Tracking the Spread of Pollen on Social Media Using Pollen-Related Messages From Twitter: Retrospective Analysis.

BACKGROUND: Allergy disorders caused by biological particles, such as the proteins in some airborne pollen grains, are currently considered one of the most common chronic diseases, and European Academy of Allergy and Clinical Immunology forecasts indicate that within 15 years 50% of Europeans will have some kind of allergy as a consequence of urbanization, industrialization, pollution, and climate change. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to monitor and analyze the dissemination of information about pollen symptoms from December 2006 to January 2022. By conducting a comprehensive evaluation of public comments and trends on Twitter, the research sought to provide valuable insights into the impact of pollen on sensitive individuals, ultimately enhancing our understanding of how pollen-related information spreads and its implications for public health awareness. METHODS: Using a blend of large language models, dimensionality reduction, unsupervised clustering, and term frequency-inverse document frequency, alongside visual representations such as word clouds and semantic interaction graphs, our study analyzed Twitter data to uncover insights on respiratory allergies. This concise methodology enabled the extraction of significant themes and patterns, offering a deep dive into public knowledge and discussions surrounding respiratory allergies on Twitter. RESULTS: The months between March and August had the highest volume of messages. The percentage of patient tweets appeared to increase notably during the later years, and there was also a potential increase in the prevalence of symptoms, mainly in the morning hours, indicating a potential rise in pollen allergies and related discussions on social media. While pollen allergy is a global issue, specific sociocultural, political, and economic contexts mean that patients experience symptomatology at a localized level, needing appropriate localized responses. CONCLUSIONS: The interpretation of tweet information represents a valuable tool to take preventive measures to mitigate the impact of pollen allergy on sensitive patients to achieve equity in living conditions and enhance access to health information and services.

Atypical lymphogranuloma venereum mimicking an anorectal neoplasm.

Lymphogranuloma venereum (LV) is a sexually transmitted disease that may have atypical clinical manifestations mimicking tumors or inflammatory conditions, which renders its diagnosis difficult. LV requires both a clinical and endoscopic diagnosis before early treatment may be administered, and should be included as a differential diagnosis for individuals with risk factors.

Image of acute bowel ischemia secondary to internal pelvic hernia.

Internal hernias are visceral protrusions through the peritoneum or mesentery into an abdominal cavity compartment. Hernial orifices are either pre-extant anatomical structures or abnormal defects secondary to surgery, trauma, inflammation, and circulation disorders. Their diagnosis is challenging since clinical and imaging findings are usually unclear. We report a case of this rare condition in order to assess its diagnostic approach and need for early management.

Airborne Alternaria Spores: 70 Annual Records in Northwestern Spain.

This study presents data on the concentration of Alternaria spores in the atmosphere of the northwestern Iberian Peninsula. A non-viable volumetric method was used to collect the samples, resulting in a database of 70 annual. When the annual averages for each locality are calculated, Ourense stands out with 2152 spores/m3, followed by Vigo and Lugo, while Santiago de Compostela recorded the lowest concentrations. Focusing on the total data for each locality, the main sporulation period started in May and ended in October in all localities, centered on a single phase, with an earlier onset and longer duration in Ourense and Vigo. The number of days with concentrations in excess of 100 spores/m3 was very low in Santiago de Compostela, Ourense, and Vigo and null in Lugo. Temperature was the meteorological parameter for which the highest statistical correlation was obtained in all locations, being favorable to the concentration of spores in the air. Temperature ranges favorable to the presence of airborne spores in the study area ranged from 25.5 to 31.2 °C. Based on the analysis of the data collected, it is concluded that Alternaria spore concentrations are low throughout most of the year.

Physiotherapy Interventions in Lung Cancer Patients: A Systematic Review.

BACKGROUND: Lung cancer is a very common disease and leads to a series of sequelae such as reduced lung capacity or reduced functional capacity in patients, which are associated not only with the disease itself, but also with medical treatment. Thus, physiotherapeutic interventions are needed to improve quality of life and reduce these symptoms. OBJECTIVES: To find out the effects of physiotherapy on functional capacity, lung capacity, dyspnea, pain, and quality of life in lung cancer patients. METHODS: A systematic review was carried out in five databases. Randomized clinical trials published between 2019-2023 were selected, in which the physiotherapeutic treatment was physical exercise and/or respiratory physiotherapy. RESULTS: Nine articles were included, in which the total sample consisted of 635 lung cancer patients. When combined, respiratory physiotherapy and physical exercise improved functional capacity and lung capacity (p < 0.05). Dyspnea also improved, but less significance was shown in the included studies. CONCLUSIONS: Multimodal physiotherapy interventions may offer benefits for some lung cancer patients, but the extent and nature of these benefits may vary depending on the intervention applied. Therefore, it would be of great interest to carry out further scientific research to support this conclusion.

European pollen reanalysis, 1980-2022, for alder, birch, and olive.

The dataset presents a 43 year-long reanalysis of pollen seasons for three major allergenic genera of trees in Europe: alder (Alnus), birch (Betula), and olive (Olea). Driven by the meteorological reanalysis ERA5, the atmospheric composition model SILAM predicted the flowering period and calculated the Europe-wide dispersion pattern of pollen for the years 1980-2022. The model applied an extended 4-dimensional variational data assimilation of in-situ observations of aerobiological networks in 34 European countries to reproduce the inter-annual variability and trends of pollen production and distribution. The control variable of the assimilation procedure was the total pollen release during each flowering season, implemented as an annual correction factor to the mean pollen production. The dataset was designed as an input to studies on climate-induced and anthropogenically driven changes in the European vegetation, biodiversity monitoring, bioaerosol modelling and assessment, as well as, in combination with intra-seasonal observations, for health-related applications.

Spatial and temporal distribution of Alternaria spores in the Iberian Peninsula atmosphere, and meteorological relationships: 1993-2009.

This paper provides an updated of airborne Alternaria spore spatial and temporal distribution patterns in the Iberian Peninsula, using a common non-viable volumetric sampling method. The highest mean annual spore counts were recorded in Sevilla (39,418 spores), Mérida (33,744) and Málaga (12,947), while other sampling stations never exceeded 5,000. The same cities also recorded the highest mean daily spore counts (Sevilla 109 spores m(-3); Mérida 53 spores m(-3) and Málaga 35 spores m(-3)) and the highest number of days on which counts exceeded the threshold levels required to trigger allergy symptoms (Sevilla 38 % and Mérida 30 % of days). Analysis of annual spore distribution patterns revealed either one or two peaks, depending on the location and prevailing climate of sampling stations. For all stations, average temperature was the weather parameter displaying the strongest positive correlation with airborne spore counts, whilst negative correlations were found for rainfall and relative humidity.

Is a telerehabilitation programme for older adults with hip fracture associated with burden of family caregivers who provide support?

Objective: @ctivehip is a home-based multidisciplinary telerehabilitation programme for older adults with hip fracture, conducted with the assistance of their family caregivers. This programme was useful in improving their functional recovery. Nevertheless, we were concerned about how the programme might have affected caregivers, whose assistance was essential for supporting older adults in using new technologies and ensuring their safety during the exercises and activities at home. The aim of the present study was to compare the burden, psychological factors and physical fitness of the family caregivers of older adults who opted the @ctivehip telerehabilitation programme versus those family caregivers of older adults who received the face-to-face rehabilitation provided by the Andalusian Public Healthcare System (in Spain). Methods: In this single-blinded, non-randomized clinical trial, participants were older adults with hip fracture and their family caregivers. The telerehabilitation group (n = 30) underwent a 12-week multidisciplinary telerehabilitation programme, and the comparative group (n = 32) received face-to-face rehabilitation. Caregivers outcomes measured were (i) the burden using the Zarit Burden Interview, (ii) the anxiety and depression with the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), and (iii) the Physical Fitness with the International Fitness Scale (IFIS). Results: There were not statistically significant differences on caregiver burden between family caregivers in the @ctivehip and the comparative group, although there was a trend towards lower values [[Mean (95%CI); 14.73 (9.09 to 20.37) vs 16.03 (10.63 to 21.43); p = 0.771] as well as for anxiety and depression [5.66 (3.21 to 8.78) vs 11.19 (8.52 to 13.86); p = 0.022]. Likewise achieved better, though not statistically significant, scores in physical fitness [19.37 (17.94 to 20.81) vs 17.15 (15.77 to 18.53); p = 0.055]. Conclusion: Caregiver burden is not associated with telerehabilitation. In addition, telerehabilitation is associated with lower anxiety and depression levels among family caregivers who opt for this programme. Physical fitness is not related with telerehabilitation.

Data mining assessment of Poaceae pollen influencing factors and its environmental implications.

Poaceae pollen is highly allergenic, with a marked contribution to the pollen worldwide allergy prevalence. Pollen counts are defined by the species present in the considered area, although year-to-year oscillations may be triggered by different parameters, among which are weather conditions. Due to the predominant role of Poaceae pollen in the allergenicity in urban green areas, the aim of this study was the analysis of pollen trends and the influence of meteorology to forecast relevant variations in airborne pollen levels. The study was carried out during the 1993-2020 period in Ourense, in NW Iberian Peninsula. We used a volumetric Lanzoni VPPS 2000 trap for recording Poaceae airborne pollen grains, and meteorological daily data were obtained from the Galician Institute for Meteorology and Oceanography. The main indexes of the pollen season and their trends were calculated. A correlation analysis and 'C5.0 Decision Trees and Rule-Based Models' data mining algorithm were applied to determine the influence of meteorological conditions on pollen levels. We detected atmospheric Poaceae pollen during 139 days on average, mainly from April to August. The mean pollen grains amount recorded during the pollen season was 4608 pollen grains, with the pollen maximum peak of 276 pollen/m3 on 27 June. We found no statistically significant trends and slight slopes for the seasonal indexes, similarly to previous Poaceae studies in the same region. The calculated C5.0 model offered defined results, indicating that the combination of mean temperature above 17.46 °C and sunlight exposure higher than 12.7 h is conductive to significantly high pollen levels. The obtained results make possible the identification of risk moments during the pollen season for the activation of protective measures for sensitized population to grass pollen.

Short-Term Exposure of Dactylis glomerata Pollen to Atmospheric Gaseous Pollutants Is Related to an Increase in IgE Binding in Patients with Grass Pollen Allergies.

The concentrations of nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and tropospheric ozone (O3) in urban and industrial site atmospheres are considered key factors associated with pollen-related respiratory allergies. This work studies the effects of NO2 and O3 on the protein expression profile and IgE binding in patients with grass allergies to Dactylis glomerata pollen extracts. Pollens were collected during the flowering season and were exposed to NO2 and O3 in a controlled environmental chamber. The amount of soluble protein was examined using the Bradford method, and the protein expression profile and antigenic properties were analysed using the immunoblotting and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), respectively. Our results showed apparent inter-sera differences concerning the number and intensity of IgE reactivity, with the most prominent at bands of 55 kDa, 35, 33, and 13 kDa. In the 13 kDa band, both gases tend to induce an increase in IgE binding, the band at 33 kDa showed a tendency towards a reduction, particularly pollen exposed to O3. Reactive bands at 55 and 35 kDa presented an increase in the IgE binding pattern for all the patient sera samples exposed to NO2, but the samples exposed to O3 showed an increase in some sera and in others a decrease. Regarding the ELISA results, out of the 21 tested samples, only 9 showed a statistically significant increase in total IgE reactivity after pollen exposure to the pollutants. Our study revealed that although airborne pollen allergens might be affected by air pollution, the possible impacts on allergy symptoms might vary depending on the type of pollutant and the patient's sensitisation profile.

Adsorption of Heavy Metals Ions from Mining Metallurgical Tailings Leachate Using a Shell-Based Adsorbent: Characterization, Kinetics and Isotherm Studies.

This study defines the optimal parameters that allow the use of waste mollusk shells (WS) to remove heavy metals from three mining and metallurgical leachates. First, the influence of parameters such as pH, contact time, initial metal concentration, adsorbent dose and the presence of co-ions in Cu2+, Cd2+, Zn2+ and Ni2+ adsorption was investigated in synthetic solutions. Metal uptake was found to be dependent on the initial pH of the solution, the removal rate increasing with the increase in pH, showing the highest affinity at pH 5-6. The removal efficiency at lower concentrations was greater than at higher values. The competitive adsorption results on bimetallic solutions showed that the adsorption capacity of the sorbent was restricted by the presence of other ions and suppressed the uptake of heavy metals compared to the single adsorption. Cu2+ was the metal that most inhibited the removal of Cd2+, Zn2+ and Ni2+. The Langmuir isotherm provided the best fit to the experimental data for Cu2+, Cd2+ and Zn2+ and the Freundlich isotherm, for Ni2+. The data showed that the maximum adsorption capacity amax for Zn2+, Cd2+ and Cu2+, was 526.32 mg g-1, 555.56 mg g-1 and 769.23 mg g-1, respectively. Sorption kinetics data best fit the pseudo-second-order kinetic model. The results obtained in the tests with three mining and metallurgical leachates showed that WS were effective in simultaneously removing several heavy metals ions such as Cu, Ni, Zn, Cd, Ni, As and Se.

Effects of meteorological factors on the levels of Alternaria spores on a potato crop.

Alternaria solani Soraeur produces early blight in Solanum tuberosum L., leading to significant agricultural losses. The current study was carried out on the extensive potato crop situated in north-western of Spain during 2007, 2008 and 2009. In this area potato crops are the most important source of income. In this work we used a Hirst-type volumetric spore-trap for the aerobiological monitoring of Alternaria spores. The highest spore concentrations were recorded during the 2009 cycle (10,555 spores), and the lowest concentrations were recorded during the 2008 cycle (5,471 spores). Over the 3 years of study, the highest concentrations were registered during the last stage of the crop. The aim of the study was to observe the influence of meteorological factors on the concentration of Alternaria spores, which can lead to serious infection and early blight. Prediction of the stages during which a crop is particularly vulnerable to infection allows for adjustment of the application of fungicide and is of environmental and agricultural importance. For this reason, we tested three models (P-Days, DD and IWP) to predict the first treatment and decrease the negative effect that these spores have on potato crops. The parameter that showed the most significant correlation with spore concentrations was minimum temperature. We used ARIMA (autoregressive integrated model of running mean) time-series models to determine the forecast. We considered weather data as predictor variables and the concentration of spores on the previous day as the fixed variable.

Airborne pollen of ornamental tree species in the NW of Spain.

This study analyzed airborne pollen counts for the tree taxa most widely used for ornamental purposes in the northwestern Iberian Peninsula (Platanus, Cupressaceae, Olea, Myrtaceae, Cedrus, and Casuarina) at four sites (Vigo, Ourense, Santiago, and Lugo), using aerobiological data recorded over a long period (1993-2007). The abundance and the temporal and spatial distribution of these pollen types were analyzed, and the influence of weather-related factors on airborne pollen counts was assessed. Platanus (in Ourense) and Olea (in Vigo) were the taxa contributing most to pollen counts. In general terms, the results may be taken as indicators of potential risk for pollen-allergy sufferers and therefore used in planning future green areas.

Phenological Model to Predict Budbreak and Flowering Dates of Four Vitis vinifera L. Cultivars Cultivated in DO. Ribeiro (North-West Spain).

The aim of this study was to assess the thermal requirements of the most important grapevine varieties in northwestern Spain to better understand the impact of climate change on their phenology. Different phenological models (GDD, GDD Triangular and UniFORC) were tested and validated to predict budburst and flowering dates of grapevines at the variety level using phenological observations collected from Treixadura, Godello, Loureira and Albariño between 2008 and 2019. The same modeling framework was assessed to obtain the most suitable model for this region. The parametrization of the models was carried out with the Phenological Modeling Platform (PMP) platform by means of an iterative optimization process. Phenological data for all four varieties were used to determine the best-fitted parameters for each variety and model type that best predicted budburst and flowering dates. A model calibration phase was conducted using each variety dataset independently, where the intermediate-fitted parameters for each model formulation were freely-adjusted. Afterwards, the parameter set combination of the model providing the highest performance for each variety was externally validated with the dataset of the other three varieties, which allowed us to establish one overall unique model for budburst and flowering for all varieties. Finally, the performance of this model was compared with the attained one while considering all varieties in one dataset (12 years × 4 varieties giving a total number of observations of 48). For both phenological stages, the results showed no considerable differences between the GDD and Triangular GDD models. The best parameters selected were those provided by the Treixadura GDD model for budburst (day of the year (t0) = 49 and base temperature (Tb) = 5) and those corresponding to the Godello model (t0 = 52 and Tb = 6) for flowering. The modeling approach employed allowed obtaining a global prediction model that can adequately predict budburst and flowering dates for all varieties.

Therapeutic Benefits of Balneotherapy on Quality of Life of Patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis: A Systematic Review.

BACKGROUND: Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is the most common inflammatory rheumatic disease. RA symptoms make the disease disabling and strongly impact the quality of life of patients. Among the available forms of treatment, balneotherapy seems to be one of the most common forms of nonpharmacological treatment for rheumatic disease. The aim was to explore the effectiveness of balneotherapy for improving the quality of life of patients with RA. METHODS: Pubmed, Scopus, Web of Science and The Cochrane library were searched for randomized or clinical controlled trials published in English or Spanish until May 2021. Risk of bias of included articles were assessed using the Cochrane tool. A total 535 records were retrieved, and seven met the inclusion criteria. All the included studies showed statistically significant improvements in the quality of life of patients who received balneotherapy treatment despite differences in treatment administration. Sessions should be approximately 20 min long and use natural mineral waters enriched with elements, or mud, at a water temperature between 35-38 °C. CONCLUSIONS: Balneotherapy benefits the quality of life of people with RA. The obtained results show positive effects for both mineral bathing and immersion in sand or mud on the quality of life of people who suffer from RA.

Effectiveness of Antalgic Therapies in Patients with Vertebral Bone Metastasis: A Protocol for a Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

There is no systematic review that has identified existing studies evaluating the pharmacological and non-pharmacological intervention for pain management in patients with bone metastasis. To fill this gap in the literature, this systematic review with meta-analysis aims to evaluate the effectiveness of different antalgic therapies (pharmacological and non-pharmacological) in the improvement of pain of these patients. To this end, this protocol has been written according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic review and Meta-Analysis Protocols (PRISMA-P) and registered in PROSPERO (CRD42020135762). A systematic search will be carried out in four international databases: Medline (Via PubMed), Web of Science, Cochrane Library and SCOPUS, to select the randomized controlled clinical trials. The Risk of Bias Tool developed by Cochrane will be used to assess the risk of bias and the quality of the identified studies. A narrative synthesis will be used to describe and compare the studies, and after the data extraction, random effects model and a subgroup analyses will be performed according to the type of intervention, if possible. This protocol aims to generate a systematic review that compiles and synthesizes the best and most recent evidence on the treatment of pain derived from vertebral metastasis.

The use of artificial neural networks to forecast biological atmospheric allergens or pathogens only as Alternaria spores.

The monitoring of atmospheric Alternaria spores is of major importance due to their adverse effects on crops and their role as human allergens. Most species act as plant pathogens, prompting considerable economic losses worldwide on important crops such as potato, tomato or wheat. Fungal spores can also have serious detrimental effects on human health, triggering respiratory diseases and allergenic processes. The aim of this study was not only to examine the relationship between the atmospheric Alternaria spore content and the prevailing meteorological parameters, but also to predict the atmospheric Alternaria spore content in the Northwest Spain using a novel data analysis technique, ANNs (Artificial Neural Networks). A Hirst-type LANZONI VPPS 2000 volumetric 7-day recording sampler was used to collect the airborne spores from 1997 to 2008. Neural networks provided us with a good tool for forecasting Alternaria airborne spore concentration, and thus could help the automation of the prediction system in the aerobiological information diffusion to the population suffering from allergic problems or the prevention of considerable economic worldwide losses on important crops. Our proposed model would be applied to different geographical areas; nevertheless, the adjustment of the model, by using the available and adequate variables, would be realised in each case.

Cross-reactivity between the Betulaceae family and fallout in the real atmospheric aeroallergen load.

Betulaceae family is a dominant tree pollen type in the atmosphere at Northwest Spain, being a major cause of allergenic rhinitis or asthma symptoms. Alnus pollen cause symptoms in the 9-20% of the total hay fever sufferers mean while the 41.89% of patients present a positive skin-prick-test for Betula allergens. Aln g1 and Bet v1 aeroallergens belong to PR-10 protein family and are associated to cross-reactivity processes. Airborne pollen and aeroallergens from Alnus and Betula were sampled during their Main Pollen Season from 2016 to 2019. Pollen sampling was conducted by means of a Hirst volumetric trap and aeroallergens were sampled using a Multi Vial Cyclone Sampler. Alnus flowering took place from January to February, with an average duration of 44 days. Betula bloom occurred from April to May with an average pollen season of 33 days. The major innovation of our study was the first detection of Aln g1 allergens in the atmosphere by using Bet v1 antibodies. This fact verified the cross-reactivity between the main allergens of Betula and Alnus pollen. Along the study period, an average of 18 days/year and 14 days/year with high potential risk of allergy due to Alnus pollen and allergen respectively, was registered. For Betula an average of 16 days/year with high potential risk of allergy due to pollen and 22 days for allergen was registered. The main consequence of the successive bloom of both trees would be the so-called "priming effect". Urban population sensitized to Betula pollen could suffer allergic symptoms during winter (as a consequence of Alnus), and in spring with the manifestation of higher symptoms under low birch pollen grain levels in the atmosphere. The traditional information to prevent allergies, such as the airborne pollen concentrations, should be combined with the data of aeroallergen to identify the real allergenic load in the atmosphere.

Estimation of precision and inaccuracy for serum magnesium determination on the basis of interlaboratory comparison data Accreditation ISO 15189.

Serum Mg is an important biochemical parameter in the context of clinical medicine for monitoring patients and for helping to diagnose some pathologies. The clinical laboratories must offer analytical results of quality in all parameters determined, demonstrating this way the laboratory "skill competence". The aim of this study was to revalidate (ISO 15189 standard) some different colorimetric methods for Mg determination in serum used in clinical and/or biochemical laboratories in four hospitals in Spain, on the basis of results of interlaboratory comparison programmes: Bio-Rad EQAS and external quality control SEQC. Precision and inaccuracy were estimated by analysis of records of an external quality control programme for Mg. The precision and inaccuracy values obtained were both less than 10%, except in one hospital in which the precision was less than 15%. These values of precision and inaccuracy obtained may be considered highly satisfactory taking into account the validation requirement for these ones: less than 10%. These findings demonstrate the effectiveness of the new revalidation methodology for diagnostic methods in medicine, which does not require any disruption of the laboratory's routine activity and which can be used even if the method in question has not been validated previously. It is also suggested that the ideas and requirements of ISO 15189 should be followed by the research laboratories.

New findings of airborne fungal spores in the atmosphere of Havana, Cuba, using aerobiological non-viable methodology.

INTRODUCTION: Although airborne fungal diversity in tropical countries is known to be considerable, aerobiological research to-date has identified only a part of the fungal mycobiota that may have an impact both on human health and on crops. Previous studies in Havana city identified only 30 genera and 5 spore types; therefore,new research is required in these latitudes. This study sought to investigate airborne spore levels in Havana, with a view to learning more about local fungal diversity and assessing its influence in quantitative terms. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A Hirst type volumetric sampler was located on the rooftop of a building 35 meters above ground level, in a busy area of the city. Sampling was carried out continuously (operating 24hours/day), at 10 L per minute during the year 2015. The fungal spores were collected on a Melinex tape coated with a 2% silicone solution. The results were expressed as spores per cubic meter (spores/m3) of air when to referring to daily values, and spores count if referring to annual value. RESULTS: Fourteen new genera were identified in the course of volumetric sampling: six produce ascospores and eight conidia. Morphobiometric characteristics were noted for all genera, and airborne concentrations were calculated. These genera accounted for 56.4% of relative fungal frequency over the study year. CONCLUSIONS: Many airbone fungi are primary causes of both respiratory disease and crop damage. These new findings constitute a major contribution to Cuba's aerobiological database.