Search

Introduction: Pancreatic cancer is a significant public health concern and a leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide. This study aimed to investigate pancreatic cancer mortality trends and disparities in the United States (US) from 1999 to 2020. Methods: Data were obtained from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Wide-Ranging Online Data for Epidemiologic Research database. Mortality rates were age-adjusted and standardized to the year 2000 US population. Joinpoint regression was used to analyze temporal trends in age-adjusted mortality rates (AAMRs) by sociodemographic and geographic variables. Results: Between 1999 and 2020, pancreatic cancer led to a total of 810,628 deaths in the US, an average mortality of nearly 39,000 deaths per year. The AAMR slightly increased from 10.6 in 1999 to 11.1 in 2020, with an associated annual percent change (APC) of 0.2. Mortality rates were highest among individuals aged 65 and older. Black individuals experienced the highest overall pancreatic cancer-related AAMR at 13.8. Despite this, Black individuals experienced a decreasing mortality trend over time (APC −0.2) while White individuals experienced an increasing trend in mortality (APC 0.4). Additionally, individuals residing in rural areas experienced steeper rates of mortality increase than those living in urban areas (APC 0.6 for rural vs −0.2 for urban). White individuals in urban and rural populations experienced an increase in mortality, while Black individuals in urban environments experienced a decrease in mortality, and Black individuals in rural environments experienced stable mortality trends. Conclusions: Mortality from pancreatic cancer continues to increase in the US, with racial and regional disparities identified in minorities and rural-dwelling individuals. These disparate findings highlight the importance of ongoing efforts to understand and address pancreatic cancer treatment and outcomes disparities in the US, and future studies should further investigate the underlying etiologies of these disparities and potential for novel therapies to reduce the mortality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: This scoping review sought to evaluate the current literature regarding the following outcomes in relation to rurality: stage at diagnosis, clinical characteristics, treatment characteristics, and survival outcomes of head and neck cancer (HNC). Data Sources: A literature search was performed using PubMed (MEDLINE), Science Direct, EMBASE, SCOPUS, and Web of Science databases. Review Methods: A 20‐year study cutoff from the initial search was used to increase the comparability of the studies regarding population and standards of clinical care. These searches were designed to capture all primary studies reporting HNC incidence, presenting characteristics, treatments, and treatment outcomes. Two reviewers independently screened abstracts, selected articles for exclusion, extracted data, and appraised studies. Critical appraisal was done according to the Joanna Briggs Institute Quality Assessment Tool for Cohort Studies. Findings: Twenty eligible original articles were included. Stage at diagnosis, clinical characteristics, treatment characteristics, and survival outcomes were measured. Our review indicates that although this relationship is unclear, there may be variations in treatment choice for laryngeal cancer based on geographic location and rural residency status. The studies assessing HNC outcomes related to stage at diagnosis, clinical characteristics, treatment characteristics, and overall survival demonstrated conflicting findings, indicating a need for further research examining HNC outcomes with a focus on rurality as the main exposure. Conclusions: The relationship between HNC and rural‐urban status remains unclear. More studies are needed, along with a consistent metric for measuring rurality and recruitment of comparable populations from both rural and urban areas. Laryngoscope, 134:4441–4457, 2024 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BackgroundAccess to water and sanitation is a basic human right; however, in many parts of the world, communities experience water, sanitation, and hygiene (WaSH) insecurity. While WaSH insecurity is prevalent in many low and middle-income countries, it is also a problem in high-income countries, like the United States, as is evident in vulnerable populations, including people experiencing homelessness. Limited knowledge exists about the coping strategies unhoused people use to access WaSH services. This study, therefore, examines WaSH access among unhoused communities in Los Angeles, California, a city with the second-highest count of unhoused people across the nation.MethodsWe conducted a cross-sectional study using a snowball sampling technique with 263 unhoused people living in Skid Row, Los Angeles. We calculated frequencies and used multivariable models to describe (1) how unhoused communities cope and gain access to WaSH services in different places, and (2) what individual-level factors contribute to unhoused people's ability to access WaSH services.ResultsOur findings reveal that access to WaSH services for unhoused communities in Los Angeles is most difficult at night. Reduced access to overnight sanitation resulted in 19% of the sample population using buckets inside their tents and 28% openly defecating in public spaces. Bottled water and public taps are the primary drinking water source, but 6% of the sample reported obtaining water from fire hydrants, and 50% of the population stores water for night use. Unhoused people also had limited access to water and soap for hand hygiene throughout the day, with 17% of the sample relying on hand sanitizer to clean their hands. Shower and laundry access were among the most limited services available, and reduced people's ability to maintain body hygiene practices and limited employment opportunities. Our regression models suggest that WaSH access is not homogenous among the unhoused. Community differences exist; the odds of having difficulty accessing sanitation services is two times greater for those living outside of Skid Row (Adj OR: 2.52; 95% CI: 1.08-6.37) and three times greater for people who have been unhoused for more than six years compared to people who have been unhoused for less than a year (Adj OR: 3.26; 95% CI: 1.36-8.07).ConclusionOverall, this study suggests a need for more permanent, 24-h access to WaSH services for unhoused communities living in Skid Row, including toilets, drinking water, water and soap for hand hygiene, showers, and laundry services.

Background: The Flint water crisis (FWC) was a public health tragedy caused by crumbling infrastructure, subverted democracy, and indifference toward a predominantly poor and Black community that resulted in lead-in-water exposure, Legionnaires' disease, and emotional and health-related trauma. Through the cooperation of community partners, the Flint Registry (FR) was conceived to track long-term health and improve public health via service connections. Objectives: This study sought to share the FR's community-partnered, multi-tiered engagement strategy and determine the efficacy of this strategy to engage the community and reach Flint residents. Methods: Community engagement and impact were measured by collecting and describing feedback from the community engagement strategies and by comparing the demographics of the enrollees recruited through community-engaged recruitment (CER) and non-CER methods. Enroll-ees indicated how they heard about the FR; CER involved direct interaction with a community member. Results: Community engagement strategies incorporated approximately 1,200 people and 7 funded organizations, impacting 22 key areas of FR design and implementation. More than 50% of enrollees heard about the FR through CER methods. They were, on average, more likely to be younger, female, Black/African American, and living outside of Flint during the FWC. Conclusions: Community engagement elevated voices of those impacted by the FWC. CER methods were as effective as non-CER methods. Although there were no differences in screened measures of social vulnerability, there were in age, gender, and race. CER methods may increase participation and build trust in populations which historically are hesitant to participate in public health efforts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Animals colonizing novel environments can encounter novel hazards. Endangered San Joaquin kit foxes (Vulpes macrotis mutica) are found in the cities of Bakersfield and Taft in central California, USA. We documented 66 incidents of kit foxes becoming entangled in sports netting (e.g., soccer nets, batting-cage nets) occurring from the 1980s through 2022. Overall, 25 of the foxes died. Adults were more likely to get entangled in soccer nets, whereas pups (<1 yr) were more likely to get entangled in batting-cage nets. Pups are more likely to die while entangled, probably due to smaller body mass and lower energy reserves. The reasons that kit foxes get entangled in netting were unclear, although incidents involving batting-cage netting and pups may be due to natal dens being located under or near batting cages. At current rates, this hazard is unlikely to limit urban kit fox populations. However, losses of this endangered species should be minimized and the incidents are easily mitigated by dropping or lifting nets when not in use. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Urbanisation creates novel environments, not only through (abiotic) microhabitat alterations, but also due to changes in (biotic) inter- and intraspecific interactions. Where sheltering sites in urban habitats are limited, intra or interspecific interactions may increase, resulting in increased competition and changes in predation risk in urban areas compared to natural habitats. The Knysna Dwarf Chameleon (Bradypodion damaranum) occurs in both urban and natural settings, is extremely ornamented, and individuals have been observed with multiple wounds and scars. We therefore hypothesised that urban populations may have adapted to the physical features of urban habitats, and that this would be detectable through ornament size and bite force, as well as the presence of scarring. We quantified these traits from urban and natural populations from two separate localities (the towns of George and Knysna, South Africa). Our results showed that female and male B. damaranum from urban populations had a higher number of injuries and that urban males were more likely to be injured than males from natural habitats. Bite force was only recorded at one locality (Knysna), but both sexes in urban habitats had higher bite force when accounting for casque height as compared to those from the natural habitats. Urban chameleons also had less developed ornamentation but wider and/or higher heads compared to populations in natural habitats. Urban habitats had significantly lower tree density than natural habitats, and this may be a factor in driving the morphological differences between populations, whereby reduced ornamentation confers an advantage for remaining cryptic to predators in the open habitat but compromises the ability for signalling conspecifics with encounters escalating to physical contests. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To examine geospatial patterns of cancer care utilization across diverse populations in New Jersey—a state where most residents live in urban areas. Data Sources/Study Setting: We used data from the New Jersey State Cancer Registry from 2012 to 2014. Study Design: We examined the location of cancer treatment among patients 20–65 years of age diagnosed with breast, colorectal, or invasive cervical cancer and investigated differences in geospatial patterns of care by individual and area‐level (e.g., census tract‐level) characteristics. Data Collection/Extraction Methods: Multivariate generalized estimating equation models were used to determine factors associated with receiving cancer treatment within residential counties, residential hospital service areas, and in‐state (versus out‐of‐state) care. Principal Findings: We observed significant differences in geospatial patterns of cancer treatment by race/ethnicity, insurance type, and area‐level factors. Even after adjusting for tumor characteristics, insurance type, and other demographic factors, non‐Hispanic Black patients had a 5.6% higher likelihood of receiving care within their own residential county compared to non‐Hispanic White patients (95% CI: 2.80–8.41). Patients insured with Medicaid and those without insurance had higher likelihoods of receiving care within their residential county compared to privately insured individuals. Patients living in census tracts with the highest quintile of social vulnerability were 4.6% more likely to receive treatment within their residential county (95% CI: 0.00–9.30) and were 2.7% less likely to seek out‐of‐state care (95% CI: −4.85 to −0.61). Conclusions: Urban populations are not homogenous in their geospatial patterns of cancer care utilization, and individuals living in areas with greater social vulnerability may have limited opportunities to access care outside of their immediate residential county. Geographically tailored efforts, along with socioculturally tailored efforts, are needed to help improve equity in cancer care access. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although growing evidence suggests that natural and sexual selection pressures may differ between natural and urban habitats, their consequences in terms of morphological differentiation, extent of sexual dimorphism and sex ratio remain poorly studied. Anolis lizards are an ideal model to study the phenotypic effects of urbanization, as they are well known for the existence of ecomorphs adapted to particular microhabitats. However, so far most studies of urban populations of anoles have considered invasive species and largely focused on males. Here, we compared morphological differentiation, sexual dimorphism and sex ratio between suburban and forest populations of the native A. homolechis, in western Cuba, based on large sample size (n > 800) and a balanced nested design. Overall, both male and female individuals from suburban populations were larger and in better body condition than individuals from forest populations. In addition, evidence of caudal autotomy was more than twice more frequent in suburban populations compared to forest ones, with no sex effect. Habitat type and season of the year had additive effects on sex ratios, with a significant excess of males in suburban habitats and during the non-reproductive season. Accordingly, the extent of sexual dimorphism in size was more pronounced in suburban populations compared to forest ones. Our results suggest that the shape and direction of natural selection may differ between urban and natural populations of anoles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Though urban-rural disparities in COVID-19 vaccination coverage was documented at a point of time, little is known on the evolution of vaccination uptake over time. This study, using individual level time-to-event data, intend to assess the differences in monthly progression of vaccination uptake among U.S. adults by urban/rural residence.Survival analysis.Urban and rural areas in 29 U.S. states.135,969 adults aged 18+ years.Time (in months) to receive the first dose of COVID-19 vaccine since the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Emergency Use Authorization of Pfizer-BioNTech- and Moderna- COVID-19 Vaccine in December 2020.Kaplan-Meier survivor functions and stratified Cox proportional hazard models were estimated for the event of being vaccinated by urban/rural residence for 25 months starting from December 2020. Monthly survival probabilities for urban- and rural- adults were further assessed within certain demographic and socioeconomic groups.We found a gradual divergence of COVID-19 vaccination uptake in favor of urban adults, which was robust across sex, age groups, race and ethnicity, education, and income levels. In April 2021, after vaccine eligibility was expanded, 42.2% adults in urban and 53.3% adults in rural areas were unvaccinated. While only 19.3% urban adults remained unvaccinated in December 2022, this rate was 32.5% among rural adults. Compared to their urban counterparts, rural adults were 0.77 (95% CI: 0.76 - 0.79) times as likely to receive the first dose of COVID-19 vaccine.Time-to-event analysis of vaccination against COVID-19 indicated a lower uptake among rural adults, which was persistent across different demographic and socioeconomic groups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This retrospective study aimed to compare the survival outcomes of adult out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) patients between urban (Busan, Ulsan, Changwon) and rural (Gyeongnam) areas in South Korea and identify modifiable factors in the chain of survival. The primary and secondary outcomes were survival to discharge and modifiable factors in the chain of survival were identified using logistic regression analysis. In total, 1954 patients were analyzed. The survival to discharge rates in the whole region and in urban and rural areas were 6.9%, 8.7% (Busan 8.7%, Ulsan 10.3%, Changwon 7.2%), and 3.4%, respectively. In the urban group, modifiable factors associated with survival to discharge were no advanced airway management (adjusted odds ratio (aOR) 2.065, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.138–3.747), no mechanical chest compression (aOR 3.932, 95% CI: 2.015–7.674), and an emergency medical service (EMS) transport time of more than 8 min (aOR 3.521, 95% CI: 2.075–5.975). In the rural group, modifiable factors included an EMS scene time of more than 15 min (aOR 0.076, 95% CI: 0.006–0.883) and an EMS transport time of more than 8 min (aOR 4.741, 95% CI: 1.035–21.706). To improve survival outcomes, dedicated resources and attention to EMS practices and transport time in urban areas and EMS scene and transport times in rural areas are needed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Residents of urban American neighborhoods facing economic hardship often experience individual and collective adversities at high levels. This study explores how racially diverse adults experience stress, adversity, and trauma, and how they cope and heal in the context of their environment. Following a critical realist grounded theory methodology, four focus groups were conducted with African American, White and Latinx participants (N = 21) within an employment service program. Participants identified key stressors ranging from financial and job challenges, violence, and trauma. To cope with and heal from adversity, they practiced positivity, named trauma and its effects, sought social connection, envisioned community‐based resources, and addressed structural and systemic barriers. The data generated a theory of "a mutual process of healing self and healing the community" through intrapersonal, interpersonal, and structural change. The results of this study indicate a need for peer‐led, community‐engaged initiatives and holistic, trauma‐informed, healing‐centered practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper presents the work done during the two editions of the Summer School that took place in Lampedusa in 2017 and 2018, organized by the Italian Association of Sociology – Environment and Territory Section. The aim of the paper is twofold. Firstly, it aims to illustrate the results of the data analysis and field observation carried out by the participants of the School. They consist of a multi-faceted description of the Island, with special attention to its different populations (residents, city users and especially migrants), and of some resulting project proposals. Secondly, the essay aims to promote a practice based on study and training, which is typical of the sociological analysis of territory, and that can provide useful insight on the studied places and to the people of Lampedusa, within a broader vision of justice and social sustainability.

The goal of this study was to describe how activists engaged in campaigns to change alcohol policies in inner city areas framed alcohol problems, and whether or not their frameworks reflected major models used in the field, such as the alcoholism as a disease model, an alcohol problems perspective, or a public health approach to alcohol problems. The findings showed that activists models shared some aspects with dominant approaches which tend to focus on individuals and to a lesser extent on regulating alcohol marketing and sales. However, activists models differed in significant ways by focusing on community level problems with alcohol; on problems with social norms regarding alcohol use; and on the relationship of alcohol use to illicit drugs.

Background: Neighborhood characteristics are robust predictors of overall health and mortality risk for residents. Though there has been some investigation of the role that molecular indicators may play in mediating neighborhood exposures, there has been little effort to incorporate newly developed epigenetic biomarkers into our understanding of neighborhood characteristics and health outcomes. Methods: Using 157 participants of the Detroit Neighborhood Health Study with detailed assessments of neighborhood characteristics and genome-wide DNA methylation profiling via the Illumina 450K methylation array, we assessed the relationship between objective neighborhood characteristics and a validated DNA methylation-based epigenetic mortality risk score (eMRS). Associations were adjusted for age, race, sex, ever smoking, ever alcohol usage, education, years spent in neighborhood, and employment. A secondary model additionally adjusted for personal neighborhood perception. We summarized 19 neighborhood quality indicators assessed for participants into 9 principal components which explained over 90% of the variance in the data and served as metrics of objective neighborhood quality exposures. Results: Of the nine principal components utilized for this study, one was strongly associated with the eMRS (β = 0.15; 95% confidence interval = 0.06–0.24; P = 0.002). This principal component (PC7) was most strongly driven by the presence of abandoned cars, poor streets, and non-art graffiti. Models including both PC7 and individual indicators of neighborhood perception indicated that only PC7 and not neighborhood perception impacted the eMRS. When stratified on neighborhood indicators of greenspace, we observed a potentially protective effect of large mature trees as this feature substantially attenuated the observed association. Conclusion: Objective measures of neighborhood disadvantage are significantly associated with an epigenetic predictor of mortality risk, presenting a potential novel avenue by which neighborhood-level exposures may impact health. Associations were independent of an individual's perception of their neighborhood and attenuated by neighborhood greenspace features. More work should be done to determine molecular risk factors associated with neighborhoods, and potentially protective neighborhood features against adverse molecular effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Charismatic species, like the panda, play an important role in conservation, and velvet worms arguably are charismatic worms. Thanks to their extraordinary hunting mechanism, they have inspired from a female metal band in Japan, to origami worms in Russia and video game monsters in the USA. Objective: To assess their conservation status in Costa Rica (according to data in the UNA Onychophora Database) and compare it with equivalent data from elsewhere. Methods: we located all collection records of the 29 species in the map of the Costa Rican Conservation Network. Results: We found that seven species are protected inside Forest Reserves, five in Protected Zones, four in Wildlife Refuges, two in National Parks and one, Principapillatus hitoyensis, in a strictly pristine Biological Reserve. The largest species in the world, Peripatus solorzanoi, occurs both inside a Forest Reserve and in protected private land. Protection inside Costa Rican nature areas is enforced year-round by personnel that includes armed guards and is supported by educational programs in surrounding communities. Twelve species have not been found in protected areas, but in Costa Rica, all biological species, named and unnamed, are protected by law and cannot be legally collected, or exported, without technically issued permits. Conclusion: Like in the only other country with similar information (New Zealand), the conservation of onychophorans seems to be of least concern for at least two thirds of the known Costa Rican species. Epiperipatus isthmicola, recently rediscovered after a century of absence in collections, can be considered Threatened because nearly all of its natural habitat has now been covered by a city.

The paper presents the work done during the two editions of the Summer School that took place in Lampedusa in 2017 and 2018, organized by the Italian Association of Sociology - Environment and Territory Section. The aim of the paper is twofold. Firstly, it aims to illustrate the results of the data analysis and field observation carried out by the participants of the School. They consist of a multi-faceted description of the Island, with special attention to its different populations (residents, city users and especially migrants), and of some resulting project proposals. Secondly, the essay aims to promote a practice based on study and training, which is typical of the sociological analysis of territory, and that can provide useful insight on the studied places and to the people of Lampedusa, within a broader vision of justice and social sustainability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Landscape change associated with urbanization presents a great challenge for conservation, because of the way it affects biodiversity. Turtles represent a very important component of the urban ecosystems. The European pond turtle, Emys orbicularis (L., 1758) is one of the two native aquatic turtle species, occurring in Bulgaria, including the city of Plovdiv, which is the second largest city in the country and its territory covers mainly the urbanized environment and adjacent terrains. According to the data for the last 100 years, the European pond turtle in the studied region is increasing its distribution range within the city, due to the development of dense system of irrigation canals. The presence of the invasive species Trachemys scripta elegans was registered in the region of Plovdiv City. The abundances and average density of the populations are relatively low and the age structure of the population of E. orbicularis from Maritsa River has the highest percentage of adults and juvenile individuals, indicating that the population of this species in the city is unstable. The main threat to European pond turtle in Plovdiv City is the anthropogenic factor, which is mainly through the loss of suitable habitats on the one hand and the direct destruction of specimens on the other. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 2017, The Kennedy Forum Illinois partnered with the City of Chicago and community partners to launch the West Side Community Outreach Pilot Project, an initiative designed to bring free mental health trainings to underserved communities on Chicago's west side. Participants self-selected from one of two broad training categories: an eight-hour Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) training or a shorter Mental Health Awareness (MHA) training. Trainings were enhanced with a Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) awareness component, which aimed to inform the public of the availability of specially trained law enforcement officers. A combined total of 488 training participants consented to evaluation at baseline (MHA n = 316; MHFA n = 172). For those who reported race and ethnicity, 64% (n = 275) identified as African American, while nearly 20% (n = 92) identified their ethnicity as Latinx. Analyses revealed significant within-subjects improvements for each group in reducing mental health stigma and increasing CIT knowledge. MHFA participants also demonstrated significant improvements in mental health knowledge, self-confidence, and decreased perceptions of difficulties providing aid. These findings highlight the initiative's ability to engage participants from targeted communities and the potential effectiveness of mental health trainings with racially diverse participants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

On the basis of the allelic composition of ten microsatellite loci and mtDNA sequences, we studied the genetic structure of the common hamster populations that inhabit cities and suburban settlements in Ciscaucasia. It was shown that, in urbanized territories, the hamster population is divided into separated groups, the genetic differences between which are high and not related to the distance between them. On the outskirts of cities adjacent to undeveloped or green areas and further in rural areas, the degree of isolation of neighboring hamster settlements decreases, and the level of genetic differences between them begins to correspond to the distance separating the settlements. In the course of work, this species was first registered within the territory of the easternmost part of Ciscaucasia, in the Republic of Dagestan. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT Objective Examine associations between food insecurity and multiple demographic, socioeconomic, acculturation, social risk factor, and food access variables. Design Data are from Sinai Community Health Survey 2.0, a cross-sectional, population-based probability survey of adults. Setting Ten selected community areas in Chicago. Participants Adults aged 18 years and over who completed the Household Food Security Scale (HFSS) portion of the survey were included in the analysis (n = 1,041). Main Outcome Measures Food insecurity as defined by the HFSS was the dependent variable. Independent variables included multiple demographic, socioeconomic, acculturation, social risk factor, and food access variables. Analysis Multivariate logistic regression, along with a manual backward selection process, was used to examine predictors of food insecurity. A P of.05 was used to determine statistical significance. Results Respondents reporting English as their primary language (odds ratio [OR] = 0.31; P =.002) had significantly lower odds of experiencing food insecurity. Respondents who reported feeling lonely (OR = 1.86; P =.024) had significantly higher odds of experiencing food insecurity. Emergency food use (OR = 3.89; P =.001) and food stamp benefit receipt (OR = 2.79; P =.001) were also associated with food insecurity. Race/ethnicity demonstrated a strong relationship with food insecurity in early models, but this relationship appeared to be mediated by language and social risk factors. In the final adjusted model, most demographic and socioeconomic variables, including race/ethnicity, gender, and education were not significantly associated with food insecurity. Conclusions and Implications The burden of food insecurity was not shared equally across populations. This analysis sheds light on significant predictors of food insecurity in several diverse communities in Chicago. Findings can help inform tailored interventions by guiding food assistance programs to those most in need. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ambient exposure to polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins/furans (PCDD/Fs) is suspected to cause adverse human health outcomes. Herein, serum samples from 40 residents in the neighborhood of a municipal solid waste incinerator (MSWI) in the metropolitan area were measured for PCDD/Fs. The mean toxic equivalent (TEQ) concentration of total PCDD/Fs in human serum samples was 16.8 pg TEQ/g lipid. Serum PCDD/F levels were significantly higher in residents adjacent to the MSWI than in those from areas far from the emission source (p < 0.01). In addition, there were no significant associations between serum PCDD/Fs levels and factors, such as gender, age, and BMI in donors. For non-occupationally exposed populations, OCDD and 1,2,3,7,8-PeCDD in serum are available as indicators of total PCDD/Fs and total TEQ, respectively. The atmospheric PCDD/Fs levels were within a relatively low range in areas upwind and downwind of the MSWI. The results of the principal component analysis showed a distinct difference in PCDD/F congener patterns between air and serum samples, suggesting inhalation exposure could have a limited influence on the human body burden. Our findings will deepen the current knowledge of endogenous PCDD/F exposure in urban populations, and also facilitate public health protection strategies near MSWIs. [Display omitted] • This study is the first report of serum PCDD/F levels in urban populations around the MSWI in mainland China. • Higher levels of PCDD/Fs were observed in the serum samples from residents close to the MSWI. • Gender, age, and BMI of the subjects exhibited no significant correlation with the internal exposure levels of PCDD/Fs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: People who inject drugs have a greater risk of infectious disease and mortality than other substance abusers and nondrug users. Variation in risk behavior among people who inject drugs is likely associated with comorbid mental health disorders. Objectives: Examine the association between a history of mood disorder and recent risk behavior among people who inject drugs. Methods: With baseline data from a behavioral HIV prevention clinical trial in a population of people who inject drugs, we used logistic regression models to compare the risk behaviors of people who report a past diagnosis of bipolar disorder (n = 113) or depression (n = 237) to a comparison group with no history of diagnosed mental illness (n = 446). We also assessed differences between groups before and after adjusting for demographic characteristics and current depressive symptoms. Results: While there were no differences between groups in frequency of drug use, people who inject drugs who report a history of mood disorders reported more injection risk behaviors, drug overdoses, sex exchanges, and multiple partners than those with no history of mental illness. Adjusting the comparison for demographic characteristics and current depressive symptoms had little impact on these findings. Variation in risk between depression and bipolar disorder groups was minimal. Conclusions/Importance: People who inject drugs and have mood disorders have unique and significant social, clinical, and risk reduction needs. Despite the limited validity of self-reported mental health history, simply asking about a history of mood disorder may be effective for identifying a particularly vulnerable population of people who inject drugs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The territorial conflict in Iberian America in the middle of the 18th century, as the result of the Treaty of Madrid (1750), prompted the Portuguese authorities to create a significant number of new villages in Amazonia. It was their intention to guarantee the possession of vast territories located far beyond the meridian of Tordesilhas (1494), in particular those close by the rivers Amazonas, Branco, Madeira e Solimão. Most of these new villages, previously administrated by the ecclesiastical authorities, were occupied by Indians. Unfortunately, the information about living standards of indigenous peoples and their distribution between rural and urban areas is still scarce in a macro perspective. Therefore, the population charts ("mapas da população") for the captaincies of the late eighteenth century provide a great opportunity to better understand unique demographic characteristics of Amerindian villages. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper responds to the article by Daniel Hoornweg and Kevin Pope, on predictions for the world’s largest cities in the 21st century, in this issue of Environment and Urbanization. It recognizes the value and importance of this article in highlighting the very large likely scale of urban population growth up to 2100 and in initiating a discussion on what this might imply for the scale and distribution of the world’s largest cities. But it raises some concerns about the extent to which very large cities will grow in what are currently nations with very low per capita incomes. Mega-cities need to be underpinned by mega-economies. The world’s largest cities up to 2100 will mostly be those where private capital has chosen to invest, and much of this may not be in the cities identified in the Hoornweg and Pope article as likely to be the largest. The economic future, the development future (including whether the Sustainable Development Goals get met) and the ecological future (especially whether dangerous climate change is avoided) will so powerfully influence future city sizes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]