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

Effect of clove essential oil coating in pork meat conservation and texture

Essential oils are complex mixtures of secondary plant metabolites from aromatic plants. There are recognized for having countless biological activities (including antibacterial, antiviral and fungicidal) and being suitable to replace chemical additives for food preservation1. Clove essential oil is considered safe for food use and contains a high phenolic content that provides many biological activities. In this work two formulations of clove essential oil coating were studied, 50 ppm and 500ppm. This coating was applied in pork meat in three different modalities: control, 50 ppm of clove oil edible coating and 500 ppm of clove oil essential oil. During one year, the antioxidant activity of this essential oil coating was studied using the DPPH radical method2. Microbiological analysis included the counts of mesophilic and psychotropic microorganisms, mold, yeasts and enterobacteria. Warner-Bratzler (WB) shear force was performed has rheological analysis, and colorimetric measurements were done according to the protocol of Caine et al. (2003)3. Sensory evaluation was performed with a trained sensory panel following international standards. The antioxidant capacity of the edible coatings studied increased during the first 6 months of conservation, although there weren’t found statistical significative differences in the antioxidant capacity of the different clove formulations. When it comes to microbiological analysis, mesophilic aerobic bacteria seem to decrease during conservation, although with no statistical significative differences between different modalities. Enterobacteria, mold and yeast content didn’t seem to be affected by the clove oil coating application, since there weren’t found statistical significative differences between them. The application of the clove essential oil didn’t seem to affect sheer force of color in different modalities. Finally, regarding sensory analysis, the panel couldn’t find differences between the different meat modalities, namely in flavours, which means that the tested clove edible coating concentration doesn’t have a negative impact on this parameter in meat. Considering these results, the clove essential oil edible coating seems to be a good alternative to food other chemical food preservatives to use in pork meat conservation for the period of one year, since it keeps a high antioxidant capacity during this period, doesn’t affect sensory properties and keeps the microbial count low

Pollen and spore monitoring in the world

Abstract Background Ambient air quality monitoring is a governmental duty that is widely carried out in order to detect non-biological (“chemical”) components in ambient air, such as particles of  500). The prevalent monitoring method is based on the Hirst principle (> 600 stations). The inventory is visualised as an interactive and on-line map. It can be searched, its appearance can be adjusted to the users’ needs and it is updated regularly, as new stations or changes to those that already exist can be submitted online. Conclusions The map shows the current situation of pollen and spore monitoring and facilitates collaboration among those individuals who are interested in pollen and spore counts. It might also help to improve the monitoring of biological particles up to the current level employed for non-biological components

Prunus lusitánica L.: An endangered plant species relict in the central region of mainland Portugal

12 páginas, 9 figuras, 3 tablas.Prunus lusitanica L. is a paleotropical relic species with an Ibero-Maghrebian distribution, which is presently considered as an endangered species, recognized by the Natura 2000 Network (92/43/EEC) as a priority habitat for conservation in Europe. The mountains in the Portuguese mainland central region offer the best location for this species to occur. The main objective of this study is to measure the current conservation status of the communities of P. lusitanica, through the collection of field data, such as the number of existing individuals of each population and their location, which will then be comparatively analyzed based on the previous literature, published at least 15 years ago. Soil characterization analysis was carried out and the main threats to conservation were identified. As a result, a decline of approximately 40% was observed in the number of individuals and in the quality of their habitat. The main threats to their conservation were found to be the seasonal occurrence of rural fires and the expansion of invasive species, such as Acacia dealbata Link and Ailanthus altissima (Mill.) Swingle. Finally, we present the main management methodologies that should be consideredThis work is funded by National Funds through the Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) under the Project UIDB/05183/2020. L.J.R.N. was supported by Prometheus—Research Unit on Energy, Materials and Environment for Sustainability, UIDP/05975/2020, funded by national funds through FCTThis research received a contribution from the European Commission’s LIFE program, through the Life-Relict Project (NAT/PT/000754), to the municipalities of Mação, Pampil hosa da Serra and Freguesia de Vide e Cabeça for their collaboration in the fieldwork. We would like to thank researcher Helena Ribeiro from the Department of Geosciences, Environment and Spatial Plannings of the Faculty of Sciences University of Porto for her contributions to pollen characterization.Peer reviewe

Salsola Kali sensitization and cross-reactivity with Olea Europea in patients with pollinosis from Alcázar de San Juan, Ciudad-Real, Spain

Background : The Allergy Department of Alcázar de San Juan, in the Mancha Centro Hospital (ASJ- MCH), Ciudad- Real, Spain, attends patients with respiratory allergy to pollen of different species, such as Salsola kali . Patients mono- sensitive have symptoms in late sum-mer, in the pollination time of Salsola , but also in spring, when there is pollination time of other species such as Olea europaea . It is de-scribed that patients with IgE specific to a single species can rec-ognize epitopes from others by cross- reactivity. In this research we review the cross reactivity between Salsola kali and Olea europaea in patients from ASJ- MCH. Method : Skin prick test, sIgE measurements and assessment of al-lergic diseases were performed in adults attending the ASJ- MCH. Three groups of 4 patients were constituted: G1 - allergic to Salsola kali ; G2 – allergic to S. kali and also to O. europaea ; G3 – allergic to O. europaea . IgE- reactivity patterns of pooled sera from the 3 groups to proteins from S. kali or O. europea pollen extracts were evaluated by immunoblot. Immunoblotting was also applied to obtain individual allergograms to S. kali proteins. Cross- reactivity was assessed by in-hibited immunoblotting with O. europaea pollen extract. Results : IgE- reactivity patterns from G1 revealed eleven bands in S. kali pollen (9- 223 KDa); although G1 was sIgE negative to O. europeae pollen, several bands (9- 85 KDa) were also detected. G3 sera revealed 17 bands in O. europaea pollen (2- 160 KDa); Despite being sIgE neg-ative S. kali , G3 also identified several bands in this species. In G2, the polysensitized group, many bands from both pollen types were identified, mostly with overlapping MW, suggesting cross- reactivity between S. kali and O. europaea . Individual IgE- reactivity patterns to S. kali showed a band with 40 ± 2 KDa detected by all the patients, probably corresponding to Sal k1 and Sal k 2, and a band with 60 ± 5 KDa detected by 92% of the patients. Bands with 18 ± 1, 14 ± 1 and 12 ± 1 KDa, probably corresponding to Sal k 5, Sal k 4 and Sal k 7, were detected by 58, 50 and 67% of the patients, respectively. Conclusion : These results suggest cross–reactivity between S. kali and O. europaea probably as a result of already described panaller-gens but also of other Sal k allergens. Since both pollen types are highly prevalent in the region, cross- reactivity should be taken into account for individual therapeutic approaches

Prunus lusitanica L.: an endangered plant species relict in the central region of mainland Portugal

Prunus lusitanica L. is a paleotropical relic species with an Ibero-Maghrebian distribution, which is presently considered as an endangered species, recognized by the Natura 2000 Network (92/43/EEC) as a priority habitat for conservation in Europe. The mountains in the Portuguese mainland central region offer the best location for this species to occur. The main objective of this study is to measure the current conservation status of the communities of P. lusitanica, through the collection of field data, such as the number of existing individuals of each population and their location, which will then be comparatively analyzed based on the previous literature, published at least 15 years ago. Soil characterization analysis was carried out and the main threats to conservation were identified. As a result, a decline of approximately 40% was observed in the number of individuals and in the quality of their habitat. The main threats to their conservation were found to be the seasonal occurrence of rural fires and the expansion of invasive species, such as Acacia dealbata Link and Ailanthus altissima (Mill.) Swingle. Finally, we present the main management methodologies that should be considered for the valorization of this important vegetational relic in the central region of mainland Portugal.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Higher airborne pollen concentrations correlated with increased SARS-CoV-2 infection rates, as evidenced from 31 countries across the globe

Pollen exposure weakens the immunity against certain seasonal respiratory viruses by diminishing the antiviral interferon response. Here we investigate whether the same applies to the pandemic severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), which is sensitive to antiviral interferons, if infection waves coincide with high airborne pollen concentrations. Our original hypothesis was that more airborne pollen would lead to increases in infection rates. To examine this, we performed a cross-sectional and longitudinal data analysis on SARS-CoV-2 infection, airborne pollen, and meteorological factors. Our dataset is the most comprehensive, largest possible worldwide from 130 stations, across 31 countries and five continents. To explicitly investigate the effects of social contact, we additionally considered population density of each study area, as well as lockdown effects, in all possible combinations: without any lockdown, with mixed lockdown−no lockdown regime, and under complete lockdown. We found that airborne pollen, sometimes in synergy with humidity and temperature, explained, on average, 44% of the infection rate variability. Infection rates increased after higher pollen concentrations most frequently during the four previous days. Without lockdown, an increase of pollen abundance by 100 pollen/m3 resulted in a 4% average increase of infection rates. Lockdown halved infection rates under similar pollen concentrations. As there can be no preventive measures against airborne pollen exposure, we suggest wide dissemination of pollen−virus coexposure dire effect information to encourage high-risk individuals to wear particle filter masks during high springtime pollen concentrations

Higher airborne pollen concentrations correlated with increased SARS-CoV-2 infection rates, as evidenced from 31 countries across the globe

Pollen exposure weakens the immunity against certain seasonal respiratory viruses by diminishing the antiviral interferon response. Here we investigate whether the same applies to the pandemic severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), which is sensitive to antiviral interferons, if infection waves coincide with high airborne pollen concentrations. Our original hypothesis was that more airborne pollen would lead to increases in infection rates. To examine this, we performed a cross-sectional and longitudinal data analysis on SARS-CoV-2 infection, airborne pollen, and meteorological factors. Our dataset is the most comprehensive, largest possible worldwide from 130 stations, across 31 countries and five continents. To explicitly investigate the effects of social contact, we additionally considered population density of each study area, as well as lockdown effects, in all possible combinations: without any lockdown, with mixed lockdown−no lockdown regime, and under complete lockdown. We found that airborne pollen, sometimes in synergy with humidity and temperature, explained, on average, 44% of the infection rate variability. Infection rates increased after higher pollen concentrations most frequently during the four previous days. Without lockdown, an increase of pollen abundance by 100 pollen/m3 resulted in a 4% average increase of infection rates. Lockdown halved infection rates under similar pollen concentrations. As there can be no preventive measures against airborne pollen exposure, we suggest wide dissemination of pollen−virus coexposure dire effect information to encourage high-risk individuals to wear particle filter masks during high springtime pollen concentrations.</p