Outdoor airborne allergens: Characterization, behavior and monitoring in Europe

Aeroallergens or inhalant allergens, are proteins dispersed through the air and have the potential to induce allergic conditions such as rhinitis, conjunctivitis, and asthma. Outdoor aeroallergens are found predominantly in pollen grains and fungal spores, which are allergen carriers. Aeroallergens from pollen and fungi have seasonal emission patterns that correlate with plant pollination and fungal sporulation and are strongly associated with atmospheric weather conditions. They are released when allergen carriers come in contact with the respiratory system, e.g. the nasal mucosa. In addition, due to the rupture of allergen carriers, airborne allergen molecules may be released directly into the air in the form of micronic and submicronic particles (cytoplasmic debris, cell wall fragments, droplets etc.) or adhered onto other airborne particulate matter. Therefore, aeroallergen detection strategies must consider, in addition to the allergen carriers, the allergen molecules themselves. This review article aims to present the current knowledge on inhalant allergens in the outdoor environment, their structure, localization, and factors affecting their production, transformation, release or degradation. In addition, methods for collecting and quantifying aeroallergens are listed and thoroughly discussed. Finally, the knowledge gaps, challenges and implications associated with aeroallergen analysis are describe

Airborne olive pollen counts are not representative of exposure to the major olive allergen Ole e 1

Pollen is routinely monitored, but it is unknown whether pollen counts represent allergen exposure. We therefore simultaneously determined olive pollen and Ole e 1 in ambient air in C ordoba, Spain, and Evora, Portugal, using Hirst-type traps for pollen and high-volume cascade impactors for allergen. Pollen from different days released 12-fold different amounts of Ole e 1 per pollen (both locations P < 0.001). Average allergen release from pollen (pollen potency) was much higher in C ordoba (3.9 pg Ole e 1/pollen) than in Evora (0.8 pg Ole e 1/pollen, P = 0.004). Indeed, yearly olive pollen counts in C ordoba were 2.4 times higher than in Evora, but Ole e 1 concentrations were 7.6 times higher. When modeling the origin of the pollen, >40% of Ole e 1 exposure in Evora was explained by high-potency pollen originating from the south of Spain. Thus, olive pollen can vary substantially in allergen release, even though they are morphologically identical

Release of Bet v 1 from birch pollen from 5 European countries. Results from the HIALINE study

Exposure to allergens is pivotal in determining sensitization and allergic symptoms in individuals. Pollen grain counts in ambient air have traditionally been assessed to estimate airborne allergen exposure. However, the exact allergen content of ambient air is unknown. We therefore monitored atmospheric concentrations of birch pollen grains and the matched major birch pollen allergen Bet v 1 simultaneously across Europe within the EU-funded project HIALINE (Health Impacts of Airborne Allergen Information Network). Pollen count was assessed with Hirst type pollen traps at 10 I min(-1) at sites in France, United Kingdom, Germany, Italy and Finland. Allergen concentrations in ambient air were sampled at 800 I min(-1) with a Chemvol (R) high-volume cascade impactor equipped with stages PM > 10 mu m, 10 mu m > PM > 2.5 mu m, and in Germany also 2.5 mu m > PM > 0.12 mu m. The major birch pollen allergen Bet v 1 was determined with an allergen specific ELISA. Bet v 1 isoform patterns were analyzed by 2D-SDS-PAGE blots and mass spectrometric identification. Basophil activation was tested in an FC epsilon R1-humanized rat basophil cell line passively sensitized with serum of a birch pollen symptomatic patient. Compared to 10 previous years, 2009 was a representative birch pollen season for all stations. About 90% of the allergen was found in the PM > 10 mu m fraction at all stations. Bet v 1 isoforms pattern did not vary substantially neither during ripening of pollen nor between different geographical locations. The average European allergen release from birch pollen was 3.2 pg Bet v 1/pollen and did not vary much between the European countries. However, in all countries a >10-fold difference in daily allergen release per pollen was measured which could be explained by long-range transport of pollen with a deviating allergen release. Basophil activation by ambient air extracts correlated better with airborne allergen than with pollen concentration. Although Bet v 1 is a mixture of different isoforms, its fingerprint is constant across Europe. Bet v 1 was also exclusively linked to pollen. Pollen from different days varied >10-fold in allergen release. Thus exposure to allergen is inaccurately monitored by only monitoring birch pollen grains. Indeed, a humanized basophil activation test correlated much better with allergen concentrations in ambient air than with pollen count. Monitoring the allergens themselves together with pollen in ambient air might be an improvement in allergen exposure assessment.European CommissionChristine Kühne - Center for Allergy Research and Educatio

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

The level of damage caused by football matches on players

Football is a team game requiring high level of athletic performance such as resistance, strength, flexibility, speed and promptness. The goal of this study is to determine the level of muscle damages of players caused by football matches. The study enrolled male football players of the local leagues, whose age, weight and height averages, body-mass indexes, and sport ages were 22.01±0.63 (years), 71.06±1.50 (kg), 177.67±0,06 (cm), 22.42±0.39 (kg)/[weight(m2)], 8.50±0.49 years, respectively. Within the scope of the study, blood samples have been taken from the subjects at the amount of 5 cc each time for 4 times as "Before the Match", "During the Match", "After the Match" and "24 Hours After the Match". Over the blood samples, Creatine Kinase, Creatine Kinase Myocardinal Band, Lactate Dehydrogenase, Alanin aminotransferase, Aspartat aminotransferase and Gamma Glutamyl Transferase parameters have been analyzed. While statistical differences have been observed between Creatine Kinase Myocardinal Band and Lactate Dehydrogenase parameters, no statistical difference has been identified among the measurements of Creatine Kinase, Alaniamnotransferase, Apartaminotransferase and Gamma Glutamil Transferase. In conclusion, when all data are evaluated together, it can be claimed that while a football match increases the enzyme values of Creatine Kinase Myocardinal Band and Lactate Dehydrogenase, it can be overcome with 24 hours of resting and no statistical difference occurs among Creatine Kinase, Alaninaminotransferase, Apartaminotransferase, Gamma Glutamyl Transferase parameters and players adapt to the occurring damage during the match as a result of adaptation to the exercise