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Laustsen BH, Omland Ø, Würtz ET, Sigsgaard T, Ebbehøj NE, Carstensen O, Rasmussen K, Kamath SD, Lopata AL, Bønløkke JH. Rhino Conjunctivitis and Asthma Among Seafood Processing Workers in Greenland. A Cross-Sectional Study. FRONTIERS IN ALLERGY 2022; 2:747011. [PMID: 35387025 PMCID: PMC8974787 DOI: 10.3389/falgy.2021.747011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/25/2021] [Accepted: 09/13/2021] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Introduction: The fishing- and the seafood processing industries are the largest industrial sectors in Greenland. Despite this, only a few cases of occupational diseases in this industry have been reported to the Danish Labor Market Insurance. Occupational asthma and allergy are well-known occupational diseases in the seafood processing industry worldwide and underreporting of occupational diseases in Greenland is suspected. Objective: The aim of the current study was to examine the associations between job exposures and occupational asthma and rhino conjunctivitis in workers in the Greenlandic seafood processing industry and to compare the prevalence of sensitization by type and degree of exposure to snow crab, shrimp, fish, and the fish parasite, Anisakis simplex. Methods: Data from 382 Greenlandic seafood processing workers were collected during 2016–2018. Data included questionnaire answers, lung function measurements, skin prick tests, and blood samples with ImmunoCAP. For all analyses, p < 0.05 was considered the level of significance. Results: 5.5% of the workers had occupational asthma and 4.6% had occupational rhino conjunctivitis. A large proportion of the workers were sensitized to allergens specific to the workplace; 18.1% to snow crab, 13.6% to shrimp, 1.4% to fish, and 32.6% to the fish parasite, A. simplex. We found a dose-response relationship between the risk of being sensitized to snow crab and A. simplex and years of exposure to the allergens in the seafood processing industry. Conclusion: This study showed that a considerable proportion of workers in the Greenlandic seafood processing industry had occupational asthma and rhino conjunctivitis. Additionally, the study showed high sensitization levels toward snow crab, shrimp, and the fish parasite, A. simplex. This supports the hypothesis of a considerable degree of underreporting of occupational allergic airway disease in the Greenlandic seafood processing industry. Prospectively, it is important to inform workers, leaders, and health care professionals of the health problems and the law on worker's compensation, and to initiate preventive actions at factory and trawler level.
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Affiliation(s)
- Birgitte Hamann Laustsen
- Department of Clinical Medicine, Danish Ramazzini Centre, Aalborg University, Aalborg, Denmark.,Institute of Nursing & Health Science, Ilisimatusarfik, University of Greenland, Nuuk, Greenland
| | - Øyvind Omland
- Department of Clinical Medicine, Aalborg University, Aalborg, Denmark
| | - Else Toft Würtz
- Department of Occupational Medicine, Danish Ramazzini Centre, Aarhus University Hospital, Aarhus, Denmark
| | | | - Niels E Ebbehøj
- Department of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, Bispebjerg Hospital, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Ole Carstensen
- Department of Occupational Medicine, Danish Ramazzini Center, Regional Hospital West Jutland, Herning, Denmark
| | - Kurt Rasmussen
- Department of Occupational Medicine, Danish Ramazzini Center, Regional Hospital West Jutland, Herning, Denmark
| | - Sandip D Kamath
- Molecular Allergy Research Laboratory, College of Public Health, Medical and Veterinary Sciences, Australian Institute of Tropical Health and Medicine, James Cook University, Townsville, QLD, Australia
| | - Andreas L Lopata
- Molecular Allergy Research Laboratory, College of Public Health, Medical and Veterinary Sciences, Australian Institute of Tropical Health and Medicine, James Cook University, Townsville, QLD, Australia
| | - Jakob Hjort Bønløkke
- Department of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, Danish Ramazzini Centre, Aalborg University Hospital, Aalborg, Denmark
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Fricker M, Qin L, Niessen N, Baines KJ, McDonald VM, Scott HA, Simpson JL, Gibson PG. Relationship of sputum mast cells with clinical and inflammatory characteristics of asthma. Clin Exp Allergy 2020; 50:696-707. [PMID: 32291815 DOI: 10.1111/cea.13609] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/06/2019] [Revised: 03/04/2020] [Accepted: 03/26/2020] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Mast cells (MCs) are innate immune cells that regulate atopic and non-atopic inflammation in the airways. MCs play a critical role in the pathogenesis of asthma, yet their relationship to airway and systemic inflammation and clinical characteristics of asthma is poorly understood. OBJECTIVE To quantify MCs in induced sputum samples and understand their relationship to airway and circulatory immune cells, and clinical variables in asthma. METHODS We employed flow cytometry of sputum samples to quantify MCs, basophils and other immune cells in 51 participants (45 asthma and 6 non-asthma controls). Relationship of MCs to airway (n = 45) and blood (n = 19) immune cells, participant demographics, asthma history, spirometry and airways hyperresponsiveness (AHR) to hypertonic saline was determined by correlation and comparison of cut-off-based sputum MC high vs low participants. RESULTS Mast cells, basophils and eosinophils were increased in asthma vs non-asthma control sputum. In asthma sputum, MCs, basophils and eosinophils were significantly intercorrelated, and MCs and basophils were elevated in participants with eosinophilic asthma. MCs and basophils, but not eosinophils, correlated with AHR. Sputum MC high asthma was characterized by an increased proportion of participants with uncontrolled asthma and reduced FEV1 and FVC. Trends towards similar clinical associations with elevated MCs were observed in a paucigranulocytic subpopulation (n = 15) lacking airway eosinophilia or neutrophilia. Receiver operator characteristic (ROC) analysis showed peripheral blood eosinophil (PBE) count predicted elevated sputum eosinophils and basophils, but not MCs. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE Sputum MCs are elevated in asthma, and their measurement may be useful as they relate to key clinical features of asthma (spirometry, asthma control, AHR). PBE count did not predict airway MC status, suggesting direct measurement of airway MCs by sensitive methods such as flow cytometry should be further developed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael Fricker
- Priority Research Centre for Healthy Lungs, The University of Newcastle, Newcastle, NSW, Australia.,National Health and Medical Research Council Centre of Excellence in Severe Asthma, Newcastle, NSW, Australia.,Hunter Medical Research Institute, Newcastle, NSW, Australia
| | - Ling Qin
- Priority Research Centre for Healthy Lungs, The University of Newcastle, Newcastle, NSW, Australia
| | - Natalie Niessen
- Priority Research Centre for Healthy Lungs, The University of Newcastle, Newcastle, NSW, Australia.,National Health and Medical Research Council Centre of Excellence in Severe Asthma, Newcastle, NSW, Australia.,Hunter Medical Research Institute, Newcastle, NSW, Australia
| | - Katherine J Baines
- Priority Research Centre for Healthy Lungs, The University of Newcastle, Newcastle, NSW, Australia.,Hunter Medical Research Institute, Newcastle, NSW, Australia
| | - Vanessa M McDonald
- Priority Research Centre for Healthy Lungs, The University of Newcastle, Newcastle, NSW, Australia.,National Health and Medical Research Council Centre of Excellence in Severe Asthma, Newcastle, NSW, Australia.,Hunter Medical Research Institute, Newcastle, NSW, Australia.,Department of Respiratory and Sleep Medicine, John Hunter Hospital, Newcastle, NSW, Australia
| | - Hayley A Scott
- Priority Research Centre for Healthy Lungs, The University of Newcastle, Newcastle, NSW, Australia.,Hunter Medical Research Institute, Newcastle, NSW, Australia
| | - Jodie L Simpson
- Priority Research Centre for Healthy Lungs, The University of Newcastle, Newcastle, NSW, Australia.,Hunter Medical Research Institute, Newcastle, NSW, Australia.,Department of Respiratory and Sleep Medicine, John Hunter Hospital, Newcastle, NSW, Australia
| | - Peter G Gibson
- Priority Research Centre for Healthy Lungs, The University of Newcastle, Newcastle, NSW, Australia.,National Health and Medical Research Council Centre of Excellence in Severe Asthma, Newcastle, NSW, Australia.,Hunter Medical Research Institute, Newcastle, NSW, Australia.,Department of Respiratory and Sleep Medicine, John Hunter Hospital, Newcastle, NSW, Australia
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Radzikowska U, Rinaldi AO, Çelebi Sözener Z, Karaguzel D, Wojcik M, Cypryk K, Akdis M, Akdis CA, Sokolowska M. The Influence of Dietary Fatty Acids on Immune Responses. Nutrients 2019; 11:E2990. [PMID: 31817726 PMCID: PMC6950146 DOI: 10.3390/nu11122990] [Citation(s) in RCA: 160] [Impact Index Per Article: 32.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/18/2019] [Revised: 11/25/2019] [Accepted: 12/02/2019] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Diet-derived fatty acids (FAs) are essential sources of energy and fundamental structural components of cells. They also play important roles in the modulation of immune responses in health and disease. Saturated and unsaturated FAs influence the effector and regulatory functions of innate and adaptive immune cells by changing membrane composition and fluidity and by acting through specific receptors. Impaired balance of saturated/unsaturated FAs, as well as n-6/n-3 polyunsaturated FAs has significant consequences on immune system homeostasis, contributing to the development of many allergic, autoimmune, and metabolic diseases. In this paper, we discuss up-to-date knowledge and the clinical relevance of the influence of dietary FAs on the biology, homeostasis, and functions of epithelial cells, macrophages, dendritic cells, neutrophils, innate lymphoid cells, T cells and B cells. Additionally, we review the effects of dietary FAs on the pathogenesis of many diseases, including asthma, allergic rhinitis, food allergy, atopic dermatitis, rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis as well as type 1 and 2 diabetes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Urszula Radzikowska
- Swiss Institute of Allergy and Asthma Research (SIAF), University of Zurich, 7265 Davos Wolfgang, Switzerland
- Christine Kühne-Center for Allergy Research and Education, 7265 Davos Wolfgang, Switzerland
- Department of Regenerative Medicine and Immune Regulation, Medical University of Bialystok, 15-269 Bialystok, Poland
| | - Arturo O Rinaldi
- Swiss Institute of Allergy and Asthma Research (SIAF), University of Zurich, 7265 Davos Wolfgang, Switzerland
- Christine Kühne-Center for Allergy Research and Education, 7265 Davos Wolfgang, Switzerland
| | - Zeynep Çelebi Sözener
- Swiss Institute of Allergy and Asthma Research (SIAF), University of Zurich, 7265 Davos Wolfgang, Switzerland
- Department of Chest Disease, Division of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, Ankara University School of Medicine, 06100 Ankara, Turkey
| | - Dilara Karaguzel
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Hacettepe University, 06800 Ankara, Turkey
| | - Marzena Wojcik
- Department of Structural Biology, Medical University of Lodz, 90-752 Lodz, Poland
| | - Katarzyna Cypryk
- Department of Internal Medicine and Diabetology, Medical University of Lodz, 90-549 Lodz, Poland
| | - Mübeccel Akdis
- Swiss Institute of Allergy and Asthma Research (SIAF), University of Zurich, 7265 Davos Wolfgang, Switzerland
| | - Cezmi A Akdis
- Swiss Institute of Allergy and Asthma Research (SIAF), University of Zurich, 7265 Davos Wolfgang, Switzerland
- Christine Kühne-Center for Allergy Research and Education, 7265 Davos Wolfgang, Switzerland
| | - Milena Sokolowska
- Swiss Institute of Allergy and Asthma Research (SIAF), University of Zurich, 7265 Davos Wolfgang, Switzerland
- Christine Kühne-Center for Allergy Research and Education, 7265 Davos Wolfgang, Switzerland
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Abstract
Objective: While the effects of obesity on asthma are unclear, an increased body mass index (BMI) is known to enhance the symptoms and severity of asthma and to impair asthma control. The present study evaluates the effects of nutritional habits and obesity on pulmonary function and asthma control in individuals with asthma. Methods: This cross-sectional study included 60 obese respondents and 60 respondents with normal body weight, who were referred to pulmonology clinics over a period of 2 months. The anthropometric measurements and macro–micro nutrient consumption records of the patients in both groups were obtained, and the two groups were compared in terms of pulmonary function and asthma control test (ACT) scores. Results: The mean age of the normal weight and obese respondents was 39.55 ± 11.0 and 45.1 ± 10.3 years, respectively. The ACT scores of the respondents decreased significantly with increasing BMI, waist circumference (WC), and waist–hip ratio (WHR) measurements (P < 0.05). The obese respondents had a lower mean forced vital capacity (FVC), forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1), midexpiratory flow (MEF) between 25% and 75% of the maximal expiration (MEF25–75), MEF75, MEF50, MEF25, and FEV1/FVC values when compared to the respondents with normal weight (P < 0.05). The total energy and carbohydrate intake was higher in the obese respondents, while their total protein intake was lower when compared to the normal weight respondents (P < 0.05), and a significant positive correlation was found between the omega 3 intake and ACT scores of the respondents (P < 0.05). Conclusions: Pulmonary functions and ACT scores decrease with increasing BMI, WC, and WHR. Obese respondents with asthma should be referred to diet clinics to improve their asthma symptoms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ümüş Özbey
- Department of Nutrition and Diet, Health Science Faculty, Ankara University, Ankara, Turkey
| | - Uçar Ucar
- Department of Nutrition and Diet, Health Science Faculty, Ankara University, Ankara, Turkey
| | - Aliye Gamze Calis
- Department of Chest Disease, Medicine Faculty, Akdeniz University, Antalya, Turkey
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The rich and the poor: environmental biodiversity protecting from allergy. Curr Opin Allergy Clin Immunol 2016; 16:421-6. [DOI: 10.1097/aci.0000000000000304] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/18/2023]
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