Consumption of ultra-processed foods and low dietary diversity are associated with sedentary and unhealthy eating behaviors: A nationwide study with Brazilian Schoolchildren

by Giovanna Angela Leonel Oliveira, Vivian Siqueira Santos Gonçalves, Eduardo Yoshio Nakano, Natacha Toral

Background

Consumption of ultra-processed foods and low dietary diversity are risk factors for chronic diseases.

Aim

To evaluate the association between food consumption and sedentary and unhealthy eating behaviors of Brazilian schoolchildren between 6 and 11 years old.

Methods

Cross-sectional study. A prevalence sample was calculated considering the number of children enrolled in elementary school. This sample was distributed proportionally to Brazil’s macro-regions and the type of school (public or private). The questionnaire was developed in Google Forms and disseminated through the snowball technique. The questionnaire was filled in by the children’s parents, with information about the child’s identification and health. Afterward, the child completed a questionnaire by her/himself. We used the previously validated Illustrated Questionnaire on Food Consumption for Brazilian Schoolchildren and the Illustrated Questionnaire on Eating and Sedentary Behaviors. Food consumption was analyzed using the NOVA score and the dietary diversity score. Poisson’s regression with robust variance was performed (p Results

The study included 2,021 dyads. Of these, 27.6% of children reported eating five or more ultra-processed foods and 39.0% four or fewer natural or staple foods the previous day. Using screens, proxy of sedentary behavior (Prevalence Ratio–PR = 1.8, Confidence Interval–CI_95%1.2–2.8) and eating at irregular hours (PR = 1.6, CI_95%1.2–2.2) were risk factors for high consumption of ultra-processed foods and low dietary diversity in schoolchildren. In addition, eating the three main meals on the previous day (PR = 0.6, CI_95%0.4–0.8) was identified as protective factors against the consumption of ultra-processed foods and in favor of dietary diversity among schoolchildren.

Conclusion

Sedentary and unhealthy eating behaviors were associated with the consumption of ultra-processed foods and low dietary diversity in Brazilian schoolchildren.

Deciphering the immune landscape of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma: A single-cell transcriptomic analysis of regulatory T cell responses to PD-1 blockade therapy

by Adib Miraki Feriz, Fatemeh Bahraini, Arezou Khosrojerdi, Setareh Azarkar, Seyed Mehdi Sajjadi, Edris HosseiniGol, Mohammad Amin Honardoost, Samira Saghafi, Nicola Silvestris, Patrizia Leone, Hossein Safarpour, Vito Racanelli

Immunotherapy is changing the Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma (HNSCC) landscape and improving outcomes for patients with recurrent or metastatic HNSCC. A deeper understanding of the tumor microenvironment (TME) is required in light of the limitations of patients’ responses to immunotherapy. Here, we aimed to examine how Nivolumab affects infiltrating T_regs in the HNSCC TME. We used single-cell RNA sequencing data from eight tissues isolated from four HNSCC donors before and after Nivolumab treatment. Interestingly, the study found that T_reg counts and suppressive activity increased following Nivolumab therapy. We also discovered that changes in the CD44-SSP1 axis, NKG2C/D-HLA-E axis, and KRAS signaling may have contributed to the increase in T_reg numbers. Furthermore, our study suggests that decreasing the activity of the KRAS and Notch signaling pathways, and increasing FOXP3, CTLA-4, LAG-3, and GZMA expression, may be mechanisms that enhance the killing and suppressive capacity of T_regs. Additionally, the result of pseudo-temporal analysis of the HNSCC TME indicated that after Nivolumab therapy, the expression of certain inhibitory immune checkpoints including TIGIT, ENTPD1, and CD276 and LY9, were decreased in T_regs, while LAG-3 showed an increased expression level. The study also found that T_regs had a dense communication network with cluster two, and that certain ligand-receptor pairs, including SPP1/CD44, HLA-E/KLRC2, HLA-E/KLRK1, ANXA1/FPR3, and CXCL9/FCGR2A, had notable changes after the therapy. These changes in gene expression and cell interactions may have implications for the role of T_regs in the TME and in response to Nivolumab therapy.