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P J Beggs

Publications and source records attributed to P J Beggs.

6 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2004

Alternaria spores in the atmosphere of Sydney, Australia, and relationships with meteorological factors.

Alternaria spores are found in the atmosphere in many locations around the world. They are significant from a human health perspective because they have been known to trigger allergic respiratory disease such as asthma and hay-fever. The presence of Alternaria spores in the atmosphere has been related to meteorological factors in past studies, but this has not been done previously in Sydney, Australia. This paper reports the results of such a study in Sydney. Alternaria spore concentration data for the period 19 August 1992 to 31 December 1995 were examined with meteorological data for the same period. The daily Alternaria spore concentration was compared to the meteorological data for the same day and for up to 3 days previously. The analysis methods were Spearman's rank correlation and multiple regression. Alternaria spores appear in the atmosphere of Sydney year-round, although they peak over spring, summer, and autumn. A number of meteorological factors, including mean, minimum, and maximum, temperature, dew point temperature, and air pressure, are significantly correlated with the atmospheric concentration of Alternaria spores. Some of these meteorological variables (temperature and dew point temperature) show significant correlations with a 1, 2, and 3 day lag, as well as for the same day. Regression models indicate that up to 31.1% of the variation in Alternaria spore concentration can be explained by meteorological factors. There is potential for the results of this study to be used by public health authorities in the prediction of Alternaria spore concentrations in Sydney.

Alternaria↗
PubMed2004

Impacts of climate change on aeroallergens: past and future.

Human activities are resulting in increases in atmospheric greenhouse gases, such as carbon dioxide, and changes in global climate. These, in turn, are likely to have had, and will continue to have, impacts on human health. While such impacts have received increasing attention in recent years, the impacts of climate change on aeroallergens and related allergic diseases have been somewhat neglected. Despite this, a number of studies have revealed potential impacts of climate change on aeroallergens that may have enormous clinical and public health significance. The purpose of this review is to synthesize this work and to outline a number of research challenges in this area. There is now considerable evidence to suggest that climate change will have, and has already had, impacts on aeroallergens. These include impacts on pollen amount, pollen allergenicity, pollen season, plant and pollen distribution, and other plant attributes. There is also some evidence of impacts on other aeroallergens, such as mould spores. There are many research challenges along the road to a more complete understanding of the impacts of climate change on aeroallergens and allergic diseases such as asthma and hayfever. It is important that public health authorities and allergy practitioners be aware of these changes in the environment, and that research scientists embrace the challenges that face further work in this area.

Air↗
PubMed2000

Impacts of climate and climate change on medications and human health.

OBJECTIVE: To examine impacts of climate and climate change on medications and human health. METHODS: Literature review and analysis of MIMS. RESULTS: Changed climate associated with the enhanced Greenhouse Effect (e.g. increased temperature) may lead to medication-related health impacts through deterioration of storage conditions, increased heat stress from medication-induced heat intolerance, and by influencing pharmacokinetics. Increases in UV radiation from stratospheric ozone depletion may increase the significance of medications that can lead to an increased sensitivity to the damaging effects of UV radiation (i.e. photosensitivity). CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS: Raising awareness of the impacts of climate on medications, and of climate-related side-effects, among both health care professionals and the public, should modify behaviour and therefore reduce the risks of such adverse impacts.

Climate↗
PubMedDate not supplied

An integrated environmental asthma model.

Asthma is a significant public health problem in many communities. Symptoms of asthma occur as a direct or indirect result of many contributing factors, including influences from the natural and built environments, human behavior, and the adequacy of techniques used in its management. A model is presented to integrate many of these contributing factors, highlighting the characteristics of the atmosphere, i.e., climate, irritants, and allergens. The model stresses the need for investigators to heed the many contributing triggers and influences, including possible synergistic mechanisms, in this disease.

Air Pollutants↗