One Year in the Extreme Isolation of Antarctica—Is This Enough to Modulate an “Allergic” Sensitization?
(1) Background: After spending a year wintering in Antarctica, individual expedition members have reported increased or even new allergic reactions to environmental allergens after their return. (2) Methods: Blood samples from five overwintering crews were analyzed using the chip based multiplex ALE...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2022-02-01
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| Series: | Biomedicines |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2227-9059/10/2/448 |
| _version_ | 1797482349677510656 |
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| author | Matthias Feuerecker Claudia Strewe Martina Aumayr Tim Heitland Ulrich Limper Brian Crucian Sarah Baatout Alexander Choukér |
| author_facet | Matthias Feuerecker Claudia Strewe Martina Aumayr Tim Heitland Ulrich Limper Brian Crucian Sarah Baatout Alexander Choukér |
| author_sort | Matthias Feuerecker |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | (1) Background: After spending a year wintering in Antarctica, individual expedition members have reported increased or even new allergic reactions to environmental allergens after their return. (2) Methods: Blood samples from five overwintering crews were analyzed using the chip based multiplex ALEX Allergy Explorer (MacroArray Diagnostics GmbH, Austria). (3) Results: About one third of the 39 participants displayed specific IgEs against pollen. In most individuals, kinetics showed a reduction in the specific IgE at the time about nine months after deployment to Antarctica. Five participants had the highest specific IgE levels after returning to the “normal” world. The examination of the specific IgE relative to house dust mites and storage mites showed different kinetics. Six out of 10 had the highest specific IgE concentrations at the inner Antarctic measurement time point. These data corresponded well to the general situation in the stations. At the stations themselves, there were almost no pollen particle load, especially at Concordia. (4) Conclusions: Antarctic long-term confinement can induce an altered immune function, which is in some individuals pronounced after return to the familiar allergen environment. Future prospective studies in larger cohorts are needed to further specify these first results. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T22:32:03Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-8bb1b54936cc4a1f8ac611ac143aedfb |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2227-9059 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T22:32:03Z |
| publishDate | 2022-02-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Biomedicines |
| spelling | doaj.art-8bb1b54936cc4a1f8ac611ac143aedfb2023-11-23T18:55:45ZengMDPI AGBiomedicines2227-90592022-02-0110244810.3390/biomedicines10020448One Year in the Extreme Isolation of Antarctica—Is This Enough to Modulate an “Allergic” Sensitization?Matthias Feuerecker0Claudia Strewe1Martina Aumayr2Tim Heitland3Ulrich Limper4Brian Crucian5Sarah Baatout6Alexander Choukér7Department of Anesthesiology, University Hospital, LMU Munich, 81377 Munich, GermanyDepartment of Anesthesiology, University Hospital, LMU Munich, 81377 Munich, GermanyMacroArray Diagnostics GmbH, Lemböckgasse 59/Top 4, A-1230 Vienna, AustriaAlfred-Wegener-Institut, Helmholtz-Zentrum für Polar-und Meeresforschung, 27568 Bremerhaven, GermanyInstitut für Luft-und Raumfahrtmedizin, Deutsches Zentrum für Luft-und Raumfahrt (DLR), 51147 Cologne, GermanyNASA-Johnson Space Center, Houston, TX 77058, USARadiobiology Unit, Belgian Nuclear Research Centre (SCK CEN), 2400 Mol, BelgiumDepartment of Anesthesiology, University Hospital, LMU Munich, 81377 Munich, Germany(1) Background: After spending a year wintering in Antarctica, individual expedition members have reported increased or even new allergic reactions to environmental allergens after their return. (2) Methods: Blood samples from five overwintering crews were analyzed using the chip based multiplex ALEX Allergy Explorer (MacroArray Diagnostics GmbH, Austria). (3) Results: About one third of the 39 participants displayed specific IgEs against pollen. In most individuals, kinetics showed a reduction in the specific IgE at the time about nine months after deployment to Antarctica. Five participants had the highest specific IgE levels after returning to the “normal” world. The examination of the specific IgE relative to house dust mites and storage mites showed different kinetics. Six out of 10 had the highest specific IgE concentrations at the inner Antarctic measurement time point. These data corresponded well to the general situation in the stations. At the stations themselves, there were almost no pollen particle load, especially at Concordia. (4) Conclusions: Antarctic long-term confinement can induce an altered immune function, which is in some individuals pronounced after return to the familiar allergen environment. Future prospective studies in larger cohorts are needed to further specify these first results.https://www.mdpi.com/2227-9059/10/2/448Antarcticaspace mission like confinementallergychip-based multiplex assaysensitizationimmune system |
| spellingShingle | Matthias Feuerecker Claudia Strewe Martina Aumayr Tim Heitland Ulrich Limper Brian Crucian Sarah Baatout Alexander Choukér One Year in the Extreme Isolation of Antarctica—Is This Enough to Modulate an “Allergic” Sensitization? Biomedicines Antarctica space mission like confinement allergy chip-based multiplex assay sensitization immune system |
| title | One Year in the Extreme Isolation of Antarctica—Is This Enough to Modulate an “Allergic” Sensitization? |
| title_full | One Year in the Extreme Isolation of Antarctica—Is This Enough to Modulate an “Allergic” Sensitization? |
| title_fullStr | One Year in the Extreme Isolation of Antarctica—Is This Enough to Modulate an “Allergic” Sensitization? |
| title_full_unstemmed | One Year in the Extreme Isolation of Antarctica—Is This Enough to Modulate an “Allergic” Sensitization? |
| title_short | One Year in the Extreme Isolation of Antarctica—Is This Enough to Modulate an “Allergic” Sensitization? |
| title_sort | one year in the extreme isolation of antarctica is this enough to modulate an allergic sensitization |
| topic | Antarctica space mission like confinement allergy chip-based multiplex assay sensitization immune system |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2227-9059/10/2/448 |
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