Diagnosis and treatment of urticaria and angioedema: a worldwide perspective

Urticaria and angioedema are common clinical conditions representing a major concern for physicians and patients alike. The World Allergy Organization (WAO), recognizing the importance of these diseases, has contributed to previous guidelines for the diagnosis and management of urticaria. The Scientific and Clinical Issues Council of WAO proposed the development of this global Position Paper to further enhance the clinical management of these disorders through the participation of renowned experts from all WAO regions of the world. Sections on definition and classification, prevalence, etiology and pathogenesis, diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis are based on the best scientific evidence presently available. Additional sections devoted to urticaria and angioedema in children and pregnant women, quality of life and patient-reported outcomes, and physical urticarias have been incorporated into this document. It is expected that this article will supplement recent international guidelines with the contribution of an expert panel designated by the WAO, increasing awareness of the importance of urticaria and angioedema in medical practice and will become a useful source of information for optimum patient management worldwide

Low-dose and short-term cyclosporine treatment in patients with chronic idiopathic urticaria: A clinical and immunological evaluation

The present study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of 2.5 mg/kg/day cyclosporin (CsA) treatment in patients with severe chronic idiopathic urticaria (CIU) and the impact of CsA treatment on several cytokines involved in the etiopathogenesis of CIU. Twenty-seven CIU patients and 24 healthy control subjects were included in the study. The autologous serum skin test (ASST) for autoantibodies and urticaria activity scoring (UAS) were measured for the evaluation of the clinical severity and the response to therapy, and the serum levels of interleukin (IL)-6, IL-8, IL-2 receptor, IL-1 beta, tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha and IL-5 were measured. The mean UAS score was 32.07 +/- 7.05 and 6.22 +/- 3.84 before and after CsA treatment, respectively. The serum IL-2 receptor, TNF-alpha and IL-5 levels of patients before CsA treatment were statistically higher than those of the control group (P = 0.001), and after 4 weeks of CsA therapy the mean IL-2R, TNF-alpha and IL-5 levels were significantly decreased. The data from this study demonstrate that CsA therapy is efficient and safe for CIU patients. Increase in clinical efficacy and marked decreases in serum cytokine levels suggest that inhibition of cytokine generation is involved in the action of the drug in this clinical setting

Investigation of interleukin-12, interleukin-17 and interleukin-23 receptor gene polymorphisms in alopecia areata

Objective To investigate the distribution of interleukin (IL)-12 (IL12; 1188A/C), IL17 (A7488G) and IL-23 receptor (IL23R; +2199A/C) gene polymorphisms in patients with alopecia areata

Investigation of interleukin-12, interleukin-17 and interleukin-23 receptor gene polymorphisms in alopecia areata

Objective To investigate the distribution of interleukin (IL)-12 (IL12; 1188A/C), IL17 (A7488G) and IL-23 receptor (IL23R; +2199A/C) gene polymorphisms in patients with alopecia areata

Late Onset Papillon-Lefevre Syndrome (A Clinical Report)

Papillon-Lefevre syndrome is a rare autosomal recessive disorder characterized by the association of palmoplantar hyperkeratosis and premature loss of both deciduous and permanent teeth. Although there were a number of studies with respect to dassical PLS patients, the number of studies on the late-onset PLS was limited. This paper reports the treatment planning of the mildly affected periodontal component of a patient with late-onset Papilion-Lefevre syndrome and in DNA by investigating cytokine and MIF genotyping. Cytokine (IL-6, IL-10, IFN-g, TGF-beta 1, TNFa) genotyping was performed by the PCR-SSP method. The TNFa (-238,-857) and MIF (-173) genotyping were determined by PCR-RFLP method. These results are the first detailed genetic study data concerning the Late-Onset Papillon-Lefevre Syndrome in literature. The IL-6, IL-10, TNFa and IFN-g polymorphisms were detected as high expression while TGF-beta 1 was detected as intermediate expression and GC genotype in the MIF (-173) gene

Is there any Association between the Functional Variants of the NOS3 Gene and Psoriasis?

Introduction: Psoriasis (Ps) is a chronic, immune-mediated inflammatory skin disorder with an incompletely understood etiology. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between the suspectibility to Ps and G894T (rs1799983) and variable number tandem repeat (VNTR) variants of the endothelial nitric oxide synthase (NOS3) gene