Citizen science data on urban forageable plants: a case study in Brazil.

This paper presents two key data sets derived from the Pomar Urbano project. The first data set is a comprehensive catalog of edible fruit-bearing plant species, native or introduced to Brazil. The second data set, sourced from the iNaturalist platform, tracks the distribution and monitoring of these plants within urban landscapes across Brazil. The study includes data from the capitals of all 27 federative units of Brazil, focusing on the ten cities that contributed the most observations as of August 2023. The research emphasizes the significance of citizen science in urban biodiversity monitoring and its potential to contribute to various fields, including food and nutrition, creative industry, study of plant phenology, and machine learning applications. We expect the data sets presented in this paper to serve as resources for further studies in urban foraging, food security, cultural ecosystem services, and environmental sustainability.

Leveraging citizen science for monitoring urban forageable plants.

Urbanization brings forth social challenges in emerging countries such as Brazil, encompassing food scarcity, health deterioration, air pollution, and biodiversity loss. Despite this, urban areas like the city of São Paulo still boast ample green spaces, offering opportunities for nature appreciation and conservation, enhancing city resilience and livability. Citizen science is a collaborative endeavor between professional scientists and nonprofessional scientists in scientific research that may help to understand the dynamics of urban ecosystems. We believe citizen science has the potential to promote human and nature connection in urban areas and provide useful data on urban biodiversity.

Association between the Processed Dietary Pattern and Tumor Staging in Patients Newly Diagnosed with Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma.

PURPOSE: This study aimed to assess the association between dietary patterns and tumor staging and the degree of cell differentiation in patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). METHODS: This cross-sectional study included 136 individuals newly diagnosed with different stages of HNSCC, aged 20- to 80 years-old. Dietary patterns were determined by principal component analysis (PCA), using data collected from a food frequency questionnaire (FFQ). Anthropometric, lifestyle, and clinicopathological data were collected from patients' medical records. Disease staging was categorized as initial stage (stages I and II), intermediary (stage III), and advanced (stage IV). Cell differentiation was categorized as poor, moderate, or well-differentiated. The association of dietary patterns with tumor staging and cell differentiation was evaluated using multinomial logistic regression models and adjusted for potential confounders. RESULTS: Three dietary patterns, "healthy," "processed," and "mixed," were identified. The "processed" dietary pattern was associated with intermediary (odds ratio (OR) 2.47; 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.43-4.26; p = 0.001) and advanced (OR 1.78; 95% CI 1.12-2.84; p = 0.015) staging. No association was found between dietary patterns and cell differentiation. CONCLUSION: A high adherence to dietary patterns based on processed foods is associated with advanced tumor staging in patients newly diagnosed with HNSCC.

Dietary Intake is Associated with miR-31 and miR-375 Expression in Patients with Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma.

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are important epigenetic regulators in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC), with miR-31 being considered an oncomir and miR-375, a tumor suppressor miR, which are up- and down-regulated in HNSCC, respectively. Nutrients are known to influence miRNA expression; however, this association is poorly explored in HNSCC. This work aimed to identify associations between dietary intake and the expression of miR-31 and miR-375 in patients newly diagnosed with HNSCC. The expression of miR-31 was positively associated with the consumption of iron (ß = 16.65) and vitamin C (ß = 0.37), and inversely associated with total sugar (ß = -0.88), cholesterol (ß= -0.23), vitamin B9 (ß= -0.37) and zinc (ß = -5.66) intake. The expression of miR-375 was positively associated with the consumption of selenium (ß = 1.52), vitamin C (ß = 0.17) and vitamin D (ß = 13.01), and inversely associated with the consumption of added sugar (ß = -0.49), phosphorus (ß= -0.27) and vitamin B12 (ß = -10.80). Our findings showed important associations between dietary intake and miR-31 and miR-375 expression in HNSCC, offering possible directions for further studies investigating how nutrients interfere with carcinogenesis.Supplemental data for this article is available online at https://doi.org/10.1080/01635581.2021.1990972 .

Bioactive compounds and antioxidant activity of mangaba / Compostos bioativos e atividade antioxidante da mangaba

The present study aimed to assess the behavior of bioactive compounds and total antioxidant activity of two mangaba varieties (H. speciosa var. gardneri and H. speciosa var. cuyabensis) during storage, in two ripening stages. The fruit were harvested from the Germplasm bank of the School of Agronomy, at two ripening stages: "mature green" (mature fruit picked from the tree) and "fallen" (ripe fruit collected from the ground). After collection, they were transported to the laboratory, washed under running water, immersed in chlorine solution at 100 mg L-1 for 10 minutes, left to dry and stored under ambient conditions (22±1ºC and 90±5% RH). The fruit were analyzed to determine ascorbic acid content, total extractable polyphenols, yellow flavonoids and antioxidant activity using ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) and ABTS (2,2'-azino-bis-(3-ethylbenzthiazoline-6-sulfonic acid). Analyses were performed dailyuntil the mangaba were unfit for sale, using 3 repetitions with 3 fruit each. The maximum conservation time was eight days for "mature green" and two days for "fallen" fruit. The cuyabensis variety exhibited greatest ascorbic acid content at both ripening stages, in addition to higher antioxidant activity, and was therefore found to have the best potential to be marketed as a "superfruit"

O presente trabalho objetivou avaliar o comportamento dos compostos bioativos e da atividade antioxidante total de duas variedades de mangaba (H. speciosa var. gardneri e H. speciosa var. cuyabensis) durante o armazenamento, em dois estádios de maturação. Os frutos foram colhidos no banco de Germoplasma da Escola de Agronomia, em dois estádios de maturação, "de vez" (frutos maturos colhidos da árvore) e "de caída" (frutos maduros coletados no chão). Após a colheita, foram transportados para o laboratório, onde foram selecionados, lavados em água corrente, imersos em solução de cloro a 100 mg L-1 por 10 minutos, deixados secar e armazenados sob condição ambiente (22±1ºC e 90±5%UR). Os frutos foram analisados quanto aos teores de ácido ascórbico, flavonoides amarelos e polifenóis extraíveis totais, além da atividade antioxidante total determinada pelo método de redução do ferro (FRAP) e ABTS (2,2'-azino-bis-(3-ethylbenzthiazoline-6-sulfonic acid). As análises foram realizadas diariamente até que os frutos se tornassem impróprios para a comercialização, utilizando-se 3 repetições com 3 frutos cada. O período máximo de conservação foi de oito dias para os frutos "de vez" e dois dias para os frutos "de caída". A variedade cuyabensis apresentou maiores teores de ácido ascórbico em ambos os estádios de maturação avaliados, além da capacidade antioxidante mais elevada, mostrando ser a variedade com maior potencial para "superfruta" na comercialização