Investigation of climate change and history of lead deposition using soil archives

Our study focused on the investigation of climate change and the fate of lead in soils from the Low Volga region of Russia over 3500 years. We used a comparative analysis of the modern soils and palaeosols preserved under burial mounds, which date back to the Middle Ages and the Early Iron and Bronze Ages. A climate reconstruction showed periodic changes, with the most humid climate conditions occurring during Golden Horde period. However, we could not find any consistent changes in Pb concentration and profile distribution following the climate change. We observed a clear difference in Pb isotopic ratios between the lower and upper horizons both for the modern and buried profiles, reflecting the influence of atmospheric lead depositions. However, there is no statistically significant difference in Pb isotopic ratios between the upper horizons of buried and modern soils (except modern soils collected in the vicinity of a motorway). This means that either anthropogenic input due to long range air transport was insignificant, or that airborne anthropogenic lead and natural airborne lead have similar isotopic composition

Food labelling and food-induced anaphylaxis in children. Where are the intersection points?

Anaphylaxis is an acute life-threatening condition affecting several body systems. It might have a rapid onset and lead to a lethal outcome. The major provoking factors for the development of anaphylactic reactions in childhood are food allergens. High hypersensitivity to one food allergen can make it difficult for a family to find a substitution for an allergenic product. Food-induced anaphylactic reaction to quite a number of food allergens is a serious problem for both the physician and the family of an allergic child necessitating organization of appropriate and safe nutrition. In real life, the standard recommendation for the patient – to strictly follow the rules of the elimination diet with exclusion of the causative allergen and all cross-reactive allergens – often becomes unrealizable. There is a serious risk of developing new allergic reactions due to accidental intake of the triggering allergens because of incorrect food labelling by manufacturers. The objective of the work is to present a clinical case report that demonstrates the importance of performing allergy component testing (ImmunoCAP ISAC-112,) for identification of the full spectrum of allergens with subsequent assessment of allergenic molecules as triggering allergens and shows serious difficulties in the elaboration of recommendations on a personalised diet that should be adequate and safe for a child with a history of recurrent episodes of food-induced anaphylaxis.Анафилаксия – острое жизнеугрожающее состояние, затрагивающее несколько систем организма, которое может развиться мгновенно и привести к фатальному исходу. Основными провоцирующими факторами развития анафилактических реакций в детском возрасте являются пищевые аллергены. При выраженной гиперчувствительности к одному пищевому аллергену возникают сложности для семьи в плане замены виновного продукта. Наличие же пищевой анафилаксии к большому числу пищевых аллергенов – это серьезная проблема для врача и семьи пациента по организации полноценного и безопасного питания ребенка. В реальной жизни обязательная рекомендация для пациента – придерживаться жестких правил элиминационной диеты с исключением причинно-значимого аллергена и всех перекрестных с ним аллергенов – зачастую становится просто невыполнимой. Серьезный риск возникновения новых аллергических реакций существует при случайном попадании в организм аллергенов-триггеров из-за неоднозначности маркировки пищевых продуктов при изготовлении этикеток на продуктах питания. Цель работы: представить клинический случай, демонстрирующий важность проведения компонентного аллергологического обследования (ISAC-112, ImmunoCAP) для выявления полного спектра аллергенов с дальнейшей оценкой аллергенных молекул как аллергенов-триггеров и раскрывающий серьезные трудности в разработке рекомендаций по индивидуальной лечебной диете, которая должна быть полноценной и безопасной для ребенка с повторными эпизодами пищевой анафилаксии в анамнезе

Lead content and isotopic composition in submound and recent soils of the Volga upland

Literature data on the historical reconstructions of the atmospheric lead deposition in Europe and the isotopic composition of the ores that are potential sources of the anthropogenic lead in the atmospheric deposition in the lower Volga steppes during different time periods have been compiled. The effect of the increasing anthropogenic lead deposition recorded since the Bronze Age on the level of soil contamination has been investigated. For the first time paleosol buried under a burial mound of the Bronze Age has been used as a reference point to assess of the current contamination level. The contents and isotopic compositions of the mobile and total lead have been determined in submound paleosols of different ages and their recent remote and roadside analogues. An increase in the content and fraction of the mobile lead and a shift of its isotopic composition toward less radiogenic values (typical for lead from the recent anthropogenic sources) has been revealed when going from a Bronze-Age paleosol to a recent soil. In the Bronze-Age soil, the isotopic composition of the mobile lead is inherited from the parent rock to a greater extent than in the modern soils, where the lead is enriched with the less radiogenic component. The effect of the anthropogenic component is traced in the analysis of the mobile lead, but it is barely visible for the total lead. An exception is provided by the recent roadside soils characterized by increased contents and the significantly less radiogenic isotopic composition of the mobile and total lead

Serum levels of antimicrobial peptides in children with atopic dermatitis

Objective: to establish a relationship of the serum levels of the antimicrobial peptides (AMP) cathelicidin (LL-37) and a-defensins (HNP 1-3) to the clinical manifestations of atopic dermatitis (AD) in children. Subjects and methods. The investigation enrolled 70 patients aged 5 months to 17 years with AD. LL-37 and HNP1-3 levels were determined by enzyme immunoassay. Results. The level of HNP 1-3 was found to be higher in children with moderate AD than in those with its mild form. The serum concentration of LL-37 was independent of the severity scoring of atopic (SCORAD) index. However, the level of this peptide was associated with the magnitude of clinical manifestations of the disease. The concentration of LL-37 was increased with an injury over 50% of the body surface; its level rose with the higher intensity of excoriations, lichenification, and pruritus. At the same tone, as the intensity of crusts/oozing lesion increased from mild to moderate, LL-37 rose and drastically decreased at their highest intensity levels. Conclusion. The established correlation between AMP concentration and clinical manifestations of AD suggests that LL-37 and HNP1-3 play a role in the pathogenesis of this disease

Comparison of Levels and Sources of Lead in Modern and Ancient Soils in Low Volga Steppes

Concentrations and isotopic compositions of lead in the total and mobile (acid-soluble and carbonate- bound) forms were determined in remote and roadside Chestnut soils in the dry steppe region of Low Volga, Russia. As a reference to evaluate the level of modern soil contamination with lead, we used ancient soil buried under a Bronze Age kurgan about 4500 years ago. In comparison with buried soil, the roadside modern soils showed clear signs of anthropogenic influence such as elevated total and mobile Pb concentrations and fractions of the mobile forms in the total pool of Pb, higher ratios of Pb/Ti and Pb/Sc, and a shift of Pb isotopic compositions towards the less radiogenic signatures found in modern Russian aerosols and gasoline. In the remote modern soils, however, these signs of anthropogenic influence were much less pronounced and could be observed only in the mobile fractions of Pb, but were practically undetectable in terms of concentrations and isotopic compositions of total lead

Cytokine secretion in children with eosinophilia

There is evidence that eosinophils play a considerable role in the pathogenesis of many diseases (allergic, granulomatous, autoimmune, interstitial, idiopathic, parasitic, neoplastic, and myeloproliferative ones). However, despite the long history of studies of eosinophils, their biological properties were still little studied. The review summarizes the results of studies dealing with the spectrum of cytokines that are secreted by eosinophils and ensure their pleiotropic effects, including immunomodulation, an effect on tissue homeostasis and repair. It also describes the types of eosinophil secretion of cytokines and their effect on the function of eosinophils themselves. Special attention is paid to the scientific facts of cytokine secretion in allergic diseases in children with eosinophilia and to the pathogenic role of cytokines

Current evaluation of the cytokine status of children with atopic dermatitis

In recent years, cytokines have played the most important role in the regulation of immunopathological mechanisms, allergic reactions in particular. The objective of the study was to determine the presence, frequency, and levels of cytokines in children with atopic dermatitis. Ninety patients with atopic dermatitis (a study group) and 11 children without signs of this condition (a comparison group) were examined. The levels of the interleukins IL-4, IL-5, IL-13, IL-17, IL-17F, IL-22, and TGF-β1 and the chemokines eotaxin and eotaxin-2 were determined in a single serum specimen by enzyme immunoassay. The cytokine status of children with atopic dermatitis was not established to fundamentally differ from that of the comparison group. However, the frequency and mean concentrations of interleukins and chemokines were different. The specific feature of a cytokine profile in children with atopic dermatitis lies in a marked imbalance in the levels of all the studied cytokines. The significant elevation of IL-4, IL-5, TGF-β1 , and IL-22 levels in children with atopic dermatitis suggest that consideration of the pathogenesis of this disease only in terms of the predominance of TH2 lymphocyte activation is more than sketchy