Artificial neural network model of the relationship between Betula pollen and meteorological factors in Szczecin (Poland)

Birch pollen is one of the main causes of allergy during spring and early summer in northern and central Europe. The aim of this study was to create a forecast model that can accurately predict daily average concentrations of Betula sp. pollen grains in the atmosphere of Szczecin, Poland. In order to achieve this, a novel data analysis technique—artificial neural networks (ANN)—was used. Sampling was carried out using a volumetric spore trap of the Hirst design in Szczecin during 2003–2009. Spearman’s rank correlation analysis revealed that humidity had a strong negative correlation with Betula pollen concentrations. Significant positive correlations were observed for maximum temperature, average temperature, minimum temperature and precipitation. The ANN resulted in multilayer perceptrons 366 8: 2928-7-1:1, time series prediction was of quite high accuracy (SD Ratio between 0.3 and 0.5, R > 0.85). Direct comparison of the observed and calculated values confirmed good performance of the model and its ability to recreate most of the variation

Phenology of flowering and pollen release of selected herbaceous plants in Szczecin and Gudowo (Western Pomerania) and the risk of pollen allergy

This paper presents the course of the pollen season of selected allergenic taxa (Secale spp., Rumex spp., Plantago spp., Urtica spp., Artemisia spp., Chenopodiaceae and Poaceae) in Szczecin (2009) and Gudowo (Western Pomerania, Poland) (2009–2010), and also the flowering pattern of Chenopodium album, Artemisia vulgaris and Secale spp. Pollen deposition was studied by the gravimetric method using a Durham sampler. In 2010 the flowering period of the studied taxa was shorter than in 2009 and its onset was observed later; the maximum values of daily pollen deposition were lower. Pollen grains of most of the taxa studied appeared in the atmosphere of the city earlier than in the rural area, but in the rural area significantly higher values of daily deposition were recorded. The effect of weather conditions on pollen fall in Szczecin in 2009 was analysed. Statistically significant positive correlations with pollen deposition were found only with maximum, minimum, and mean air temperature, dew point and maximum wind speed, while a negative correlation was found with precipitation and – only for Rumex pollen grains – with air humidity and pressure

Triage in the Emergency Department

Wstęp. Zadaniem szpitalnych oddziałów ratunkowych (SOR) jest udzielanie świadczeń opieki zdrowotnej osobom w stanie nagłego zagrożenia zdrowotnego. Pomimo tak sformułowanej roli obecnie SOR przepełnione są pacjentami o wątpliwej pilności przypadku. W związku z brakiem „bezpiecznego” narzędzia do wstępnej weryfikacji wskazań do przyjęcia w SOR konieczne jest uporządkowanie procesu przyjęć, w sposób zapewniający utrzymanie odpowiednich priorytetów SOR, poprzez stosowanie segregacji medycznej. Cel pracy. Przedstawienie efektów wprowadzenia rutynowej segregacji medycznej pacjentów SOR 5. Wojskowego Szpitala Klinicznego SPZOZ w Krakowie. Materiał i metody. Analiza 1000 „kart triage” pacjentów przyjętych do SOR w okresie 1–16 czerwca 2014 r. oraz wyników badania ankietowego przeprowadzonego wśród 26 ratowników medycznych/pielęgniarek wykonujących triage w SOR 5. Wojskowego Szpitala Klinicznego SPZOZ w Krakowie. Wyniki. Analiza danych oraz opinia osób wykonujących triage w SOR wskazują, że segregacja medyczna stanowi skuteczne narzędzie umożliwiające właściwe uporządkowanie procesu przyjęć pacjentów w SOR. Wnioski. Segregacja medyczna stanowi element niezbędny do prawidłowego funkcjonowania SOR. Zastosowanie segregacji medycznej umożliwia określenie kolejności przyjęć do SOR na podstawie wskazań klinicznych, a tym samym redukcję ryzyka zdrowotnego pacjentów w stanie nagłym.Introduction: The role of Emergency Department is to provide health care in case of medical emergency that requires immediate action. Despite of the fact that they are assigned to react in case of emergency, Emergency Departments are full of patients who do not need immediate medical care. Due to the lack of a reliable tool to verify patients in terms of urgency of cases, there is a need to create a procedure of indicating an emergency that requires immediate medical action by means of triage. Aim. The aim of the paper is to present results of introducing Triage in the Emergency Department of 5th Military Hospital in Krakow. Material and methods. Analysis of 1000 “Triage Cards” of patients admitted 1–16 June 2014 and the results of survey among 26 paramedics and nurses who carried out Triage in the Emergency Department of 5th Military Hospital in Krakow. Results. The data analysis and opinions of the Triage personnel show that Triage is an effective tool to arrange the procedure of admitting patients in the Emergency Department. Conclusions. Triage is currently an essential factor to create an efficiently operating Emergency Department. Triage enables indicating an order of admission to the ED based on clinical indications, reducing in this way the health risk of people in emergency

The threat of allergenic airborne trees pollen to pollinosis sufferers in a rural area (Western Pomerania, Poland)

The aim of the study was to investigate the concentration of Alnus L., Corylus L. and Betula L. pollen in the village of Gudowo (Western Pomerania, Poland) in the years 2012–2014 in order to estimate the threat of allergenic tree pollen in this rural region. Measurements were performed using the volumetric method (VPPS Lanzoni 2000 pollen sampler). The duration of the pollen season was determined by the 98% method, taking days on which, respectively, 1% and 99% of the annual total pollen grains appeared as the beginning and end of the season. Pollen grains from hazel occurred in the air as the first ones, before pollen grains from alder and birch. The earliest beginning of the hazel pollen season was recorded in 2012, whereas alder and birch pollen seasons started the earliest in 2014. Daily maximum pollen concentrations of the investigated taxa were recorded in 2014. Birch pollen allergens posed the largest threat to pollinosis sufferers. In the years 2012–2014, pollen concentrations equal or higher than threshold values, at which people with pollinosis show allergic symptoms, were recorded most frequently for birch, hazel, and alder (25, 19, and 14 days, respectively). The highest hourly alder pollen concentration was recorded at 16:00 and in the case of hazel at 15:00. The diurnal distribution of birch pollen concentrations does not show any distinct peaks

Alder pollen season in selected cities of Poland in 2020

This paper presents the course of alder pollination season in Poland in 2020. The measurements were performed in Bydgoszcz, Bialystok, Lublin, Olsztyn, Opole, Piotrkow Trybunalski, Sosnowiec, Szczecin, Warsaw, Wroclaw and Zielona Gora. Volumetric method with the use of Volumetric Spore Trap (Burkard, Lanzoni) was implemented. Pollen season was defined as the period in which 95% of the annual total catch occurred. The alder pollen season in 2020 started about 10–30 days earlier compared to 2017–2019. The pollen season started first in Szczecin, Opole and Zielona Gora (in the second half of January). In the other cities alder pollen season started in first half of February. The highest daily pollen count was recorded in Lublin (1211 P/m3). In other cities the maximum concentrations ranged from 160 P/m3 in Sosnowiec to 465 P/m3 in Piotrkow Trybunalski. The highest alder pollen concentrations were detected in the first decade of March (March 1st–3rd). Only in Zielona Gora, Wroclaw, Opole and Sosnowiec the maximum concentration was recorded in the third decade of February. The annual pollen sum of Alnus in 2020 was even 5–10 times lower than in years 2019

Yew and juniper pollen in the air of selected Polish cities in 2008

Celem pracy było porównanie sezonu pyłkowego cisa i jałowca w 2008 r. w Szczecinie, Wrocławiu, Krakowie, Lublinie, Warszawie i Sosnowcu. Pomiary stężenia pyłku prowadzono metodą objętościową z zastosowaniem aparatu Burkard oraz Lanzoni 2000. Sezon pyłkowy wyznaczono jako okres, w którym w powietrzu występuje 95% rocznej sumy ziaren pyłku. Początek sezonu pyłkowego wyznaczono również metodą 30 ziaren. Indeks SPI obliczono jako sumę średnich dobowych stężeń pyłku w danym sezonie. Sezon pyłkowy cisa i jałowca rozpoczął się najwcześniej w Warszawie, 17 lutego, a w pozostałych miastach w ciągu dziesięciu kolejnych dni. Zanotowano znaczne różnice w czasie trwania sezonu. Najwyższe, rekordowe wartości stężeń zaobserwowano w Szczecinie, maksymalne stężenie wynoszące 256 ziaren × m-3 zarejestrowano 27 lutego.The aim of the study was to compare the pollen seasons of yew and juniper in the cities of Szczecin, Wroclaw, Krakow, Lublin, Warszawa and Sosnowiec in 2008. Measurements were performed by the volumetric method (Burkard and Lanzoni 2000 pollen sampler). Pollen season was defined as the period in which 95% of the total annual catch occurred. The start of the season was also determined by the 30 grains method. Seasonal Pollen Index (SPI) was estimated as the annual sum of daily average pollen concentrations. The pollen season of yew and juniper started first in Warsaw on the 17th of February and in the other cities it started during the next ten days. The differences of pollen seasons duration were considerable. The highest, record airborne concentration of 256 pollen grains × m-3 was noted in Szczecin on the 27th of February

Yew and juniper pollen in the air of selected Polish cities in 2009 : the influence of meteorological factors and air pollution

Celem pracy było porównanie sezonu pyłkowego cisa i jałowca w 2009 r. w Szczecinie, Wrocławiu, Bydgoszczy, Lublinie, Krakowie, Warszawie i Sosnowcu oraz badanie wpływu warunków pogodowych i zanieczyszczeń powietrza na koncentracje pyłku w Szczecinie. Pomiary stężenia pyłku prowadzono metodą objętościową z zastosowaniem aparatu Burkard oraz Lanzoni 2000. Sezon pyłkowy wyznaczono jako okres, w którym w powietrzu występuje 98% rocznej sumy ziaren pyłku. Indeks SPI obliczono jako sumę średnich dobowych stężeń pyłku w danym sezonie. Sezon pyłkowy cisa i jałowca najwcześniej rozpoczął się w Szczecinie i we Wrocławiu, 14 marca, a w pozostałych miastach w ciągu dziesięciu kolejnych dni. Zanotowano znaczne różnice w czasie trwania sezonu. Najwyższe, rekordowe wartości stężeń zaobserwowano w Szczecinie, maksymalne stężenie wynoszące 505 ziaren × m-3 zarejestrowano 31 marca.The objective of the studies was to compare the pollen seasons of yew and juniper in the cities of Szczecin, Wrocław, Bydgoszcz, Lublin, Kraków, Warsaw and Sosnowiec in 2009 and to determinate an influence of meteorological parameters and air pollution on pollen concentration in Szczecin. Measurements were performed by the volumetric method (Burkard and Lanzoni 2000 pollen sampler). Pollen season was defined as the period in which 98% of the annual total catch occurred. Seasonal Pollen Index (SPI) was estimated as the annual sum of daily average pollen concentrations. The pollen season of yew and juniper started first in Szczecin and Wroclaw on the 14th of March and in the other cities it started during the next ten days. The differences of pollen seasons duration were considerables. The highest, record airborne concentration of 505 pollen grains × m-3 was noted in Szczecin on the 31st of March

Grass pollen seasons in Poland against a background of the meteorological conditions

The paper refers to the estimation of Poaceae pollen seasons in Poland in selected areas. The aim of the study was to present the long-term variability of the start, end and duration of grass pollen seasons and the seasonal pollen index (SPI) in Poland against a background of the meteorological conditions over pollen seasons. The study was performed in eight Polish cities in 1992-2014 (the common seasons were 2003-2012). Pollen season start was relatively stable in the studied period, the seasons began about the 10th of May, a bit earlier in the south part of Poland. Pollen season ends were more changeable in comparison to the season start and fluctuated from the middle of July to the middle of September. SPI clearly depended on temperature and precipitation in April-August. Daily maximum pollen concentrations were achieved between the end of May and the first decade of July and no evident relationship between this day and weather conditions was found, apart from 2004

Co-occurrence of Artemisia and Ambrosia pollen seasons against the background of the synoptic situations in Poland

The Asteraceae family is one of the largest families, comprising 67 genera and 264 species in Poland. However, only a few genera, including Artemisia and Ambrosia are potential allergenic sources. The aim of the study was to estimate how often and to what degree Artemisia and Ambrosia pollen seasons co-occur intensifying human health risk, and how synoptic situations influence frequency of days with high pollen concentrations of both taxa. Artemisia and Ambrosia pollen data were collected, using the volumetric method, at 8 sites in Poland. Daily concentrations of Artemisia pollen equal to 30 grains or more and Ambrosia pollen equal to 10 grains or more were accepted as high values. Concentrations of more than 10 pollen grains were defined as high in the case of Ambrosia because its allergenicity is considered higher. High concentrations were confronted with synoptic situations. Analysis was performed on the basis of two calendars on circulation types of atmosphere in Poland (Niedźwiedź, 2006, 2015). Co-occurrence of Artemisia and Ambrosia pollen seasons is being found most often, when Ambrosia pollen season starts in the first half of August. If it happens in the last 10 days of August high pollen concentrations of Artemisia and Ambrosia do not occur at the same days. At three sites (Sosnowiec, Rzeszów, Lublin) high Ambrosia pollen concentrations during the Artemisia pollen season appear more often than in other sites under question. The high Artemisia pollen concentrations occur, when continental or polar maritime old air masses inflow into Poland. The impact of air masses on high Ambrosia pollen concentrations depends on site localizations. It is likely, that in the south-eastern part of Poland high Ambrosia pollen concentrations result from the pollen transport from east-south-south-westerly directions and the local sources. Co-occurrence of both taxa pollen seasons depends on the air masses inflow and appears more often in a southeastern part of Poland

Grass pollen seasons in Poland against a background of the meteorological conditions

Artykuł dotyczy oceny sezonów pyłkowych Poaceae w Polsce w wybranych regionach. Celem pracy było przedstawienie wieloletniej zmienności początku, końca i długości sezonów pyłkowych traw oraz sezonowego indeksu pyłkowego (wartość SPI) w Polsce na tle warunków meteorologicznych. Badania były prowadzone w ośmiu miastach Polski, w okresie 1992-2014 (sezony 2003-2012 były wspólne dla wszystkich miast). Początek sezonu pyłkowego był względnie stały w okresie badawczym, sezony rozpoczynały się około 10 maja, nieco wcześniej w południowej części Polski. Koniec sezonu pyłkowego był bardziej zmienny w porównaniu do początku, jego termin wahał się od połowy lipca do połowy września. SPI wyraźnie zależał od temperatury i opadów w okresie kwiecień–sierpień. Dobowe stężenie maksymalne pyłku były odnotowywane pomiędzy końcem maja a pierwszą dekadą lipca, nie wykazano wyraźnej zależności pomiędzy dniem stężenia maksymalnego i warunkami pogodowymi, z wyjątkiem 2004 roku.The paper refers to the estimation of Poaceae pollen seasons in Poland in selected areas. The aim of the study was to present the long-term variability of the start, end and duration of grass pollen seasons and the seasonal pollen index (SPI) in Poland against a background of the meteorological conditions over pollen seasons. The study was performed in eight Polish cities in 1992-2014 (the common seasons were 2003-2012). Pollen season start was relatively stable in the studied period, the seasons began about the 10th of May, a bit earlier in the south part of Poland. Pollen season ends were more changeable in comparison to the season start and fluctuated from the middle of July to the middle of September. SPI clearly depended on temperature and precipitation in April-August. Daily maximum pollen concentrations were achieved between the end of May and the first decade of July and no evident relationship between this day and weather conditions was found, apart from 2004