Assessment of the potential real pollen related allergenic load on the atmosphere of Porto city.

The knowledge of the allergen content in the atmosphere is a useful tool to stablish the risk allergy warnings for the sensitive people. In Portugal the main airborne allergenic pollen come from trees (such as Betula or Olea), grasses or weeds (mainly Urticaceae). The present study sought the quantification of the Bet v 1, Ole e 1, Lol p1 and Par j1-2 aeroallergen concentration as well as how weather variables influence in the pollen and allergen concentration in Porto city. Aerobiological study was carried out by a Hirst-type volumetric sampler for pollen collection and a Burkard Cyclone sampler for the aeroallergens. A regression analysis between pollen and allergens was conducted for the identification the allergenic risk days. High Pollen Allergen Potency in the atmosphere was observed considering the low levels of airborne pollen detected. A significant and positive correlation has been obtained between pollen and aeroallergen values with the temperatures whereas the correlation was negative with relative humidity, rainfall and wind speed. Back trajectory methodology was applied in order to analyse the discordances between pollen and allergen maximum concentrations. The analysis showed that when the pollen and allergen peaks were registered on the same day, air masses always comes from the continent. However, when the peaks do not coincide, the air mass comes from the continent in the case of the pollen peak and from the sea for the allergen peak. This behaviour can be a consequence of the high humidity in the air masses from the sea, which can benefit the allergen release from pollen grains. In our study it was observed that the available traditional information for allergenic Type I patients, corresponding to the amount of pollen grains in the bioaerosol, do not accurately identify the real allergenic load in the air.

Assessment of neural networks and time series analysis to forecast airborne Parietaria pollen presence in the Atlantic coastal regions.

Pollen forecasting models are a useful tool with which to predict episodes of type I allergenic risk and other environmental or biological processes. Parietaria is a wind-pollinated perennial herb that is responsible for many cases of severe pollinosis due to its high pollen production, the long persistence of the pollen grains in the atmosphere and the abundant presence of allergens in their cytoplasm and walls. The aim of this paper is to develop artificial neural networks (ANNs) to predict airborne Parietaria pollen concentrations in the northwestern part of Spain using a 19-year data set (1999-2017). The results show a significant increase in the length of time Parietaria pollen is in the air, as well as significant increases in the annual Parietaria pollen integral and mean daily maximum pollen value in the year. The Neural models show the ability to forecast airborne Parietaria pollen concentrations 1, 2, and 3 days ahead. A developed model with five input variables used to predict concentrations of airborne Parietaria pollen 1 day ahead shows determination coefficients between 0.618 and 0.652.

Fraxinus pollen and allergen concentrations in Ourense (South-western Europe).

In temperate zones of North-Central Europe the sensitization to ash pollen is a recognized problem, also extended to the Northern areas of the Mediterranean basin. Some observations in Switzerland suggest that ash pollen season could be as important as birch pollen period. The allergenic significance of this pollen has been poorly studied in Southern Europe as the amounts of ash pollen are low. Due to the high degree of family relationship with the olive pollen major allergen (backed by a sequence identity of 88%), the Fraxinus pollen could be a significant cause of early respiratory allergy in sensitized people to olive pollen as consequence of cross-reactivity processes. Ash tree flowers in the Northwestern Spain during the winter months. The atmospheric presence of Ole e 1-like proteins (which could be related with the Fra a 1 presence) can be accurately detected using Ole e 1 antibodies. The correlation analysis showed high Spearman correlation coefficients between pollen content and rainfall (R(2)=-0.333, p<0.01) or allergen concentration and maximum temperature (R(2)=-0.271, p<0.01). In addiction CCA analysis showed not significant differences (p<0.05) between the component 1 and 2 variables. PCFA analysis plots showed that the allergen concentrations are related to the presence of the Fraxinus pollen in the air, facilitating the wind speed its submicronic allergen proteins dispersion. In order to forecast the Fraxinus allergy risk periods, two regression equations were developed with Adjusted R(2) values around 0.48-0.49. The t-test for dependent samples shows no significant differences between the observed data and the estimated by the equations. The combination of the airborne pollen content and the allergen quantification must be assessed in the epidemiologic study of allergic respiratory diseases.

Airborne castanea pollen forecasting model for ecological and allergological implementation.

Castanea sativa Miller belongs to the natural vegetation of many European deciduous forests prompting impacts in the forestry, ecology, allergological and chestnut food industry fields. The study of the Castanea flowering represents an important tool for evaluating the ecological conservation of North-Western Spain woodland and the possible changes in the chestnut distribution due to recent climatic change. The Castanea pollen production and dispersal capacity may cause hypersensitivity reactions in the sensitive human population due to the relationship between patients with chestnut pollen allergy and a potential cross reactivity risk with other pollens or plant foods. In addition to Castanea pollen's importance as a pollinosis agent, its study is also essential in North-Western Spain due to the economic impact of the industry around the chestnut tree cultivation and its beekeeping interest. The aim of this research is to develop an Artificial Neural Networks for predict the Castanea pollen concentration in the atmosphere of the North-West Spain area by means a 20years data set. It was detected an increasing trend of the total annual Castanea pollen concentrations in the atmosphere during the study period. The Artificial Neural Networks (ANNs) implemented in this study show a great ability to predict Castanea pollen concentration one, two and three days ahead. The model to predict the Castanea pollen concentration one day ahead shows a high linear correlation coefficient of 0.784 (individual ANN) and 0.738 (multiple ANN). The results obtained improved those obtained by the classical methodology used to predict the airborne pollen concentrations such as time series analysis or other models based on the correlation of pollen levels with meteorological variables.

Oleaceae cross-reactions as potential pollinosis cause in urban areas.

It is worth noting the allergological problems induced by a not accurate design of the ornamental vegetation in the parks and streets of the cities. Usually, in the Oleaceae family, only the olive pollen is considered an important aeroallergen but other species of the family could be an important source of airborne pollen allergens. Pollen from Fraxinus, Olea and Ligustrum and its main aeroallergens were sampled in the atmosphere of an urban area in North-Western Spain during 2011. The allergen bioaerosol content was quantified by using specific 2-site ELISA and Ole e 1 antibodies. The Fra e 1 and Lig v 1 allergens were detected by means Ole e 1 antibodies. This fact demonstrates the cross-reactivity between the main allergens of Fraxinus, Olea and Ligustrum, plants widely species used as ornamental in the cities. Therefore, the urban allergenic people sensitized to Olea pollen could present allergenic reactions during the winter (due to ash pollen allergens), the spring (caused by olive pollen allergens) and the early summer (triggered by the privet flowering). As a consequence, sensitivity to the pollen of one species may favour development of sensitivity to all three species as consequence of the priming effect. The combination of pollen count and the allergen quantification must be assessed in the epidemiologic study of allergic respiratory diseases.

A new method for determining the sources of airborne particles.

Air quality is a major issue for humans owing to the fact that the content of particles in the atmosphere has multiple implications for life quality, ecosystem dynamics and environment. Scientists are therefore particularly interested in discovering the origin of airborne particles. A new method has been developed to model the relationship between the emission surface and the total amount of airborne particles at a given distance, employing olive pollen and olive groves as examples. A third-degree polynomial relationship between the air particles at a particular point and the distance from the source was observed, signifying that the nearest area to a point is not that which is most correlated with its air features. This work allows the origin of airborne particles to be discovered and could be implemented in different disciplines related to atmospheric aerosol, thus providing a new approach with which to discover the dynamics of airborne particles.

Assessment of Quercus flowering trends in NW Spain.

This paper sought to chart airborne Quercus pollen counts over the last 20 years in the region of Galicia (NW Spain) with a view to detecting the possible influence of climate change on the Quercus airborne pollen season (APS). Pollen data from Ourense, Santiago de Compostela, Vigo and Lugo were used. The Quercus airborne pollen season was characterized in terms of the following parameters: pollen season start and end dates, peak pollen count, pollen season length and pollen index. Several methods, dates and threshold temperatures for determining the chill and heat requirements needed to trigger flowering were applied. A diverse APS onset timing sequence was observed for the four cities as Quercus flowers few days in advance in Vigo. The variations observed could be related to differences in the meteorological conditions or the thermal requirements needed for flowering. Thermal requirements differed depending on local climate conditions in the study cities: the lowest values for chilling accumulation were recorded in Vigo and the highest in Lugo, whereas the lowest heat accumulation was achieved in Vigo. Differences in APS trends between cities may reflect variations in weather-related trends. A significant trend towards rising Quercus pollen indices and higher maximum daily mean pollen counts was observed in Ourense, linked to the more marked temperature increase across southern Galicia. A non-uniform trend towards increased temperatures was noted over the study period, particularly in late summer and early autumn in all four study cities. Additionally, an increase in spring temperatures was observed in south-western Galicia.

Pla a_1 aeroallergen immunodetection related to the airborne Platanus pollen content.

Platanus hispanica pollen is considered an important source of aeroallergens in many Southern European cities. This tree is frequently used in urban green spaces as ornamental specie. The flowering period is greatly influenced by the meteorological conditions, which directly affect its allergenic load in the atmosphere. The purpose of this study is to develop equations to predict the Platanus allergy risk periods as a function of the airborne pollen, the allergen concentration and the main meteorological parameters. The study was conducted by means two volumetric pollen samplers; a Lanzoni VPPS 2000 for the Platanus pollen sampling and a Burkard multivial Cyclone Sampler to collect the aeroallergen particles (Pla a_1). In addiction the Dot-Blot and the Raman spectroscopy methods were used to corroborate the results. The Pla a_1 protein is recorded in the atmosphere after the presence of the Platanus pollen, which extend the Platanus pollen allergy risk periods. The Platanus pollen and the Pla a 1 allergens concentration are associated with statistical significant variations of some meteorological variables: in a positive way with the mean and maximum temperature whereas the sign of the correlation coefficient is negative with the relative humidity. The lineal regression equation elaborated in order to forecast the Platanus pollen content in the air explain the 64.5% of variance of the pollen presence in the environment, whereas the lineal regression equation elaborated in order to forecast the aeroallergen a 54.1% of the Pla a_1 presence variance. The combination of pollen count and the allergen quantification must be assessed in the epidemiologic study of allergic respiratory diseases to prevent the allergy risk periods.

Evaluation of atmospheric Poaceae pollen concentration using a neural network applied to a coastal Atlantic climate region.

In the South of Europe an important percentage of population suffers pollen allergies, being the Poaceae pollen the major source. One of aerobiology's objectives is to develop statistical models enabling the short- and long-term prediction of atmospheric pollen concentrations to take preventative measures to protect allergic patients from the severity of the atmospheric pollen season. The implementation of a computational model based on supervised MLP neural network was applied for the prediction of the atmospheric Poaceae pollen concentration. There is a good correlation between the values predicted by the ANN for the training cases in comparison with the real pollen concentrations. A high coefficient of linear regression (R(2)) of 0.9696 was obtained. The accuracy of the neural network developed was tested with data from 2006 and 2007, which was not taken into account to establish the aforementioned models. Neural networks provided us a good tool to forecasting allergenic airborne pollen concentration helping the automation of the prediction system in the aerobiological information diffusion to the population suffering from allergic problems.

Modelo de predicción para Botrytis cinerea en un viñedo de Galicia (España) / Predictive model for Botrytis cinerea in a vineyard of Galicia, Spain

Se realizó un recuento de las esporas de Botrytis cinerea en la atmósfera de un viñedo de la comarca del Ribeiro (Galicia, España), durante tres años consecutivos. Para explicar su abundancia, dicha información se ha relacionado con las fases fenológicas de la vid y con la influencia que los principales parámetros meteorológicos ejercen sobre el contenido fúngico. Tras el estudio estadístico de los datos se ha elaborado un modelo predictivo (regresión polinomial) de la concentración de dichas esporas en la atmósfera.

During three consecutive years, the counting of Botrytis cinerea spores in the atmosphere of a vineyard in the region of Ribeiro (Galicia, Spain) has been carried out. To explain their abundance, such information has been related to the phonological stages of the vine and to the influence that the main meteorological parameters exert on the fungal content. Taking into account the statistical analysis of data, a predictive model (polynomial regression) for the concentration of these spores in the atmosphere has been prepared.

Poaceae pollen in Galicia (N.W. Spain): characterisation and recent trends in atmospheric pollen season.

Airborne Poaceae pollen counts are greatly influenced by weather-related parameters, but may also be governed by other factors. Poaceae pollen is responsible for most allergic reactions in the pollen-sensitive population of Galicia (Spain), and it is therefore essential to determine the risk posed by airborne pollen counts. The global climate change recorded over recent years may prompt changes in the atmospheric pollen season (APS). This survey used airborne Poaceae pollen data recorded for four Galician cities since 1993, in order to characterise the APS and note any trends in its onset, length and severity. Pollen sampling was performed using Hirst-type volumetric traps; data were subjected to Spearman's correlation test and regression models, in order to detect possible correlations between different parameters and trends. The APS was calculated using ten different methods, in order to assess the influence of each on survey results. Finally, trends detected for the major weather-related parameters influencing pollen counts over the study period were compared with those recorded over the last 30 years. All four cities displayed a trend towards lower annual total Poaceae pollen counts, lower peak values and a smaller number of days on which counts exceeded 30, 50 and 100 pollen grains/m(3). Moreover, the survey noted a trend towards delayed onset and shorter duration of the APS, although differences were observed depending on the criteria used to define the first and the last day of the APS.

Behavior of Platanus hispanica pollen, an important spring aeroallergen in northwestern Spain.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Platanus hispanica trees are considered an important source of airborne pollen allergens in many cities of Western Europe. As the prevalence of sensitization to this species is 8% to 9% in northwestern Spain, our objective was to propose models predicting both the onset of the pollen season and the mean daily pollen concentrations. METHODS: Airborne P. hispanica pollen was monitored from 1993 through 2002 with 2 Hirst volumetric spore traps in Ourense and Santiago de Compostela in northwestern Spain. The pollination start dates were determined and the data were fitted to predictive regression models, which were tested for the year 2002. RESULTS: P. hispanica pollen is present in the atmosphere from March to April. The main pollination period is short with a mean duration of around 40 days. The mean maximum daily concentrations exceeded 100 pollen grains/m(3). As temperature is the parameter that most influences atmospheric pollen levels, this variable was chosen as the basis for models predicting both the onset of the pollen season and daily pollen concentrations. The predicted onset date was a few days later than the real start date in 2002. However, the model gave an accurate prediction of the mean daily pollen concentration. CONCLUSIONS: The mean daily concentrations of P. hispanica pollen are high, and given the allergenic potential of this species, it should be taken into account as one of the most important local spring allergens. The weather-related models proposed help us to predict P. hispanica pollen concentrations in the atmosphere.

Análisis cuantitativo y cualitativo de la aeromicota aislada de la Catedral de Santiago de Compostela (Galicia, España) / Quantitative and qualitative analysis of the airborne fungi isolated in the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela (Galicia, Spain)

Mediante un estudio de la presencia de mitosporas fúngicas atmosféricas en el interior y exterior de la Catedral de Santiago de Compostela (España) durante un año, a través de un sistema de captación volumétrico viable, se identificaron 28 taxa, principalmente: Alternaria, Aspergillus, Cladosporium y Penicillium. Desde el punto de vista cuantitativo no existen diferencias significativas entre interior/exterior, y en ambos casos las concentraciones son ligeramente más elevadas en primavera-verano. Las especies más abundantes fueron: Penicillium purpurogenum Stoll, con un 94 por ciento en la atmósfera interna y un 82 por ciento en el exterior y Aspergillus fumigatus Fres., con un 65 por ciento y un 63 por ciento respectivamente.

A study was carried out on the atmosphericfungal content in the Cathedral of Santiago deCompostela (Spain) and its exterior during a year, usinga viable volumetric collecting system. A total of 28 taxawere identified, the most abundant of which were:Alternaria, Aspergillus, Cladosporium and Penicillium.In quantitative terms there were no significant indoor/outdoor differences, and the concentrations were slightlyhigher in Spring-Summer in both cases. The mostabundant species were Penicillium purpurogenum Stoll,with 94 percent in the indoor atmosphere and 82 percent outdoors,and Aspergillus fumigatus Fres., representing 65 percent inthe indoor and 63 percent outdoors.

Comportamiento temporal de las mitosporas de Cladosporium en la atmósfera de Galicia (España) / Temporary behaviour of Cladosporium mitospores in the atmosphere of Galicia, Spain

Se ha realizado el recuento de las mitosporas de poblaciones de Cladosporium en la atmósfera de ocho ciudades de Galicia (España), mediante un sistema de captación volumétrica no viable, obteniéndose un total de 40 registros anuales. Los valores promedio de los años de estudio oscilaron entre 96.726 mitosporas en Coruña y 326.898 en Trives, destacando en todas las localidades una mayor abundancia de las mismas durante la época estival. El máximo diario de Cladosporium cladosporioides se registró en Ourense (7.556 mitosporas/m3 el 8 de septiembre de 2004) mientras que el de Cladosporium herbarum correspondió a Trives (7.130 mitosporas/m3 el 8 de julio de 2003). El modelo de comportamiento intradiario varió según la localidad, pero en general se observó una mayor concentración de mitosporas a partir de las 13h.

By using a non viable volumetric capturing system it was possible to count populations of Cladosporiummitospores in the atmosphere of eight cities of Galicia (Spain), yielding a total of 40 annual records. Average values of the examined years ranged from 96.726 mitospores in Coruña and 326.898 in Trives, the highest abundance occurring during summer in all the localities. The daily maximum of Cladosporium cladosporioides was recorded in Ourense (7.556 mitospores/m on September 2004) while that of Cladosporium herbarum was detected in Trives (7.130 mitospores/m on july 8 2003). The intradaily model of behaviour varied according to the locality yet in general a major mitospore concentration could be observed sinceone o´clock p.m.

Concentraciones atmosféricas de propágulos fúngicos en viñedos del Ribeiro (Galicia, España) / Atmospheric concentrations of fungal propagules in vineyards of Ribeiro valley (Galicia, Spain)

Con el fin de conocer la incidencia de la podredumbre gris, el oidio y el mildiu y contribuir a paliar sus efectos en la vid mediante la aplicación de un tratamiento fitosanitario adecuado, se ha realizado un estudio de la concentración atmosférica de los conidios de Botrytis y Uncinula y los esporangios de Plasmopara, en un viñedo de la provincia de Ourense (Galicia, España), durante la época vegetativa del cultivo en el año 2004. De los tres fitopatógenos estudiados, se han encontrado cantidades importantes de Botrytis, con un total de 6.519 conidios y Uncinula con 1.554 conidios, ambos presentes en la atmósfera preferentemente entre las 19-20 h. La concentración de esporangios de Plasmopara, ha sido inferior, con un total de 311 esporangios, registrándose los picos más elevados entre las 17-18 h. A partir de los datos de las concentraciones diarias de estos propágulos, se ha analizado estadísticamente la influencia de las variables meteorológicas sobre su presencia en la atmósfera, destacando positivamente la humedad absoluta y la temperatura de rocío, sobre la concentración de conidios de Botrytis y esporangios de Plasmopara y la temperatura máxima para los conidios de Uncinula. Se han desarrollado modelos de predicción de los niveles de estos propágulos, que podrían ser de gran utilidad para la valoración del riesgo de infección.

With the purpose of knowing the incidence of grey mould, powdery mildew and downy mildew and thusminimize their effect on vineyards through the application of a suitable fungicide treatment, we studied the atmospheric concentrations of conidia of Botrytis and Uncinula together with the sporangia of Plasmopara in a vineyardlocated in the province of Ourense (Galicia, Spain), in the year 2004, during the vegetative stage of the growing. Among the three topathogenous examined, a high number of Botrytis, with a total of 6.519 conidia and Uncinula, with 1,554 conidia was detected, both being present in the atmosphere mainly within 19 -20 h. Theconcentration of Plasmopara sporangia has been lower, with a total of 311, the highest peak being recorded within 17-18h. Based on data collected from dailyconcentrations of these propagules, the influence of meteorological fluctuations on their presence in the atmosphere has been statistically analysed, and it hasbeen concluded that absolute humidity as well as temperature of dew have positive effects on the concentration of Botrytis conidia and Plasmopara sporangia whereas maximum temperature shows similar results in the case of Uncinula conidia. Predictive models regarding the levels of these propagules were developed in order to ascertain risk of infection.

Short-term prediction of Betula airborne pollen concentration in Vigo (NW Spain) using logistic additive models and partially linear models.

Betula pollen is a common cause of pollinosis in localities in NW Spain and between 13% and 60% of individuals who are immunosensitive to pollen grains respond positively to its allergens. It is important in the case of all such people to be able to predict pollen concentrations in advance. We therefore undertook an aerobiological study in the city of Vigo (Pontevedra, Spain) from 1995 to 2001, using a Hirst active-impact pollen trap (VPPS 2000) situated in the city centre. Vigo presents a temperate maritime climate with a mean annual temperature of 14.9 degrees C and 1,412 mm annual total precipitation. This paper analyses two ways of quantifying the prediction of pollen concentration: first by means of a generalized additive regression model with the object of predicting whether the series of interest exceeds a certain threshold; second using a partially linear model to obtain specific prediction values for pollen grains. Both models use a self-explicative part and another formed by exogenous meteorological factors. The models were tested with data from 2001 (year in which the total precipitation registered was almost twice the climatological average overall during the flowering period), which were not used in formulating the models. A highly satisfactory classification and good forecasting results were achieved with the first and second approaches respectively. The estimated line taking into account temperature and a calm S-SW wind, corresponds to the real line recorded during 2001, which gives us an idea of the proposed model's validity.

Effect of air temperature on forecasting the start of the Betula pollen season at two contrasting sites in the south of Europe (1995-2001).

In order to survive periods of adverse cold climatic conditions, plant requirements are satisfied by means of physiological adaptations to prevent cells from freezing. Thus, the growth of woody plants in temperate regions slows down and they enter into a physiological state called dormancy. In order to identify the chilling and heat requirements to overcome the dormancy period of Betula in the south of Europe, a comparative study was carried out with aerobiological pollen data of a 7-year (1995-2001) period in Vigo (Spain) and Perugia (Italy). To satisfy chilling requirements, base temperatures of 7 degrees C and 5.75 degrees C showed a lower standard variation coefficient: 3.94% and 2.36% in Perugia and Vigo respectively. In the case of heat accumulation, the sum of mean temperatures in Perugia and the sum of maximum temperatures in Vigo were the parameters that showed a minor coefficient of variation (11.13% and 14.51% respectively).

Phenological behaviour of Quercus in Ourense (NW Spain) and its relationship with the atmospheric pollen season.

Knowing the beginning of the pollen season is of particular importance to people allergic to a given pollen. Phenological studies in combination with aerobiological studies enable us to observe the relationship between the reproductive phenology of the species and their airborne pollen curves. They also enable us to study the relationship between the release of pollen from anthers and its presence in the atmosphere. The objectives of this study are (1) to determine chill and heat requirements for different phenological phases in the Quercus species present in Ourense (Spain), (2) to verify the synchronization between the flowering event and the presence of Quercus pollen in the air, (3) to select the best criterion for determining the onset of the pollen season according to phenological data, and finally, (4) to obtain models enabling us to determine the onset of the pollen season. Pollen monitoring was carried out from 1993 to 2001, by means of a 7-day Lanzoni VPPS pollen trap and, in order to characterize the floral phenophase of different Quercus species, a sampling method was applied from February to June 2001. We observed that climatic and biotic factors can produce a delay in the onset of the pollen season. Temperatures above 8 degrees C and between 6 degrees C to 8 degrees C are good threshold temperatures for estimating chill and heat requirements respectively. Medium-distance transportation of Quercus robur and Quercus pyrenaica pollen from areas 10-30 km away influences the concentrations of Quercus pollen registered in Ourense.