K+ Efflux-Independent NLRP3 Inflammasome Activation by Small Molecules Targeting Mitochondria.

Imiquimod is a small-molecule ligand of Toll-like receptor-7 (TLR7) that is licensed for the treatment of viral infections and cancers of the skin. Imiquimod has TLR7-independent activities that are mechanistically unexplained, including NLRP3 inflammasome activation in myeloid cells and apoptosis induction in cancer cells. We investigated the mechanism of inflammasome activation by imiquimod and the related molecule CL097 and determined that K+ efflux was dispensable for NLRP3 activation by these compounds. Imiquimod and CL097 inhibited the quinone oxidoreductases NQO2 and mitochondrial Complex I. This induced a burst of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and thiol oxidation, and led to NLRP3 activation via NEK7, a recently identified component of this inflammasome. Metabolic consequences of Complex I inhibition and endolysosomal effects of imiquimod might also contribute to NLRP3 activation. Our results reveal a K+ efflux-independent mechanism for NLRP3 activation and identify targets of imiquimod that might be clinically relevant.

Nocturnal heat exposure and stroke risk.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: In recent decades, nighttime temperatures have increased faster than daytime temperatures. The increasing prevalence of nocturnal heat exposure may pose a significant risk to cardiovascular health. This study investigated the association between nighttime heat exposure and stroke risk in the region of Augsburg, Germany, and examined its temporal variations over 15 years. METHODS: Hourly meteorological parameters, including mean temperature, relative humidity, and barometric pressure, were acquired from a local meteorological station. A data set was obtained consisting of 11 037 clinical stroke cases diagnosed during warmer months (May to October) between the years 2006 and 2020. The average age of cases was 71.3 years. Among these cases, 642 were identified as haemorrhagic strokes, 7430 were classified as ischaemic strokes, and 2947 were transient ischaemic attacks. A time-stratified case-crossover analysis with a distributed lag non-linear model was used to estimate the stroke risk associated with extreme nighttime heat, as measured by the hot night excess (HNE) index after controlling for the potential confounding effects of daily maximum temperature and other climatic variables. Subgroup analyses by age group, sex, stroke subtype, and stroke severity were performed to identify variations in susceptibility to nighttime heat. RESULTS: Results suggested a significant increase in stroke risk on days with extreme nighttime heat (97.5% percentile of HNE) (odds ratio 1.07, 95% confidence interval 1.01-1.15) during the full study period. When comparing the results for 2013-20 with the results for 2006-12, there was a significant increase (P < .05) in HNE-related risk for all strokes and specifically for ischaemic strokes during the more recent period. Furthermore, older individuals, females, and patients with mild stroke symptoms exhibited a significantly increased vulnerability to nighttime heat. CONCLUSIONS: This study found nocturnal heat exposure to be related to elevated stroke risk after controlling for maximum daytime temperature, with increasing susceptibility between 2006 and 2020. These results underscore the importance of considering nocturnal heat as a critical trigger of stroke events in a warming climate.

Exploring the skin microbiome in atopic dermatitis pathogenesis and disease modification.

Inflammatory skin diseases such as atopic eczema (atopic dermatitis [AD]) affect children and adults globally. In AD, the skin barrier is impaired on multiple levels. Underlying factors include genetic, chemical, immunologic, and microbial components. Increased skin pH in AD is part of the altered microbial microenvironment that promotes overgrowth of the skin microbiome with Staphylococcus aureus. The secretion of virulence factors, such as toxins and proteases, by S aureus further aggravates the skin barrier deficiency and additionally disrupts the balance of an already skewed immune response. Skin commensal bacteria, however, can inhibit the growth and pathogenicity of S aureus through quorum sensing. Therefore, restoring a healthy skin microbiome could contribute to remission induction in AD. This review discusses direct and indirect approaches to targeting the skin microbiome through modulation of the skin pH; UV treatment; and use of prebiotics, probiotics, and postbiotics. Furthermore, exploratory techniques such as skin microbiome transplantation, ozone therapy, and phage therapy are discussed. Finally, we summarize the latest findings on disease and microbiome modification through targeted immunomodulatory systemic treatments and biologics. We believe that targeting the skin microbiome should be considered a crucial component of successful AD treatment in the future.

EAACI guidelines on environmental science for allergy and asthma: The impact of short-term exposure to outdoor air pollutants on asthma-related outcomes and recommendations for mitigation measures.

The EAACI Guidelines on the impact of short-term exposure to outdoor pollutants on asthma-related outcomes provide recommendations for prevention, patient care and mitigation in a framework supporting rational decisions for healthcare professionals and patients to individualize and improve asthma management and for policymakers and regulators as an evidence-informed reference to help setting legally binding standards and goals for outdoor air quality at international, national and local levels. The Guideline was developed using the GRADE approach and evaluated outdoor pollutants referenced in the current Air Quality Guideline of the World Health Organization as single or mixed pollutants and outdoor pesticides. Short-term exposure to all pollutants evaluated increases the risk of asthma-related adverse outcomes, especially hospital admissions and emergency department visits (moderate certainty of evidence at specific lag days). There is limited evidence for the impact of traffic-related air pollution and outdoor pesticides exposure as well as for the interventions to reduce emissions. Due to the quality of evidence, conditional recommendations were formulated for all pollutants and for the interventions reducing outdoor air pollution. Asthma management counselled by the current EAACI guidelines can improve asthma-related outcomes but global measures for clean air are needed to achieve significant impact.

The impact of exposure to tobacco smoke and e-cigarettes on asthma-related outcomes: Systematic review informing the EAACI guidelines on environmental science for allergic diseases and asthma.

To inform the clinical practice guidelines' recommendations developed by the European Academy of Allergy and Clinical Immunology systematic reviews (SR) assessed using GRADE on the impact of environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) and active smoking on the risk of new-onset asthma/recurrent wheezing (RW)/low lung function (LF), and on asthma-related outcomes. Only longitudinal studies were included, almost all on combustion cigarettes, only one assessing e-cigarettes and LF. According to the first SR (67 studies), prenatal ETS increases the risk of RW (moderate certainty evidence) and may increase the risk of new-onset asthma and of low LF (low certainty evidence). Postnatal ETS increases the risk of new-onset asthma and of RW (moderate certainty evidence) and may impact LF (low certainty evidence). Combined in utero and postnatal ETS may increase the risk of new-onset asthma (low certainty evidence) and increases the risk of RW (moderate certainty evidence). According to the second SR (24 studies), ETS increases the risk of severe asthma exacerbations and impairs asthma control and LF (moderate certainty evidence). According to the third SR (25 studies), active smoking increases the risk of severe asthma exacerbations and of suboptimal asthma control (moderate certainty evidence) and may impact asthma-related quality-of-life and LF (low certainty evidence).

The impact of indoor pollution on asthma-related outcomes: A systematic review for the EAACI guidelines on environmental science for allergic diseases and asthma.

Systematic review using GRADE of the impact of exposure to volatile organic compounds (VOCs), cleaning agents, mould/damp, pesticides on the risk of (i) new-onset asthma (incidence) and (ii) adverse asthma-related outcomes (impact). MEDLINE, EMBASE and Web of Science were searched for indoor pollutant exposure studies reporting on new-onset asthma and critical and important asthma-related outcomes. Ninety four studies were included: 11 for VOCs (7 for incidenceand 4 for impact), 25 for cleaning agents (7 for incidenceand 8 for impact), 48 for damp/mould (26 for incidence and 22 for impact) and 10 for pesticides (8 for incidence and 2 for impact). Exposure to damp/mould increases the risk of new-onset wheeze (moderate certainty evidence). Exposure to cleaning agents may be associated with a higher risk of new-onset asthma and with asthma severity (low level of certainty). Exposure to pesticides and VOCs may increase the risk of new-onset asthma (very low certainty evidence). The impact on asthma-related outcomes of all major indoor pollutants is uncertain. As the level of certainty is low or very low for most of the available evidence on the impact of indoor pollutants on asthma-related outcomes more rigorous research in the field is warranted.

The impact of outdoor pollution and extreme temperatures on asthma-related outcomes: A systematic review for the EAACI guidelines on environmental science for allergic diseases and asthma.

Air pollution is one of the biggest environmental threats for asthma. Its impact is augmented by climate change. To inform the recommendations of the EAACI Guidelines on the environmental science for allergic diseases and asthma, a systematic review (SR) evaluated the impact on asthma-related outcomes of short-term exposure to outdoor air pollutants (PM2.5, PM10, NO2 , SO2 , O3 , and CO), heavy traffic, outdoor pesticides, and extreme temperatures. Additionally, the SR evaluated the impact of the efficacy of interventions reducing outdoor pollutants. The risk of bias was assessed using ROBINS-E tools and the certainty of the evidence by using GRADE. Short-term exposure to PM2.5, PM10, and NO2 probably increases the risk of asthma-related hospital admissions (HA) and emergency department (ED) visits (moderate certainty evidence). Exposure to heavy traffic may increase HA and deteriorate asthma control (low certainty evidence). Interventions reducing outdoor pollutants may reduce asthma exacerbations (low to very low certainty evidence). Exposure to fumigants may increase the risk of new-onset asthma in agricultural workers, while exposure to 1,3-dichloropropene may increase the risk of asthma-related ED visits (low certainty evidence). Heatwaves and cold spells may increase the risk of asthma-related ED visits and HA and asthma mortality (low certainty evidence).

Continental-scale evaluation of downy birch pollen production: Estimating the impacts of global change.

The high prevalence of hay fever in Europe has raised concerns about the implications of climate change-induced higher temperatures on pollen production. Our study focuses on downy birch pollen production across Europe by analyzing 456 catkins during 2019-2021 in 37 International Phenological Gardens (IPG) spanning a large geographic gradient. As IPGs rely on genetically identical plants, we were able to reduce the effects of genetic variability. We studied the potential association with masting behavior and three model specifications based on mean and quantile regression to assess the impact of meteorology (e.g., temperature and precipitation) and atmospheric gases (e.g., ozone (O3) and carbon-dioxide (CO2)) on pollen and catkin production, while controlling for tree age approximated by stem circumference. The results revealed a substantial geographic variability in mean pollen production, ranging from 1.9 to 2.5 million pollen grains per catkin. Regression analyses indicated that elevated average temperatures of the previous summer corresponded to increased pollen production, while higher O3 levels led to a reduction. Additionally, catkins number was positively influenced by preceding summer's temperature and precipitation but negatively by O3 levels. The investigation of quantile effects revealed that the impacts of mean temperature and O3 levels from the previous summer varied throughout the conditional response distribution. We found that temperature predominantly affected trees characterized by a high pollen production. We therefore suggest that birches modulate their physiological processes to optimize pollen production under varying temperature regimes. In turn, O3 levels negatively affected trees with pollen production levels exceeding the conditional median. We conclude that future temperature increase might exacerbate pollen production while other factors may modify (decrease in the case of O3 and amplify for precipitation) this effect. Our comprehensive study sheds light on potential impacts of climate change on downy birch pollen production, which is crucial for birch reproduction and human health.

Higher airborne pollen concentrations correlated with increased SARS-CoV-2 infection rates, as evidenced from 31 countries across the globe.

Pollen exposure weakens the immunity against certain seasonal respiratory viruses by diminishing the antiviral interferon response. Here we investigate whether the same applies to the pandemic severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), which is sensitive to antiviral interferons, if infection waves coincide with high airborne pollen concentrations. Our original hypothesis was that more airborne pollen would lead to increases in infection rates. To examine this, we performed a cross-sectional and longitudinal data analysis on SARS-CoV-2 infection, airborne pollen, and meteorological factors. Our dataset is the most comprehensive, largest possible worldwide from 130 stations, across 31 countries and five continents. To explicitly investigate the effects of social contact, we additionally considered population density of each study area, as well as lockdown effects, in all possible combinations: without any lockdown, with mixed lockdown-no lockdown regime, and under complete lockdown. We found that airborne pollen, sometimes in synergy with humidity and temperature, explained, on average, 44% of the infection rate variability. Infection rates increased after higher pollen concentrations most frequently during the four previous days. Without lockdown, an increase of pollen abundance by 100 pollen/m3 resulted in a 4% average increase of infection rates. Lockdown halved infection rates under similar pollen concentrations. As there can be no preventive measures against airborne pollen exposure, we suggest wide dissemination of pollen-virus coexposure dire effect information to encourage high-risk individuals to wear particle filter masks during high springtime pollen concentrations.

Benchmarking MicrobIEM - a user-friendly tool for decontamination of microbiome sequencing data.

BACKGROUND: Microbiome analysis is becoming a standard component in many scientific studies, but also requires extensive quality control of the 16S rRNA gene sequencing data prior to analysis. In particular, when investigating low-biomass microbial environments such as human skin, contaminants distort the true microbiome sample composition and need to be removed bioinformatically. We introduce MicrobIEM, a novel tool to bioinformatically remove contaminants using negative controls. RESULTS: We benchmarked MicrobIEM against five established decontamination approaches in four 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing datasets: three serially diluted mock communities (108-103 cells, 0.4-80% contamination) with even or staggered taxon compositions and a skin microbiome dataset. Results depended strongly on user-selected algorithm parameters. Overall, sample-based algorithms separated mock and contaminant sequences best in the even mock, whereas control-based algorithms performed better in the two staggered mocks, particularly in low-biomass samples (≤ 106 cells). We show that a correct decontamination benchmarking requires realistic staggered mock communities and unbiased evaluation measures such as Youden's index. In the skin dataset, the Decontam prevalence filter and MicrobIEM's ratio filter effectively reduced common contaminants while keeping skin-associated genera. CONCLUSIONS: MicrobIEM's ratio filter for decontamination performs better or as good as established bioinformatic decontamination tools. In contrast to established tools, MicrobIEM additionally provides interactive plots and supports selecting appropriate filtering parameters via a user-friendly graphical user interface. Therefore, MicrobIEM is the first quality control tool for microbiome experts without coding experience.

S3 Guideline Atopic dermatitis: Part 1 - General aspects, topical and non-drug therapies, special patient groups.

This S3 guideline was created based on the European S3 guideline, with special consideration of the medical conditions in the German-speaking region and incorporating additions from the previous German-language version. The interdisciplinary guideline commission consisted of representatives from the German Dermatological Society, the Professional Association of German Dermatologists, the Austrian Society of Dermatology and Venereology, the Swiss Society of Dermatology and Venereology, the German Society for Allergology and Clinical Immunology, the German Society for Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine, the Professional Association of Pediatricians and Adolescent Medicine, the Society for Pediatric Allergology and Environmental Medicine, the German Society for Pediatric Rehabilitation and Prevention, the German Society for Psychosomatic Medicine and Medical Psychotherapy, the German Network for Health Services Research, the German Eczema Association and the German Allergy and Asthma Association. This first part of the guideline focuses on the definition and diagnostic aspects of atopic dermatitis (AD), addressing topical therapy as well as non-pharmacological treatment approaches such as UV therapy, psychoeducational therapy, dietary interventions for AD, allergen immunotherapy for AD, and complementary medicine. This part of the guideline also covers specific aspects of AD in children and adolescents, during pregnancy and lactation, and in the context of family planning. Additionally, it addresses occupational aspects of AD and highlights the perspective of the patients. The second part of the guideline, published separately, addresses the systemic therapy of AD.

S3 guideline Atopic dermatitis: Part 2 - Systemic treatment.

The present S3 guideline was created based on the European English-language S3 guideline, with special consideration given to the medical conditions in the German-speaking region, and with additions from the previous German-language version, in accordance with the criteria of the AWMF. This second part of the guideline addresses the systemic therapy of atopic dermatitis (AD). It covers topics such as the indication for systemic therapy in children, adolescents, and adult patients with AD. Furthermore, it addresses all medications approved for AD, such as the biologics dupilumab and tralokinumab, the Janus kinase inhibitors abrocitinib, baricitinib, and upadacitinib, as well as conventional immunosuppressive therapies with systemic glucocorticosteroids and ciclosporin. Additionally, it discusses systemic off-label therapies. The first part of the guideline, published separately, includes the definition and diagnostic aspects of AD, describes topical therapy, non-drug therapy approaches, and addresses aspects related to special patient groups.

IL-13, periostin and dipeptidyl-peptidase-4 reveal endotype-phenotype associations in atopic dermatitis.

BACKGROUND: The heterogeneous (endo)phenotypes of atopic dermatitis (AD) require precision medicine. Currently, systemic therapy is recommended to patients with an Eczema Area and Severity Index (EASI)≥16. Previous studies have demonstrated an improved treatment response to the anti-interleukin (IL)-13 antibody tralokinumab in AD subgroups with elevated levels of the IL-13-related biomarkers dipeptidyl-peptidase (DPP)-4 and periostin. METHODS: Herein, 373 AD patients aged≥12 years were stratified by IL-13high , periostinhigh and DPP-4high endotypes using cross-sectional data from the ProRaD cohort Bonn. "High" was defined as >80th quantile of 47 non-atopic controls. We analyzed endotype-phenotype associations using machine-learning gradient boosting compared to logistic regression. RESULTS: AD severity and eosinophils correlated with IL-13 and periostin levels. Correlations of IL-13 with EASI were stronger in patients with increased (rs=0.482) than with normal (rs=0.342) periostin levels. We identified eosinophilia>6% and an EASI range of 5.5-17 dependent on the biomarker combination to be associated with increasing probabilities of biomarkerhigh endotypes. Also patients with mild-to-low-moderate severity (EASI<16) featured increased biomarkers (IL-13high : 41%, periostinhigh : 48.4%, DPP-4high : 22.3%). Herthoge sign (adjusted Odds Ratio (aOR)=1.89, 95% Confidence Interval (CI) [1.14-3.14]) and maternal allergic rhinitis (aOR=2.79-4.47) increased the probability of an IL-13high -endotype, "dirty neck" (aOR=2.83 [1.32-6.07]), orbital darkening (aOR=2.43 [1.08-5.50]), keratosis pilaris (aOR=2.21 [1.1-4.42]) and perleche (aOR=3.44 [1.72-6.86]) of a DPP-4high -endotype. CONCLUSIONS: A substantial proportion of patients with EASI<16 featured high biomarker levels suggesting systemic impact of skin inflammation already below the current cut-off for systemic therapy. Our findings facilitate the identification of patients with distinct endotypes potentially linked to response to IL-13-targeted therapy.

EAACI guidelines on environmental science in allergic diseases and asthma - Leveraging artificial intelligence and machine learning to develop a causality model in exposomics.

Allergic diseases and asthma are intrinsically linked to the environment we live in and to patterns of exposure. The integrated approach to understanding the effects of exposures on the immune system includes the ongoing collection of large-scale and complex data. This requires sophisticated methods to take full advantage of what this data can offer. Here we discuss the progress and further promise of applying artificial intelligence and machine-learning approaches to help unlock the power of complex environmental data sets toward providing causality models of exposure and intervention. We discuss a range of relevant machine-learning paradigms and models including the way such models are trained and validated together with examples of machine learning applied to allergic disease in the context of specific environmental exposures as well as attempts to tie these environmental data streams to the full representative exposome. We also discuss the promise of artificial intelligence in personalized medicine and the methodological approaches to healthcare with the final AI to improve public health.

Spatial transcriptomics combined with single-cell RNA-sequencing unravels the complex inflammatory cell network in atopic dermatitis.

BACKGROUND: Atopic dermatitis (AD) is the most common chronic inflammatory skin disease with complex pathogenesis for which the cellular and molecular crosstalk in AD skin has not been fully understood. METHODS: Skin tissues examined for spatial gene expression were derived from the upper arm of 6 healthy control (HC) donors and 7 AD patients (lesion and nonlesion). We performed spatial transcriptomics sequencing to characterize the cellular infiltrate in lesional skin. For single-cell analysis, we analyzed the single-cell data from suction blister material from AD lesions and HC skin at the antecubital fossa skin (4 ADs and 5 HCs) and full-thickness skin biopsies (4 ADs and 2 HCs). The multiple proximity extension assays were performed in the serum samples from 36 AD patients and 28 HCs. RESULTS: The single-cell analysis identified unique clusters of fibroblasts, dendritic cells, and macrophages in the lesional AD skin. Spatial transcriptomics analysis showed the upregulation of COL6A5, COL4A1, TNC, and CCL19 in COL18A1-expressing fibroblasts in the leukocyte-infiltrated areas in AD skin. CCR7-expressing dendritic cells (DCs) showed a similar distribution in the lesions. Additionally, M2 macrophages expressed CCL13 and CCL18 in this area. Ligand-receptor interaction analysis of the spatial transcriptome identified neighboring infiltration and interaction between activated COL18A1-expressing fibroblasts, CCL13- and CCL18-expressing M2 macrophages, CCR7- and LAMP3-expressing DCs, and T cells. As observed in skin lesions, serum levels of TNC and CCL18 were significantly elevated in AD, and correlated with clinical disease severity. CONCLUSION: In this study, we show the unknown cellular crosstalk in leukocyte-infiltrated area in lesional skin. Our findings provide a comprehensive in-depth knowledge of the nature of AD skin lesions to guide the development of better treatments.

Atopic dermatitis: Correlation of distinct risk factors with age of onset in adulthood compared to childhood.

BACKGROUND: Atopic dermatitis (AD) has long been regarded as a primarily pediatric disease. However, there is growing evidence for a high rate of adult-onset AD. We aimed to characterize factors associated with adult-onset versus childhood-onset AD and controls. METHODS: We analyzed cross-sectional data of the CK-CARE-ProRaD cohorts Bonn, Augsburg, Davos, Zürich of 736 adult patients stratified by age of AD onset (childhood-onset <18 years: 76.4% (subsets: 0 to 2; ≥2 to 6; ≥7 to 11; ≥12 to 18); adult-onset ≥18 years: 23.6% (subsets: ≥18 to 40; ≥41 to 60; ≥61) and 167 controls (91 atopic, 76 non-atopic)). RESULTS: We identified active smoking to be associated with adult-onset AD versus controls (adjusted Odds Ratio (aOR) = 5.54 [95% Confidence Interval: 1.06-29.01] vs. controlsnon-atopic , aOR = 4.03 [1.20-13.45] vs. controlsatopic ). Conjunctivitis showed a negative association versus controlsatopic (aOR = 0.36 [0.14-0.91]). Food allergy (aOR = 2.93 [1.44-5.96]), maternal food allergy (aOR = 9.43 [1.10-80.95]), palmar hyperlinearity (aOR = 2.11 [1.05-4.25]), and academic background (aOR = 2.14 [1.00-4.54]) increased the odds of childhood-onset AD versus controlsatopic . Shared AD-associated factors were maternal AD (4-34x), increased IgE (2-20x), atopic stigmata (2-3x) with varying effect sizes depending on AD onset and control group. Patients with adult-compared to childhood-onset had doubled odds of allergic rhinitis (aOR = 2.15 [1.12-4.13]), but reduced odds to feature multiple (3-4) atopic comorbidities (aOR = 0.34 [0.14-0.84]). Adult-onset AD, particularly onset ≥61 years, grouped mainly in clusters with low contributions of personal and familial atopy and high frequencies of physical inactivity, childhood-onset AD, particularly infant-onset, mainly in "high-atopic"-clusters. CONCLUSIONS: The identified associated factors suggest partly varying endo- and exogeneous mechanisms underlying adult-onset versus childhood-onset AD. Our findings might contribute to better assessment of the individual risk to develop AD throughout life and encourage prevention by non-smoking and physical activity as modifiable lifestyle factors.

Is exposure to pollen a risk factor for moderate and severe asthma exacerbations?

Limited number of studies have focused on the impact of pollen exposure on asthma. As a part of the EAACI Guidelines on Environment Science, this first systematic review on the relationship of pollen exposure to asthma exacerbations aimed to bridge this knowledge gap in view of implementing recommendations of prevention. We searched electronic iPubMed, Embase, and Web of Science databases using a set of MeSH terms and related synonyms and identified 73 eligible studies that were included for systemic review. When possible, meta-analyses were conducted. Overall meta-analysis suggests that outdoor pollen exposure may have an effect on asthma exacerbation, but caution is needed due to the low number of studies and their heterogeneity. The strongest associations were found between asthma attacks, asthma-related ED admissions or hospitalizations, and an increase in grass pollen concentration in the previous 2-day overall in children aged less than 18 years of age. Tree pollen may increase asthma-related ED visits or admissions lagged up to 7-day overall in individuals younger than 18 years. Rare data show that among subjects under 18 years of age, an exposure to grass pollen lagged up to 3 days may lower lung function. Further research considering effect modifiers of pollen sensitization, hay fever, asthma, air pollution, green spaces, and pre-existing medications is urgently warranted to better evaluate the impacts of pollen on asthma exacerbation. Preventive measures in relation to pollen exposure should be integrated in asthma control as pollen increase continues due to climate change.

Modernizing persistence-bioaccumulation-toxicity (PBT) assessment with high throughput animal-free methods.

The assessment of persistence (P), bioaccumulation (B), and toxicity (T) of a chemical is a crucial first step at ensuring chemical safety and is a cornerstone of the European Union's chemicals regulation REACH (Registration, Evaluation, Authorization, and Restriction of Chemicals). Existing methods for PBT assessment are overly complex and cumbersome, have produced incorrect conclusions, and rely heavily on animal-intensive testing. We explore how new-approach methodologies (NAMs) can overcome the limitations of current PBT assessment. We propose two innovative hazard indicators, termed cumulative toxicity equivalents (CTE) and persistent toxicity equivalents (PTE). Together they are intended to replace existing PBT indicators and can also accommodate the emerging concept of PMT (where M stands for mobility). The proposed "toxicity equivalents" can be measured with high throughput in vitro bioassays. CTE refers to the toxic effects measured directly in any given sample, including single chemicals, substitution products, or mixtures. PTE is the equivalent measure of cumulative toxicity equivalents measured after simulated environmental degradation of the sample. With an appropriate panel of animal-free or alternative in vitro bioassays, CTE and PTE comprise key environmental and human health hazard indicators. CTE and PTE do not require analytical identification of transformation products and mixture components but instead prompt two key questions: is the chemical or mixture toxic, and is this toxicity persistent or can it be attenuated by environmental degradation? Taken together, the proposed hazard indicators CTE and PTE have the potential to integrate P, B/M and T assessment into one high-throughput experimental workflow that sidesteps the need for analytical measurements and will support the Chemicals Strategy for Sustainability of the European Union.

Association between body fat distribution and B-lymphocyte subsets in peripheral blood.

BACKGROUND: Obesity is associated with chronic low-grade inflammation, which is underpinned by the presence of elevated levels of circulating proinflammatory cytokines in obese individuals. Due to the close relationship between adipose tissue and the immune system, it can be speculated that the accumulation of fat may influence the frequency and phenotype of lymphocyte populations. The aim of our study was to investigate whether body fat distribution is associated with B lymphocyte composition in peripheral blood. We examined the association between visceral (VAT) and total body fat (TBF) and the frequencies of B-cell subsets in 238 subjects over a period of up to one year using random intercept models. B lymphocyte subsets were determined by fluorescence-based flow cytometry. RESULTS: Inverse associations were found between body fat measurements and plasma blasts, memory B cells, and IgM-IgD- cells. VAT, but not TBF, was positively associated with naive CD19 cells. In our analyses, both VAT and TBF showed positive associations with IgD only B cells. CONCLUSIONS: In conclusion, body fat accumulation seems to be associated with a lower proportion of antibody-secreting plasma blasts and memory cells and an increasing amount of partially anergic, naive CD19 cells.

Skin microbiome and its association with host cofactors in determining atopic dermatitis severity.

BACKGROUND: Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a heterogeneous, chronic inflammatory skin disease linked to skin microbiome dysbiosis with reduced bacterial diversity and elevated relative abundance of Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus). OBJECTIVES: We aimed to characterize the yet incompletely understood association between the skin microbiome and patients' demographic and clinical cofactors in relation to AD severity. METHODS: The skin microbiome in 48 adult moderate-to-severe AD patients was investigated using next-generation deep sequencing (16S rRNA gene, V1-V3 region) followed by denoising (DADA2) to obtain amplicon sequence variant (ASV) composition. RESULTS: In lesional skin, AD severity was associated with S. aureus relative abundance (rS  = 0.53, p < 0.001) and slightly better with the microbiome diversity measure Evenness (rS  = -0.58, p < 0.001), but not with Richness. Multiple regression confirmed the association of AD severity with microbiome diversity, including Shannon (in lesional skin, p < 0.001), Evenness (in non-lesional skin, p = 0.015) or S. aureus relative abundance (p < 0.012), and with patient's IgE levels (p < 0.001), race (p < 0.032), age (p < 0.034) and sex (p = 0.012). The lesional model explained 62% of the variation in AD severity, and the non-lesional model 50% of the variation. CONCLUSIONS: Our results specify the frequently reported "reduced diversity" of the AD-related skin microbiome to reduced Evenness, which was in turn mainly driven by S. aureus relative abundance, rather than to a reduced microbiome Richness. Finding associations between AD severity, the skin microbiome and patient's cofactors is a key aspect in developing new personalized AD treatments, particularly those targeting the AD microbiome.