In the present study, the phenological and quantitative changes in the pollen seasons between 1973 and 2013 in the Stockholm region of Sweden were studied for nine types of pollen (hazel, alder, elm, birch, oak, grass, mugwort, willow and pine). Linear regression models were used to estimate the long term trends in duration, start- and end-dates, peak-values and the yearly accumulated pollen su...

The term weed is referring to plants used as culinary herbs and medicinal plants as well as ecologically adaptive and invasive segetal plants. In Europe, pollen of ragweed, mugwort, English plantain and pellitory are the main elicitors of weed pollen allergies. Presently, 35 weed pollen allergens have been identified. The most relevant belong to the protein families of pectate lyases, defensin-...

Aniseed is a spice native to the eastern Mediterranean region. Cases of simultaneous hypersensitivity to celery, mugwort pollen, and spices of the Umbelliferae family have been described as the celery-mugwort-spices syndrome. We report a case of aniseed-induced tongue angioedema. Skin prick tests to foods proved positive only to aniseed. Serum-specific immunoglobulin (Ig) E determination by enz...

The aim of this study was to investigate the clinical and pathological significance of interleukin 31 (IL-31), interleukin 33 (IL-33), and thymic stromal lymphopoietin (TSLP) in serum of patients with asthma and/or rhinitis. The levels of IL-31, IL-33, and TSLP were measured by enzyme-linked immunoadsorbent assays in serum samples from 64 cases of asthma patients, 64 cases of rhinitis patients,...

Methods The study included patients older than 65 years with rhinitis and an ageand gender-matched control group. Skin prick tests (SPT) with inhalant allergens (house dust mites, Alternaria, trees pollen, grass pollen, ragweed and mugwort pollen, animal dander) were performed on all the subjects. Detailed medical history was obtained and a questionnaire inquiring about the severity of symptoms...

PURPOSE Aeroallergens are important causative factors of allergic diseases. Previous studies on aeroallergen sensitization rates investigated patients groups that had visited pediatric allergy clinics. In contrast, we investigated sensitization rates in a general population group of elementary school to teenage students in Incheon, Jeju, and Ulsan. METHODS After obtaining parental consent, sk...

In late summer, pollen grains originating from Compositae weeds (e.g., mugwort, ragweed) are a major source of allergens worldwide. Here, we report the isolation of a cDNA clone coding for Art v 1, the major allergen of mugwort pollen. Sequence analysis showed that Art v 1 is a secreted allergen with an N-terminal cysteine-rich domain homologous to plant defensins and a C-terminal proline-rich ...