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BACKGROUND: Smoking and unhealthy diet are important risk factors for cardiovascular and metabolic diseases, contributing to public health crises. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the consumption of natural/minimally processed and ultra-processed foods by Brazilian adults (18-59 years old) according to smoking status. DESIGN AND SETTING: Cross-sectional study of a representative population sample from 26 state capitals and the Federal District (Brazil-2018). METHODS: Data were obtained from Vigitel-Surveillance System for Risk and Protection Factors for Chronic Diseases by Telephone Survey. Participants were categorized as smokers, ex-smokers, and never smokers. Multinomial logistic regression was used for analyses. RESULTS: Of the 30,800 adults evaluated, 9.4% (95%CI: 8.7-10.2) were smokers and 16.5% (95%CI: 15.8-17.3) were ex-smokers. Smokers were less likely to consume fruit and natural juice, and more likely to consume soda or artificial juice (≥ 5 days/week) than ex-smokers and never smokers. Regarding the daily frequency of consumption, smokers were observed to be less likely to eat fruit more than 1 time/day and more likely to drink ≥ 3 cups/cans of soda/day. Compared to never smokers, smokers had a 42% higher chance of consuming ≥ 3 glasses of natural juice/day. On the day before the interview, fruit, milk, tubers, squash, and okra consumption were lower among smokers than non-smokers. Smokers were more likely to report consuming soft drinks, fruit juice, sauces, ready-made dishes, margarine, and sausages. CONCLUSION: Smokers had lower fruit consumption, and higher consumption of natural juices and ultra-processed foods. We highlight the need for strategies that encourage healthy eating and smoking cessation.

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BACKGROUND: The recurrence of weight gain is attributed to the homeostatic regulation of hunger and satiety signals, influenced by metabolic state, nutrient availability, and non-homeostatic mechanisms shaped by reinforced consequences from experiences. In response, Evelyn Tribole and Elyse Resch proposed Intuitive Eating (IE) in 1980, countering restrictive diets. IE, inversely correlated with Body Mass Index (BMI), binge eating, and anxiety/depression symptoms, fosters mind-body-food harmony by recognizing hunger and satiety cues. IE encourages meeting physiological, not emotional, needs, permitting unconditional eating, and relying on internal signals for food decisions. Amidst university students' stress, exacerbated during the COVID-19 pandemic, understanding their eating behavior, particularly intuitive eating levels, becomes crucial. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to assess the IE level of Brazilian students during the COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS: This cross-sectional study, the first to analyze the Intuitive Eating of students in Brazil during the pandemic, was conducted using an online questionnaire. RESULTS: The sample comprised 1335 students, most of whom were women (82.17%), with a mean age of 26.12 ± 7.9 years, and a healthy nutritional status (57.58%). The mean IE score was 3.2 ± 0.6. A significant association was found between the confinement situation, the type of housing unit, and the IE subscale-Unconditional Permission to Eat (p = 0.043). However, there was no association between the other subscales and the total IE scale. Regarding self-reported mental and eating disorders, the most frequent were anxiety (21.2%), depression (6.5%), and binge eating disorder (BED) (4.7%). IE was negatively associated with BED (B = - 0.66; p < .001), bulimia nervosa (B = - 0.58; p < .001), body mass index (BMI) (p < .001) and self-reported anxiety (B = - .102; p = 0.16). The male sex showed a higher IE score compared with the female sex (p < .001). CONCLUSION: While no significant association was found between IE and the confinement situation, a significant association was found between housing type and the Unconditional Permission to Eat subscale.

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Consumer demand for natural, chemical-free products has grown. Food industry residues, like coffee pulp, rich in caffeine, chlorogenic acid and phenolic compounds, offer potential for pharmaceutical and cosmetic applications due to their antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and antibacterial properties. Therefore, the objective of this work was to develop a phytocosmetic only with natural products containing coffee pulp extract as active pharmaceutical ingredient with antioxidant, antimicrobial and healing activity. Eight samples from Coffea arabica and Coffea canephora Pierre were analyzed for caffeine, chlorogenic acid, phenolic compounds, tannins, flavonoids, cytotoxicity, antibacterial activity, and healing potential. The Robusta IAC-extract had the greatest prominence with 192.92 µg/mL of chlorogenic acid, 58.98 ± 2.88 mg GAE/g sample in the FRAP test, 79.53 ± 5.61 mg GAE/g sample in the test of total phenolics, was not cytotoxic, and MIC 3 mg/mL against Staphylococcus aureus. This extract was incorporated into a stable formulation and preferred by 88% of volunteers. At last, a scratch assay exhibited the formulation promoted cell migration after 24 h, therefore, increased scratch retraction. In this way, it was possible to develop a phytocosmetic with the coffee pulp that showed desirable antioxidant, antimicrobial and healing properties.

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Pt(II) and Pd(II) coordinating N-donor ligands have been extensively studied as anticancer agents after the success of cisplatin. In this work, a novel bidentate N-donor ligand, the N-[[4-(phenylmethoxy)phenyl]methyl]-2-pyridinemethanamine, was designed to explore the antiparasitic, antiviral and antitumor activity of its Pt(II) and Pd(II) complexes. Chemical and spectroscopic characterization confirm the formation of [MLCl2 ] complexes, where M=Pt(II) and Pd(II). Single crystal X-ray diffraction confirmed a square-planar geometry for the Pd(II) complex. Spectroscopic characterization of the Pt(II) complex suggests a similar structure. 1 H NMR, 195 Pt NMR and HR-ESI-MS(+) analysis of DMSO solution of complexes indicated that both compounds exchange the chloride trans to the pyridine for a solvent molecule with different reaction rates. The ligand and the two complexes were tested for in vitro antitumoral, antileishmanial, and antiviral activity. The Pt(II) complex resulted in a GI50 of 10.5 µM against the NCI/ADR-RES (multidrug-resistant ovarian carcinoma) cell line. The ligand and the Pd(II) complex showed good anti-SARS-CoV-2 activity with around 65 % reduction in viral replication at a concentration of 50 µM.

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ABSTRACT BACKGROUND: Smoking and unhealthy diet are important risk factors for cardiovascular and metabolic diseases, contributing to public health crises. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the consumption of natural/minimally processed and ultra-processed foods by Brazilian adults (18-59 years old) according to smoking status. DESIGN AND SETTING: Cross-sectional study of a representative population sample from 26 state capitals and the Federal District (Brazil-2018). METHODS: Data were obtained from Vigitel—Surveillance System for Risk and Protection Factors for Chronic Diseases by Telephone Survey. Participants were categorized as smokers, ex-smokers, and never smokers. Multinomial logistic regression was used for analyses. RESULTS: Of the 30,800 adults evaluated, 9.4% (95%CI: 8.7-10.2) were smokers and 16.5% (95%CI: 15.8-17.3) were ex-smokers. Smokers were less likely to consume fruit and natural juice, and more likely to consume soda or artificial juice (≥ 5 days/week) than ex-smokers and never smokers. Regarding the daily frequency of consumption, smokers were observed to be less likely to eat fruit more than 1 time/day and more likely to drink ≥ 3 cups/cans of soda/day. Compared to never smokers, smokers had a 42% higher chance of consuming ≥ 3 glasses of natural juice/day. On the day before the interview, fruit, milk, tubers, squash, and okra consumption were lower among smokers than non-smokers. Smokers were more likely to report consuming soft drinks, fruit juice, sauces, ready-made dishes, margarine, and sausages. CONCLUSION: Smokers had lower fruit consumption, and higher consumption of natural juices and ultra-processed foods. We highlight the need for strategies that encourage healthy eating and smoking cessation.

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Pterocaulon genus comprises 26 species, half of them have been phytochemical investigations regarding the chemical composition, and coumarins have been considered the chemotaxonomic markers in the genus. Herein Pterocaulon angustifolium DC (Asteraceae), a native plant from Brazil, is investigated for the first time. Twenty-six compounds were isolated from aerial parts of P. angustifolium DC., being 5 triterpenes, 4 phytosterols, 9 flavonoids, 3 phenolic acids, and 5 coumarins. Moreover, a total of 177 compounds were putatively identified using the dereplication technique by UHPLC-HRMS/MS, more than 50% correspond to flavonoids and coumarins. Although 41 different coumarins have already been reported in Pterocaulon genus, 16 were identified for the first time in this study. Crude ethanolic extract and fractions of P. angustifolium were also biologically investigates, and dichloromethane fraction was the most active fraction in the evaluation of antiproliferative, antioxidant, antimicrobial and cholinesterase inhibitory activities.

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The urgent need for new antimicrobials arises from antimicrobial resistance. Actinobacteria, especially Streptomyces genus, are responsible for production of numerous clinical antibiotics and anticancer agents. Genome mining reveals the biosynthetic gene clusters (BGCs) related to secondary metabolites and the genetic potential of a strain to produce natural products. However, this potential may not be expressed under laboratory conditions. In the present study, the Antarctic bacterium was taxonomically affiliated as Streptomyces albidoflavus ANT_B131 (CBMAI 1855). The crude extracts showed antimicrobial activity against both fungi, Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria and antiproliferative activity against five human tumor cell lines. Whole-genome sequencing reveals a genome size of 6.96 Mb, and the genome mining identified 24 BGCs, representing 13.3% of the genome. The use of three culture media and three extraction methods reveals the expression and recovery of 20.8% of the BGCs. The natural products identified included compounds, such as surugamide A, surugamide D, desferrioxamine B + Al, desferrioxamine E, and ectoine. This study reveals the potential of S. albidoflavus ANT_B131 as a natural product producer. Yet, the diversity of culture media and extraction methods could enhance the BGCs expression and recovery of natural products, and could be a strategy to intensify the BGC expression of natural products.

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Inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) include Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis. Several studies relate eating habits to different aspects of IBD, such as progression and worsening of the clinical condition. Therefore, many natural products (NPs) such as polyphenols and carotenoids have been identified as promising agents in supporting IBD. An interesting source for obtaining bioactive NPs is the by-products of the food industry. The present study evaluated the potential beneficial effect of a standardized extract (CAE) obtained from cashew apple bagasse in the dextran sulfate sodium (DSS)-induced ulcerative colitis model in mice. This was the first time that CAE had been evaluated in this experimental model. Chemical evaluation of CAE identified carotenoids (96.28 ± 0.15 mg/100 g), phenolic compounds (37.49 ± 0.64 mg/100 g), and a mixture of anacardic acids (C15:3 = 94.2 ± 0.6 mg/100 g; C15:2 = 108.4 ± 0.1 mg/100 g; C15:1 = 214.8 ± 0.2 mg/100 g). Administration of CAE (500 mg/kg, 4 days, p.o.) after DSS challenge was more effective in delaying disease progression compared with prior treatment (500 mg/kg, 30 days, p.o.), according to the disease activity index. However, no treatment strategy with CAE was able to prevent or inhibit disease progression, since all parameters evaluated (macroscopic, biochemical, and histopathological) in CAE-treated animals were similar to those observed in DSS-challenged animals. Despite the high dose (500 mg/kg), the standardized extract (CAE) did not result in an effective concentration of carotenoids. Furthermore, as some anacardic acids have been reported as histone acetyltransferases inhibitors, there could be a possible antagonistic relationship between carotenoids and anacardic acids. Complementary research will be necessary to test the hypothesis of antagonism. Thus, an optimized extract, with an even higher concentration of carotenoids, obtained from cashew apple bagasse, can be developed as a possible adjuvant food supplement for inflammatory bowel diseases.

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The Cactaceae family makes use of different strategies, both physiological and biochemical, for anatomical adjustments that allow them to grow and reproduce in arid environments. Morphological studies of Gymnocalycium have been scarce, and the anatomy and phytochemistry are still largely unknown. The aim of the present work was to analyze the structural, physiological, and biochemical features of Gymnocalycium marianae and G. oenanthemum, two endemic species of arid regions in Argentina. The anatomic structure, biomass, and photosynthetic pigments, as well as phenolic compound contents, were analyzed in the stem, spine, and root of both species. G. marianae showed stems with deeper substomatal chambers and a more developed photosynthetic tissue than G. oenanthemum. The spines of G. oenanthemum showed higher biomass, thicker epidermal and subepidermal cell walls, and a higher content of phenolic compounds than those of G. marianae. Ectomycorrhizae were observed for the first time in roots in both species. Roots of G. marianae showed high colonization, biomass, and content of phenolic compounds. Both species showed abundant mucilaginous fibers in the stem and root. Finally, these results show the strategies associated with the survival in xeric environments of two cacti species at risk of extinction. They could be useful for the development of ex situ conservation programs.

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Maternal milk supports offspring development by providing microbiota, macronutrients, micronutrients, immune factors, and hormones. The hormone prolactin (PRL) is an important milk component with protective effects against metabolic diseases. Because maternal milk regulates microbiota composition and adequate microbiota protect against the development of metabolic diseases, we aimed to investigate whether PRL/PRL receptor signaling regulates gut microbiota composition in newborn mice at weaning. 16SrRNA sequencing of feces and bioinformatics analysis was performed to evaluate gut microbiota in PRL receptor-null mice (Prlr-KO) at weaning (postnatal day 21). The normalized colon and cecal weights were higher and lower, respectively, in the Prlr-KO mice relative to the wild-type mice (Prlr-WT). Relative abundances (Simpson Evenness Index), phylogenetic diversity, and bacterial concentrations were lower in the Prlr-KO mice. Eleven bacteria species out of 470 differed between the Prlr-KO and Prlr-WT mice, with two genera (Anaerotruncus and Lachnospiraceae) related to metabolic disease development being the most common in the Prlr-KO mice. A higher metabolism of terpenoids and polyketides was predicted in the Prlr-KO mice compared to the Prlr-WT mice, and these metabolites had antimicrobial properties and were present in microbe-associated pathogenicity. We concluded that the absence of the PRL receptor altered gut microbiota, resulting in lower abundance and richness, which could contribute to metabolic disease development.

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