Aeroallergen Monitoring by the National Allergy Bureau: A Review of the Past and a Look Into the Future.

Monitoring aeroallergens has a long history within the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology. The Aeroallergen Network of the National Allergy Bureau is composed mainly of members of the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology, whose objectives are to enhance the knowledge of aerobiology and its relationship to allergy, increase the number of certified stations, maintain the standardization and quality of aerobiology data, improve the alert and forecast reporting system, and increase ties with other scientific entities inside and outside the United States. The public has a keen interest in pollen counts and pollen forecasts, as do many health professionals in the allergy community.

The Importance of Binomial Nomenclature for the Identification of Pollen Aeroallergens.

The diagnosis and treatment of atopic disorders associated with specific aerobiological triggers require basic botanical training. However, the identification of specific pollen can often be confounded by broad naming conventions that range from categorized colloquial to scientific names based on either higher taxonomic levels or, in some cases, binomial nomenclature. Physicians specializing in allergy often lack a comprehensive understanding with respect to plant taxonomy and botanical nomenclature that are critical skills required for clinical practice and research programs evaluating pollen and airborne fungal spores.

Applying machine learning to forecast daily Ambrosia pollen using environmental and NEXRAD parameters.

Approximately 50 million Americans have allergic diseases. Airborne plant pollen is a significant trigger for several of these allergic diseases. Ambrosia (ragweed) is known for its abundant production of pollen and its potent allergic effect in North America.

Estimating the daily pollen concentration in the atmosphere using machine learning and NEXRAD weather radar data.

Millions of people have an allergic reaction to pollen. The impact of pollen allergies is on the rise due to increased pollen levels caused by global warming and the spread of highly invasive weeds. The production, release, and dispersal of pollen depend on the ambient weather conditions.

Applying Deep Neural Networks and Ensemble Machine Learning Methods to Forecast Airborne Pollen.

Allergies to airborne pollen are a significant issue affecting millions of Americans. Consequently, accurately predicting the daily concentration of airborne pollen is of significant public benefit in providing timely alerts. This study presents a method for the robust estimation of the concentration of airborne pollen using a suite of machine learning approaches including deep learning and ensemble learners.

Impact of weather and climate change with indoor and outdoor air quality in asthma: A Work Group Report of the AAAAI Environmental Exposure and Respiratory Health Committee.

Weather and climate change are constant and ever-changing processes that affect allergy and asthma. The purpose of this report is to provide information since the last climate change review with a focus on asthmatic disease. PubMed and Internet searches for topics included climate and weather change, air pollution, particulates, greenhouse gasses, traffic, insect habitat, and mitigation in addition to references contributed by the individual authors.

Landscape Plant Selection Criteria for the Allergic Patient.

Patients with pollen-related allergies are concerned about the species within their landscape that provoke their symptoms. Allergists are often asked for guidance but few information sources are available to aid patients in the recognition of allergenic plants and strategies to avoid personal exposure to them. Landscaping and horticultural workers also have few reliable guidance references, and what is available usually extols the virtues of the plants rather than their negative features.

Molecular detection of airborne Emergomyces africanus, a thermally dimorphic fungal pathogen, in Cape Town, South Africa.

Emergomyces africanus is a thermally dimorphic fungus that causes a systemic mycosis in immunocompromised persons in South Africa. Infection is presumed to follow inhalation of airborne propagules. We developed a quantitative PCR protocol able to detect as few as 5 Es.

Increasing Juniperus virginiana L. pollen in the Tulsa atmosphere: long-term trends, variability, and influence of meteorological conditions.

In the Tulsa area, the Cupressaceae is largely represented by eastern red cedar (Juniperus virginiana L.). The encroachment of this species into the grasslands of Oklahoma has been well documented, and it is believed this trend will continue.

Using machine learning to estimate atmospheric pollen concentrations in Tulsa, OK.

This article describes an example of using machine learning to estimate the abundance of airborne pollen for Tulsa, OK. Twenty-seven years of historical pollen observations were used. These pollen observations were combined with machine learning and a very complete meteorological and land surface context of 85 variables to estimate the daily abundance.

Molecular analysis confirms the long-distance transport of Juniperus ashei pollen.

Although considered rare, airborne pollen can be deposited far from its place of origin under a confluence of favorable conditions. Temporally anomalous records of Cupressacean pollen collected from January air samples in London, Ontario, Canada have been cited as a new case of long-distance transport. Data on pollination season implicated Juniperus ashei (mountain cedar), with populations in central Texas and south central Oklahoma, as the nearest source of the Cupressacean pollen in the Canadian air samples.

Molecular approaches for the analysis of airborne pollen: A case study of Juniperus pollen.

Background: Pollen monitoring is a common and vital tool in the field of allergy, creating awareness in pollen sensitive individuals. Traditionally, pollen monitoring has been based on conventional microscopic counting techniques that are labor intensive and limited in the identification to the genus or family level. Molecular techniques provide an alternative approach that is less labor intensive and enable identification of any species by its genetic fingerprint.

Taxonomy of Allergenic Fungi.

The Kingdom Fungi contains diverse eukaryotic organisms including yeasts, molds, mushrooms, bracket fungi, plant rusts, smuts, and puffballs. Fungi have a complex metabolism that differs from animals and plants. They secrete enzymes into their surroundings and absorb the breakdown products of enzyme action.

Ambrosia pollen in Tulsa, Oklahoma: aerobiology, trends, and forecasting model development.

Background: Ambrosia pollen is an important aeroallergen in North America; the ability to predict daily pollen levels may provide an important benefit for sensitive individuals.

Objective: To analyze the long-term Ambrosia pollen counts and develop a forecasting model to predict the next day's pollen concentration.

Methods: Airborne pollen has been collected since December 1986 with a Burkard spore trap at the University of Tulsa.

Hygroscopic weight gain of pollen grains from Juniperus species.

Juniperus pollen is highly allergenic and is produced in large quantities across Texas, Oklahoma, and New Mexico. The pollen negatively affects human populations adjacent to the trees, and since it can be transported hundreds of kilometers by the wind, it also affects people who are far from the source. Predicting and tracking long-distance transport of pollen is difficult and complex.

Comparison of the interleukin-1β-inducing potency of allergenic spores from higher fungi (basidiomycetes) in a cryopreserved human whole blood system.

Background: Spores from basidiomycete fungi (basidiospores) are highly prevalent in the atmosphere of urban and rural settings. Studies have confirmed their potential to affect human health as allergens. Less is known about their potential to serve as stimuli of the innate immune system and induce proinflammatory reactions.

Climate change and our environment: the effect on respiratory and allergic disease.

Climate change is a constant and ongoing process. It is postulated that human activities have reached a point at which we are producing global climate change. It provides suggestions to help the allergist/environmental physician integrate recommendations about improvements in outdoor and indoor air quality and the likely response to predicted alterations in the earth's environment into his or her patient's treatment plan.

The Relationship between Mold Exposure and Allergic Response in Post-Katrina New Orleans.

Objectives. The study's objective was to examine the relation between mold/dampness exposure and mold sensitization among residents of Greater New Orleans following Hurricane Katrina. Methods.