Effect of air filtration on house dust mite, cat and dog allergens and particulate matter in homes.

Background: Indoor allergens (i.e. from mite, cat and dog) are carried by airborne particulate matter.

Automatic and Online Pollen Monitoring.

Background: Pollen are monitored in Europe by a network of about 400 pollen traps, all operated manually. To date, automated pollen monitoring has only been feasible in areas with limited variability in pollen species. There is a need for rapid reporting of airborne pollen as well as for alleviating the workload of manual operation.

Variation of the group 5 grass pollen allergen content of airborne pollen in relation to geographic location and time in season.

Background: Allergies to grass pollen are the number one cause of outdoor hay fever. The human immune system reacts with symptoms to allergen from pollen.

Objective: We investigated the natural variability in release of the major group 5 allergen from grass pollen across Europe.

Airborne indoor particles from schools are more toxic than outdoor particles.

High concentrations of particulate matter (PM(10)) were measured in classrooms. This study addresses the hazard of indoor particles in comparison to the better-studied outdoor particles. Samples were taken from six schools during teaching hours.

Metabolic activation of phenanthrene by human and mouse cytochromes P450 and pharmacokinetics in CYP1A2 knockout mice.

In the present study V79 Chinese hamster cells were genetically engineered for stable expression of the cytochromes P450 1A1, 1A2, 1B1, and 2E1 from man and mouse to investigate species-specific differences in the regioselective metabolism and toxicity of phenanthrene (Phe), the simplest polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) forming a bay-region. Phe is present in various environmental samples and serves as a model substrate for PAH exposure in human biomonitoring studies. For this reason we explored metabolite profiles and metabolite-dependent cytotoxic activities in vitro.

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons from diesel emissions exert proallergic effects in birch pollen allergic individuals through enhanced mediator release from basophils.

Background: Diesel exhaust particles (DEPs) act as adjuvants in the immune system and contribute to the increased prevalence and morbidity of asthma and allergic rhinitis. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are major components of DEPs, which may be involved in the induction and enhancement of proallergic processes. In this study we explored adjuvant effects of DEP-PAHs on activation parameters of human basophils, fostering allergic inflammation through the release of preformed or granule-derived mediators.