BACKGROUND: Allergic rhinitis (AR) has a significant impact on the community as a whole with regard to quality of life and its relationship to allergic multi-morbidities. Appropriate diagnosis, treatment and review of the efficacy of interventions can ameliorate these effects. Yet, the importance of AR is often overlooked, and appropriate therapy is neglected. The availability of effective medications and knowledge as to management are often lacking in both public and private health systems METHODS: This review is based on a comprehensive literature search and detailed discussions by the South African Allergic Rhinitis Working Group (SAARWG RESULTS: The working group provided up-to-date recommendations on the epidemiology, pathology, diagnosis and management of AR, appropriate to the South African setting CONCLUSION: Allergic rhinitis causes significant, often unappreciated, morbidity. It is a complex disease related to an inflammatory response to environmental allergens. Therapy involves education, evaluation of allergen sensitisation, pharmacological treatment, allergen immunotherapy (AIT) and evaluation of the success of interventions. Regular use of saline; the important role of intranasal corticosteroids, including those combined with topical antihistamines and reduction in the use of systemic steroids are key. Practitioners should have a thorough knowledge of associated morbidities and the need for specialist referral CONTRIBUTION: This review summarises the latest developments in the diagnosis and management of AR such that it is a resource that allows easy access for family practitioners and specialists alike

A síndrome de Prader-Willi (SPW) e a síndrome de Angelman (SA) são doenças neurogenéticas consideradas como exemplos do fenômeno de imprinting em seres humanos, estando relacionadas com alterações envolvendo a região cromossômica 15q11-13. As alterações genéticas predominantes na SPW são deleções na região 15q 11-13 de origem paterna e dissomia uniparental materna. Na SA encontra-se deleções na região 15q 11-13 materna e dissomia uniparental paterna. Estudamos 5 pacientes com suspeita clínica de SPW e 4 pacientes com suspeita clínica de SA atendidos no Setor de Genética Médica do Hospital Universitário da FMRP-USP, com o objetivo de estabelecer o diagnóstico clínico e etiológico de certeza nessa amostra. Para isso utilizamos citogenética convencional, estudo de metilação por Southern blotting utilizando a sonda KB 17 (ilha CpG do gene SNRPN) após digestão com as enzimas de restrição Xba I e Not I e análise de polimorfismos de repetição de CA por PCR, usando os primers 196 e IR4-3R. Dos 9 pacientes avaliados, todos tiveram avaliação citogenética convencional normal. Foram confirmados a nível molecular, 1 caso de SPW por deleção nova, 1 caso de SPW por dissomia uniparental materna e 1 caso de SPW em que a causa genética não pode ser esclarecida pela análise de polimorfismo com os primers usados. Foram confirmados a nível molecular 2 casos de SA, ambos por deleção nova na região 15q 11-13, e 1 caso de SA cuja clínica é extremamente sugestiva mas no qual não foi evidenciada alteração em qualquer dos exames moleculares utilizados.

The Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS) and the Angelman syndrome (AS) are human neurogenetic disorders involving the imprinting mechanism, at the 15q11-13 chromosome region. The predominant genetic defects in PW are 15q 11-13 deletions of paternal origin and maternal chromosome 15 uniparental disomy. In contrast, maternal deletions and paternal chromosome 15 uniparental disomy are associated with a different neurogenetic disorder, the AS. In both disorders, these mutations are associated with parent-of-origin specific methylation at several 15q 11-13 loci. We studied 5 patients suspect of PWS and 4 patients suspect of AS who were referred to the Medical Genetics Unit at the University Hospital of Medical School from Ribeirão Preto. Our objective was to establish the correct clinical and etiological diagnosis in these cases. We used conventional cytogenetics, methylation analysis with the probe KB 17 (CpG island of the SNRPN gene) by Southern blotting after digestion with the Xba I and Not I restriction enzymes. We studied in patients and their parents the segregation of the (CA)n repeats polymorphisms by PCR, using the primers 196 and IR4-3R. All the patients had normal conventional cytogenetical analysis. We confirmed 3 cases of PWS: one by de novo deletion, one by maternal chromosome 15 uniparental disomy and one case with no defined cause determined by the used primers. We confirmed 2 cases of AS, caused by de novo deletion at the 15q 11-13 region, and one case with normal molecular analysis but with strong clinical characteristics.