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

FARMACOTERAPIA APLICADA ÀS REAÇÕES IMUNOLÓGICAS DA HANSENÍASE

Leprosy Leprosy is a chronic infectious disease caused by Mycobacterium leprae, or Hansen's bacillus, which is a resistant gram-positive bacterium that can infect peripheral nerves. Thus, leprosy is considered a disease with a high infectious power and low pathogenic level, and therefore, associated with 95% immunity in most populations of occurrence In this context, the most effective model to be adopted for the control of leprosy it is based on the complementarity of actions; starting with early diagnosis, specialized and continuous treatment of diagnosed cases, prevention of disabilities, surveillance of the patient's home contacts, until discharge for cure. However, some patients may have a type 1 leprosy reaction, a reaction that often occurs soon after the start of treatment, with granulomatous inflammatory reactions and tissue necrosis concomitant with possible symptomatic neurological impairment. On the other hand, some patients may have a type 2 leprosy reaction, a reaction that usually occurs during and after treatment and is determined by the manifestation of sudden-appearing skin nodules. Thus, the treatment of leprosy is multidrug, outpatient and uses standardized therapeutic regimens, recommended by the World Health Organization. It is worth remembering that leprosy is a curable, controllable and treatment-free disease.La lepra es una patología infecciosa crónica causada por Mycobacterium leprae, o bacilo de Hansen, que es una bacteria grampositiva resistente que puede infectar los nervios periféricos. Por lo tanto, la lepra se considera una enfermedad con un alto poder infeccioso y bajo nivel patogénico, y por lo tanto se asocia con una inmunidad del 95% en la mayoría de las poblaciones de ocurrencia. En este contexto, el modelo más eficaz que debe adoptarse para el control de la lepra se basa en la complementariedad de las acciones; con inicio de diagnóstico precoz, tratamiento especializado y continuo de los casos diagnosticados, prevención de discapacidades, vigilancia de los contactos domiciliarios del paciente, hasta el alta por curación. Sin embargo, algunos pacientes pueden presentar una reacción de lepra tipo 1, una reacción que a menudo ocurre poco después del inicio del tratamiento, presentando reacciones inflamatorias granulomatosas y necrosis tisular concomitante con posible deterioro neurológico sintomático. Por otro lado, algunos pacientes pueden presentar la reacción de lepra tipo 2, una reacción que generalmente ocurre durante y después del tratamiento y está determinada por la manifestación de nódulos en la piel de aparición repentina. Por lo tanto, el tratamiento de la lepra es poliquimioterapéutico, ambulatorio y utiliza regímenes terapéuticos estandarizados recomendados por la Organización Mundial de la Salud. Vale la pena recordar que la lepra es una enfermedad curable, controlable y de tratamiento gratuito.A hanseníase é uma patologia infecciosa crônica, causada pelo Mycobacterium leprae, ou bacilo de Hansen, ao qual é uma bactéria gram-positiva resistente e que pode infectar os nervos periféricos. Sendo assim, a hanseníase é considerada uma doença com um alto poder infeccioso e baixo nível patogênico, e por isso, associada a 95% de imunidade na maioria das populações de ocorrência. Nesse contexto, o modelo mais eficaz a ser adotado para o controle da hanseníase baseia-se na complementariedade das ações; com início no diagnóstico precoce, tratamento especializado e contínuo dos casos diagnosticados, prevenção de incapacidades, vigilância aos contatos domiciliares do paciente, até a alta por cura. Contudo, alguns pacientes podem apresentar reação hansênica tipo 1, reação essa que ocorre frequentemente logo após o início do tratamento, apresentando reações inflamatória granulomatosa e necrose tecidual concomitante ao possível comprometimento neurológico sintomático. Em contrapartida alguns pacientes podem apresentar a reação hansênica tipo 2, reação essa que ocorre geralmente durante e após o tratamento e é determinado pela manifestação de nódulos na pele de aparecimento súbito. Assim, o tratamento da hanseníase é poliquimioterápico, ambulatorial e utiliza esquemas terapêuticos padronizados, preconizados pela Organização Mundial da Saúde. Valendo lembrar que a hanseníase é uma doença curável, controlável e de tratamento gratuito. &nbsp

FARMACOTERAPIA APLICADA ÀS REAÇÕES IMUNOLÓGICAS DA HANSENÍASE

Leprosy Leprosy is a chronic infectious disease caused by Mycobacterium leprae, or Hansen's bacillus, which is a resistant gram-positive bacterium that can infect peripheral nerves. Thus, leprosy is considered a disease with a high infectious power and low pathogenic level, and therefore, associated with 95% immunity in most populations of occurrence In this context, the most effective model to be adopted for the control of leprosy it is based on the complementarity of actions; starting with early diagnosis, specialized and continuous treatment of diagnosed cases, prevention of disabilities, surveillance of the patient's home contacts, until discharge for cure. However, some patients may have a type 1 leprosy reaction, a reaction that often occurs soon after the start of treatment, with granulomatous inflammatory reactions and tissue necrosis concomitant with possible symptomatic neurological impairment. On the other hand, some patients may have a type 2 leprosy reaction, a reaction that usually occurs during and after treatment and is determined by the manifestation of sudden-appearing skin nodules. Thus, the treatment of leprosy is multidrug, outpatient and uses standardized therapeutic regimens, recommended by the World Health Organization. It is worth remembering that leprosy is a curable, controllable and treatment-free disease.La lepra es una patología infecciosa crónica causada por Mycobacterium leprae, o bacilo de Hansen, que es una bacteria grampositiva resistente que puede infectar los nervios periféricos. Por lo tanto, la lepra se considera una enfermedad con un alto poder infeccioso y bajo nivel patogénico, y por lo tanto se asocia con una inmunidad del 95% en la mayoría de las poblaciones de ocurrencia. En este contexto, el modelo más eficaz que debe adoptarse para el control de la lepra se basa en la complementariedad de las acciones; con inicio de diagnóstico precoz, tratamiento especializado y continuo de los casos diagnosticados, prevención de discapacidades, vigilancia de los contactos domiciliarios del paciente, hasta el alta por curación. Sin embargo, algunos pacientes pueden presentar una reacción de lepra tipo 1, una reacción que a menudo ocurre poco después del inicio del tratamiento, presentando reacciones inflamatorias granulomatosas y necrosis tisular concomitante con posible deterioro neurológico sintomático. Por otro lado, algunos pacientes pueden presentar la reacción de lepra tipo 2, una reacción que generalmente ocurre durante y después del tratamiento y está determinada por la manifestación de nódulos en la piel de aparición repentina. Por lo tanto, el tratamiento de la lepra es poliquimioterapéutico, ambulatorio y utiliza regímenes terapéuticos estandarizados recomendados por la Organización Mundial de la Salud. Vale la pena recordar que la lepra es una enfermedad curable, controlable y de tratamiento gratuito.A hanseníase é uma patologia infecciosa crônica, causada pelo Mycobacterium leprae, ou bacilo de Hansen, ao qual é uma bactéria gram-positiva resistente e que pode infectar os nervos periféricos. Sendo assim, a hanseníase é considerada uma doença com um alto poder infeccioso e baixo nível patogênico, e por isso, associada a 95% de imunidade na maioria das populações de ocorrência. Nesse contexto, o modelo mais eficaz a ser adotado para o controle da hanseníase baseia-se na complementariedade das ações; com início no diagnóstico precoce, tratamento especializado e contínuo dos casos diagnosticados, prevenção de incapacidades, vigilância aos contatos domiciliares do paciente, até a alta por cura. Contudo, alguns pacientes podem apresentar reação hansênica tipo 1, reação essa que ocorre frequentemente logo após o início do tratamento, apresentando reações inflamatória granulomatosa e necrose tecidual concomitante ao possível comprometimento neurológico sintomático. Em contrapartida alguns pacientes podem apresentar a reação hansênica tipo 2, reação essa que ocorre geralmente durante e após o tratamento e é determinado pela manifestação de nódulos na pele de aparecimento súbito. Assim, o tratamento da hanseníase é poliquimioterápico, ambulatorial e utiliza esquemas terapêuticos padronizados, preconizados pela Organização Mundial da Saúde. Valendo lembrar que a hanseníase é uma doença curável, controlável e de tratamento gratuito. &nbsp

Subacute Cognitive Impairment in Individuals With Mild and Moderate COVID-19: A Case Series

Background: Previous reported neurologic sequelae associated with SARS-CoV-2 infection have mainly been confined to hospital-based patients in which viral detection was restricted to nasal/throat swabs or to IgM/IgG peripheral blood serology. Here we describe seven cases from Brazil of outpatients with previous mild or moderate COVID-19 who developed subacute cognitive disturbances. Methods: From June 1 to August 15, 2020, seven individuals 18 to 60 years old, with confirmed mild/moderate COVID-19 and findings consistent with encephalopathy who were observed >7 days after respiratory symptom initiation, were screened for cognitive dysfunction. Paired sera and CSF were tested for SARS-CoV-2 (IgA, IgG ELISA, and RT-PCR). Serum and intrathecal antibody dynamics were evaluated with oligoclonal bands and IgG index. Cognitive dysfunction was assessed by the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA), and the Clock Drawing Test (CDT). Results: All but one of our patients were female, and the mean age was 42.6 years. Neurologic symptoms were first reported a median of 16 days (IQR 15–33) after initial COVID-19 symptoms. All patients had headache and altered behavior. Cognitive dysfunction was observed mainly in phonemic verbal fluency (MoCA) with a median of six words/min (IQR 5.25–10.75) and altered visuospatial construction with a median of four points (IQR 4–9) (CDT). CSF pleocytosis was not detected, and only one patient was positive for SARS-Co Conclusions: A subacute cognitive syndrome suggestive of SARS-CoV-2-initiated damage to cortico-subcortical associative pathways that could not be attributed solely to inflammation and hypoxia was present in seven individuals with mild/moderate COVID-19

Height and body-mass index trajectories of school-aged children and adolescents from 1985 to 2019 in 200 countries and territories: a pooled analysis of 2181 population-based studies with 65 million participants

Summary Background Comparable global data on health and nutrition of school-aged children and adolescents are scarce. We aimed to estimate age trajectories and time trends in mean height and mean body-mass index (BMI), which measures weight gain beyond what is expected from height gain, for school-aged children and adolescents. Methods For this pooled analysis, we used a database of cardiometabolic risk factors collated by the Non-Communicable Disease Risk Factor Collaboration. We applied a Bayesian hierarchical model to estimate trends from 1985 to 2019 in mean height and mean BMI in 1-year age groups for ages 5–19 years. The model allowed for non-linear changes over time in mean height and mean BMI and for non-linear changes with age of children and adolescents, including periods of rapid growth during adolescence. Findings We pooled data from 2181 population-based studies, with measurements of height and weight in 65 million participants in 200 countries and territories. In 2019, we estimated a difference of 20 cm or higher in mean height of 19-year-old adolescents between countries with the tallest populations (the Netherlands, Montenegro, Estonia, and Bosnia and Herzegovina for boys; and the Netherlands, Montenegro, Denmark, and Iceland for girls) and those with the shortest populations (Timor-Leste, Laos, Solomon Islands, and Papua New Guinea for boys; and Guatemala, Bangladesh, Nepal, and Timor-Leste for girls). In the same year, the difference between the highest mean BMI (in Pacific island countries, Kuwait, Bahrain, The Bahamas, Chile, the USA, and New Zealand for both boys and girls and in South Africa for girls) and lowest mean BMI (in India, Bangladesh, Timor-Leste, Ethiopia, and Chad for boys and girls; and in Japan and Romania for girls) was approximately 9–10 kg/m2. In some countries, children aged 5 years started with healthier height or BMI than the global median and, in some cases, as healthy as the best performing countries, but they became progressively less healthy compared with their comparators as they grew older by not growing as tall (eg, boys in Austria and Barbados, and girls in Belgium and Puerto Rico) or gaining too much weight for their height (eg, girls and boys in Kuwait, Bahrain, Fiji, Jamaica, and Mexico; and girls in South Africa and New Zealand). In other countries, growing children overtook the height of their comparators (eg, Latvia, Czech Republic, Morocco, and Iran) or curbed their weight gain (eg, Italy, France, and Croatia) in late childhood and adolescence. When changes in both height and BMI were considered, girls in South Korea, Vietnam, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and some central Asian countries (eg, Armenia and Azerbaijan), and boys in central and western Europe (eg, Portugal, Denmark, Poland, and Montenegro) had the healthiest changes in anthropometric status over the past 3·5 decades because, compared with children and adolescents in other countries, they had a much larger gain in height than they did in BMI. The unhealthiest changes—gaining too little height, too much weight for their height compared with children in other countries, or both—occurred in many countries in sub-Saharan Africa, New Zealand, and the USA for boys and girls; in Malaysia and some Pacific island nations for boys; and in Mexico for girls. Interpretation The height and BMI trajectories over age and time of school-aged children and adolescents are highly variable across countries, which indicates heterogeneous nutritional quality and lifelong health advantages and risks

Heterogeneous contributions of change in population distribution of body mass index to change in obesity and underweight NCD Risk Factor Collaboration (NCD-RisC)

From 1985 to 2016, the prevalence of underweight decreased, and that of obesity and severe obesity increased, in most regions, with significant variation in the magnitude of these changes across regions. We investigated how much change in mean body mass index (BMI) explains changes in the prevalence of underweight, obesity, and severe obesity in different regions using data from 2896 population-based studies with 187 million participants. Changes in the prevalence of underweight and total obesity, and to a lesser extent severe obesity, are largely driven by shifts in the distribution of BMI, with smaller contributions from changes in the shape of the distribution. In East and Southeast Asia and sub-Saharan Africa, the underweight tail of the BMI distribution was left behind as the distribution shifted. There is a need for policies that address all forms of malnutrition by making healthy foods accessible and affordable, while restricting unhealthy foods through fiscal and regulatory restrictions

Fatores que contribuem para o aumento do tempo de permanência na clínica médica de um hospital público

Objective: to describe the factors associated with the increase in the average length of stay in the medical clinic unit of a public hospital in the Distrito Federal. Method: this is a descriptive, cross-sectional, retrospective and quantitative study that analyzed medical records of patients with hospitalization period ≥ 7 days. For data collection, a specific form was used to record information related to sociodemographic and epidemiological indicators. Descriptive statistics were used for data analysis, and for the data processing, absolute and relative frequencies were applied. Results: we analyzed 368 medical records, showing that there was a higher use of hospital beds by male individuals, over 60 years old and living in Sobradinho - DF. The following factors were identified that prolonged the eviction of beds: the waiting for exams, the wait for completion of antibiotic therapy time and waiting for opinions from other specialties. It was evidenced that 117 patients remained hospitalized for up to 10 days, 73 from 11-15 days and 178 >15 days. of these, 48% of the patients hospitalized in the surveyed period occupied the bed for >15 days. The mean length of stay in the health service in the period surveyed was 20,21 days. Conclusion: it was found that the delay in dehospitalization is multifactorial and that requires improvement in the management process aiming at greater agility in the provision of services. Delay in discharge hospital is avoidable if appropriate strategies are implemented within the appropriate time frame. It is hoped that the study can contribute for action planning that aim to give quick answers to the needs of users and the service, optimizing the hospitalization and discharge process and reducing dwell time.Objetivo: Identificar os fatores que contribuem para o aumento do tempo de permanência na Unidade de Clínica Médica de um hospital público do Distrito Federal. Método: Trata-se de um estudo descritivo, transversal, retrospectivo e quantitativo, que analisou prontuários de pacientes com período de internação ≥ 7 dias. Para coleta de dados, foi utilizado formulário específico com o objetivo de registrar informações relacionadas a indicadores sociodemográficos e epidemiológicos. Para a análise dos dados, utilizou-se de estatística descritiva, sendo que para o tratamento dos dados, as frequências absolutas e relativas foram aplicadas. Resultados: Foram analisados 368 prontuários, evidenciando que houve maior utilização de leitos hospitalares por indivíduos do sexo masculino (54,89%), com média de idade de 61,83 anos (DP: 17,55), com idade mínima de 19 anos e máxima de 99 anos, residentes em Sobradinho - DF (58,15%). Os principais fatores que contribuíram para o aumento do tempo de permanência hospitalar foram: a espera pela realização de exames, a espera para finalização do tempo de antibioticoterapia, compensação clínica e espera por pareceres de outras especialidades. Evidenciou-se que 31,79% dos pacientes permaneceram internados até 10 dias, 19,83% de 11-15 dias e 48,36% com tempo de internação maior que 15 dias. Destes, 48% dos pacientes internados no período pesquisado ocuparam o leito por 15 dias. A média do tempo de internação no serviço de saúde no período pesquisado foi de 20,21 dias (DP: 17,21). Conclusão: Verificou-se que o atraso na desospitalização é multifatorial e evitável se estratégias adequadas forem implementadas em prazo adequado. Espera-se que este estudo possa contribuir para o planejamento de ações que visem dar respostas rápidas às necessidades dos usuários e do serviço, otimizando o processo de internação e de alta e reduzindo o tempo de permanência

Tiro cruzado: as dinâmicas de violência armada letal envolvendo a juventude brasileira

No Brasil, as mortes violentas intencionais interpessoais, ou homicídios, constituem um fenômeno social cotidiano, que fica dissolvido em outras tantas causas de mortes que enfrentamos atualmente. Desde os anos 80, assistimos a um crescimento das taxas de homicídios, atingindo o pico em 2017. Vivemos há 30 anos um estado de violência letal endêmica, que afeta especialmente a juventude negra e pobre, sem conseguir produzir uma compreensão do problema e reação política à altura. Ao contrário, a cultura da morte permanece ativada e especialmente reproduzida em determinados espaços da sociedade. Os efeitos da dinâmica “tráfico-polícia” são a grande causa das mortes dos jovens, e sua produção é acompanhada do diagnóstico genérico “combate ao tráfico de drogas”, cujo relato inclui as justificativas morais, políticas e jurídicas para a manutenção desse contínuo e perverso ciclo de violência letal.In Brazil, interpersonal intentional violent deaths, or homicides, constitute an everyday social phenomenon dissolved among so many other causes of death that we currently face. Since the 1980s, we have witnessed a growth in homicide rates, reaching a peak in 2017. For thirty years, we have lived in a state of endemic lethal violence that especially affects the black and poor youth without managing to produce an understanding of the problem and an appropriate political reaction. On the contrary, the death culture remains activated and especially reproduced in certain spaces of society. The effects of the “trafficking-police” dynamic are the great cause of death of the youths, and their production is accompanied by the generic diagnosis of “combatting drug trafficking”, the report of which includes moral, political, and legal justifications for maintaining this continuous and perverse cycle of lethal violence

Assessment of field fertility and several in vitro sperm characteristics following the use of different Angus sires in a timed-AI program with suckled Nelore cows

In order to provide information that may help researchers to understand the main cause(s) of differences in bull fertility frequently observed in field trials, this study aimed to investigate conception rates as well as several in vitro sperm characteristics of different sires of unknown fertility utilized in a Timed-AI (TAI) program. Suckled Nelore cows submitted to the same TAI protocol were allocated into eight breeding groups of approximately 120 animals each. Frozen semen doses from three Angus bulls and three different batches from each bull were utilized. Approximately 100 doses from each batch were used in TAI. Sires, batches and AI technicians were equally distributed across breeding groups. Cows were examined for pregnancy diagnosis 40 d after TAI. For in vitro sperm analyses, the same thawing procedure was repeated in the laboratory to mimic field conditions. The following in vitro sperm characteristics were assessed: computerized motility, thermal resistance, plasma and acrosomal membrane integrity, lipid peroxidation, morphology, morphometry and chromatin structure. No effect of breeding group, body condition score, AI technician and sire was observed. However, some significant differences among bulls were detected in laboratory analyses. Semen from sire presenting numerically lower (P > 0.05) pregnancy/AI also presented lower (P < 0.05) values in all sperm characteristics analyzed in thermal resistance test at 4 h (Total Motility, Progressive Motility, Average Path Velocity, Straight-Line Velocity, Curvilinear Velocity, Amplitude of Lateral Head Displacement, Beat Cross Frequency, Straightness, Linearity, and Percentage of Rapidly Moving Cells), higher (P < 0.05) Major and Total Defects in sperm morphological test, lower (P < 0.05) Length, Ellipticity and Fourier parameter (Fourier 0) in sperm morphometric analysis as well as higher (P < 0.05) chromatin heterogeneity. It was concluded that, although no bull effect was observed in the field experiment, the sire that presented numerically lower pregnancy/AI also presented lower semen quality according to the laboratory analyses performed. (C) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.Coordenacao de Aperfeicoamento de Pessoal de Nivel Superior (CAPES)Fundacao de Amparo a Pesquisa do Estado de Sao Paulo (FAPESP

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