| 1. |
- Myszkowska, Dorota, et al.
(författare)
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Co-exposure to highly allergenic airborne pollen and fungal spores in Europe
- 2023
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Ingår i: Science of the Total Environment. - 0048-9697 .- 1879-1026. ; 905, s. 167285-167285
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The study is aimed at determining the potential spatiotemporal risk of the co-occurrence of airborne pollen and fungal spores high concentrations in different bio-climatic zones in Europe. Birch, grass, mugwort, ragweed, olive pollen and Alternaria and Cladosporium fungal spores were investigated at 16 sites in Europe, in 2005–2019. In Central and northern Europe, pollen and fungal spore seasons mainly overlap in June and July, while in South Europe, the highest pollen concentrations occur frequently outside of the spore seasons. In the coldest climate, no allergy thresholds were exceeded simultaneously by two spore or pollen taxa, while in the warmest climate most of the days with at least two pollen taxa exceeding threshold values were observed. The annual air temperature amplitude seems to be the main bioclimatic factor influencing the accumulation of days in which Alternaria and Cladosporium spores simultaneously exceed allergy thresholds. The phenomenon of co-occurrence of airborne allergen concentrations gets increasingly common in Europe and is proposed to be present on other continents, especially in temperate climate.
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| 2. |
- Papadopoulos, Nikolaos G., et al.
(författare)
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Addressing adverse synergies between chemical and biological pollutants at schools—The ‘SynAir-G’ hypothesis
- 2024
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Ingår i: Allergy. European Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology. - : John Wiley & Sons. - 0105-4538 .- 1398-9995. ; 79:2, s. 294-301
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- While the number and types of indoor air pollutants is rising, much is suspected but little is known about the impact of their potentially synergistic interactions, upon human health. Gases, particulate matter, organic compounds but also allergens and viruses, fall within the ‘pollutant’ definition. Distinct populations, such as children and allergy and asthma sufferers are highly susceptible, while a low socioeconomic background is a further susceptibility factor; however, no specific guidance is available. We spend most of our time indoors; for children, the school environment is of paramount importance and potentially amenable to intervention. The interactions between some pollutant classes have been studied. However, a lot is missing with respect to understanding interactions between specific pollutants of different classes in terms of concentrations, timing and sequence, to improve targeting and upgrade standards. SynAir-G is a European Commission-funded project aiming to reveal and quantify synergistic interactions between different pollutants affecting health, from mechanisms to real life, focusing on the school setting. It will develop a comprehensive and responsive multipollutant monitoring system, advance environmentally friendly interventions, and disseminate the generated knowledge to relevant stakeholders in accessible and actionable formats. The aim of this article it to put forward the SynAir-G hypothesis, and describe its background and objectives.
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| 3. |
- Gilles, Stefanie, et al.
(författare)
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Pollen exposure weakens innate defense against respiratory viruses.
- 2020
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Ingår i: Allergy. - : Wiley. - 1398-9995 .- 0105-4538. ; 75:3, s. 576-587
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Hundreds of plant species release their pollen into the air every year during early spring. During that period, pollen allergic as well as non-allergic patients frequently present to doctors with severe respiratory tract infections.To assess whether pollen may interfere with antiviral immunity.We combined data from real life human exposure cohorts, a mouse model and human cell culture to test our hypothesis.Pollen significantly diminished interferon-λ and pro-inflammatory chemokine responses of airway epithelia to rhinovirus and viral mimics and decreased nuclear translocation of interferon regulatory factors. In mice infected with respiratory syncytial virus, co-exposure to pollen caused attenuated antiviral gene expression and increased pulmonary viral titers. In non-allergic human volunteers, nasal symptoms were positively correlated with airborne birch pollen abundance, and nasal birch pollen challenge led to down-regulation of type I and -III interferons in nasal mucosa. In a large patient cohort, numbers of rhinovirus-positive cases were correlated with airborne birch pollen concentrations.The ability of pollen to suppress innate antiviral immunity, independent of allergy, suggests that high-risk population groups should avoid extensive outdoor activities when pollen and respiratory virus seasons coincide.
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| 4. |
- Lux, Harald, et al.
(författare)
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Outdoor air pollution from industrial chemicals causing new onset of asthma or COPD : a systematic review protocol
- 2020
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Ingår i: Journal of Occupational Medicine and Toxicology. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1745-6673. ; 15:1
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background: Until today, industrial sources contribute to the multifaceted contamination of environmental air. Exposure to air pollutants has the potential to initiate and promote asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). At global scale, both entities cause the majority of about 4 million annual deaths by respiratory disease. However, we identified industrial contamination as a subgroup of air pollution that may be associated with this burden and is underinvestigated in research. Therefore, the aim of this study is to investigate associations between substances industrially released into environmental air and the occurrence of asthma and COPD in the human population. Here we present the protocol for our systematic review of the current evidence. Methods: The following determinations will be applied during the systematic review process and are specified in the protocol that complies with the PRISMA-P statement. Populations of children and adults, as well as outdoor workers, exposed to industrially released air pollutants are of interest. Eligible studies may include subjects as controls who are non- or less exposed to the investigated air pollutants. The outcomes new-onset asthma and/or COPD investigated with risk ratio, odds ratio, hazard ratio, incidence rate ratio, cumulative incidence, and incidence rate are eligible. We will search the electronic literature databases EMBASE, MEDLINE, and Web of Science for peer-reviewed reports of incidence studies and incidence case-control studies. After systematic sorting of initial records, included studies will be subjected to quality assessment. Data will be synthesized qualitatively and, if appropriate, quantitatively for risk ratio and odds ratio. We will maintain and provide a PRISMA report. Discussion: Results of this systematic review may indicate alterations of incidence and risk of asthma and/or COPD in populations within industrial exposure radiuses including outdoor workplaces. Specific causal substances and compositions will be identified, but results will depend on the exposure assessment of the eligible studies. Our approach covers effects of industrial contributions to overall air pollution if studies reportedly attribute investigated emissions to industry. Results of this study may raise the question wether the available higher-level evidence sufficiently covers the current scale of industrial exposure scenarios and their potential harm to respiratory health. Trial registration: This protocol was registered in PROSPERO, registration number CRD42020151573.
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