Étude en vraie vie de l'efficacité de la désensibilisation par voie sublinguale pour les pollens d'herbacées dans la population serbe

Introduction: In the Serbian population allergy to weed pollen is the most common type of pollen-associated allergy, ahead of grass and tree pollens. Besides causing discomfort, allergy to pollen is often associated with rhinitis and asthma. Allergen-specific immunotherapy (ASIT) is the only treatment that can lead to potential long-term immune modification while reducing development of new sensitization and halting disease progression. The aim of the present study is to evaluate the efficacy of sublingual immunotherapy (SLIT) to weeds in the adult patient population using vaccine produced by the local Serbian Torlak Institute for virology, vaccines and serum. Methods: Adult patients with a clinical history of allergic rhinitis with and without asthma were included in the study. IgE-mediated sensitization to grass, tree and weed pollens was confirmed by skin prick testing and/or positive specific IgE. Patients were divided into two groups: patients with allergy to tree and grass pollen and patients with allergy to weeds. All patients received SLIT for three years, either with or without additional symptomatic therapy. Results: Three-year SLIT therapy led to significant improvement in several parameters, including skin-prick reactivity, decrease in specific IgE and use of symptomatic therapy, with mild adverse effects and high patient satisfaction concerning therapy. Conclusion: Three-year SLIT is a safe and efficient treatment option for respiratory allergy to weeds. Further observations in a larger number of patients could provide a better epidemiological evaluation of SLIT, but the positive effects we observed in our study may be considered representative despite the small number of patients

Active biomonitoring of potentially toxic elements in urban air by two distinct moss species and two analytical techniques: a pan‑Southeastern European study

This is the first study to use moss transplants as a biomonitoring technique and inductively plasma mass spectrometry to investigate airborne potentially toxic element pollution and air quality in urban areas on a regional scale across nine Southeastern European countries. The mosses in bags were exposed for 2 months during the winter season (2019/2020) at five sites in each of the selected urban areas next to air quality (AQ) monitoring stations. The sites were selected concerning different land use classes (typical urban, residential, urban background, and rural sites). The concentrations of 35 elements were determined using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. A comparison with elemental analysis performed by total reflection X-ray fluorescence is also presented. Concentrations of the potentially toxic element in moss bags exposed in urban areas were significantly higher, while those exposed in rural areas did not differ significantly from the initial content of unexposed moss. Linear regression analysis revealed no significant differences between the average concentrations of elements in H. cupressiforme and S. girgensohnii moss bags (linearity R2 = 0.94). It shows similar trends in elements in both moss species. The median values of contamination factors in both moss species ranged mostly from 1.2 to 2.17, indicating the exposure sites show no contamination to slight contamination status (C1 to C2 scales). High values of relative accumulation factors were found for Cr, Cu, Fe, Ni, Sb, and V in moss bags, indicating these elements are the most abundant in most sampling sites, which may increase human exposure through inhalation and could lead to harmful health problems