Near-ground Effect of Height on Pollen Exposure

The effect of height on pollen concentration is not well documented and little is known about the near-ground vertical profile of airborne pollen. This is important as most measuring stations are on roofs, but patient exposure is at ground level. Our study used a big data approach to estimate the near-ground vertical profile of pollen concentrations based on a global study of paired stations located at different heights. We analyzed paired sampling stations located at different heights between 1.5 and 50m above ground level (AGL). This provided pollen data from 59 Hirst-type volumetric traps from 25 different areas, mainly in Europe, but also covering North America and Australia, resulting in about 2,000,000 daily pollen concentrations analyzed. The daily ratio of the amounts of pollen from different heights per location was used, and the values of the lower station were divided by the higher station. The lower station of paired traps recorded more pollen than the higher trap. However, while the effect of height on pollen concentration was clear, it was also limited (average ratio 1.3, range 0.7–2.2). The standard deviation of the pollen ratio was highly variable when the lower station was located close to the ground level (below 10m AGL). We show that pollen concentrations measured at >10m are representative for background near-ground levels

Ocena wpływu warunków meteorologicznych na stężenia ziaren pyłku Artemisia w powietrzu z zastosowaniem statystyki kołowej

The diurnal pollen pattern of Artemisia seems to be similar in many regions in Central and Eastern Europe, with its highest concentration before noon. This research is a continuation of a preliminary study that was carried out in Rzeszów 10 years ago. The Spearman nonparametric correlation test and the angular-linear correlation were used to verify assumptions about the influence of meteorological parameters on daily and hourly variations of Artemisia pollen concentrations in the atmosphere. The results showed that the patterns of hourly and daily Artemisia pollen concentration in the air of Rzeszów did not differ significantly from the results obtained in previous years, except PI value which was significantly lower. The majority of Artemisia pollen grains appeared in the air before noon and in the early afternoon. However, on some days the peaks occurred around midnight. The hourly and daily Artemisia pollen concentrations were strongly influenced by temperature and relative humidity. Daily concentration was also influenced by radiation and sunshine duration. We do not exclude other factors, such as secondary deposition and long distance transport. We proposed circular statistics as an appropriate method of analysis of the relationship between meteorological parameters and hourly airborne pollen concentration.Dzienny przebieg występowania ziaren pyłku Artemisia w powietrzu jest podobny w różnych rejonach Europy Zachodniej i Centralnej. Najwyższe stężenia notuje się zwykle przed południem. Badania aerobiologiczne prowadzono w Rzeszowie w latach 2010–2013. Stanowiły kontynuację badań przeprowadzonych w Rzeszowie w latach 1997–2005. Ich celem było zweryfikowanie założenia, że cykl występowania pyłku bylicy w powietrzu w ciągu doby nie zmienił się. Korelacje pomiędzy dobowymi i dziennymi stężeniami a czynnikami meteorologicznych badano za pomocą nieparametrycznego testu Spearmana oraz za pomocą korelacji kątowo-liniowej. Stwierdzono, że godzinowy przebieg koncentracji pyłku Artemisia w Rzeszowie nie różnił się istotnie od wyników jakie uzyskano w latach wcześniejszych. Największe dobowe stężenia ziaren pyłku rejestrowano przed południem i wczesnym popołudniem. Jednakże, w niektórych dniach ich występowanie notowano około północy. Największy wpływ na godzinowe i dobowe stężenia pyłku Artemisia miała temperatura i wilgotność względna powietrza, a na stężenia dobowe również promieniowanie i usłonecznienie rzeczywiste. Zaproponowana metoda statystyki kołowej jest odpowiednia do oceny zależności między czynnikami meteorologicznymi a stężeniami ziaren pyłku w cyklu dobowy

Aspekty kliniczne i mikrobiologiczne zastosowania szczepów Lactobacillus rhamnosus PL1 u pacjentów z objawami zapalenia odbytnicy w przebiegu chorób dystalnego odcinka jelita grubego

Nawracające stany zapalne odbytnicy i związane z nimi dolegliwości stanowią problem kliniczny u pacjentów leczonych z powodu chorób proktologicznych. Celem pracy była ocena wpływu probiotycznego szczepu Lactobacillus rhamnosus PL1 na obraz kliniczny i skład mikrobioty jelitowej u pacjentów z objawami zapalenia jelita grubego w przebiegu choroby hemoroidalnej i choroby uchyłkowej. Materiał stanowiła grupa 24 pacjentów, u których nie uzyskano pełnej poprawy klinicznej po leczeniu choroby zasadniczej. Oceniano obecność i nasilenie objawów klinicznych oraz ilościowe i jakościowe zmiany w składzie bakterii obecnych w kale przed 9-tygodniową suplementacją probiotycznym szczepem Lactobacillus rhamnosus PL1, w jej trakcie i po niej. Wyniki: w całej badanej grupie intensywność bólu po 12 tygodniach było znamiennie mniejsza (p=0,011) w porównaniu z wartościami wyjściowymi; intensywność wzdęć i dyskomfort w jamie brzusznej zmniejszał się znamiennie już po 3 tygodniach, a po 12 tygodniach różnica była wysoce znamienna statystycznie (p<0,0001). Nie wykazano znamiennej różnicy w częstości zgłaszanych biegunek, zaparć, a także świądu i pieczenia w okolicy odbytu. Już 3-tygodniowa suplementacja probiotycznym szczepem L. rhamnosus PL1 spowodowała istotne zmiany ilościowe i jakościowe w składzie mikrobioty jelitowej, różne w zależności od choroby zasadniczej. Stwierdzono zwiększenie globalnej liczby bakterii z rodzaju Lactobacillus, ze szczególnym uwzględnieniem szczepu L. rhamnosus PL1, niezależnie od choroby zasadniczej. Wniosek: Probiotyczny szczep Lactobacillus rhamnosus PL1 wydaje się mieć wartość w przywracaniu właściwych proporcji populacji bakteryjnych u pacjentów z objawami zapalenia odbytnicy w przebiegu leczenia niektórych chorób dolnego odcinka przewodu pokarmowego

Clinical and microbiological aspects of the use of Lactobacillus rhamnosus PL1 strains in proctological patients with symptoms of chronic proctitis

Recurrent proctitis and the symptoms associated therewith pose significant clinical problem in proctological patients. The objective of this study was to assess the impact of the probiotic Lactobacillus rhamnosus PL1 strain on the clinical presentation and composition of intestinal microbiota in patients with symptoms of proctitis in the course of hemorrhoidal disease and diverticulosis. Material consisted of 24 patients in whom no complete clinical improvement could be obtained after the treatment of the underlying disease. Subject to the assessment was the presence and the intensity of clinical symptoms as well as qualitative and quantitative changes in the composition of bacterial flora detected in the stool before, during and after a 9-week supplementation with the probiotic Lactobacillus rhamnosus PL1 strain. Results: In the entire study group, the intensity of pain after 12 weeks was significantly lower (p=0,.011) compared to baseline; the intensity of flatulence and abdominal discomfort was reduced significantly as early as after 3 weeks, with the difference reaching a highly significant level after 12 weeks (pP<0,.0001). No significant difference was observed in the frequency of the reported episodes of diarrhea, constipation, as well as itching and burning in the anal region. As early as after 3 weeks of supplementation with the probiotic L. rhamnosus PL1 strain, significant qualitative and quantitative changes were observed in the composition of intestinal microbiota; the changes differed depending on the underlying disease. An increase in the total counts of the bacteria of Lactobacillus genus, particularly L. rhamnosus PL1 strain was observed regardless of the underlying disease. Conclusion: Tthe probiotic Lactobacillus rhamnosus PL1 strain appears to be useful in restoring appropriate ratios of bacterial populations in patients presenting with symptoms of proctitis in the course of the treatment of certain diseases of the lower gastrointestinal tract

Searching for a Trace of Artemisia Campestris Pollen in the Air

The aim of the study was to determinate whether Artemisia campestris was present in the vicinity of 8 pollen monitoring stations in Poland by examining temporal variations in daily average airborne Artemisia pollen data recorded by Hirst type volumetric traps. Three day moving averages of airborne Artemisia pollen were examined by Spearman’s rank correlation test. Results show that Artemisia pollen seasons in Poland generally display similar unimodal patterns (correlation coefficients r > 0.900; P < 0.05). The only exception was the Artemisia pollen concentration noted in the outskirts of Poznań (Morasko), where the bimodal pattern was revealed. Correlations between Artemisia pollen data recorded at Poznań-Morasko and the other Polish sites were the lowest in the investigated dataset; this was particularly noticeable in the second part of pollen season (r ~0.730). We show that the typical bimodal pattern in Artemisia pollen seasons, which is characteristic of the presence of both A. vulgaris (first peak) and A. campestris (second peak), does not occur at the majority of sites in Poland and is restricted to the outskirts of Poznań. In fact, it was noted that the pollen monitoring site in Poznań-Centre, just 8 km from Morasko, only exhibited one peak (attributed to A. vulgaris). This shows that the influence of A. campestris on airborne pollen season curves is limited and can be largely disregarded. In addition, this study supports previous records showing that the spatial distribution of airborne Artemisia pollen within a city (urban-rural gradient) can vary markedly, depending on the species composition

Near-ground effect of height on pollen exposure

The effect of height on pollen concentration is not well documented and little is known about the near-ground vertical profile of airborne pollen. This is important as most measuring stations are on roofs, but patient exposure is at ground level. Our study used a big data approach to estimate the near-ground vertical profile of pollen concentrations based on a global study of paired stations located at different heights. We analyzed paired sampling stations located at different heights between 1.5 and 50 m above ground level (AGL). This provided pollen data from 59 Hirst-type volumetric traps from 25 different areas, mainly in Europe, but also covering North America and Australia, resulting in about 2,000,000 daily pollen concentrations analyzed. The daily ratio of the amounts of pollen from different heights per location was used, and the values of the lower station were divided by the higher station. The lower station of paired traps recorded more pollen than the higher trap. However, while the effect of height on pollen concentration was clear, it was also limited (average ratio 1.3, range 0.7–2.2). The standard deviation of the pollen ratio was highly variable when the lower station was located close to the ground level (below 10 m AGL). We show that pollen concentrations measured at &gt;10 m are representative for background near-ground levels

Effect of Height on Pollen Sampling in Relation to Pollen Exposure at Ground Level

Pollen monitoring networks around the world are mainly based on rooftop-located stations on buildings. Thus, measured airborne pollen levels could be different from ground level, where most allergic individual reside. Until now, the effects of height of sampling on pollen concentration are not well documented. The aim of this meta-analysis was to analyse these effects using a large number of twin sampling stations. Pollen data from 45 twin-stations Hirst-type volumetric spore traps were analyzed, with a maximum distance of 5km between the twin traps, from 25 different locations. To compare the effect of height, the mean of the daily ratio of the amounts of pollen registrered at different heights was used. The values of the lowest station were divided by the higher station. Stations between 1.5m and 50 agl were considered. The results showed that the traps at lower height registered generally higher pollen concentration (average pollen ratio higher than 1), although the behaviour of the ratio differed per pollen type. For instance, both Poaceae and Betula showed that as the height differenc eincreased, the pollen ratio was higher up to a certain height difference when the ratio stabilizes (around 1.5). On the other hand, the standard deviation of the pollen ratio was greater for the traps closer to ground level. Therefore the height difference is a factor which explains the pollen ratio in conjunction with other variables such as the minimum height of the lower trap or the distance between the spore traps. These findings are highly relevant to clinical practice, as the relationship between pollen exposure at ground level and monitored airborne pollen concentrations at roof-top elvel are determined. Thus, the optimal pollen monitoring height could be optimized based on these result