8 research outputs found
UCRAID (Ukrainian Citizen and refugee electronic support in Respiratory diseases, Allergy, Immunology and Dermatology) action plan
Eight million Ukrainians have taken refuge in the European Union. Many have asthma and/or allergic rhinitis and/or urticaria, and around 100,000 may have a severe disease. Cultural and language barriers are a major obstacle to appropriate management. Two widely available mHealth apps, MASK-air® (Mobile Airways Sentinel NetworK) for the management of rhinitis and asthma and CRUSE® (Chronic Urticaria Self Evaluation) for patients with chronic spontaneous urticaria, were updated to include Ukrainian versions that make the documented information available to treating physicians in their own language. The Ukrainian patients fill in the questionnaires and daily symptom-medication scores for asthma, rhinitis (MASK-air) or urticaria (CRUSE) in Ukrainian. Then, following the GDPR, patients grant their physician access to the app by scanning a QR code displayed on the physician's computer enabling the physician to read the app contents in his/her own language. This service is available freely. It takes less than a minute to show patient data to the physician in the physician's web browser. UCRAID—developed by ARIA (Allergic Rhinitis and its Impact on Asthma) and UCARE (Urticaria Centers of Reference and Excellence)—is under the auspices of the Ukraine Ministry of Health as well as European (European Academy of Allergy and Clinical immunology, EAACI, European Respiratory Society, ERS, European Society of Dermatologic Research, ESDR) and national societies
On the question of the assessment of the consequences of the negative impact of combat actions on the lands of the territorial communities of the Donetsk region
The article examines the current ecological state of lands and soil cover that has been negatively affected by hostilities. Territorial communities that are occupied were studied, the types of land use of these territories were determined, and the area of their lands was calculated. Damages caused as a result of military operations were analyzed. The consequences of the negative impact of hostilities on the lands of territorial communities were assessed. Fragments of maps showing the territories where hostilities are taking place are given and their analysis was carried out.
  Some types and processes of soil degradation (compaction, pollution, disruption and destruction of the soil cover, etc.) caused by armed Russian aggression and the scale of soil degradation, especially chernozems, were investigated and studied.
  It is proposed to improve methodical approaches to determine the negative consequences of hostilities on the ground cover.
Scientific, methodical and information provision of state assessment and prediction of changes in soil quality was carried out. Improvement of methodological approaches to local soil monitoring studies using remote research methods and agrochemical support for growing agricultural crops in conditions of reduced productive areas.
   An analysis of measures for the cultivation of agricultural products, which can improve the quality of the land, has been carried out. For the areas affected by the explosions of ammunition and the fire of military equipment.
  There is an urgent need to simplify land management and urban planning procedures as much as possible and to speed up the implementation of restoration works to eliminate the consequences of armed aggression and hostilities during martial law and in the reconstruction period and after the end of hostilities, including their inclusion in those that require an assessment of man-made pollution of land and other natural resources, assessment of anthropogenic violations, detailed identification of ownership rights to land and property, etc.
  Factors of land damage as a result of hostilities have been identified as: the passage of heavy military equipment, the explosion of rockets and other types of weapons, the construction of fortifications, and as a result of these actions, the structure of the soil is disturbed, which in the future leads to the degradation of vegetation and increases wind and water erosion. A recovery action plan is proposed, which involves the coordinated efforts of stakeholders and the involvement of foreign partners in solving security and development problems.
Key words:Â war, land inventory, land degradation, land conservation, chemical pollution, land monitoring, sustainable land use, restoration, rational use, damage assessment, land reclamation
Differential responses of adiposity, inflammation and autonomic function to aerobic versus resistance training in older adults
Background: Increased body fat, autonomic dysfunction and low-grade chronic inflammation are interrelated risk factors implicated in the etiology of several chronic conditions normally presented by older adults. Objective: This study aims to assess the effectiveness of different training protocols on reducing body fat, improving autonomic function, and decreasing low-grade systemic inflammation in community-dwelling elderly adults. Methods: Fifty participants (11 men, 68. ±. 5.5. years) were randomly allocated into resistance or aerobic training or control groups. Evaluations were done at baseline and following the 8-month intervention period on their body composition (assessed by DXA), inflammatory biomarkers (high-sensitivity C-reactive protein [hs-CRP], tumor necrosis-alpha [TNF-. α], interferon-gamma [IFN-γ], interleukins-6 and -10 [IL-6, IL-10]), lipoproteic profile, fasting glycemia, blood pressure, heart rate variability (HRV; frequency and time domains) and aerobic fitness (assessed by six-minute walk distance [6MWD]). A paired t-test was used to detect changes (%δ. =. [(post-test score. -. pretest score). /. pre-test score]. ×. 100) within groups, while between-group differences were analyzed using the one-way ANOVA or General Linear Models. Results: A significant change (δ%) both in total (-. 5.4. ±. 6.3% and -. 3.3. ±. 2.9%, respectively) and central body fat (8.9. ±. 11.3% and -. 4.8. ±. 4.5%) was observed in resistance and aerobic training groups, respectively; along with a change in resting systolic and diastolic blood pressures (-. 9.2. ±. 9.8% and -. 8.5. ±. 9.6%), heart rate (-. 4.6. ±. 6.5%), hs-CRP (-. 18.6. ±. 60.6%), and 6MWD (9.5. ±. 6.9%) in response to aerobic training. Conclusions: The present findings provide further evidence for the benefits of aerobic and resistance training on reducing body fat. Aerobic training was demonstrated to reduce hs-CRP and blood pressure in community-dwelling elderly participants with no serious medical conditions. © 2013 Elsevier Inc
Filaggrin polymorphism Pro478Ser is associated with the severity of atopic dermatitis and colonization by Staphylococcal aureus
info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio
What is the effect of a Mediterranean compared with a fast food meal on the exercise induced adipokine changes? A randomized cross-over clinical trial
Background Adipose tissue-derived adipokines are pro-inflammatory cytokines involved in metabolic-related diseases and can be influenced by diet and exercise. We aimed to compare the effect of a Mediterranean (MdM) compared with Fast Food (FFM) meal on the exercise induced adipokines changes. Methods In a double blinded cross over trial, 46 participants were randomly assigned to one of two standardized iso-energy pre-exercise meals: FFM or MdM-type. Three hours after each meal, participants completed a treadmill exercise test (EC). Serum adiponectin, resistin, PAI-1, lipocalin-2/NGAL and adipsin were determined by Luminex magnetic bead immunoassay. Wilcoxon signed rank test compared changes before/after meal and before/after EC and a linear mixed model evaluated the effect of meals on the adipokine response to exercise, adjusted for confounders. Results Thirty-nine participants (mean age of 25, with a standard deviation of 5 years) completed the trial (56% females). For both interventions, a significant reduction of adipsin after each meal and a significant increase of lipocalin, PAI-1, adipsin and resistin, after exercise was observed. When exercise was preceded by a MdM meal a higher increase in adipsin levels was seen. Conclusion Acute exercise induced an increase of circulatory levels of adipsin, resistin, lipocalin and PAI-1, but not adiponectin. A pre-exercise Mediterranean meal potentiated the increase of adipsin after the exercise test, which possibly relates to the immune regulatory role of adipsin. These changes suggest a cross-talk between the immune and metabolic immediate response to exercise and its modulation by the pre-exercise diet composition
Substance P antagonist improves both obesity and asthma in a mouse model
Evidence suggests a causal relationship between obesity and asthma; however, the underlying mechanisms remain unknown. Substance P (SP), involved in neurogenic inflammation by acting through its receptor NK1-R, seems to participate in obese–asthma phenotype in mice. To evaluate the effect of a selective substance P receptor antagonist on a mouse model of diet-induced obesity and asthma. Diet-induced obese Balb/c mice were sensitized and challenged with ovalbumin (OVA) and treated with a selective NK1-R antagonist or placebo. Serum glucose, insulin, IL-6, resistin, and OVA-specific IgE levels were quantified. A score for peribronchial inflammation in lung histology was used. Cells were counted in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid. Adipocyte sizes were measured. Ovalbumin-obese mice treated with NK1-R antagonist had lower weight (P = 0.0002), reduced daily food intake (P = 0.0021), reduced daily energy intake (P = 0.0021), reduced surface adipocyte areas (P < 0.0001), lower serum glucose (P = 0.04), lower serum insulin (P = 0.03), lower serum IL-(P = 0.0022), lower serum resistin (P = 0.0043), lower serum OVA-specific IgE (P = 0.035), and lower peribronchial inflammation score (P < 0.0001) than nontreated OVA-obese mice. We observed an interaction between obesity, allergen sensitization, and treatment with NK1-R antagonist for metabolic and systemic biomarkers, and for allergen sensitization and bronchial inflammation, showing a synergy between these variables. In an experimental model of obesity and asthma in mice, NK1-R blockade improved metabolic and systemic biomarkers, as well as allergen sensitization and bronchial inflammation. These positive effects support a common pathway in the obese–asthma phenotype and highlight SP as a target with potential clinical interest in the obese–asthma epidemics.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio
Hypersensitivity pneumonitis: Main features characterization in a Portuguese cohort
Hypersensitivity pneumonitis (HP) is an interstitial lung disease (ILD) which varies in prevalence across the world, depending on disease definition, diagnostic methods, exposure type and intensity, geographical environments, agricultural and industrial practices, and host risk factors. This study aimed to deepen knowledge about HP's clinical characteristics, diagnosis and functional and imaging features in a cohort of HP patients from the North of Portugal. To achieve this goal, a retrospective assessment of the clinical and diagnostic data was carried out, and patients were classified and compared according to disease presentation (acute, sub-acute and chronic HP forms). Of the 209 HP patients included (mean age 58.3 ± 16.0 years), 52.6% were female and 73.7% presented a chronic form. Most patients had prior exposure to birds (76.6%). Dyspnoea and cough were the most frequently experienced symptoms, but no statistically significant differences were found between groups (p = 0.089, p = 0.418, respectively). Fever was most common in acute HP form (p < 0.001). The most common patterns found in Chest CT were ground glass (p = 0.002) in acute/subacute presentation, and reticulation (p < 0.001) in chronic form, while mosaic attenuation, although was also frequently observed, no statistically significant differences were found between groups (p = 0.512). The most common functional pattern was restrictive (38% of patients, 73.7% with chronic HP form). Bronchoalveolar lavage lymphocytes were higher in acute and subacute forms although not reaching statistical significance (p = 0.072), with lowest CD4/CD8 ratio (p = 0.001) in acute forms. Thus, given the significant disease heterogeneity, further studies with different populations and ambient exposures are needed to achieve a better stratification of the exposure risk, to provide proper implementation of avoidance methods and a precise diagnostic and therapeutic approach.Martins N. would like to thank the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT-Portugal) for the Strategic project ref. UID/BIM/04293/2013 and ?NORTE2020?Programa Operacional Regional do Norte? (NORTE-01-0145-FEDER-000012)