a waste product during the preparation of coffee beverages (cialdes, K-cups and in metallic filters). Although considered a waste and an ecological threat, SCGs could be an excellent source of bioactive components (mainly polyphenols) with outstanding antioxidative activity and po...

Toxicity of conventional chemotherapeutics highlights the requirement for complementary or alternative medicines that would reduce side effects and improve their anticancer effectiveness. European mistletoe (Viscum album) has long been used as a complementary and alternative medicine supporting cancer therapy. The aim of this study was to investiga...

Background/Aim. Numerous epidemiological studies have shown beneficial effects of cruciferous vegetables consumption in cancer chemoprevention. Biologically active compounds of different Brassicaceae species with antitumor potential are isothiocyanates, present in the form of their precursors - glucosinolates. The aim of this study was to determine...

Accurate food composition data is essential in calculating the nutrient intake of a population based upon its consumption statistics. In the Serbian Food Composition Database (FCDB) there is a lack of reliable analytical data for black coffee, even though this is one of the most abundantly consumed beverages. In addition to evaluating the nutrition...

Deformability/rheologic behavior of erythrocytes are related to near-surface membrane fluidity. Specific agents can increase erythrocyte membrane fluidity in order to adjust hemodynamics in cardiovascular diseases. Grapefruit flavanone naringenin has been proposed for potential use in an alternative therapy of cardiovascular conditions. In respect...

The role of saliva in maintaining oral health and homeostasis is based on its physicochemical properties and biological activities of its components, including salivary immunoglobulin A (IgA). Both salivary rates and immunological status of saliva are found to be compromised in smokers. The aim of this study was to investigate the acute time-depend...

Beyond being central players in haemostasis and thrombosis, platelets have crucial roles in the development of atherosclerosis, mediated through their interactions with monocytes and endothelial cells. Disturbed platelet function correlates with other risk factors and the progression of CVD, postulating platelets as rational targets in CVD preventi...

BACKGROUND: Viscum album preparations are extensively used as complementary therapy in cancer and are shown to exert antitumor activities which involve the cytotoxic properties, induction of apoptosis, inhibition of angiogenesis and several other immunomodulatory mechanisms. AIM: The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of mistletoe ext...

The aim of this study was to analyze the effects of a 4-week-long consumption of glucomannan-enriched, aronia juice-based supplement on anthropometric parameters, membrane fatty acid profile, and status of antioxidant enzymes in erythrocytes obtained from postmenopausal women with abdominal obesity. Twenty women aged 45-65 with a mean body mass ind...

Seaweeds are an excellent source of compounds with biological activity. Since algae have been used in traditional medicine for a long time and also some algal substances have shown cytotoxic, anticoagulant and antiplatelet activity, they have been extensively studied. We examined the cytotoxicity and cell cycle distribution of acetone extract of Br...

BACKGROUND. Age must be considered as a contributing factor compromising the remodeling potential of parodontium during OTM. There are very sparce information about expression pattern of different cytokines in the gingival tissue during OTM. The purpose of this study was to quantify the TNF- in gingival crevicular fluid (GCF) and biopsies during a...

BACKGROUND The health benefits of fruit and vegetable-rich diets may be partly due to modulation of platelet activity by bioactive phytochemicals. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of bioactive-rich plant extracts and isolated bioactive metabolites on platelet function. Blood samples (n =15 subjects) were treated with extracts of...

BACKGROUND In several countries, tea (hot-water infusions of dried Camellia sinensis (CS) leaves) is a major source of antioxidant flavonoids, and its consumption has been associated with several favourable outcomes. Other plants used for the preparation of herbal teas are sources of phenolic antioxidant compounds; among them Sideritis scardica (SS...

BACKGROUND There is increasing evidence that consumption of plant bioactives such as polyphenols and glucosinolates reduces cardiovascular disease risk and improves endothelial function. In the Black Sea area, a number of plants are consumed alone and as ingredients in traditional foods, and dill, nettle, kale, Sideritis and persimmon were identifi...

The beneficial effect of fruit and vegetable-rich diets on cardiovascular health is partly attributed to the effect of their bioactive compounds on platelet function. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of bioactive-rich plant extracts and isolated bioactive metabolites on platelet function. Blood samples from healthy subjects (n =...

The study included 48 untreated patients with monoclonal gammopathies (MG). Paraprotein was isolated from the serum of 10 patients with decreased platelet aggregation. Platelet aggregation was measured before and after the addition of the isolated paraprotein to platelet-rich plasma (PRP) from 10 healthy donors, in vitro. Expression of platelet von...

Recurrent aphthous ulcers (RAU) represent a very common, but poorly understood mucosal disorder. The connection between immunity to cow's milk proteins (CMP) and oral diseases was noted earlier. The goal of this study was to determine the prevalence of the increased levels of serum antibodies to goat's milk proteins (GMP), by enzyme-linked immunoso...

Export Date: 18 October 2014

The beneficial effects of black chokeberry fruits and juices in health promotion and prevention of chronic diseases shown in both epidemiological and dietary intervention studies are often connected with their antioxidant activity. The aim of this study was to investigate the total phenolics and anthocyanins content, chemical antioxidant activity (...

Objective: Ulcerative colitis (UC) is a form of inflammatory bowel disease, which is treated as an autoimmune disease. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of the increased levels of serum antibodies to different types of milk: fresh cow’s milk (FCM), fresh goat’s milk (FGM), boiled cow’s milk (BCM) and boiled goat’s milk (BGM) in...

Recurrent aphthous ulcerations (RAU), or recurrent aphthous stomatitis, is recognized as one of the most common oral mucosal diseases worldwide. It was noted some connection between immunity to cow's milk proteins (CMP) and oral diseases. The goal of this study was to determine the prevalence of the increased levels of serum antibodies to specific...

Our previous studies showed that zinc (II), cadmium (II) and nickel (II) complexes with 2-formylpyridine selenosemicarbazone induce apoptosis in cancer cells via activation of mitochondrial pathway. Herein, we reported their antimetastatic properties. Nickel (II), and zinc (II) complexes exhibited the strongest inhibitory potential towards MMP-2/9,...

One of the most important breakthroughs in the understanding of bone biology was the identification of the role of cytokines in bone remodelling including the alveolar bone exposed to the effect of mechanical forces during orthodontic treatment. Since bone remodelling is associated, in its early phase, with inflammation of the surrounding tissue, t...

Phytochemical analyses of the cultivated Sideritis raeseri subsp. raeseri in four different stages of flower development were performed. Traditionally used infusion and decoction were also prepared from aerial parts in full flowering stage, and analyses of active compounds and radical scavenging capacity were performed. The highest yield of the ess...

In recent times interest has increased in the complementary medicine of cancer patients. Two herbal mixtures were prepared from 17 and 12 plants, respectively. The goal of this study was to examine the in vitro cytotoxic and cell cycle effects of the aqueous-ethanol extracts (Extract 1 and Extract 2) obtained by maceration of the mixtures. The two...

In recent times interest has increased in the complementary medicine of cancer patients. Two herbal mixtures were prepared from 17 and 12 plants, respectively. The goal of this study was to examine the in vitro cytotoxic and cell cycle effects of the aqueous-ethanol extracts (Extract 1 and Extract 2) obtained by maceration of the mixtures. The two...

Balkan endemic nephropathy (BEN) is a chronic tubulo - interstitial nephropathy of unknown etiology. It is confined to several rural regions of the Balkan Peninsula (central and southeastern Serbia, southwestern Romania, northwestern Bulgaria, southeastern Croatia, and parts of Bosnia and Kosovo). There are numerous investigations concerning the ca...

Non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) represents heterogeneous group of diseases either B, or T cell origin. In order to assess whether food antigens contribute to the imbalance of immune response, the aim of this work was screening the sera of patients with (mostly) B cell NHL, and of people with non-malignant health disorders (NMD), as well as of healthy pe...

The goal of this study was to determine the incidence of serum antibodies to gliadin and to cow's milk proteins (CMP) using ELISA test, within patients who have recurrent aphthous ulcers (RAU). Fifty patients with recurrent aphthous ulcers and fifty healthy people were included in this research. Levels of serum IgA and IgG antibodies to gliadin and...

Immunity to food antigens (gliadin, cow's milk proteins) is in the centre of the attention of modern medicine focused on the prevention of diseases, prevention which is based on the use of appropriate restriction diet. Detection of the enhanced levels of the immune reactions to antigen(s) present in food is from this point of view of great importan...

Immunity to food antigens (gliadin, cow's milk proteins) is in the centre of the attention of modern medicine focused on the prevention of diseases, prevention which is based on the use of appropriate restriction diet. Detection of the enhanced levels of the immune reactions to antigen(s) present in food is from this point of view of great importan...

B138 The presence of “M” component, as monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (MGUS) in many patients with psoriatic arthritis and in 5% healthy people older than 70 years is well known. Besides, it was stressed out that patients with psoriatic arthritis and MGUS can sometimes develop multiple myeloma. Serum from patient 83 years old, w...

Multiple myeloma (MM) is a clonal B-cell disorder with many immunological disturbances. The aim of this work was to assess whether some of food antigens contribute to the imbalance of immune response by screening the sera of MM patients for their immunoreactivity to food constituent gliadin, to tissue transglutaminase-2 (tTG-2) and to Ro/SSA antige...

Multiple myeloma is malignant disease that is characterized in most patients, by the presence in the serum of monoclonal gamma globulins, which in agarose gel after electrophoresis appear as protein band of restricted mobility, "M" component. The aim of this study was to determine are the antibodies contained in M-component directed to some antigen...

The aim of present study was to assess the effects and safety of a dry Phaseoli vulgari pericarpium (PVP) extract on postprandial glycemia in healthy participants. A randomized crossover experiment where participants received either PVP extract or placebo. Chemical compounds in dry extract were assessed by established methods. Eighteen healthy part...

Carcinoma of the cervix is the second most common malignant neoplasia among women, following breast cancer. Approximately 500,000 new cases of cervix cancer are diagnosed worldwide each year. Along with conventional chemotherapeutic or surgery treatment, there is an increased interest in alternative treatment modalities that include complementary a...