International Journal of Biometeorology最新文献

In Mexico, Neospora caninum and Toxoplasma gondii are major causes of reproductive problems in sheep. Understanding the environmental factors that influence the spread of these parasites is crucial for developing effective control strategies. The objective of this study was to identify the environmental factors associated with N. caninum and T. gondii infections in sheep in western Mexico. Blood samples were collected from 184 sheep and determine seroprevalence using the ELISA test. Based on the seroprevalence data and information about the climatic regions and geographic characteristics, logistic regression analysis was employed to identify the environmental factors associated with N. caninum and T. gondii infections. Antibodies for N. caninum were found in 27 of the 184 blood samples. The environmental risk factors associated with N. caninum were Köppen climate area Ca(w1) with an OR = 6.55 and rainfall (700-800 mm) with an OR = 3.23. For T. gondii, antibodies were detected in 113 of the 184 sheep sampled. The main risk factors were Köppen climate area Cb(w1) with an OR = 10.5 and rainfall (900-1000 mm) with an OR = 4.6. Identifying these factors is crucial for developing more effective control strategies to reduce the incidence of these infections and improve the reproductive health of sheep flocks in the region.

Air pollution remains a significant threat to human health and economic development. Most previous studies have examined the health effects of individual pollutants, which often overlook the combined impacts of multiple pollutants. The traditional composite indicator air quality index (AQI) only focuses on the major pollutants, whereas the health risk-based air quality index (HAQI) could offer a more comprehensive evaluation of the health effects of various pollutants on populations. Currently, research on HAQI to evaluate the influence of multiple air pollutants on life expectancy losses is limited. In this study, we employed HAQIto estimate years of life lost (YLL) caused by exposure to air pollution for total deaths and sub-groups by sex, age, and cause-specific disease in Ningbo from 2014 to 2018. Results reveal that significant improvement in air quality during the study period. Based on the AQI-classified air quality risk category, the HAQI estimated a more severe level, which suggests that the commonly used AQI significantly underestimates the hazards of multiple air pollutants. The YLL attributable to exposure above threshold concentrations of the Chinese Ambient Air Quality Standards (CAAQS) 24-hour Grade II standards was 1.375 years (95% CI, 1.044-1.707) per death based on the HAQI, while the YLL estimated using AQI was 1.047 years (95% CI, 0.809-1.286) per death. Females and elderly people over 65 years were vulnerable subgroups, with YLL of 1.232 and 1.480 years per death, respectively. Among deaths of cause-specific disease, the YLL attributed to polluted air was highest for patients with respiratory diseases (0.866 years, 95% CI: 0.668-1.064), followed by patients with circulatory diseases (0.490 years) and endocrine diseases (0.478 years), respectively. Improving the standards of air quality could promote the management of air quality and reduce the disease burden and economic losses caused by polluted air to populations, especially for vulnerable populations. Our study provides a basis for the formulation of policies and upgrade of air quality standards.

The effects of short-term ambient ozone (O₃) exposure on health outcomes have received growing concerns, but its effects on psoriasis is still unclear. The purpose of our study was to investigate the effects of short-term exposure to O₃ on psoriasis, and to find out potential modifiers. A hospital-based time-series study with outpatient visit data of psoriasis was performed in Chongqing, the largest metropolitan in Southeast China. General additive models combined quasi-Poisson regression were implied to reveal the association between short-term exposure to O₃ and psoriasis. Moreover, the potential modifiers were found out through subgroup analyses. Totally, 23,921 psoriasis outpatient visits were included. For the whole patient population, no significant association between exposure to O₃ and outpatient visits for psoriasis was observed. Interestingly, the stratified analyses based on concentrations showed that low concentration of O₃ (below the recommended limitation of 100 μg/m³ by WHO and China), rather than high concentration of O₃, was negatively associated with psoriasis outpatient visits at various lag days, and the greatest decrease was observed at lag03 (-2.05%; 95%CI: -3.55%, -0.53%). Moreover, stronger associations were observed in cool seasons, patients aged 40 or above, and males. Additionally, the negative associations of low-concentration O₃ on psoriasis outpatient visits were still robust in sensitivity analyses. Our study discovered that low-concentrations of O₃, rather than high concentrations of O₃, can be associated with decreased outpatient visits for psoriasis, especially for males, population aged 40 and above, and in cool seasons.

The treatment of type 2 diabetes patients with diabetic neuropathy using pharmacological and non-pharmacological measures remains a current topic. The aim of this study is to evaluate the effect of comprehensive medical rehabilitation programs that include natural therapeutic factors (carbonated natural mineral water) on pain, gait, and functional status in these patients. Fifty patients diagnosed with type 2 diabetes and diabetic neuropathy in the lower limbs participated in the study. Half of them (DZ-PT) underwent treatment consisting of physical exercises, physiotherapy, and terrain cure, while the other half (DZ-CMW) received the same treatment plus baths with carbonated natural mineral water. Patients were evaluated using assessment scales for pain Visual Analogue Scale (VAS), the 10-meter walking test (W10m), lower limb muscle strength (FM), Functional Independence Measure (FIM), and Neuropathy Disability Score (NDS). The results showed a statistically significant reduction in pain assessed by VAS at the end of the treatment, persisting for three months (p-values < 0.001 between the two groups), with a greater reduction in the DZ-CMW group. Similarly, a significant improvement in gait, evaluated by W10m, was found both at the end of the treatment and at 3 months after its completion, with greater improvement in the DZ-CMW group. In conclusion, patients with type 2 diabetes with diabetic neuropathy can benefit from comprehensive medical rehabilitation programs periodically, including therapeutic natural factors, at balneoclimacteric resorts, alongside medication, dietary regimen, and physical activity.

Phenological shifts in wild-growing plants and wild animal phenophases are well documented at many European sites. Less is known about phenological shifts in agricultural plants and how wild ecosystem phenology interacts with crop phenology. Here, we present long-term phenological observations (1961-2021) from the Czech Republic for wild plants and agricultural crops and how the timing of phenophases differs from each other. The phenology of wild-growing plants was observed at various experimental sites with no agriculture or forestry management within the Czech Hydrometeorological Institute observations. The phenological data of the crops were collected from small experimental plots at the Central Institute for Supervising and Testing in Agriculture. The data clearly show a tendency to shift to earlier times during the observation period. The data also show some asynchrony in phenological shifts. Compared with wild plants, agricultural crops showed more expressive shifts to the start of the season. Phenological trends for crop plants (Triticum aestivum) showed accelerated shifts of 4.1 and 5.1 days per decade at low and middle altitudes, respectively; on the other hand, the average phenological shift for wild plants showed smaller shifts of 2.7 and 2.9 days per decade at low and middle altitudes, respectively. The phenophase ´heading´ of T. aestivum showed the highest correlation with maximum temperatures (r = 0.9), followed by wild species (with r = 0.7-0.8) and two remaining phenophases of T. aestivum jointing and ripening (with r = 0.7 and 0.6). To better understand the impacts of climate on phenological changes, it is optimal to evaluate natural and unaffected plant responses in wild species since the phenology of field crops is most probably influenced not only by climate but also by agricultural management.

In the face of climate change and increasing urbanisation, ensuring outdoor thermal comfort is becoming an increasingly crucial consideration for sustainable urban planning. However, informed decision-making is limited by the challenge of obtaining high-resolution thermal comfort data. This study introduces an interdisciplinary, low-resource, and user-friendly methodology for thermal comfort mapping, employing a self-built low-cost meteorological device for mobile climate monitoring. This device was utilised in the city center of Dresden, Germany to collect air temperature, humidity, pressure, surface temperature, global radiation, and globe temperature data as key inputs for the calculation of thermal comfort indices. These measurements were then used to calculate the Universal Thermal Climate Index (UTCI) using the RayMan Pro urban climate modelling program. Due to the limited resource capacities of urban planning departments, clear priority areas must be identified. Therefore, an exemplary approach for the prioritisation of consistent hotspots using the highest 5% of UTCI values was developed. The spatial variances in UTCI were validated through mobile pedestrian thermal comfort questionnaires, which allowed for the comparison of objective and subjective estimates of thermal comfort and gave the basis on which to make holistic and practical suggestions for urban planning interventions. This paper demonstrates an accessible and interdisciplinary approach to thermal comfort mapping which can empower urban planning stakeholders with scientifically informed and cost-effective decision-making tools for climate-adapted urban development.

Heat stress (HS) is one of the main factors associated with welfare concerns during animal transport. The use of infrared thermography (IRT) for digitally monitoring HS in weaned piglets during transportation in a semi-arid region was investigated in the present study. A total of 60 focal piglets (25 ± 2.3 kg) were evaluated across five journeys of standard pigs-weaned loads in Ceará state, Brazil. Upon arrival at the designated farm, the piglets' respiratory rate (RR, breaths/min), rectal temperature (RT, °C), and salivary cortisol concentration (SC, ng/mL) were measured. Furthermore, the piglets' body (BT, °C) and ocular (OT, °C) temperatures were measured using IRT. The load's thermal assessment was monitored for each journey using Temperature-Humidity Index (THI). The correlation between the variables and the thermal images of BT and OT were evaluated using Pearson's coefficient analysis and agreement using Bland-Altman diagrams (P < 0.05). The study revealed a strong positive correlation between BT and OT with the piglets' RT (BT with r = 0.78; OT with r = 0.968) and THI (BT with r = 0.7378; OT with r = 0.8115). Additionally, OT showed a strong positive correlation (r = 0.749), while BT showed a moderate correlation (r = 0.691) with the animals' RR. On the other hand, BT and OT had a low correlation with salivary cortisol. The Bland-Altman analysis demonstrated that the use of IRT exhibited practically no bias (BT = 0.1249 °C and OT = 0.02075 °C) and showed reduced limits of agreement with RT measurements. These results provide evidence that infrared thermography technology can aid technicians and pork transport companies in estimating the physiological condition of heat stress in piglets weaned in a semi-arid region, serving as a mechanism to protect animal welfare.

Accumulating evidence has shown that long-term exposure to particulate matter with aerodynamic diameter of less than 2.5 μm (PM2.5) causes Th1/Th2 imbalance and increases the risk of allergic asthma (AA) in children. However, the mechanism underlying such effect remains elusive. Here, an AA mouse model was developed by intranasal administration of ovalbumin (OVA) and uncovered that OVA-sensitized mice exhibited pathological damage of lung tissues, mucus production, augmented serum IgE levels, enhanced Th2 cells and associated cytokine levels, and diminished Th1 cells and associated cytokine levels. Meanwhile, OVA induction led to upregulation of SRSF1 in mice. Moreover, shRNA-mediated knockdown of SRSF1 suppressed AA and Th1/Th2 imbalance in OVA-sensitized mice. After PM2.5 exposure, AA and Th1/Th2 imbalance were exacerbated and SRSF1 expression was increased in OVA-sensitized mice. Mechanistic experiments demonstrated that PM2.5-mediated inhibition of ALKBH5 expression augmented SRSF1 m6A modification in human bronchial epithelial cells treated with house dust mite. In this process, the m6A-reading protein YTHDF1 bound to SRSF1 mRNA and increased its stability. Furthermore, ALKBH5 overexpression neutralized PM2.5-aggravated Th1/Th2 imbalance in OVA-sensitized mice. Altogether, PM2.5 fosters Th1/Th2 imbalance in pediatric asthma by increasing SRSF1 m6A methylation through ALKBH5 downregulation.

Physiological and hematological traits and productive performance of Spanish Majorera and Palmera goats reared on the Island of Tenerife-Spain were assessed. 50 adult, clinically healthy, multiparous female goats were studied for 18 months. The data were analyzed in a two (breeds) x four (season) factorial scheme. Multivariate analysis and machine learning were used to assess the relationship between adaptive responses and climatic variables. There was no interaction effect between season of the year and breed for physiological responses (P > 0.05), except for coat surface temperature (P < 0.001). Respiratory rate and rectal temperature had no effect on breed c unlike heart rate and coat surface temperature. All thermoregulatory variables showed variations between seasons. The goats had a higher respiratory rate (P < 0.001) in summer and autumn. Rectal temperature was higher in spring (P < 0.001), but similar to winter (P > 0.05), whereas the heart rate was higher by 16.67% in winter when compared to other seasons (P < 0.001). The surface temperature of the coat presented higher values for the Majorera breed when compared to the Palmera in summer and spring. The Majorera breed showed greater productive performance (body weight; P < 0.05). In winter, the red blood series of Majorera goats showed higher values for hematocrit, hemoglobin, mean corpuscular volume and mean corpuscular hemoglobin (P < 0.05). The white blood series is similar between breeds (P > 0.05). There is a dynamic in the adaptive mechanisms used by Majorera and Palmera goats during the seasons. The temperate climate on Tenerife Island has a greater impact on Majorera goats (r² canonical = 0.76; P < 0.001) when compared to Palmera goats (P = 0.68; P < 0.001). The surface temperature of the coat is the first activated thermoregulatory mechanism for both breeds (P < 0.001). However, only Majorera goats presented secondary mechanisms which are related to heart rate for lower coat surface temperature values, possibly due to vasoconstriction in winter; and for higher values of rectal temperature when the surface temperature of the coat increases in summer. It is concluded that both breeds are adapted to the temperate climatic conditions of the Island of Tenerife, but there is a seasonal adaptive dynamic. Majorera breed animals have greater body weight, but are less tolerant to the Island's climate. In the warmer seasons, these animals increase the surface temperature of the coat to dissipate endogenous heat and in the colder seasons they increase the number of red cells, which demonstrates their adaptability to the winter climate on the Island of Tenerife.