Passive air samplers were deployed in 18 rural and urban locations in the densely populated Buenos Aires district to investigate airborne polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxin and polychlorinated-dibenzofuran (PCDD/Fs) profiles, sources and spatial patterns. Atmospheric concentrations reported as total toxic equivalents (TEQs), 2378-substituted (∑PCDD/F) and 4-8 homologous groups (∑PCDD/F) were highly variable and significantly correlated to urban scale. The rural average (3.0±2.7fgTEQm) was thirty times less than metropolitan values (90±51fgTEQm), with urban cluster (5.4±4.0fgTEQm) and urbanized area (33±50fgTEQm) in an intermediate position. A rural outlier exhibited the highest TEQ values (295-296fgTEQm) suggesting a local source. Principal component analyses (PCA) performed for ∑PCDD/F and ∑PCDD/F to identify source contributions showed more significant results for homologue groups compared to 17 congeners (83 and 45% of total variability explained, respectively) pointing to dominant diesel emissions enriched in TeCDF in rural areas, and open burning and industrial sources characterized by TeCDD, PeCDD contributing most in urbanized and metropolitan areas. Homologue group PCA also performed better clustering samples according to sources and TEQ concentrations. The PCDD/Fs profile of the rural outlier dominated by HxCDF and HpCDD/F showed a typical municipal incineration signature confirming the presence of local source.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2016.07.126 | DOI Listing |
Parasit Vectors
January 2025
Department of Agriculture, Food and Environment, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy.
Rapid urbanization and migration in Latin America have intensified exposure to insect-borne diseases. Malaria, Chagas disease, yellow fever, and leishmaniasis have historically afflicted the region, while dengue, chikungunya, and Zika have been described and expanded more recently. The increased presence of synanthropic vector species and spread into previously unaffected areas due to urbanization and climate warming have intensified pathogen transmission risks.
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January 2025
Department of Rural Health, Melbourne Medical School, The University of Melbourne, 49 Graham Street, Shepparton, VIC, 3630, Australia.
The health disparities between rural and urban populations in Australia, driven by socioeconomic, environmental, and healthcare access factors, highlight the urgent need for rural-focused medical education. The Melbourne Medical School's Rural Health Discovery program addresses this need by integrating adult learning principles within a redesigned curriculum that includes the Rural Health Foundations and Integrating Rural Health topics. These Discovery topics engage medical students from diverse backgrounds through a blend of self-directed learning, problem-solving, and immersive clinical placements in rural settings.
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January 2025
Department of Sports Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Wilayah Persekutuan Kuala Lumpur, 50603, Malaysia.
Background: The increasing global and national prevalence of childhood obesity particularly among schoolchildren has warranted a more viable school-based obesity intervention. Apart from physical activity, nutrition is important in any obesity intervention package. This study examined the effects of the MyBFF@school program with nutrition education intervention (NEI) on nutrition knowledge and attitude of overweight and obese secondary schoolchildren.
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January 2025
Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Wilayah Persekutuan, 50603, Malaysia.
Background: MyBFF@school program consisting physical activity in the formed small-sided games (SSG), nutrition and psychology education was designed to combat obesity among schoolchildren in Malaysia. It was expected to improve cardiorespiratory fitness, hence, contributing to obesity treatment and prevention. Thus, we aimed to study the effects of the MyBFF@school program on the cardiorespiratory fitness of overweight and obese primary schoolchildren.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSci Rep
January 2025
Southeast Guizhou Miao & Dong Autonomous Prefecture Housing and Urban - Rural Development Bureau, Southeast Guizhou Miao, 556000, Dong Autonomous Prefecture, China.
In Southeast Guizhou, a region of China rich in ethnic diversity, the cultural landscapes of ethnic villages are increasingly vulnerable under the pressures of urbanization and tourism development. This study assesses the vulnerability of 43 ethnic villages in Leishan County using the Vulnerability Scoring Diagram (VSD) model, which evaluates exposure, sensitivity, and coping ability. Analyses using spatial autocorrelation and geographic weighted regression reveal distinct spatial patterns of vulnerability, with the northern region exhibiting higher vulnerability indices than the southern region.
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