Changes to Airborne Pollen Counts across Europe

A progressive global increase in the burden of allergic diseases has affected the industrialized world over the last half century and has been reported in the literature. The clinical evidence reveals a general increase in both incidence and prevalence of respiratory diseases, such as allergic rhinitis (common hay fever) and asthma. Such phenomena may be related not only to air pollution and changes in lifestyle, but also to an actual increase in airborne quantities of allergenic pollen. Experimental enhancements of carbon dioxide (CO2) have demonstrated changes in pollen amount and allergenicity, but this has rarely been shown in the wider environment. The present analysis of a continental-scale pollen data set reveals an increasing trend in the yearly amount of airborne pollen for many taxa in Europe, which is more pronounced in urban than semi-rural/rural areas. Climate change may contribute to these changes, however increased temperatures do not appear to be a major influencing factor. Instead, we suggest the anthropogenic rise of atmospheric CO2 levels may be influentia

Heterogeneity of pollen food allergy syndrome in seven Southern European countries: The @IT.2020 multicenter study

Background Pollen food allergy syndrome (PFAS) is a frequently underdiagnosed disease due to diverse triggers, clinical presentations, and test results. This is especially relevant in geographic areas with a broad spectrum of pollen sensitization, such as Southern Europe. Objectives To elucidate similarities and differences of PFAS in nine Southern European centers and identify associated characteristics and unique markers of PFAS. Methods As part of the @IT.2020 Multicenter Study, 815 patients with seasonal allergic rhinitis (SAR), aged 10-60 years, were recruited in seven countries. They completed questionnaires regarding SAR, comorbidities, family history, and PFAS, and underwent skin prick testing (SPT) and serum IgE testing. Results Of the 815 patients, 167 (20.5%) reported PFAS reactions. Most commonly, eliciting foods were kiwi (58, 34.7%), peach (43, 25.7%), and melon (26, 15.6%). Reported reactions were mostly local (216/319, 67.7%), occurring within 5 min of contact with elicitors (209/319, 65.5%). Associated characteristics included positive IgE to at least one panallergen (profilin, PR-10, or nsLTP) (p = 0.007), maternal PFAS (OR: 3.716, p = 0.026), and asthma (OR: 1.752, p = 0.073). Between centers, heterogeneity in prevalence (Marseille: 7.5% vs. Rome: 41.4%, p < 0.001) and of clinical characteristics was apparent. Cypress played a limited role, with only 1/22 SPT mono-sensitized patients reporting a food reaction (p < 0.073). Conclusions PFAS is a frequent comorbidity in Southern European SAR patients. Significant heterogeneity of clinical characteristics in PFAS patients among the centers was observed and may be related to the different pollen sensitization patterns in each geographic area. IgE to panallergen(s), maternal PFAS, and asthma could be PFAS-associated characteristics

Consensus statement of the Italian society of pediatric allergy and immunology for the pragmatic management of children and adolescents with allergic or immunological diseases during the COVID-19 pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic has surprised the entire population. The world has had to face an unprecedented pandemic. Only, Spanish flu had similar disastrous consequences. As a result, drastic measures (lockdown) have been adopted worldwide. Healthcare service has been overwhelmed by the extraordinary influx of patients, often requiring high intensity of care. Mortality has been associated with severe comorbidities, including chronic diseases. Patients with frailty were, therefore, the victim of the SARS-COV-2 infection. Allergy and asthma are the most prevalent chronic disorders in children and adolescents, so they need careful attention and, if necessary, an adaptation of their regular treatment plans. Fortunately, at present, young people are less suffering from COVID-19, both as incidence and severity. However, any age, including infancy, could be affected by the pandemic. Based on this background, the Italian Society of Pediatric Allergy and Immunology has felt it necessary to provide a Consensus Statement. This expert panel consensus document offers a rationale to help guide decision-making in the management of children and adolescents with allergic or immunologic diseases

The developmental pattern of homologous and heterologous tRNA methylation in rat brain differential effect of spermidine

Using S -adenosyl- L -[Me- 14 C] methionine, rat cerebral cortex methyltransferase activity was determined during the early postnatal period in the absence of added Escherichia coli tRNA and in its presence. [Me- 14 C] tRNA was purified from both systems and its [Me- 14 C] base composition determined. The endogenous formation of [Me- 14 C] tRNA (homologous tRNA methylation) was totally abolished in the presence of 2.5 mM spermidine, whereas E. coli B tRNA methylation (heterologous methylation) was markedly stimulated. Only [Me- 14 C] 1-methyl guanine and [Me- 14 C] N 2 -methyl guanine were formed by homologous methylation, there being an inverse shift in their relative proportions with age. Heterologous tRNA methylation led, additionally, to the formation of [Me- 14 C] N 2 2 -dimethyl guanine, 5-methyl cytosine, 1-methyl adenine, 5-methyl uracil, 2-methyl adenine, and 1-methyl hypoxanthine. A comparison of heterologous tRNA methylation between the whole brain cortex (containing nerve and glial cells) and bulk-isolated nerve cell bodies revealed markedly lower proportions of [Me- 14 C] N 2 -methyl and N 2 2 -dimethyl guanine and significantly higher proportions of [Me- 14 C] 1-methyl adenine in the neurons. The present findings suggest (1) that homologous tRNA methylation may provide developing brain cells with continuously changing populations of tRNA and (2) that neurons are enriched in adenine residue-specific tRNA methyltransferases that are highly sensitive to spermidine.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/45399/1/11064_2004_Article_BF00966229.pd

Neuroscience and risk tolerance in financial decision-making processes

Per le scienze della mente le nostre decisioni scaturiscono dall\u2019interazione continua tra processi razionali e processi emotivi. Questo articolo presenta le anticipazioni di una ricerca che approfondisce alcuni aspetti della componente emotiva che interviene nell\u2019assunzione del rischio in finanza. Dalla collaborazione interdisciplinare tra studiosi di neuroscienze e di discipline finanziarie \ue8 derivata una serie di esperimenti svolti su un campione vasto e stratificato di individui, con competenze differenti: clienti e dipendenti di banche, promotori finanziari, trader ed asset manager. In essi si mettono a confronto la validit\ue0 di misurazioni di tolleranza al rischio classiche (questionari) e di tecniche meno consuete per il mondo della finanza (test psicofisiologici). The sciences of mind recognize that our decisions arise from the interaction between rational and emotional processes.This article explores some aspects of the emotional components acting in financial risk decision making process.The research has been conducted on a large stratified sample of individuals and professionals and has compared the classical systems for measuring risk tolerance and most innovative techniques applied by neuroscience

Biased or unbiased risk tolerance in the financial decision making

The aim of the research is to shed light on the emotional side of a risk taking behaviour. The paper relies on a structured empirical research based on an innovative cross-disciplinary approach, mixing financial competences with others, related to psychology and affective neuroscience. Our aim is to measure, on the one hand, the unbiased risk perception (UR) of individuals, an on the other hand, the (biased) self-evaluated risk perception (SR). We are willing to discover the degree of coherence between the two subjective measures of risk, and to depict their relationship with the real investment/debt decisions of individuals. Age, profession, education and much other socio-cultural and economical personal information are used to explain both the levels of these measures of risk (UR and SR) and the presence/absence of coherence between them

Risk tolerance in financial decision making

(editors) This book sheds light on the emotional side of risk taking behaviour and is based on an innovative cross-disciplinary approach, mixing financial competences with others, related to psychology and affective neuroscience. The book provides a deep theoretical background on the risk tolerance issue and holds the singular results of an empirical research aimed at investigating the emotional side of risk taking behaviour. In the theoretical sections, traditional and behavioural approaches are considered to study both the investment and the debt decision process of individuals and households, respectively. The fallacy of traditional measures of responsible investing and borrowing suggests the choice for the introduction of a perspective coming from psychology and affective neuroscience. The second part of the book describes our unique empirical research which involves more than 450 individuals: banks’ customers, bankers, traders and asset managers. The book proposes traditional and innovative measures of risk tolerance. The most innovative is a measure of the “unbiased risk tolerance” (UR) of individuals, which is the love or aversion to risk shown during a controlled experiment aimed at observing both the choices and the uncontrolled (somatic) responses to risky decisions. We employed a psycho-physiological test, named the Iowa Gambling Task (IGT), in order to evaluate the Skin’s Conductance Response (SCR) while making risky choices. The research compares the unbiased risk tolerance with both a measure for the biased risk tolerance (BR), obtained by a financial risk tolerance self-evaluation test and a measure of the risk tolerance shown in real-life investment/decision choices (RLR). Any difference between UR and BR shows whether individuals are able to properly self-evaluate their risk tolerance or not, over/under valuing their personal capability to afford financial risk. The comparisons among UR, BR and RLR are essential to understand what drives real-life risk taking behaviour: either who we are or who we suppose to be. Results on both the investment and debt side are provided in order to depict the demographic-socio economical and cultural reasons which could explain incoherencies among UR, BR and RLR. The book concludes with the implications involved by our results for market participants and for regulators. These implications appear even more relevant if connected to the new regulation of financial markets, introduced by MIFID, in terms of transparency and communication between intermediaries and customers

Errors in individual risk tolerance

This paper focuses on risk tolerance which clearly influences financial decision making. We explore the emotional side of a risk taking behaviour, comparing alternative measures of financial risk tolerance resulting from the consilience of various disciplines. We wonder whether we financially act as we are or as we are supposed to be. Thus we measure first, an unbiased risk tolerance (UR), which is obtained from the psycho physiological reactions of individuals taking risk in laboratory experimental settings; second, a biased risk tolerance (BR) obtained through a psychometrically validated questionnaire. Finally we compare these indicators with risks assumed in the real-life. Our findings confirm that people tend to behave coherently to their self-representation and almost in stark contrast to what they feel. Nevertheless, experiments conducted on more than 440 individuals, with a large presence of trader and asset managers allow us to prove evidence of an ‘unconscious sleeping factor’ which is remarkable when the unbiased risk is much higher than the risk assumed in real life but, at the same time, higher than the self-evaluation. Our findings induce us to propose a model of mental functioning that places rationality and emotion side by side to a third factor: the counterfactual thinking and the wandering mind. The sleeping factor is totally absent in traders and asset managers