Allergic rhinitis: diagnosis and management.

Allergic rhinitis affects 20% of the population of the UK. It confers a significant health burden upon the individual as it affects the patient's quality of life and is associated with serious comorbidities including asthma, sinusitis and conjunctivitis. Owing to its prevalence, it has a significant economic impact through its effects on education, productivity and use of healthcare resources. This review focuses on the management of allergic rhinitis and potential future treatments, because of the lack of clear national guidelines and because this illness is often misdiagnosed and mismanaged. The article provides a comprehensive overview of allergic rhinitis and illustrates the assessment criteria for various subcategories.

Detection of MEF-1 laboratory reference strain of poliovirus type 2 in children with poliomyelitis in India in 2002 & 2003.

BACKGROUND & OBJECTIVES: Significant progress has been made towards eradication of poliomyelitis in India. Surveillance for acute flaccid paralysis (AFP) has reached high standards. Among the 3 types of polioviruses, type 2 had been eliminated in India and eradicated globally as of October 1999. However, we isolated wild poliovirus type 2 from a small number of polio cases in northern India in 2000 and again during December 2002 to February 2003. Using molecular tools the origin, of the wild type 2 poliovirus was investigated. METHODS: Polioviruses isolated from stool samples collected from patients with AFP were differentiated as wild virus or Sabin vaccine-like by ELISA and probe hybridization assays. Complete VP1 gene nucleotide sequences of the wild type 2 poliovirus isolates were determined by reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), followed by cycle sequencing. VP1 nucleotide sequences were compared with those of wild type 2 polioviruses that were indigenous in India in the past as well as prototype/laboratory strains and the GenBank database. RESULTS: Wild poliovirus type 2 was detected in stool samples from 6 patients with AFP in western Uttar Pradesh and 1 in Gujarat. In addition, the virus was isolated from one healthy contact child and from environmental sewage sample in Moradabad where three of these patients were reported. These isolates were identified as genetically closely related to laboratory reference strain MEF-1. Molecular characterization of the isolates confirmed that there was no evidence of extensive person-to-person transmission of the virus in the community. INTERPRETATION & CONCLUSION: Laboratory reference strain (MEF-1) of poliovirus type 2 caused paralytic poliomyelitis in 10 patients in September 2000 and November 2002 to February 2003. The origin of the virus was some laboratory as yet not identified. This episode highlights the urgent need for stringent containment of wild poliovirus containing materials in the laboratories across the country in order to prevent recurrence of such incidents.

Effects of rhizobacteria and root symbionts on the reproduction of Meloidogyne javanica and growth of chickpea.

The effects of rhizobacteria, i.e. Pseudomonas fluorescens, Azotobacter chyroococcum and Azospirillum brasilense, alone and in combination with root symbionts, Rhizobium sp. and Glomus mosseae, on the growth of chickpea, Cicer arietinum, and reproduction of Meloidogyne jaranica were studied. When added alone G. mosseae was better at improving plant growth and reducing galling and nematode reproduction than any other tested organism. Application of P. fluorescens caused an almost similar increase in plant growth to that caused by Rhizobium sp., while use of A. chroococcum was better than A. brasilense in improving growth of nematode --infected plants. Combined use of P. fluorescens with G. mosseae was better at improving plant growth and reducing galling and nematode multiplication than any other combined treatment.