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Shah D, Ford L, Ochkur S, Kosisky S, Fineman S, Virant F, Rank M. Accuracy of spring pollen forecasts in five U.S. cities using National Allergy Bureau reporting as a gold standard. THE JOURNAL OF ALLERGY AND CLINICAL IMMUNOLOGY. IN PRACTICE 2024; 12:1633-1635. [PMID: 38423292 DOI: 10.1016/j.jaip.2024.02.020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/05/2023] [Revised: 02/06/2024] [Accepted: 02/23/2024] [Indexed: 03/02/2024]
Affiliation(s)
- Divya Shah
- Department of Internal Medicine, University of Arizona College of Medicine-Phoenix, Phoenix, Ariz.
| | - Linda Ford
- The Asthma & Allergy Center, Bellevue, Neb
| | - Sergei Ochkur
- Division of Allergy, Asthma, and Clinical Immunology, Mayo Clinic, Scottsdale, Ariz
| | - Susan Kosisky
- U.S. Army Centralized Allergen Extract Laboratory, U.S. Army Garrison-Forest Glen, Silver Spring, Md
| | | | - Frank Virant
- Seattle Allergy & Asthma Research Institute, Seattle, Wash
| | - Matthew Rank
- Department of Internal Medicine, University of Arizona College of Medicine-Phoenix, Phoenix, Ariz; Division of Pulmonology, Phoenix Children's Hospital, Phoenix, Ariz
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2
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Pham DL, Le KM, Truong DDK, Le HTT, Trinh THK. Environmental allergen reduction in asthma management: an overview. FRONTIERS IN ALLERGY 2023; 4:1229238. [PMID: 37868650 PMCID: PMC10587592 DOI: 10.3389/falgy.2023.1229238] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/26/2023] [Accepted: 09/12/2023] [Indexed: 10/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Asthma is a prevalent non-communicable disease that affects both children and adults. Many patients with severe, uncontrolled asthma could not achieve total control despite using anti-asthmatic drugs. There is increasing evidence that allergy to environmental allergens, including both indoor and outdoor allergens, is associated with asthma symptoms and severe asthma. Frequently reported sensitized allergens were dust mites, cockroaches, grass pollens, molds, pets, and rodents in allergic asthma patients, although the patterns of widespread allergens differed from each country. Allergen avoidance is the cornerstone of asthma management, especially in sensitized subjects. This review summarizes environmental allergen avoidance and clarifies their effects on asthma control. Despite contrasting results about the impact of allergen exposure reduction on asthma control, several studies supported the beneficial effects of reducing asthma-related symptoms or risk of exacerbations as a nondrug therapy. Identifying environmental allergens is helpful for asthma patients, and further studies on clinically effective avoidance methods are required.
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Affiliation(s)
- Duy Le Pham
- Faculty of Medicine, University of Medicine and Pharmacy at Ho Chi Minh City, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
- University Medical Center Ho Chi Minh City, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
| | - Kieu-Minh Le
- Center for Molecular Biomedicine, University of Medicine and Pharmacy at Ho Chi Minh City, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
| | - Diem D. K. Truong
- Center for Molecular Biomedicine, University of Medicine and Pharmacy at Ho Chi Minh City, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
| | - Huyen T. T. Le
- University of Medicine and Pharmacy at Ho Chi Minh City, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
| | - Tu H. K. Trinh
- Center for Molecular Biomedicine, University of Medicine and Pharmacy at Ho Chi Minh City, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
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3
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Li Q, Zhang X, Feng Q, Zhou H, Ma C, Lin C, Wang D, Yin J. Common Allergens and Immune Responses Associated with Allergic Rhinitis in China. J Asthma Allergy 2023; 16:851-861. [PMID: 37609376 PMCID: PMC10441643 DOI: 10.2147/jaa.s420328] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/07/2023] [Accepted: 07/12/2023] [Indexed: 08/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Allergic rhinitis (AR) is a chronic allergic disease of the upper respiratory system that affects approximately 10-40% of the global population. Due to the large number of plant pollen allergens with obvious seasonal variations, AR is common in China. AR is primarily caused by the abnormal regulation of the immune system. Its pathophysiological mechanism involves a series of immune cells and immune mediators, including cytokines. The present review summarizes the common allergens in China and the complex pathophysiological mechanism of AR. Additionally, host allergen contact, signal transduction, immune cell activation, cytokine release, and a series of inflammatory reactions are described according to their sequence of occurrence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qirong Li
- Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, the First Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, People’s Republic of China
- Laboratory Animal Center, College of Animal Science, Jilin University, Changchun, People’s Republic of China
| | - Xinyi Zhang
- Laboratory Animal Center, College of Animal Science, Jilin University, Changchun, People’s Republic of China
| | - Qiang Feng
- Laboratory Animal Center, College of Animal Science, Jilin University, Changchun, People’s Republic of China
| | - Hengzong Zhou
- Laboratory Animal Center, College of Animal Science, Jilin University, Changchun, People’s Republic of China
| | - Chaoyang Ma
- Hepatology Hospital of Jilin Province, Changchun, People’s Republic of China
| | - Chao Lin
- School of Grain Science and Technology, Jilin Business and Technology College, Changchun, People’s Republic of China
| | - Dongxu Wang
- Laboratory Animal Center, College of Animal Science, Jilin University, Changchun, People’s Republic of China
| | - Jianmei Yin
- Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, the First Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, People’s Republic of China
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4
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Matricardi PM, Hoffmann T, Dramburg S. The "allergic nose as a pollen detector" concept: e-Diaries to predict pollen trends. Pediatr Allergy Immunol 2023; 34:e13966. [PMID: 37366207 DOI: 10.1111/pai.13966] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2022] [Revised: 05/11/2023] [Accepted: 05/15/2023] [Indexed: 06/28/2023]
Abstract
Hirst pollen traps and operator pollen recognition are worldwide used by aerobiologists, providing essential services for the diagnosis and monitoring of allergic patients. More recently, semiautomated or fully automated detector systems have been developed, which facilitate prediction of pollen exposure and risk for the individual patient. In parallel, smartphone apps consisting of short questionnaires filled in daily by the patient/user provide daily scores, time trajectories, and descriptive reports of the severity of respiratory allergies in patients with pollen allergy. The usual scientific and clinical approach to this matter is to monitor the environment (pollen concentration) in order to predict the risk of symptoms (allergic rhinitis) in a population. We discuss here the opposite, contraintuitive possibility, that is, the use of e-diaries to collect daily information of mono-sensitized pollen-allergic patients in order to predict the clinically efficient airborne exposure to a given pollen, area, and time period. In line with the "Patient as Sensor" concept, proposed in 2013 by Bernd Resch, the "allergic nose" may be used as a pollen detector in addition to existing calibrated hardware sensors, namely the pollen stations, thus contributing with individual measurements, sensations, and symptoms' perception. The target of this review is to present a novel concept of pollen monitoring based on "pollen-detector" patients to inspire future cooperative studies aimed at investigating and hopefully validating our hypothesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paolo Maria Matricardi
- Department of Pediatric Respiratory Medicine, Immunology and Critical Care Medicine, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Tara Hoffmann
- Department of Pediatric Respiratory Medicine, Immunology and Critical Care Medicine, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Stephanie Dramburg
- Department of Pediatric Respiratory Medicine, Immunology and Critical Care Medicine, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany
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5
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Matavulj P, Cristofori A, Cristofolini F, Gottardini E, Brdar S, Sikoparija B. Integration of reference data from different Rapid-E devices supports automatic pollen detection in more locations. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2022; 851:158234. [PMID: 36007635 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.158234] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/14/2022] [Revised: 08/12/2022] [Accepted: 08/19/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Pollen is the most common cause of seasonal allergies, affecting over 33 % of the European population, even when considering only grasses. Informing the population and clinicians in real-time about the actual presence of pollen in the atmosphere is essential to reduce its harmful health and economic impact. Thus, there is a growing network of automatic particle analysers, and the reproducibility and transferability of implemented models are recommended since a reference dataset for local pollen of interest needs to be collected for each device to classify pollen, which is complex and time-consuming. Therefore, it would be beneficial to incorporate the reference dataset collected from other devices in different locations. However, it must be considered that laser-induced data are prone to device-specific noise due to laser and detector sensibility. This study collected data from two Rapid-E bioaerosol identifiers in Serbia and Italy and implemented a multi-modal convolutional neural network for pollen classification. We showed that models lost their performance when trained on data from one and tested on another device, not only in terms of the recognition ability but also in comparison with the manual measurements from Hirst-type traps. To enable pollen classification with just one model in both study locations, we first included the missing pollen classes in the dataset from the other study location, but it showed poor results, implying that data of one pollen class from different devices are more different than data of different pollen classes from one device. Combining all available reference data in a single model enabled the classification of a higher number of pollen classes in both study locations. Finally, we implemented a domain adaptation method, which improved the recognition ability and the correlations of transferred models only for several pollen classes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Predrag Matavulj
- BioSensе Institute - Research Institute for Information Technologies in Biosystems, University of Novi Sad, Dr Zorana Djindjica 1, 21000 Novi Sad, Serbia.
| | - Antonella Cristofori
- Research and Innovation Centre - Fondazione Edmund Mach, Via E. Mach, 1, 38010 San Michele all'Adige, Italy
| | - Fabiana Cristofolini
- Research and Innovation Centre - Fondazione Edmund Mach, Via E. Mach, 1, 38010 San Michele all'Adige, Italy
| | - Elena Gottardini
- Research and Innovation Centre - Fondazione Edmund Mach, Via E. Mach, 1, 38010 San Michele all'Adige, Italy
| | - Sanja Brdar
- BioSensе Institute - Research Institute for Information Technologies in Biosystems, University of Novi Sad, Dr Zorana Djindjica 1, 21000 Novi Sad, Serbia
| | - Branko Sikoparija
- BioSensе Institute - Research Institute for Information Technologies in Biosystems, University of Novi Sad, Dr Zorana Djindjica 1, 21000 Novi Sad, Serbia
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Ragweed pollen concentration predicts seasonal rhino-conjunctivitis and asthma severity in patients allergic to ragweed. Sci Rep 2022; 12:15921. [PMID: 36151263 PMCID: PMC9508093 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-20069-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/08/2021] [Accepted: 09/08/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
In this work, we investigate the correlation between ragweed pollen concentration and conjunctival, nasal, and asthma symptom severity in patients allergic to ragweed pollen using ambient pollen exposure in the Milan area during the 2014 ragweed season We calculate the pollen/symptom thresholds and we assess the effectiveness of ragweed allergen immunotherapy (AIT). A total of 66 participants allergic to ragweed (Amb a 1) were enrolled in the study and divided into two groups: AIT treated (24) and no AIT treated (42). Pollen counts and daily symptom/medication patient diaries were kept. Autoregressive distributed lag models were used to develop predictive models of daily symptoms and evaluate the short-term effects of temporal variations in pollen concentration on the onset of symptoms. We found significant correlations between ragweed pollen load and the intensity of symptoms for all three symptom categories, both in no AIT treated (τ = 0.341, 0.352, and 0.721; and ρ = 0.48, 0.432, and 0.881; p-value < 0.001) and in AIT treated patients (\documentclass[12pt]{minimal}
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\begin{document}$$\tau$$\end{document}τ= 0.46, 0.610, and 0.66; and ρ = 0.692, 0.805, and 0.824; p-value < 0.001). In both groups, we observed a positive correlation between the number of symptoms reported and drug use. Mean symptom levels were significantly higher in no AIT treated than in AIT treated patients (p-value < 0.001) for all symptom categories. Pollen concentration thresholds for the four symptom severity levels (low, medium–low, medium–high and high) were calculated. Ragweed pollen concentration is predictive of symptom severity in patients with a ragweed (Amb a 1) allergy. Patients treated with AIT had significantly reduced mean symptom levels compared to those without AIT.
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Pavón-Romero GF, Calderón-Ezquerro MDC, Rodríguez-Cervantes MA, Fernández-Villanueva D, Melgoza-Ruiz E, Ramírez-Jiménez F, Teran LM. Association of Allergic Sensitivity and Pollination in Allergic Respiratory Disease: The Role of Pollution. J Asthma Allergy 2022; 15:1227-1243. [PMID: 36071747 PMCID: PMC9444036 DOI: 10.2147/jaa.s373307] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/18/2022] [Accepted: 08/13/2022] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Gandhi Fernando Pavón-Romero
- Department of Immunogenetics and Allergy, Instituto Nacional de Enfermedades Respiratorias “Ismael Cosío Villegas”, Mexico City, Mexico
| | | | | | - David Fernández-Villanueva
- Department of Immunogenetics and Allergy, Instituto Nacional de Enfermedades Respiratorias “Ismael Cosío Villegas”, Mexico City, Mexico
| | - Esmeralda Melgoza-Ruiz
- Department of Immunogenetics and Allergy, Instituto Nacional de Enfermedades Respiratorias “Ismael Cosío Villegas”, Mexico City, Mexico
| | - Fernando Ramírez-Jiménez
- Department of Immunogenetics and Allergy, Instituto Nacional de Enfermedades Respiratorias “Ismael Cosío Villegas”, Mexico City, Mexico
| | - Luis M Teran
- Department of Immunogenetics and Allergy, Instituto Nacional de Enfermedades Respiratorias “Ismael Cosío Villegas”, Mexico City, Mexico
- Correspondence: Luis M Teran, Department of Immunogenetics and Allergy, Instituto Nacional de Enfermedades Respiratorias, Ismael Cosío Villegas, Mexico City, 14080, Mexico, Tel/Fax +52 5557481740, Email
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8
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Al-Nesf MA, Gharbi D, Mobayed HM, Mohammed Ali R, Tuffaha A, Dason BR, Adeli M, Sattar HA, Trigo MDM. Aerobiological monitoring in a desert type ecosystem: Two sampling stations of two cities (2017–2020) in Qatar. PLoS One 2022; 17:e0270975. [PMID: 35830387 PMCID: PMC9278729 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0270975] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/21/2021] [Accepted: 06/21/2022] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Background
The increasing number of aerobiological stations empower comparative studies to determine the relationship between pollen concentrations in different localities and the appropriate distance, which should be established between sampling stations. In Qatar, this is basically the first aerobiological study for a continuous monitoring interval.
Objectives
The study aimed to assess the abundance and seasonality of the most prevalent pollen types, plus identify potential differences between two sites within the country.
Methods
Airborne pollen data were collected during 2017–2020 by using Hirst-type volumetric samplers in Doha capital city and Al Khor city in Qatar, placed 50 km apart.
Results
Higher total pollen indexes were recorded in the Al Khor station (2931 pollen * day/m3) compared to the Doha station (1618 pollen * day/m3). Comparing the pollen spectrum between the sampling stations revealed that ten pollen types were found in common. Amaranthaceae and Poaceae airborne pollen constituted 73.5% and 70.9% of the total amount of pollen detected at the samplers of Al Khor station and Doha station. In both sampling sites, a very pronounced seasonality was shown; August–October appeared as the period with the most intense incidence of atmospheric herbaceous pollen, with 71% and 51% of the annual total counts in Al Khor and Doha stations, respectively. August (Al Khor, 21%; Doha, 9%), September (Al Khor, 33%; Doha, 26%), October (Al Khor, 17%; Doha, 16%) were the months in which the herbs pollen concentrations were highest.
Significant statistical differences between the two stations were observed in specific pollen types with local distribution in each trap’s vicinity.
Conclusions
Comparison of data obtained by the two samplers running at a distance of 50 Km indicated that potential inter-site differences could be attributed to the vegetation surrounding the city having a decisive influence on data collected.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maryam Ali Al-Nesf
- Allergy and Immunology Division, Hamad Medical Corporation, Doha, Qatar
- * E-mail:
| | - Dorra Gharbi
- Allergy and Immunology Division, Hamad Medical Corporation, Doha, Qatar
- Department of Botany and Plant Physiology, University of Malaga, Campus de Teatinos, Malaga, Spain
| | - Hassan M. Mobayed
- Allergy and Immunology Division, Hamad Medical Corporation, Doha, Qatar
| | | | | | | | | | | | - Maria del Mar Trigo
- Department of Botany and Plant Physiology, University of Malaga, Campus de Teatinos, Malaga, Spain
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9
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Komnos ID, Michali MC, Ziavra NV, Katotomichelakis MA, Kastanioudakis IG. A Study of Airborne Pollen Grains and Fungal Spores in the Region of Epirus (Northwestern Greece). Cureus 2022; 14:e26335. [PMID: 35911364 PMCID: PMC9333049 DOI: 10.7759/cureus.26335] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 06/25/2022] [Indexed: 11/05/2022] Open
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10
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Liccardi G, Martini M, Bilò MB, Milanese M, Rogliani P. Use of face masks and allergic nasal symptoms: Why not mention pollen count and air pollution data? Am J Otolaryngol 2022; 43:103363. [PMID: 34980461 DOI: 10.1016/j.amjoto.2021.103363] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2021] [Accepted: 11/25/2021] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
The scientific quantification of symptoms in pollen-related allergic rhinitis cannot be separated from the aerobiological data of the geographical area in which the study was carried out.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gennaro Liccardi
- Postgraduate School of Respiratory Medicine, Department of Experimental Medicine, University of Rome "Tor Vergata", Rome, Italy
| | - Matteo Martini
- Allergy Unit, Ospedali Riuniti Marche Nord, "Santa Croce" Hospital, Fano, Italy; Department of Clinical and Molecular Sciences, Marche Polytechnic University - Ancona, Italy.
| | - Maria Beatrice Bilò
- Department of Clinical and Molecular Sciences, Marche Polytechnic University - Ancona, Italy; Allergy Unit, Department of Internal Medicine, University Hospital Ospedali Riuniti - Ancona, Italy
| | - Manlio Milanese
- Division of Pulmonology, S. Corona Hospital, Pietra Ligure, Italy
| | - Paola Rogliani
- Department of Experimental Medicine, Unit of Respiratory Medicine, University of Rome "Tor Vergata", Rome, Italy
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Di Cicco M, Del Tufo E, Fasola S, Gracci S, Marchi MG, Fibbi L, Cilluffo G, Ferrante G, Peroni DG, La Grutta S. The Effect of Outdoor Aeroallergens on Asthma Hospitalizations in Children in North-Western Tuscany, Italy. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2022; 19:ijerph19063586. [PMID: 35329272 PMCID: PMC8949088 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph19063586] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2022] [Revised: 03/04/2022] [Accepted: 03/15/2022] [Indexed: 02/01/2023]
Abstract
Few data are currently available on the effects of aeroallergens in triggering respiratory symptoms in children. To evaluate the potential effects of daily outdoor aeroallergens loads on childhood admissions, in this case-crossover study, we analyzed data from 85 children hospitalized at the University Hospital of Pisa, Italy, for asthma or asthma-like symptoms without respiratory infection, between 2010 and 2019. Data were linked to outdoor allergens, temperature, nitrogen dioxide, and relative humidity observed during the same period. A 10-grains/m3 increase in the total aeroallergen concentration was associated with an increased risk of admission at lag 0 (OR = 1.054, 95% CI: 1.011–1.098), with a smaller effect at lag 1 (OR = 1.037, 95% CI: 1.008–1.067) and lag 2 (OR = 1.021, 95% CI: 1.003–1.039). Trends to larger effects were observed in children with sensitization to one or more aeroallergens (OR = 1.085, 95% CI: 1.004–1.173 at lag 0), in males (OR = 1.069, 95% CI: 1.009–1.132 at lag 0) and in older children (OR = 1.065, 95% CI: 1.007–1.127 at lag 0). Our study shows an association between increased outdoor allergens loads and asthma or asthma-like symptoms in children up to at least two days prior to hospitalization, suggesting that tracking aeroallergen counts may be useful to improve the management of respiratory allergic diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria Di Cicco
- Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Pisa, Via Roma n. 55, 56126 Pisa, Italy; (E.D.T.); (S.G.); (D.G.P.)
- Allergology Section, Pediatrics Unit, Pisa University Hospital, Via Roma n. 67, 56126 Pisa, Italy
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +39-050-992-797
| | - Ester Del Tufo
- Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Pisa, Via Roma n. 55, 56126 Pisa, Italy; (E.D.T.); (S.G.); (D.G.P.)
- Allergology Section, Pediatrics Unit, Pisa University Hospital, Via Roma n. 67, 56126 Pisa, Italy
| | - Salvatore Fasola
- Institute of Translational Pharmacology, IFT, National Research Council, 90146 Palermo, Italy; (S.F.); (S.L.G.)
| | - Serena Gracci
- Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Pisa, Via Roma n. 55, 56126 Pisa, Italy; (E.D.T.); (S.G.); (D.G.P.)
- Allergology Section, Pediatrics Unit, Pisa University Hospital, Via Roma n. 67, 56126 Pisa, Italy
| | - Maria Giovanna Marchi
- Regional Agency for Environmental Protection of Tuscany (ARPAT), 50144 Florence, Italy;
| | - Luca Fibbi
- Laboratory for Meteorology and Environmental Modelling (LaMMA Consortium), 50019 Sesto Fiorentino, Italy;
- Institute of Bioeconomy, IBE, National Research Council, 50019 Sesto Fiorentino, Italy
| | - Giovanna Cilluffo
- Department of Earth and Marine Sciences, University of Palermo, 90123 Palermo, Italy;
| | - Giuliana Ferrante
- Department of Surgical Sciences, Dentistry, Gynecology and Pediatrics, Pediatric Division, University of Verona, 37126 Verona, Italy;
| | - Diego G. Peroni
- Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Pisa, Via Roma n. 55, 56126 Pisa, Italy; (E.D.T.); (S.G.); (D.G.P.)
- Allergology Section, Pediatrics Unit, Pisa University Hospital, Via Roma n. 67, 56126 Pisa, Italy
| | - Stefania La Grutta
- Institute of Translational Pharmacology, IFT, National Research Council, 90146 Palermo, Italy; (S.F.); (S.L.G.)
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Kalayci O, Miligkos M, Pozo Beltrán CF, El-Sayed ZA, Gómez RM, Hossny E, Le Souef P, Nieto A, Phipatanakul W, Pitrez PM, Xepapadaki P, Jiu-Yao W, Papadopoulos NG. The role of environmental allergen control in the management of asthma. World Allergy Organ J 2022; 15:100634. [PMID: 35341023 PMCID: PMC8917313 DOI: 10.1016/j.waojou.2022.100634] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/23/2021] [Revised: 01/08/2022] [Accepted: 02/01/2022] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Allergen exposure may exacerbate asthma symptoms in sensitized patients. Allergen reduction or avoidance measures have been widely utilized; however, there is ongoing controversy on the effectiveness of specific allergen control measures in the management of children with asthma. Often, allergen avoidance strategies are not recommended by guidelines because they can be complex or burdensome, although individual patients may benefit. Here we explore the potential for intervention against exposure to the major allergens implicated in asthma (ie, house dust mites, indoor molds, rodents, cockroaches, furry pets, and outdoor molds and pollens), and subsequent effects on asthma symptoms. We critically assess the available evidence regarding the clinical benefits of specific environmental control measures for each allergen. Finally, we underscore the need for standardized and multifaceted approaches in research and real-life settings, which would result in the identification of more personalized and beneficial prevention strategies.
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13
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Detecting Airborne Pollen Using an Automatic, Real-Time Monitoring System: Evidence from Two Sites. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2022; 19:ijerph19042471. [PMID: 35206669 PMCID: PMC8872361 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph19042471] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/14/2022] [Revised: 02/16/2022] [Accepted: 02/17/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
Airborne pollen monitoring has been an arduous task, making ecological applications and allergy management virtually disconnected from everyday practice. Over the last decade, intensive research has been conducted worldwide to automate this task and to obtain real-time measurements. The aim of this study was to evaluate such an automated biomonitoring system vs. the conventional ‘gold-standard’ Hirst-type technique, attempting to assess which may more accurately provide the genuine exposure to airborne pollen. Airborne pollen was monitored in Augsburg since 2015 with two different methods, a novel automatic Bio-Aerosol Analyser, and with the conventional 7-day recording Hirst-type volumetric trap, in two different sites. The reliability, performance, accuracy, and comparability of the BAA500 Pollen Monitor (PoMo) vs. the conventional device were investigated, by use of approximately 2.5 million particles sampled during the study period. The observations made by the automated PoMo showed an average accuracy of approximately 85%. However, it also exhibited reliability problems, with information gaps within the main pollen season of between 17 to 19 days. The PoMo automated algorithm had identification issues, mainly confusing the taxa of Populus, Salix and Tilia. Hirst-type measurements consistently exhibited lower pollen abundances (median of annual pollen integral: 2080), however, seasonal traits were more comparable, with the PoMo pollen season starting slightly later (median: 3 days), peaking later (median: 5 days) but also ending later (median: 14 days). Daily pollen concentrations reported by Hirst-type traps vs. PoMo were significantly, but not closely, correlated (r = 0.53–0.55), even after manual classification. Automatic pollen monitoring has already shown signs of efficiency and accuracy, despite its young age; here it is suggested that automatic pollen monitoring systems may be more effective in capturing a larger proportion of the airborne pollen diversity. Even though reliability issues still exist, we expect that this new generation of automated bioaerosol monitoring will eventually change the aerobiological era, as known for almost 70 years now.
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14
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Yang JJ, Klinkenberg C, Pan JZ, Wyss HM, den Toonder JMJ, Fang Q. An integrated system for automated measurement of airborne pollen based on electrostatic enrichment and image analysis with machine vision. Talanta 2022; 237:122908. [PMID: 34736645 DOI: 10.1016/j.talanta.2021.122908] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/25/2021] [Revised: 09/26/2021] [Accepted: 09/27/2021] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
Here we describe an automated and compact pollen detection system that integrates enrichment, in-situ detection and self-cleaning modules. The system can achieve continuous capture and enrichment of pollen grains in air samples by electrostatic adsorption. The captured pollen grains are imaged with a digital camera, and an automated image analysis based on machine vision is performed, which enables a quantification of the number of pollen particles as well as a preliminary classification into two types of pollen grains. In order to optimize and evaluate the system performance, we developed a testing approach that utilizes an airflow containing a precisely metered amount of pollen particles surrounded by a sheath flow to achieve the generation and lossless transmission of standard gas samples. We studied various factors affecting the pollen capture efficiency, including the applied voltage, air flow rate and humidity. Under optimized conditions, the system was successfully used in the measurement of airborne pollen particles within a wide range of concentrations, spanning 3 orders of magnitude.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jia-Jing Yang
- Institute of Microanalytical Systems, Department of Chemistry, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310058, China; Microsystems Section, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Eindhoven University of Technology, Eindhoven, 5600MB, the Netherlands
| | - Christian Klinkenberg
- Microsystems Section, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Eindhoven University of Technology, Eindhoven, 5600MB, the Netherlands
| | - Jian-Zhang Pan
- Institute of Microanalytical Systems, Department of Chemistry, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310058, China
| | - Hans M Wyss
- Microsystems Section, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Eindhoven University of Technology, Eindhoven, 5600MB, the Netherlands.
| | - Jaap M J den Toonder
- Microsystems Section, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Eindhoven University of Technology, Eindhoven, 5600MB, the Netherlands
| | - Qun Fang
- Institute of Microanalytical Systems, Department of Chemistry, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310058, China.
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15
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Schaefer J, Milling M, Schuller BW, Bauer B, Brunner JO, Traidl-Hoffmann C, Damialis A. Towards automatic airborne pollen monitoring: From commercial devices to operational by mitigating class-imbalance in a deep learning approach. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2021; 796:148932. [PMID: 34273827 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.148932] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/02/2021] [Revised: 07/05/2021] [Accepted: 07/05/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Allergic diseases have been the epidemic of the century among chronic diseases. Particularly for pollen allergies, and in the context of climate change, as airborne pollen seasons have been shifting earlier and abundances have been becoming higher, pollen monitoring plays an important role in generating high-risk allergy alerts. However, this task requires labour-intensive and time-consuming manual classification via optical microscopy. Even new-generation, automatic, monitoring devices require manual pollen labelling to increase accuracy and to advance to genuinely operational devices. Deep Learning-based models have the potential to increase the accuracy of automated pollen monitoring systems. In the current research, transfer learning-based convolutional neural networks were employed to classify pollen grains from microscopic images. Given a high imbalance in the dataset, we incorporated class weighted loss, focal loss and weight vector normalisation for class balancing as well as data augmentation and weight penalties for regularisation. Airborne pollen has been routinely recorded by a Bio-Aerosol Analyzer (BAA500, Hund GmbH) located in Augsburg, Germany. Here we utilised a database referring to manually classified airborne pollen images of the whole pollen diversity throughout an annual pollen season. By using the cropped pollen images collected by this device, we achieved an unweighted average F1 score of 93.8% across 15 classes and an unweighted average F1 score of 75.9% across 31 classes. The majority of taxa (9 of 15), being also the most abundant and allergenic, showed a recall of at least 95%, reaching up to a remarkable 100% in pollen from Taxus and Urticaceae. The recent introduction of novel pollen monitoring devices worldwide has pointed to the necessity for real-time, automatic measurements of airborne pollen and fungal spores. Thus, we may improve everyday clinical practice and achieve the most efficient prophylaxis of allergic patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jakob Schaefer
- Chair of Embedded Intelligence for Health Care & Wellbeing, Faculty of Applied Computer Science, University of Augsburg, Augsburg, Germany
| | - Manuel Milling
- Chair of Embedded Intelligence for Health Care & Wellbeing, Faculty of Applied Computer Science, University of Augsburg, Augsburg, Germany
| | - Björn W Schuller
- Chair of Embedded Intelligence for Health Care & Wellbeing, Faculty of Applied Computer Science, University of Augsburg, Augsburg, Germany; GLAM, "The Group on Language, Audio & Music", Imperial College, London, UK
| | - Bernhard Bauer
- Chair of Embedded Intelligence for Health Care & Wellbeing, Faculty of Applied Computer Science, University of Augsburg, Augsburg, Germany
| | - Jens O Brunner
- Chair of Health Care Operations/Health Information Management, Faculty of Business and Economics, Faculty of Medicine, University of Augsburg, Augsburg, Germany
| | - Claudia Traidl-Hoffmann
- Department of Environmental Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Augsburg, Augsburg, Germany; Institute of Environmental Medicine, Helmholtz Center Munich - German Research Center for Environmental Health, Augsburg, Germany
| | - Athanasios Damialis
- Department of Environmental Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Augsburg, Augsburg, Germany.
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16
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Outdoor Mold and Respiratory Health: State of Science of Epidemiological Studies. THE JOURNAL OF ALLERGY AND CLINICAL IMMUNOLOGY-IN PRACTICE 2021; 10:768-784.e3. [PMID: 34648953 DOI: 10.1016/j.jaip.2021.09.042] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/27/2021] [Revised: 09/10/2021] [Accepted: 09/24/2021] [Indexed: 02/01/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Fungal spores are the predominant biological particulates in outdoor air. However, in contrast to pollens or outdoor air pollution, little is known about their respiratory health risks. OBJECTIVES The objectives were to conduct the first review of epidemiological studies on the short- and long-term effects of outdoor mold exposure on respiratory health in children and adults. METHODS Health outcomes included asthma, lung function, and rhinitis. Cross-sectional and longitudinal epidemiological studies using quantitative measures of outdoor mold exposure (optical microscopy, culture-based methods) were selected, providing that important confounding factors including temporal trends or meteorological factors were accounted for. A systematic literature search was performed up to June 2020, leading to the selection of 37 publications. RESULTS Most studies were longitudinal and investigated short-term effects. There is evidence of an association between outdoor fungal exposure and an increase in asthma exacerbation among children for total spores, 2 phyla (ascomycetes, basidiomycetes), and 2 taxa (Cladosporium, Alternaria). A few studies also suggested an association for Coprinus, Ganoderma, Aspergillus-Penicillium, Botrytis, and Epicoccum in children, but this needs to be confirmed. Some studies reported mold associations with rhinitis, lung function, and among adults, but these were few in number or inconsistent. DISCUSSION Further ecological studies in different regions that measure exposure to all taxa over several years are required to better understand their impact on rhinitis, asthma exacerbations and lung function. Larger panel studies are necessary to identify threshold effects in susceptible individuals. Finally, further research should assess the long-term effects of outdoor mold.
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17
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Suanno C, Aloisi I, Fernández-González D, Del Duca S. Pollen forecasting and its relevance in pollen allergen avoidance. ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH 2021; 200:111150. [PMID: 33894233 DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2021.111150] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/28/2020] [Revised: 03/26/2021] [Accepted: 04/06/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Pollinosis and allergic asthma are respiratory diseases of global relevance, heavily affecting the quality of life of allergic subjects. Since there is not a decisive cure yet, pollen allergic subjects need to avoid exposure to high pollen allergens concentrations. For this purpose, pollen forecasting is an essential tool that needs to be reliable and easily accessible. While forecasting methods are rapidly evolving towards more complex statistical and physical models, the use of simple and traditional methods is still preferred in routine predictions. In this review, we summarise and explain the main parameters considered when forecasting pollen, and classify the different forecasting methods in two groups: observation-based and process-based. Finally, we compare these approaches based on their usefulness to allergic patients, and discuss possible future developments of the field.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chiara Suanno
- Department of Biological, Geological and Environmental Sciences, University of Bologna, Via Irnerio 42, 40126, Bologna, Italy
| | - Iris Aloisi
- Department of Biological, Geological and Environmental Sciences, University of Bologna, Via Irnerio 42, 40126, Bologna, Italy.
| | - Delia Fernández-González
- Institute of Atmospheric Sciences and Climate, ISAC-CNR, Via Piero Gobetti 101, 40129, Bologna, Italy; Department Biodiversity and Environmental Management, University of León, 24071, Campus Vegazana, S/n, 24007, León, Spain
| | - Stefano Del Duca
- Department of Biological, Geological and Environmental Sciences, University of Bologna, Via Irnerio 42, 40126, Bologna, Italy
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18
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Codina R, Esch RE, Lockey RF. The Clinical Relevance of Pollen Versus Fungal Spores in Allergic Diseases. THE JOURNAL OF ALLERGY AND CLINICAL IMMUNOLOGY-IN PRACTICE 2021; 9:3615-3620. [PMID: 34146748 DOI: 10.1016/j.jaip.2021.06.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/03/2021] [Revised: 05/10/2021] [Accepted: 06/08/2021] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Pollen and fungal spores are associated with seasonal and perennial allergies. However, most scientific literature thus far suggests that pollen allergy is more clinically relevant than fungal allergy. Several environmental and biological factors and the difficulty in producing reliable fungal extracts account for this. Biodiversity, taxonomy, and meteorology are responsible for the types and levels of pollen and fungal spores, their fragments, and the presence of free airborne allergens. Therefore, it is difficult to accurately measure both pollen and fungal allergen exposure. In addition, understanding the enzymatic nature of fungal and some pollen allergens, the presence of allergenic and nonallergenic substances that may modulate the allergic immune response, and allergen cross-reactivity are all necessary to appropriately evaluate both sensitivity and exposure. The raw materials and manufacturing processes used to prepare pollen versus fungal extracts differ, further increasing the complexity to properly determine allergic sensitivity and degrees of exposure. The pollen extracts used for diagnosis and treatment are relatively consistent, and some have been standardized. However, obtaining clinically relevant fungal extracts is more difficult. Doing so will allow for the proper selection of such extracts to more appropriately diagnose and treat both pollen- and fungal-induced allergic diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rosa Codina
- Allergen Science & Consulting, Lenoir, NC; Division of Allergy and Immunology, Department of Internal Medicine, Morsani College of Medicine, University of south Florida, Tampa, Fla.
| | - Robert E Esch
- School of Natural Sciences, Lenoir-Rhyne University, Hickory, NC
| | - Richard F Lockey
- Division of Allergy and Immunology, Department of Internal Medicine, Morsani College of Medicine, University of south Florida, Tampa, Fla
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19
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Suanno C, Aloisi I, Fernández-González D, Del Duca S. Monitoring techniques for pollen allergy risk assessment. ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH 2021; 197:111109. [PMID: 33848553 DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2021.111109] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/11/2020] [Revised: 03/12/2021] [Accepted: 03/29/2021] [Indexed: 05/15/2023]
Abstract
Understanding airborne pollen allergens trends is of great importance for the high prevalence and the socio-economic impact that pollen-related respiratory diseases have on a global scale. Pursuing this aim, aeropalynology evolved as a broad and complex field, that requires multidisciplinary knowledge covering the molecular identity of pollen allergens, the nature of allergen-bearing particles (pollen grains, pollen sub-particles, and small airborne particles), and the distribution of their sources. To estimate the health hazard that urban vegetation and atmospheric pollen concentrations pose to allergic subjects, it is pivotal to develop efficient and rapid monitoring systems and reliable allergic risk indices. Here, we review different pollen allergens monitoring approaches, classifying them into I) vegetation-based, II) pollen-based, and III) allergen-based, and underlining their advantages and limits. Finally, we discuss the outstanding issues and directions for future research that will further clarify our understanding of pollen aeroallergens dynamics and allergen avoidance strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chiara Suanno
- Department of Biological, Geological and Environmental Sciences, University of Bologna, Via Irnerio 42, 40126, Bologna, Italy.
| | - Iris Aloisi
- Department of Biological, Geological and Environmental Sciences, University of Bologna, Via Irnerio 42, 40126, Bologna, Italy.
| | - Delia Fernández-González
- Institute of Atmospheric Sciences and Climate, ISAC-CNR, Via Piero Gobetti 101, 40129, Bologna, Italy; Department Biodiversity and Environmental Management, University of León, 24071, Callejón Campus Vegazana, S/n, 24007, León, Spain
| | - Stefano Del Duca
- Department of Biological, Geological and Environmental Sciences, University of Bologna, Via Irnerio 42, 40126, Bologna, Italy
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20
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Polling M, Li C, Cao L, Verbeek F, de Weger LA, Belmonte J, De Linares C, Willemse J, de Boer H, Gravendeel B. Neural networks for increased accuracy of allergenic pollen monitoring. Sci Rep 2021; 11:11357. [PMID: 34059743 PMCID: PMC8166864 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-90433-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/26/2020] [Accepted: 05/04/2021] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Monitoring of airborne pollen concentrations provides an important source of information for the globally increasing number of hay fever patients. Airborne pollen is traditionally counted under the microscope, but with the latest developments in image recognition methods, automating this process has become feasible. A challenge that persists, however, is that many pollen grains cannot be distinguished beyond the genus or family level using a microscope. Here, we assess the use of Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs) to increase taxonomic accuracy for airborne pollen. As a case study we use the nettle family (Urticaceae), which contains two main genera (Urtica and Parietaria) common in European landscapes which pollen cannot be separated by trained specialists. While pollen from Urtica species has very low allergenic relevance, pollen from several species of Parietaria is severely allergenic. We collect pollen from both fresh as well as from herbarium specimens and use these without the often used acetolysis step to train the CNN model. The models show that unacetolyzed Urticaceae pollen grains can be distinguished with > 98% accuracy. We then apply our model on before unseen Urticaceae pollen collected from aerobiological samples and show that the genera can be confidently distinguished, despite the more challenging input images that are often overlain by debris. Our method can also be applied to other pollen families in the future and will thus help to make allergenic pollen monitoring more specific.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Chen Li
- Leiden Institute of Advanced Computer Science (LIACS), Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Lu Cao
- Leiden Institute of Advanced Computer Science (LIACS), Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Fons Verbeek
- Leiden Institute of Advanced Computer Science (LIACS), Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Letty A de Weger
- Department of Pulmonology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Jordina Belmonte
- Institute of Environmental Sciences and Technology (ICTA-UAB), The Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Bellaterra, Cerdanyola del Vallès, Spain
| | - Concepción De Linares
- Institute of Environmental Sciences and Technology (ICTA-UAB), The Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Bellaterra, Cerdanyola del Vallès, Spain
| | - Joost Willemse
- Microbial Sciences, Institute of Biology, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Hugo de Boer
- Natural History Museum, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
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21
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Jaakkola JJK, Kiihamäki SP, Näyhä S, Ryti NRI, Hugg TT, Jaakkola MS. Airborne pollen concentrations and daily mortality from respiratory and cardiovascular causes. Eur J Public Health 2021; 31:722-724. [PMID: 33822900 PMCID: PMC8505003 DOI: 10.1093/eurpub/ckab034] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
We conducted a time-series analysis of the relations between daily levels of allergenic pollen and mortality in the Helsinki Metropolitan Area with 153 378 deaths; 9742 from respiratory and 57 402 from cardiovascular causes. Daily (average) pollen counts of alder, birch, mugwort and grass were measured. In quasi-Poisson regression analysis, abundant alder pollen increased the risk of non-accidental deaths with an adjusted cumulative mortality rate ratio (acMRR) of 1.10 (95% CI 1.01-1.19) and of deaths from respiratory-diseases with acMRR of 1.78 (95% CI 1.19-2.65). Abundant mugwort pollen increased cardiovascular mortality (1.41, 1.02-1.95). These findings identify an important global public health problem.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jouni J K Jaakkola
- Center for Environmental and Respiratory Health Research, University of Oulu, Oulu, Finland.,Biocenter Oulu, University of Oulu, Oulu, Finland.,Medical Research Center Oulu, University Hospital and University of Oulu, Oulu, Finland.,Finnish Meteorological Institute, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Simo-Pekka Kiihamäki
- Center for Environmental and Respiratory Health Research, University of Oulu, Oulu, Finland
| | - Simo Näyhä
- Center for Environmental and Respiratory Health Research, University of Oulu, Oulu, Finland
| | - Niilo R I Ryti
- Center for Environmental and Respiratory Health Research, University of Oulu, Oulu, Finland.,Medical Research Center Oulu, University Hospital and University of Oulu, Oulu, Finland
| | - Timo T Hugg
- Center for Environmental and Respiratory Health Research, University of Oulu, Oulu, Finland.,Biocenter Oulu, University of Oulu, Oulu, Finland.,Medical Research Center Oulu, University Hospital and University of Oulu, Oulu, Finland
| | - Maritta S Jaakkola
- Center for Environmental and Respiratory Health Research, University of Oulu, Oulu, Finland.,Biocenter Oulu, University of Oulu, Oulu, Finland.,Medical Research Center Oulu, University Hospital and University of Oulu, Oulu, Finland
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22
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Florido-López JF, Andreu-Balaguer C, Escudero C, Seoane-Rodríguez M, Hernández M, Navarro-Seisdedos LÁ, Torrecillas-Toro M, Anton-Girones M, Herrero-Lifona L, Brugaletta D, Macías J, Pineda R, Lara MÁ, López-Caballero J, Rojas MJ. Effectiveness and safety of a glutaraldehyde-modified, L-tyrosine-adsorbed and monophosphoryl lipid A-Adjuvanted allergen immunotherapy in patients with allergic asthma sensitized to olive pollen: A retrospective, controlled real-world study. World Allergy Organ J 2020; 13:100487. [PMID: 33376572 PMCID: PMC7750691 DOI: 10.1016/j.waojou.2020.100487] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/28/2020] [Revised: 10/29/2020] [Accepted: 10/30/2020] [Indexed: 01/20/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Allergy to olive pollen is one of the primary causes of allergic asthma in Spain. Even though allergen immunotherapy (AIT) has shown clinical benefits in patients sensitized to different allergens, studies in asthmatic patients sensitized to olive pollen are insufficient. Objective To assess the effectiveness and safety of an ultra-short course of AIT with an L-tyrosine-adsorbed and monophosphoryl lipid A-adjuvanted olive pollen and olive/grass pollen extract (Pollinex Quattro®) in patients with allergic asthma in the real-world setting. Methods Retrospective, controlled study including patients with asthma, with and without allergic rhinitis, caused by sensitization to olive pollen from 11 centers in Spain. Patients received out-of-season (October–March) treatment with AIT in addition to their pharmacological treatment (active group) or pharmacological treatment (control group). Effectiveness variables, including unscheduled visits to the healthcare center, emergency room admissions, symptoms of asthma and rhinitis (following GEMA and ARIA classifications, respectively), and use of medication to treat asthma and rhinitis during the subsequent pollen season were compared between treatment groups. Results Of 131 study patients, 42 were treated with their usual asthma medication (control group) and 89 were treated with AIT (active group), either Pollinex Quattro® 100% olive pollen (n = 43, 48.3%) or 50% olive pollen/50% grass pollen (n = 46, 51.7%). Patients’ demographic and clinical characteristics were similar between groups. The mean (SD) number of unscheduled visits to a healthcare center and emergency room admissions due to allergy symptoms was 2.19 (1.40) and 0.43 (0.63) in the control group, and 1.09 (1.25) and 0.11 (0.51) in the active group (P = 0.001 and P = 0.006, respectively). Severity and control of asthma symptoms remained unchanged (P = 0.347 and P = 0.179, respectively), rhinitis type improved (P = 0.025), and severity remained unchanged in the active compared to the control group. The use of short-acting beta-agonists and inhaled corticosteroids to treat asthma symptoms decreased in the active vs. the control group (P = 0.001 and P = 0.031, respectively). Twelve (13.5%) and two (2.2%) patients in the active group experienced local adverse reactions (edema, swelling, erythema, hives, pruritus, and heat), and systemic adverse reactions (hypertensive crisis and low-grade fever) to AIT, respectively; none was serious. Conclusion AIT with Pollinex Quattro® specific for olive pollen and olive/grass pollens resulted in reduced visits to the healthcare center and emergency room and the use of asthma medication during the pollen season, indicating that this treatment was safe and effective in treating asthma in patients sensitized to these pollens.
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Key Words
- AAAAI, American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology
- AIT, allergen immunotherapy
- ARIA, Allergic Rhinitis and its Impact on Asthma
- ARs, adverse reactions
- Allergen immunotherapy
- Allergic asthma
- Allergic rhinitis
- Allergoid
- EAACI, European Academy of Allergy and Clinical Immunology
- GEMA, “Guía Española para el Manejo del Asma” (Spanish Guidelines for Asthma Management)
- GINA, Global Initiative for Asthma
- LABAs, long-acting beta-2 agonists
- LTRAs, leukotriene receptor antagonists
- MCT, microcrystalline tyrosine
- MPL, monophosphoryl lipid A
- Microcrystalline tyrosine
- Monophosphoryl lipid A
- Olive pollen
- SABAs, short-acting beta-agonists
- SCIT, subcutaneous immunotherapy
- Subcutaneous immunotherapy
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Carmelo Escudero
- Department of Allergy, Hospital Infantil Universitario Niño Jesús, IIS-P, FibHNJ. Madrid, Spain
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Maria Ángeles Lara
- Hospital Clínico Universitario (Parque Tecnológico de La Salud). Granada, Spain
| | | | - Maria José Rojas
- Hospital Clínico Universitario (Parque Tecnológico de La Salud). Granada, Spain
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23
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Ramon GD, Vanegas E, Felix M, Barrionuevo LB, Kahn AM, Bertone M, Reyes MS, Gaviot S, Ottaviano C, Cherrez-Ojeda I. Year-long trends of airborne pollen in Argentina: More research is needed. World Allergy Organ J 2020; 13:100135. [PMID: 32670462 PMCID: PMC7348068 DOI: 10.1016/j.waojou.2020.100135] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/09/2020] [Revised: 05/18/2020] [Accepted: 05/19/2020] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- German D Ramon
- Instituto de Alergia e Inmunología del Sur, Bahía Blanca, Argentina.,Asociación Argentina de Alergia e Inmunología Clínica, Bahía Blanca Pollen Station, Argentina
| | - Emanuel Vanegas
- Universidad Espíritu Santo, Samborondón, Ecuador.,Respiralab Research Group, Guayaquil, Ecuador
| | - Miguel Felix
- Universidad Espíritu Santo, Samborondón, Ecuador.,Respiralab Research Group, Guayaquil, Ecuador
| | | | - Adrian M Kahn
- Hospital Privado Universitario de Córdoba, Argentina.,Instituto Universitario de Ciencias Biomédicas de Córdoba, Argentina.,Asociación Argentina de Alergia e Inmunología Clínica, Córdoba Pollen Station, Argentina
| | | | - Maria Sol Reyes
- Asociación Argentina de Alergia e Inmunología Clínica, Bariloche Pollen Station, Argentina
| | - Solange Gaviot
- Asociación Argentina de Alergia e Inmunología Clínica, Santa Rosa Pollen Station, Argentina
| | | | - Ivan Cherrez-Ojeda
- Universidad Espíritu Santo, Samborondón, Ecuador.,Respiralab Research Group, Guayaquil, Ecuador
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24
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Hoffmann TM, Acar Şahin A, Aggelidis X, Arasi S, Barbalace A, Bourgoin A, Bregu B, Brighetti MA, Caeiro E, Caglayan Sozmen S, Caminiti L, Charpin D, Couto M, Delgado L, Di Rienzo Businco A, Dimier C, Dimou MV, Fonseca JA, Goksel O, Guvensen A, Hernandez D, Jang DT, Kalpaklioglu F, Lame B, Llusar R, Makris MP, Mazon A, Mesonjesi E, Nieto A, Öztürk A, Pahus L, Pajno GB, Panasiti I, Panetta V, Papadopoulos NG, Pellegrini E, Pelosi S, Pereira AM, Pereira M, Pinar M, Pfaar O, Potapova E, Priftanji A, Psarros F, Sackesen C, Sfika I, Suarez J, Thibaudon M, Travaglini A, Tripodi S, Verdier V, Villella V, Xepapadaki P, Yazici D, Matricardi PM, Dramburg S. "Whole" vs. "fragmented" approach to EAACI pollen season definitions: A multicenter study in six Southern European cities. Allergy 2020; 75:1659-1671. [PMID: 31833579 DOI: 10.1111/all.14153] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/05/2019] [Revised: 10/08/2019] [Accepted: 10/29/2019] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The adequate definition of pollen seasons is essential to facilitate a correct diagnosis, treatment choice, and outcome assessment in patients with seasonal allergic rhinitis. A position paper by the European Academy of Allergy and Clinical Immunology (EAACI) proposed season definitions for Northern and Middle Europe. OBJECTIVE To test the pollen season definitions proposed by EAACI in six Mediterranean cities for seven pollen taxa. METHODS As part of the @IT.2020 multi-center study, pollen counts for Poaceae, Oleaceae, Fagales, Cupressaceae, Urticaceae (Parietaria spp.), and Compositae (Ambrosia spp., Artemisia spp.) were collected from January 1 to December 31, 2018. Based on these data, pollen seasons were identified according to EAACI criteria. A unified monitoring period for patients in AIT trials was created and assessed for feasibility. RESULTS The analysis revealed a great heterogeneity between the different locations in terms of pattern and length of the examined pollen seasons. Further, we found a fragmentation of pollen seasons in several segments (max. 8) separated by periods of low pollen counts (intercurrent periods). Potential monitoring periods included often many recording days with low pollen exposure (max. 341 days). CONCLUSION The Mediterranean climate leads to challenging pollen exposure times. Monitoring periods for AIT trials based on existing definitions may include many intermittent days with low pollen concentrations. Therefore, it is necessary to find an adapted pollen season definition as individual solution for each pollen and geographical area.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tara Maria Hoffmann
- Department of Pediatric Pulmonology, Immunology and Intensive Care Medicine Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin Berlin Germany
| | - Aydan Acar Şahin
- Department of Biology Faculty of Science Ankara University Ankara Turkey
| | - Xenophon Aggelidis
- Allergy Unit 2 Department of Dermatology and Venereology National and Kapodistrian University of Athens University Hospital "Attikon" Athens Greece
| | - Stefania Arasi
- Pediatric Allergology Unit Department of Pediatric Medicine Bambino Gesù Children´s research Hospital (IRCCS) Rome Italy
| | - Andrea Barbalace
- Department of Pediatrics‐ Allergy Unit University of Messina Messina Italy
| | - Anne Bourgoin
- Department of Pneumonology and Allergy La Timone Hospital APHM Aix‐Marseille University Marseille France
- Hospital APHM Aix‐Marseille University Marseille France
| | - Blerina Bregu
- Department of Allergology and Clinical Immunology UHC Mother Teresa Medical University Tirana Tirana Albania
| | | | - Elsa Caeiro
- MED ‐ Mediterranean Institute for Agriculture, Environment and Development Institute for Advanced Studies and Research University of Évora Évora Portugal
- Portuguese Society of Allergology and Clinical Immunology Lisbon Portugal
| | - Sule Caglayan Sozmen
- Department of Pediatric Allergy and Immunology Okan University Faculty of Medicine Istanbul Turkey
| | - Lucia Caminiti
- Department of Pediatrics‐ Allergy Unit University of Messina Messina Italy
| | - Denis Charpin
- Department of Pneumonology and Allergy La Timone Hospital APHM Aix‐Marseille University Marseille France
- Hospital APHM Aix‐Marseille University Marseille France
| | - Mariana Couto
- Immunoallergology José de Mello Saúde Porto Portugal
| | - Luís Delgado
- Basic and Clinical Immunology Unit Department of Pathology Faculty of Medicine University of Porto Porto Portugal
- CINTESIS Center for Health Technology and Services Research Bologna Portugal
- Allergy Unit Instituto & Hospital CUF Porto Porto Portugal
| | | | - Claire Dimier
- Department of Pneumonology and Allergy La Timone Hospital APHM Aix‐Marseille University Marseille France
- Hospital APHM Aix‐Marseille University Marseille France
| | - Maria V. Dimou
- Allergy Department 2nd Pediatric Clinic Athens General Children's Hospital "P&A Kyriakou" University of Athens Athens Greece
| | - João A. Fonseca
- CINTESIS Center for Health Technology and Services Research Bologna Portugal
- Allergy Unit Instituto & Hospital CUF Porto Porto Portugal
- MEDCIDS‐Department of Community Medicine, Information, and Health Sciences Faculty of Medicine University of Porto Porto Portugal
| | - Ozlem Goksel
- Department of Pulmonary Medicine Division of Immunology, Allergy and Asthma Faculty of Medicine Ege University Izmir Turkey
| | - Aykut Guvensen
- Department of Biology Faculty of Science Ege University Izmir Turkey
| | - Dolores Hernandez
- Service of Allergy Hospital La Fe; Health Research Institute La Fe Valencia Spain
| | - Dah Tay Jang
- Pediatric Allergy and Pneumology Unit Children's Hospital La Fe; Health Research Institute La Fe Valencia Spain
| | - Fusun Kalpaklioglu
- Department of Chest Diseases Division of Immunology and Allergic Diseases Kırıkkale University School of Medicine Kırıkkale Turkey
| | - Blerta Lame
- Department of Allergology and Clinical Immunology UHC Mother Teresa Medical University Tirana Tirana Albania
| | - Ruth Llusar
- Pediatric Allergy and Pneumology Unit Children's Hospital La Fe; Health Research Institute La Fe Valencia Spain
| | - Michael P. Makris
- Allergy Unit 2 Department of Dermatology and Venereology National and Kapodistrian University of Athens University Hospital "Attikon" Athens Greece
| | - Angel Mazon
- Pediatric Allergy and Pneumology Unit Children's Hospital La Fe; Health Research Institute La Fe Valencia Spain
| | - Eris Mesonjesi
- Department of Allergology and Clinical Immunology UHC Mother Teresa Medical University Tirana Tirana Albania
| | - Antonio Nieto
- Pediatric Allergy and Pneumology Unit Children's Hospital La Fe; Health Research Institute La Fe Valencia Spain
| | - Ayse Öztürk
- Department of Allergy and Immunology Koç University Hospital Istanbul Turkey
| | - Laurie Pahus
- Department of Pneumonology and Allergy La Timone Hospital APHM Aix‐Marseille University Marseille France
- Hospital APHM Aix‐Marseille University Marseille France
| | | | - Ilenia Panasiti
- Department of Pediatrics‐ Allergy Unit University of Messina Messina Italy
| | - Valentina Panetta
- Biostatistics L'altrastatistica srl Consultancy & Training Rome Italy
- Division of Infection Immunity& Respiratory Medicine Royal Manchester Children's Hospital University of Manchester Manchester UK
| | - Nikolaos G. Papadopoulos
- MEDCIDS‐Department of Community Medicine, Information, and Health Sciences Faculty of Medicine University of Porto Porto Portugal
- Biostatistics L'altrastatistica srl Consultancy & Training Rome Italy
- Division of Infection Immunity& Respiratory Medicine Royal Manchester Children's Hospital University of Manchester Manchester UK
| | - Elisabetta Pellegrini
- Department of Reggio Calabria ARPACal‐ Regional Agency for Environmental Protection Messina Italy
| | | | - Ana Margarida Pereira
- CINTESIS Center for Health Technology and Services Research Bologna Portugal
- Allergy Unit Instituto & Hospital CUF Porto Porto Portugal
| | - Mariana Pereira
- CINTESIS Center for Health Technology and Services Research Bologna Portugal
- Allergy Unit Instituto & Hospital CUF Porto Porto Portugal
| | - Munevver Pinar
- Department of Biology Faculty of Science Ankara University Ankara Turkey
| | - Oliver Pfaar
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery Section of Rhinology and Allergy University Hospital Marburg Phillipps‐Universität Marburg Germany
| | - Ekaterina Potapova
- Department of Pediatric Pulmonology, Immunology and Intensive Care Medicine Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin Berlin Germany
| | - Alfred Priftanji
- Department of Allergology and Clinical Immunology UHC Mother Teresa Medical University Tirana Tirana Albania
| | - Fotis Psarros
- Allergy Department Athens Naval Hospital Athens Greece
| | - Cansin Sackesen
- Division of Pediatric Allergy Koç University School of Medicine Istanbul Turkey
| | - Ifigenia Sfika
- Pediatric Allergy Unit Sandro Pertini Hospital Rome Italy
| | - Javier Suarez
- Department of Biology of Organisms and Systems Area of Botany University of Oviedo Oviedo Spain
| | | | - Alessandro Travaglini
- Department of Biology Tor Vergata University Rome Italy
- Italian Aerobiology Monitoring Network ‐ Italian Aerobiology Association Bologna Italy
| | - Salvatore Tripodi
- Pediatric Allergy Unit Sandro Pertini Hospital Rome Italy
- Allergology Service Policlinico Casilino Rome Italy
| | - Valentine Verdier
- Department of Pneumonology and Allergy La Timone Hospital APHM Aix‐Marseille University Marseille France
- Hospital APHM Aix‐Marseille University Marseille France
| | | | - Paraskevi Xepapadaki
- Allergy Department 2nd Pediatric Clinic National and Kapodistrian University of Athens Athens Greece
| | - Duygu Yazici
- Cellular and Molecular Medicine KUTTAM Graduate School of Health Sciences Koç University Istanbul Turkey
| | - Paolo M. Matricardi
- Department of Pediatric Pulmonology, Immunology and Intensive Care Medicine Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin Berlin Germany
| | - Stephanie Dramburg
- Department of Pediatric Pulmonology, Immunology and Intensive Care Medicine Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin Berlin Germany
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Land-Use and Height of Pollen Sampling Affect Pollen Exposure in Munich, Germany. ATMOSPHERE 2020. [DOI: 10.3390/atmos11020145] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
Airborne pollen concentrations vary depending on the location of the pollen trap with respect to the pollen sources. Two Hirst-type pollen traps were analyzed within the city of Munich (Germany): one trap was located 2 m above ground level (AGL) and the other one at rooftop (35 m AGL), 4.2 km apart. In general, 1.4 ± 0.5 times higher pollen amounts were measured by the trap located at ground level, but this effect was less than expected considering the height difference between the traps. Pollen from woody trees such as Alnus, Betula, Corylus, Fraxinus, Picea, Pinus and Quercus showed a good agreement between the traps in terms of timing and intensity. Similar amounts of pollen were recorded in the two traps when pollen sources were more abundant outside of the city. In contrast, pollen concentrations from Cupressaceae/Taxaceae, Carpinus and Tilia were influenced by nearby pollen sources. The representativeness of both traps for herbaceous pollen depended on the dispersal capacity of the pollen grains, and in the case of Poaceae pollen, nearby pollen sources may influence the pollen content in the air. The timing of the pollen season was similar for both sites; however, the season for some pollen types ended later at ground level probably due to resuspension processes that would favor recirculation of pollen closer to ground level. We believe measurements from the higher station provides a picture of background pollen levels representative of a large area, to which local sources add additional and more variable pollen amounts.
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Rakotozandry T, Cassagne E, Martin S, Alauzet P, Navarro I, Delcroux C, Caillaud D, Besancenot JP, Thibaudon M, Charpin D. Exposure to Cypress Pollens and Subsequent Symptoms: A Panel Study. Int Arch Allergy Immunol 2019; 180:135-141. [DOI: 10.1159/000501223] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/25/2019] [Accepted: 05/28/2019] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
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