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Background:Allergic rhinitis (AR) is characterized by inflammation sustained by dysregulated immune response. T-regulatory cells are involved in AR pathogenesis, mainly producing IL-10 and transforming growth factor (TGF)-b. Indeed, there is a functional and allergen-specific defect of T-regulatory cells in AR. However, there are no data about the influence of allergen exposure on TGF-b serum levels. Therefore, the aim of this preliminary study was to evaluate TGF-b serum levels in patients with seasonal AR. Patients were evaluated either outside the pollen season and after 1 preseasonal sublingual immunotherapy (SLIT) course (38 subjects) or during the pollen season (57 subjects). Methods:All patients were allergic to Parietaria and/or grasses alone. TGF-b was measured by a commercially available kit. Symptoms, drug use and eosinophils were evaluated.Serum allergen-specific IgG and IgA levels were also measured by the ELISA method. Results:TGF-b serum levels were significantly lower in patients evaluated outside the pollen season in comparison with the other 2 situations. SLIT induced the significantly highest TGF-b serum levels. There was a significant negative relationship between TGF-b and eosinophils in patients after SLIT. IgG and IgA levels were higher in SLIT-treated patients. Conclusion: This preliminary study provides evidence that TGF-b serum levels are significantly dependent on allergen exposure. Copyright [copy 2009 S. Karger AG, Basel

Accurate identification and characterization of allergenic proteins at the molecular level are essential for pinpointing the specific protein structures responsible for allergic reactions, thus advancing the development of precise diagnostic tests. Significant efforts have been focused on novel experimental techniques aimed at deepening the understanding of the underlying molecular mechanisms of these reactions. In this work, we show, for the first time to our knowledge, the unique Raman fingerprint of three Parietaria judaica (Par j) allergenic proteins. These proteins are typically present in pollen and are known to trigger severe respiratory diseases. In our research, we further exploited the surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) effect from an Ag dendrite substrate. This approach provided better discrimination and a comprehensive analysis of the proteins Par j 1, 2, and 4 in hydration conditions, enabling rapid differentiation between them through a spectroscopic study.

The current research was conducted to synthesize Parietaria alsinifolia- mediated iron oxide nanoparticles (P.A@FeONPs) using the green and eco-friendly protocol. The biosynthesized P.A@FeONPs were characterized using various approaches like UVs, FTIR, SEM, EDX, and DLS. The mean crystallite size was calculated to be ~ 21.48 nm using the Debye–Scherrer equation. Further, various in vitro biological assays were performed to analyze the therapeutic potentials of FeONPs. 2,2-Diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazy (DPPH) antioxidant activity was performed to reveal the DPPH radical scavenging potential of P.A@FeONPs and was calculated as 72%. Similarly, the total reducing power was determined as 65.45 ± 1.77%. In addition, P.A@FeONPs exhibited a significant total antioxidant capacity of 87 ± 4.8%. Antibacterial and antifungal assays were performed using the disc diffusion method. Among the different bacterial strains accession (EFB-10–2023 M.B), Rhodococcus jostii has shown the highest zone of inhibition (23.9 mm at 1000 μg/mL), while Escherichia coli displayed a 22.65 mm zone of inhibition at (1000 μg/mL). Similarly, Aspergillus niger exhibited a substantial zone of inhibition (28.75 mm). A brine shrimp cytotoxicity assay revealed the cytotoxicity potential (LC 50 244.92 μg/mL). P.A@FeONPs were also tested against red blood cells, HEK-293, and VERO cell lines (< 200 μg/mL) to validate their biocompatibility. An alpha-amylase inhibition assay demonstrated 68.66% inhibition and substantial cytotoxicity against Hep-2 liver cancer cells (IC 50 100 μg/mL). In conclusion, P.A@FeONPs have shown significant bioactivities. In the future, we recommend other biological and catalytic activities using different animal models to explore its potential further.

Parietaria judaica and P. officinalis are the two most common subspecies of the Parietaria genus. P. judaica and P. officinalis have exhibited cross-reactivity in previous studies. P. judaica pollen is the main cause of allergy in the Mediterranean area. It has been shown that a high percentage of patients sensitized to P. judaica with allergic rhinitis (AR) have an increased risk of developing asthma. The present study aimed to confirm the cross-reactivity between P. judaica and P. officinalis and to evaluate the use of a single P. officinalis extract in patients allergic to both subspecies as a preferable option for the diagnosis and treatment of allergy in a highly pollinated area of the Spanish Mediterranean coast. The present study was a single centre, observational cross-sectional study of adult patients diagnosed with AR and/or bronchial asthma who were sensitized to Parietaria pollen. A total of 24 patients were enrolled in the study and included in the analysis. Allergovit® immunotherapy extracts were selected for the study based on the protein content (P. officinalis pollen extract). The results of an in vitro ELISA revealed that 79.1% (n=19) of the patient sera were reactive to immunotherapy extracts. ELISA inhibition assay of the IgE binding to P. officinalis demonstrated inhibition values >70% in the sera of highly reactive patients, confirming the cross-reactivity between the two Parietaria subspecies. In addition, all patients enrolled in the study exhibited double skin positivity against P. judaica and P. officinalis extracts, as assessed by the skin prick test, further supporting the in vivo reactivity between the two subspecies. The present study demonstrated that P. judaica and P. officinalis pollen extracts were highly cross-reactive, and that a unique P. officinalis pollen extract may be used for the diagnosis and immunotherapy of patients allergic to Parietaria.

Parietaria judaica (Urticaceae) grows abundantly in urban areas of the Mediterranean region. Its pollen is a major allergy source. We studied the species' distribution and abundance in and around Thessaloniki (Greece), pollen production and pollen season. We also examined how urban pollution affects pollen viability. Our ultimate goal was to obtain an estimate of the species' performance and ability to expand under different environmental conditions related to climate change. We mapped P. judaica and the other Urticaceae species. In a north- and a south-facing population, we recorded the progress of P. judaica flowering and estimated the pollen content per flower, shoot and surface unit. We concurrently assessed atmospheric circulation of Urticaceae pollen. We estimated P. judaica pollen viability and Cu, Pb and Zn concentrations in plants collected from sites differing in traffic intensity. P. judaica is the most abundant Urticaceae species in the area; its occurrence has increased dramatically over the last 100 years. Production of flowers is intense in spring and autumn. Flowering started 12 days earlier in the south-facing population in spring, and 3 days later in autumn. Pollen production was higher in spring and in the south-facing population. Flower and pollen production were positively correlated with the size of the plant and the flower, respectively. Copper and lead concentrations in plants were positively correlated with pollen viability, which was higher for plants collected from high-traffic sites. P. judaica has a high phenotypic plasticity; this is a feature that promotes success of expansive and invasive species. It is also well adapted to warm and polluted urban environments. The climatic change forecast for the Mediterranean region could provoke earlier, longer, and more pronounced flowering and, consequently, more P. judaica pollen in the air. In return, this would result in increased severity of Parietaria pollinosis.

Monitoring of airborne pollen concentrations provides an important source of information for the globally increasing number of hay fever patients. Airborne pollen is traditionally counted under the microscope, but with the latest developments in image recognition methods, automating this process has become feasible. A challenge that persists, however, is that many pollen grains cannot be distinguished beyond the genus or family level using a microscope. Here, we assess the use of Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs) to increase taxonomic accuracy for airborne pollen. As a case study we use the nettle family (Urticaceae), which contains two main genera ( Urtica and Parietaria ) common in European landscapes which pollen cannot be separated by trained specialists. While pollen from Urtica species has very low allergenic relevance, pollen from several species of Parietaria is severely allergenic. We collect pollen from both fresh as well as from herbarium specimens and use these without the often used acetolysis step to train the CNN model. The models show that unacetolyzed Urticaceae pollen grains can be distinguished with > 98% accuracy. We then apply our model on before unseen Urticaceae pollen collected from aerobiological samples and show that the genera can be confidently distinguished, despite the more challenging input images that are often overlain by debris. Our method can also be applied to other pollen families in the future and will thus help to make allergenic pollen monitoring more specific.

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.

Abstract Nymphal development, mortality and adult longevity of the plant bug Closterotomus trivialis were studied on two of its major crops (Olea europaea L. cv. 'Koroneiki' and Citrus sinensis L. cv. 'Washington Navel') and four non-crop host plants (Mercurialis annua L., Urtica urens L., Parietaria diffusa M. et K. and Sinapis alba L.) under laboratory conditions (15, 20, 24 and 27 °C ± 0.5%; 60 ± 5% RH; 16L:8D h photoperiod). Results demonstrated that C. trivialis can successfully complete its development on all tested host plants and temperatures, except for U. urens at 15 and 20 οC. Mortality rates were generally higher on U. urens, P. diffusa and olive than on S. alba, M. annua and sweet orange. Both temperature and host plant significantly affected the nymphal development of C. trivialis. Specifically, host plant affected the development of nymphs at lower and higher temperatures (15, 20, 27 °C) but not at the optimum (24 °C) for its development temperature. Adults of C. trivialis lived longer on sweet orange, M. annua and S. alba in most tested temperatures compared to U. urens, P. diffusa and olives. Overall, these results suggest a better suitability of M. annua, S. alba and sweet orange compared to U. urens, P. diffusa and olive which were proven to be less suitable host plants, covering partially the nutritional needs of C. trivialis. The estimated lower temperature developmental threshold based on the linear model for C. trivialis was found to be lowest on M. annua (3.30 °C) and highest on P. diffusa (10.7 °C). Τhe assessment of the nymphal development in various host plants and temperatures is particularly important for understanding the biology of C. trivialis and provides useful information to optimize its management strategy under integrated pest management system.

A close relation between asthma and allergic rhinitis has been reported by several epidemiological and clinical studies. However, the nature of this relation remains unclear. We used the follow-up data from the European Community Respiratory Health Survey to investigate the onset of asthma in patients with allergic and non-allergic rhinitis during an 8·8-year period. We did a longitudinal population-based study, which included 29 centres (14 countries) mostly in western Europe. Frequency of asthma was studied in 6461 participants, aged 20–44 years, without asthma at baseline. Incident asthma was defined as reporting ever having had asthma confirmed by a physician between the two surveys. Atopy was defined as a positive skin-prick test to mites, cat, Alternaria, Cladosporium, grass, birch, Parietaria, olive, or ragweed. Participants were classified into four groups at baseline: controls (no atopy, no rhinitis; n=3163), atopy only (atopy, no rhinitis; n=704), non-allergic rhinitis (rhinitis, no atopy; n=1377), and allergic rhinitis (atopy+rhinitis; n=1217). Cox proportional hazards models were used to study asthma onset in the four groups. The 8·8-year cumulative incidence of asthma was 2·2% (140 events), and was different in the four groups (1·1% (36), 1·9% (13), 3·1% (42), and 4·0% (49), respectively; p<0·0001). After controlling for country, sex, baseline age, body-mass index, forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV 1), log total IgE, family history of asthma, and smoking, the adjusted relative risk for asthma was 1·63 (95% CI 0·82–3·24) for atopy only, 2·71 (1·64–4·46) for non-allergic rhinitis, and 3·53 (2·11–5·91) for allergic rhinitis. Only allergic rhinitis with sensitisation to mite was associated with increased risk of asthma independently of other allergens (2·79 [1·57–4·96]). Rhinitis, even in the absence of atopy, is a powerful predictor of adult-onset asthma. UCB Institute of Allergy and Agence Nationale de la Recherche.

The weed wall pellitory, Parietaria judaica , is one the most important pollen allergen sources in the Mediterranean area causing severe symptoms of hay fever and asthma in allergic patients. We report the expression of the major Parietaria allergens, Par j 1 and Par j 2 which belong to the family of lipid transfer proteins, in insect cells. According to circular dichroism analysis and gel filtration, the purified allergens represented folded and monomeric proteins. Insect cell-expressed, folded Par j 2 exhibited higher IgE binding capacity and more than 100-fold higher allergenic activity than unfolded Escherichia coli -expressed Par j 2 as demonstrated by IgE ELISA and basophil activation testing. IgE ELISA inhibition assays showed that Par j 1 and Par j 2, contain genuine and cross-reactive IgE epitopes. IgG antibodies induced by immunization with Par j 2 inhibited binding of allergic patients IgE to Par j 1 only partially. IgE inhibition experiments demonstrated that insect cell-expressed Par j 1 and Par j 2 together resembled the majority of allergenic epitopes of the Parietaria allergome and therefore both should be used for molecular diagnosis and the design of vaccines for allergen-specific immunotherapy of Parietaria allergy.