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Future Challenges of Sustainable Cities: Maintenance and Improvement of Public Health System

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A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Health, Well-Being and Sustainability".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 December 2022) | Viewed by 8143

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Special Issue Editor

Prof. Dr. Kai-Jen Chuang

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Guest Editor

Department of Public Health, Taipei Medical University, Taipei 110, Taiwan
Interests: air pollution measurement, prevention and intervention; cardiovascular health; respiratory health; environmental epidemiology
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Our world is rapidly urbanized. More than half the world’s population has been living in cities since 2007. Cities are powerhouses of economic growth. However, they contribute about 70 per cent of global carbon emissions and over 60 per cent of resource use. Such urbanization results in a growing number of inadequate and overburdened infrastructure and services, worsening air pollution and unplanned urban sprawl.

This Special Issue aims to publish high-quality manuscripts on the transdisciplinary research related to effects of public health system (such as transportation, air conditioning, waste collection, water and sanitation systems) improvement or malfunction on human health in cities and metropolitan areas. The studies related to sustainability in occupational health and safety are also very welcome.

Prof. Dr. Kai-Jen Chuang
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Sustainability is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

urban
city
air
waste
water
system
public health
sustainability
epidemiology

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

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16 pages, 2841 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Colorimetric Detection of 1-Naphthol and Glyphosate Using Modified Gold Nanoparticles

by Gui-Bing Hong, Jia-Pei Hsu, Kai-Jen Chuang and Chih-Ming Ma

Sustainability 2022, 14(17), 10793; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su141710793 - 30 Aug 2022

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 1444

Abstract

Given the high toxicity and carcinogenic properties of pesticides, reducing pesticide residues is crucial for mitigating water pollution and promoting sustainable development. In the present study, a novel colorimetric method using gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) was designed for the detection of target analytes. The Turkevich-Frens method was used to synthesize AuNPs, which were then modified with sodium nitrite and L-cysteine for the detection of 1-naphthol and glyphosate, respectively. Different assay conditions strongly influenced the detection performance of the modified AuNPs, so the assay conditions were optimized for further investigation. In the presence of the target analytes (1-naphthol and glyphosate) under the optimum assay conditions, the absorption peak at 520 nm shifted and a corresponding color change was observed. The limits of detection of 1-naphthol and glyphosate were determined to be 0.15 and 0.27 ppm, respectively. In addition, the modified AuNPs had high selectivity for the target analytes and did not exhibit interference in the presence of other substances. This novel colorimetric method was then applied to detect the target analytes in mineral water and tap water with acceptable results. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Future Challenges of Sustainable Cities: Maintenance and Improvement of Public Health System)

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14 pages, 2869 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Impact of Heavy Metals in Ambient Air on Insulin Resistance of Shipyard Welders in Northern Taiwan

by Ting-Yao Su, Hueiwang Anna Jeng, Yuan-Ting Hsu, Ching-Huang Lai and Chih-Hong Pan

Sustainability 2021, 13(24), 13924; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su132413924 - 16 Dec 2021

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1850

Abstract

Exposure to metals poses potential health risks, including insulin resistance (IR), to those exposed to them in excess. Limited studies have examined such risks in occupational workers, including welders, and these have yielded inconsistent results. Thus, we examined the associations between exposure to welding metals and IR in welders. We recruited 78 welders and 75 administrative staff from a shipyard located in northern Taiwan. Personal exposure to heavy metals, including chromium (Cr), manganese (Mn), iron (Fe), nickel (Ni), copper (Cu), zinc (Zn), and cadmium (Cd), was monitored through particulate matter with an aerodynamic diameter of less than 2.5 μm (PM_2.5) and urine analysis by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP–MS). After each participant fasted overnight, blood samples were collected and analyzed for IR assessment through updated homeostasis model assessment (HOMA2) modeling. Air sampling in the personal breathing zone was performed during a Monday shift prior to the blood and urine sample collection the following morning. The welders’ median personal Cr, Mn, Fe, Ni, Cu, and Zn airborne PM_2.5 levels and urinary Cd levels were significantly higher than those of the administrative staff. After adjustment for covariates, logarithmic PM_2.5-Mn, PM_2.5-Fe, PM_2.5-Cu, and PM_2.5-Zn levels were positively correlated with logarithmic fasting plasma glucose (P-FGAC) levels (PM_2.5-Mn: β = 0.0105, 95% C.I.: 0.0027–0.0183; PM_2.5-Fe: β = 0.0127, 95% C.I.: 0.0027–0.0227; PM_2.5-Cu: β = 0.0193, 95% C.I.: 0.0032–0.0355; PM_2.5-Zn: β = 0.0132, 95% C.I.: 0.0005–0.0260). Logarithmic urinary Zn was positively correlated with logarithmic serum insulin and HOMA2-IR levels and negatively correlated with logarithmic HOMA2-insulin sensitivity (%S; β_insulin = 0.2171, 95% C.I.: 0.0025–0.4318; β_IR = 0.2179, 95% C.I.: 0.0027–0.4330; β_%S = −0.2180, 95% C.I.: −0.4334 to −0.0026). We observed that glucose homeostasis was disrupted by Mn, Fe, Cu, and Zn exposure through increasing P-FGAC and IR levels in shipyard welders. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Future Challenges of Sustainable Cities: Maintenance and Improvement of Public Health System)

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13 pages, 4319 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Using Rice Bran Hydrogel Beads to Remove Dye from Aqueous Solutions

by Gui-Bing Hong, Tzu-Jui Yu, Hsueh-Chia Lee and Chih-Ming Ma

Sustainability 2021, 13(10), 5640; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su13105640 - 18 May 2021

Cited by 15 | Viewed by 2065

Abstract

Appropriately disposing of and reusing waste is a major step in promoting environmentally sustainable development. Following the rise in environmental awareness, agricultural waste has been applied as a reusable organic resource and as a cost-efficient material for preparing hydrogel adsorbents. The present study combined rice bran with sodium alginate and chitosan to prepare two new types of hydrogel beads. The beads were then modified using simple methods, and their material characteristics were analyzed using a Fourier transform infrared spectroscope, a scanning electron microscope, and thermogravimetric analysis. Specifically, the effects of pH, adsorbent dosage, adsorption time, and adsorption temperature on the performance of the hydrogel beads in the adsorption of dyes with various properties were examined. The results revealed that the optimal conditions for the rice bran/alginate hydrogel beads to adsorb crystal violet were pH 5, a dosage of 30 mg, at 30 °C, for 6 h of adsorption; furthermore, the kinetic and isothermal adsorption data were found to be consistent with the pseudo-second-order model and the Freundlich isotherm model, respectively. The optimal conditions for the rice bran/chitosan hydrogel beads to adsorb reactive blue 4 were pH 3, a dosage of 40 mg, at 50 °C, for 7 h of adsorption, and the kinetic and isothermal adsorption data were consistent with the pseudo-first-order model and the Langmuir isotherm model, respectively. This study applied natural polymers and agricultural waste to prepare cost-efficient and environmentally friendly adsorbents, which satisfy today’s environmental protection trends and economic values because of their low environmental impact and favorable adsorptive and regenerative properties. They can be prepared without high-temperature and high-pressure processing, and can be recycled through the separation of water bodies using simple filter methods, thus substantially reducing energy and monetary costs. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Future Challenges of Sustainable Cities: Maintenance and Improvement of Public Health System)

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Review

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12 pages, 2319 KiB

Open AccessReview

Association between Migraine and the Risk of Stroke: A Bayesian Meta-Analysis

by Kim-Ngan Ta-Thi, Kai-Jen Chuang and Chyi-Huey Bai

Sustainability 2021, 13(7), 3759; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su13073759 - 28 Mar 2021

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1930

Abstract

There are still inconsistent results about association between migraine and stroke risk in studies. This paper was to review findings on the association between migraine (with or without aura) and stroke risk. We searched articles in the Embase and PubMed up to January 2021. Two independent reviewers extracted basic data from individual studies using a standardized form. Quality of studies was also assessed using the Newcastle–Ottawa Scale. We conducted a meta-analysis, both classical and Bayesian approaches. We identified 17 eligible studies with a sample size more than 2,788,000 participants. In the fixed effect model, the results demonstrated that migraine was positively associated with the risk of total stroke, hemorrhagic stroke, and ischemic stroke. Nevertheless, migraine was associated with only total stroke in the random effects model (risk ratio (RR) 1.31, 95%CI: 1.06–1.62). The probability that migraine increased total stroke risk was 0.978 (RR 1.31; 95% credible interval (CrI): 1.01–1.72). All types of migraine were not associated with ischemic stroke and hemorrhagic stroke. Under three prior distributions, there was no association between migraine and the risk of ischemic stroke or hemorrhagic stroke. Under the non-informative prior and enthusiastic prior, there was a high probability that migraine was associated with total stroke risk. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Future Challenges of Sustainable Cities: Maintenance and Improvement of Public Health System)

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