Mapping the risk of respiratory infections using suburban district areas in a large city in Colombia.

BACKGROUND: Acute respiratory infections (ARI) in Cúcuta -Colombia, have a comparatively high burden of disease associated with high public health costs. However, little is known about the epidemiology of these diseases in the city and its distribution within suburban areas. This study addresses this gap by estimating and mapping the risk of ARI in Cúcuta and identifying the most relevant risk factors. METHODS: A spatial epidemiological analysis was designed to investigate the association of sociodemographic and environmental risk factors with the rate of ambulatory consultations of ARI in urban sections of Cúcuta, 2018. The ARI rate was calculated using a method for spatial estimation of disease rates. A Bayesian spatial model was implemented using the Integrated Nested Laplace Approximation approach and the Besag-York-Mollié specification. The risk of ARI per urban section and the hotspots of higher risk were also estimated and mapped. RESULTS: A higher risk of IRA was found in central, south, north and west areas of Cúcuta after adjusting for sociodemographic and environmental factors, and taking into consideration the spatial distribution of the city's urban sections. An increase of one unit in the percentage of population younger than 15 years; the Index of Multidimensional Poverty and the rate of ARI in the migrant population was associated with a 1.08 (1.06-1.1); 1.04 (1.01-1.08) and 1.25 (1.22-1.27) increase of the ARI rate, respectively. Twenty-four urban sections were identified as hotspots of risk in central, south, north and west areas in Cucuta. CONCLUSION: Sociodemographic factors and their spatial patterns are determinants of acute respiratory infections in Cúcuta. Bayesian spatial hierarchical models can be used to estimate and map the risk of these infections in suburban areas of large cities in Colombia. The methods of this study can be used globally to identify suburban areas and or specific communities at risk to support the implementation of prevention strategies and decision-making in the public and private health sectors.

Influence factors on injury severity of bicycle-motor vehicle crashes: A two-stage comparative analysis of urban and suburban areas in Beijing.

OBJECTIVE: More attention should be given to bicycle-motor vehicle (BMV) crashes, as cyclists are at a higher risk of suffering injuries than motor vehicle users in a crash. This study aims to explore the factors influencing the injury severity of bicycle-motor vehicle (BMV) crashes in Beijing (China) and discusses the commonalities and differences between the urban and suburban areas. METHODS: Information regarding 1,136 crashes between bicycles and motor vehicles were collected using police reported data from 2014 to 2015. A two-stage approach integrating random parameters logit (RP-logit) model and two-step clustering (TSC) algorithm was proposed to investigate the significant influence factors and their combination characteristics. Specifically, the RP-logit model was first used to identify the significant influence factors of urban and suburban areas, and then the TSC algorithm was applied to reveal the combination characteristics of significant influence factors for the fatal crashes. RESULTS: Five factors were found to be statistically significant and had random effects on the injury severity in urban areas, i.e., type of motor vehicle, motor vehicle license ownership, type of bicycle, signal control mode and lighting condition; and seven factors were found to be statistically significant on the injury severity in suburban areas, i.e., type of motor vehicle, motor vehicle license ownership, physical isolation facility, signal control mode, weather, visibility and lighting condition. Based on TSC, the combination of significant factors showed different characteristics for fatal crashes in urban and suburban areas, in which two types of the scene including five factors should be concerned in urban areas while one type of scene containing four factors in suburban areas. CONCLUSIONS: The results suggest that different influence factors and individual heterogeneity exist in the RP-logit model for injury severity analysis of BMV crashes in urban and suburban areas. It shows that in urban areas, heavy truck, light truck and bus significantly increase the likelihood of fatal injury than that of suburban areas. These findings can provide valuable reference information for BMV crashes response, such as heavy truck restriction, to facilitate regional safety measures for urban and suburban areas.

Short-Term Effects of Air Pollution on Cardiovascular Hospitalizations in the Pisan Longitudinal Study.

Air pollution effects on cardiovascular hospitalizations in small urban/suburban areas have been scantly investigated. Such effects were assessed among the participants in the analytical epidemiological survey carried out in Pisa and Cascina, Tuscany, Italy (2009-2011). Cardiovascular hospitalizations from 1585 subjects were followed up (2011-2015). Daily mean pollutant concentrations were estimated through random forests at 1 km (particulate matter: PM10, 2011-2015; PM2.5, 2013-2015) and 200 m (PM10, PM2.5, NO2, O3, 2013-2015) resolutions. Exposure effects were estimated using the case-crossover design and conditional logistic regression (odds ratio-OR-and 95% confidence interval-CI-for 10 µg/m3 increase; lag 0-6). During the period 2011-2015 (137 hospitalizations), a significant effect at lag 0 was observed for PM10 (OR = 1.137, CI: 1.023-1.264) at 1 km resolution. During the period 2013-2015 (69 hospitalizations), significant effects at lag 0 were observed for PM10 (OR = 1.268, CI: 1.085-1.483) and PM2.5 (OR = 1.273, CI: 1.053-1.540) at 1 km resolution, as well as for PM10 (OR = 1.365, CI: 1.103-1.690), PM2.5 (OR = 1.264, CI: 1.006-1.589) and NO2 (OR = 1.477, CI: 1.058-2.061) at 200 m resolution; significant effects were observed up to lag 2. Larger ORs were observed in males and in subjects reporting pre-existent cardiovascular/respiratory diseases. Combining analytical and routine epidemiological data with high-resolution pollutant estimates provides new insights on acute cardiovascular effects in the general population and in potentially susceptible subgroups living in small urban/suburban areas.

[Seasonal Chemical Composition Characteristics and Source Apportionment of PM2.5 in Zhengzhou].

The aim of this study was to fully understand the pollution characteristics and sources of PM2.5 in Zhengzhou, and to investigate the differences in four seasons and between urban and suburban areas. At the Zhengzhou environmental monitoring center (urban areas) and Zhengzhou University (suburban areas), 1284 environmental PM2.5 samples were collected in the four seasons of 2018. The concentrations of nine kinds of inorganic water-soluble ions, organic carbon, elemental carbon and 27 kinds of elements, were measured by ion chromatography, carbon analyzer, and X-ray fluorescence spectrometry, respectively. Enrichment factors (EF), index of geoaccumulation (Igeo), potential ecological risk index (RI), chemical mass balance model (CMB), backward trajectory, and potential source contribution function were the methods used to study the chemical component characteristics and source differences of PM2.5 in different seasons in the urban and suburban areas of Zhengzhou. The results showed that the annual average PM2.5 concentration at the Zhengzhou environmental monitoring center and Zhengzhou University sites reached (59.7±24.0) µg·m-3 and (74.7±13.5) µg·m-3, respectively. The PM2.5 concentration at the suburban point was higher than at the urban point with the exception of winter, and the seasonal mean concentration decreased in the order of winter > autumn > spring > summer. Compared with the urban areas, the suburban areas were more affected by crustal substances in spring, and the concentrations of all components were higher in summer and autumn than the urban areas. Nevertheless, urban areas were more affected by coal burning sources and motor vehicle sources in winter. The component analysis results showed that the influences of soil dust and building dust were greater in the suburbs in spring than in the urban areas. In autumn, the suburbs were more affected by biomass sources than the urban areas, while the urban areas were more affected by building dust than were the suburbs. The concentrations of Cu, As, Zn, Pb, and Sb were strongly influenced by anthropogenic sources, and the enrichments of Zn, Cu, As, and Pb in urban areas were greater than in the suburbs. In addition, Zn, Cu, As, and Pb exhibited potential ecological risks. The outcomes of the CMB model showed that dust sources, secondary sulfate, secondary nitrate, and coal burning sources contributed significantly to PM2.5 concentrations in spring, summer, autumn and winter, respectively. The contributions of secondary pollution sources (secondary organic aerosol, secondary sulfate, and secondary nitrate) and motor vehicle sources to urban areas were higher than to suburban areas, and the influences of biomass sources in autumn and winter were significantly higher than in spring and summer and urban areas. The backward trajectory results indicated that the local PM2.5 concentration was affected by distant transmission from the northwest except in summer, was affected by neighboring provinces in the east in four seasons, and was affected by transmission from the south, with the exception of winter. Furthermore, the consequences of potential sources demonstrated that the local PM2.5 concentration was mainly affected by the potential areas in Henan province and its boundary with neighboring provinces.

Abundancia relativa y patrones de actividad de Didelphis marsupialis en un área periurbana de Medellín, Colombia / Relative abundance and activity patterns of Didelphis marsupialis in a peri-urban area of Medellin, Colombia

RESUMEN Objetivo. Determinar la abundancia relativa y los patrones de actividad de la zarigüeya común (Didelphis marsupialis) en una zona periurbana del municipio de Medellín, departamento de Antioquia. Materiales y métodos. El estudio se desarrolló en la sede de prácticas y clínica veterinaria Remington ubicada en el corregimiento de Santa Elena. Para el registro de datos se empleó la metodología de fototrampeo durante 3 meses (junio-agosto de 2017), invirtiendo un esfuerzo total de 166 días/trampa. Resultados. Se obtuvieron un total de 275 registros independientes de la especie y se estimó una abundancia relativa de 52.88. El patrón de actividad muestra un primer pico de actividad al comienzo de la noche (19:00) y un segundo pico en la madrugada (3:00), con una posterior disminución hacia las horas de la madrugada. Conclusiones. Los resultados muestran una abundancia relativa alta con respecto a otras localidades en Colombia, además de evidenciar una población reproductivamente activa. Al mismo tiempo se convierten en una herramienta para el fortalecimiento de estrategias de conservación y sensibilización a los pobladores locales sobre la fauna de la región.

ABSTRACT Objective. The relative abundance and activity patterns of the common opossum Didelphis marsupialis were determined in a peri-urban area of Medellín municipality, Antioquia department. Materials and methods. The study was developed in the Remington Veterinary practice at Santa Elena Corregimiento. The data recording was carried out through camera trapping methodology for three months (June-August 2017) with a total effort of 166 days-camera. Results. With a total of 275 independent records, we calculate the relative abundance index (52.88 UNITS). The activity patterns show a first activity peak beginning the night (19:00) and a second one after midnight (3:00), reducing the activity in the sunrise hours. Conclusions. These results present a high relative abundance in comparison to another Colombian localities, besides a population active reproductively. At the same time, they become a tool to support conservation strategies and sensitizing local people about the wildlife of this region.

LEPTOSPIROSIS IN URBAN AND SUBURBAN AMERICAN BLACK BEARS ( URSUS AMERICANUS) IN WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA, USA.

American black bear ( Ursus americanus) populations in North Carolina, US have recovered significantly in recent decades and now occupy much of western North Carolina, including urban-suburban areas. We used the black bear as a potential sentinel for leptospirosis, a bacterial zoonotic disease caused by Leptospira spp., which is maintained by domestic and wild mammals. We determined whether Leptospira spp. were present across a gradient of housing densities in the urban and suburban black bear population in and around Asheville, North Carolina using serologic and molecular surveys. We collected blood from captured black bears ( n=94) and kidneys and bladders from carcasses ( n=19). We tested a total of 96 (47 females, 47 males, and 2 unknown) serum samples by microscopic agglutination test (MAT) and had positive results (titer >1:100) for L. kirschneri serovar Grippotyphosa (L. Grippotyphosa) in 4 females (8%) and 5 males (10%). No other serovars showed elevated titers in MAT. We tested a total of 125 samples using PCR ( n=96 serum, n=20 kidney, and n=9 bladders) and obtained positive results from one serum (1%), one kidney (5%), and one bladder (11%). The presence of Leptospira spp. in black bears occupying an urban and suburban landscape may indicate a more extensive occurrence of the bacteria among animals in the study region because black bears are the top carnivore in that ecosystem. Potential threats of widespread contamination during natural events such as flood or drought must be considered.

Concentration Levels, Pollution Characteristics and Potential Ecological Risk of Dust Heavy Metals in the Metropolitan Area of Beijing, China.

This study aims to investigate the concentration levels, pollution characteristics and the associated potential ecological risks of the heavy metals found in dust in the metropolitan area of Beijing, China during the winter. Dust samples were collected at 49 different spatial locations of Beijing's metropolitan area from November 2013 to January 2014, in which the concentration levels of Cd, Cr, Pb, Cu, Zn, Ni, Co, V, Bi and Mo were measured by Elan DRC II type inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). Test results showed that the concentrations of dust heavy metals Pb, Cr, Cu and Zn in the urban areas (147.1 mg·kg-1, 195.9 mg·kg-1, 239.2 mg·kg-1 and 713.2 mg·kg-1) were significantly higher than those in the suburbs (91.6 mg·kg-1, 125.1 mg·kg-1, 131.9 mg·kg-1 and 514.5 mg·kg-1). Enrichment factors and the geo-accumulation index were used to describe the pollution characteristics of dust heavy metals in urban and suburban areas. Results indicated that Zn and Cu were moderately polluting in both urban and suburban areas, Cd was severely polluting in urban areas and heavily polluting in the suburbs. Furthermore, potential ecological risk assessment revealed that the degrees of ecological harm of dust heavy metals were very strong in both urban and suburban areas, but especially in urban areas. The potential ecological risk of heavy metal Cd, whose single factor of ecological damage was extremely strong, accounted for about 90% of the total ecological risk.

Prevalence of Self-Treatment Practice and Related Factors Among Workers Aged 15 to 60 Years in Chi Linh Town, Hai Duong Province, Vietnam.

Self-treatment is particularly prevalent in Vietnam. However, the prevalence of this practice among the working population is unclear. This study aims to describe the prevalence of self-treatment and related factors among workers aged 15 to 60 years in the suburban area of Chi Linh, Hai Duong, Vietnam. Secondary data of 3128 respondents was retrieved from the CHILILAB HDSS 2016 survey for analysis using logistic regression with a significance level of .05. Results show that 47.5% of respondents treated themselves at least once during one previous year. While rural residence and the presence of acute health symptoms and chronic diseases significantly associate with the choice of self-treatment among all investigated workers, lower education level and health insurance status only significantly relate to this practice among the formally employed workers. The findings imply the need for specific measures to manage self-treatment practices among different groups of workers.

Concentrations of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons: Their potential health risks and sources at three non-urban sites in Japan.

This investigation was undertaken to monitor particulate polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) concentrations in order to determine their emission sources and potential human health risks in remote and rural areas of Japan. Seventeen PAHs in aerosol samples collected in remote (Kamihaya), coastal (Hiki) and inland (Higashi-Hiroshima) areas of Japan during 2013-2014 were analyzed using gas chromatography/mass spectrometry. Total PAH (Σ17PAH) concentrations in aerosol samples were in the range of 0.08-6.51 ng m(-3), 0.09-4.74 ng m(-3), and 0.21-6.53 ng m(-3) at Kamihaya, Hiki, and Higashi-Hiroshima sites, with mean concentrations of 1.63, 1.18, and 2.43 ng m(-3), respectively. Significant seasonal variation in concentrations occurred at Hiki and Higashi-Hiroshima, while no significant variation occurred at Kamihaya. Ambient air temperature greatly affected PAH concentrations in Higashi-Hiroshima, but had only moderate effects in Kamihaya and Hiki. Wind direction also influenced the concentrations of PAHs. Vehicle exhaust, industrial emissions, biomass combustion, and domestic heating and cooking were identified as the main PAH emission sources using principal component analysis. Backward trajectory calculations showed that domestically generated PAHs were significant in Kamihaya and Hiki, while in Higashi-Hiroshima concentrations were mainly influenced by long-range transport. The incremental lifetime lung cancer risk had values of 3.38 × 10(-5) and 1.84 × 10(-5) at Higashi-Hiroshima and Hiki, which are greater than the US EPA acceptable level (10(-6)). Typically, 5-6-ring PAHs contributed 95% to this overall health risk, of which benzo(a)pyrene was the largest contributor, followed by dibenz(a,h)anthracene at both residential sites. Clearly, stricter guidelines for PAHs need to be implemented at these sites to protect the population.

Radio-frequency energy harvesting for wearable sensors.

The use of wearable biomedical sensors for the continuous monitoring of physiological signals will facilitate the involvement of the patients in the prevention and management of chronic diseases. The fabrication of small biomedical sensors transmitting physiological data wirelessly is possible as a result of the tremendous advances in ultra-low power electronics and radio communications. However, the widespread adoption of these devices depends very much on their ability to operate for long periods of time without the need to frequently change, recharge or even use batteries. In this context, energy harvesting (EH) is the disruptive technology that can pave the road towards the massive utilisation of wireless wearable sensors for patient self-monitoring and daily healthcare. Radio-frequency (RF) transmissions from commercial telecommunication networks represent reliable ambient energy that can be harvested as they are ubiquitous in urban and suburban areas. The state-of-the-art in RF EH for wearable biomedical sensors specifically targeting the global system of mobile 900/1800 cellular and 700 MHz digital terrestrial television networks as ambient RF energy sources are showcased. Furthermore, guidelines for the choice of the number of stages for the RF energy harvester are presented, depending on the requirements from the embedded system to power supply, which is useful for other researchers that work in the same area. The present authors' recent advances towards the development of an efficient RF energy harvester and storing system are presented and thoroughly discussed too.

Zonas suburbanas / Suburba areas

Las zonas suburbanas representan una categoría de uso y apropiación del suelo que es particularmente problemática en el contexto latinoamericano. Los conflictos que suelen verificarse en este tipo de zonas se dan por la expansión incontrolada de las ciudades en una competencia con las áreas rurales que priva a éstas de varias de sus condiciones ambientales y de habitabilidad positivas. El artículo es producto del proyecto de investigación "Metodología para la intervención de suelos suburbanos, caso de estudio Aburrá Norte" en Medellín, Colombia, con el fin de divulgar los conceptos de base que orientan el estudio y generar intercambio académico al respecto.

The suburban areas represent a category of use and appropriation of the soil that is particularly problematic in the Latin American context. The conflicts that tend to occur in this type of areas are given by the uncontrolled expansion of cities in a competition with the rural areas which deprives these from various environmental conditions and positive housing conditions. This article is the product of the research project "Methodology for the Intervention of Suburban Soils, Northern Aburra: A Case Study" in Medellin, Colombia, in order to disseminate core concepts that guide the study and generate academic exchange in this regard.