The autologous-serum skin test (ASST) can cause a wheal-and-flare response in some cases of chronic idiopathic urticaria. We subjected 102 patients affected by chronic idiopathic urticaria to this test and studied some clinical parameters to detect any significant differences between ASST-positive and ASST-negative patients. The only significant difference we noted between the two groups was the incidence of angioedema (P = 0.01). We suggest that the ASST cannot be used alone either to predict the severity of urticaria or to define it as 'autoimmune'.

In recent years an association between oral lichen planus (OLP) and HCV infection has been reported, but the frequency of this association seems to differ in the various geographic areas. It is clear, instead, that some abnormalities occur in the immune-regulation mechanisms of patients with OLP and it is thought to be due to the chronic antigenic stimulus of HCV that causes functional disorders of the immune system in infected patients. Possible immunologic difference between 17 patients with OLP and HCV+ and 17 patients with OLP and HCV-were investigated using standard immunofluorescence and flow cytometry techniques. The distribution of T and B cells was normal in all patients examined, while NK CD56+ cells were increased, above all in HCV-patients. About 65% ofT CD4+ lymphocytes coexpressed the CD45RO isoform (p=0.002), while approximately 32% expressed CD45RA, without significant differences in comparison to HCV+ subjects (p>0.05). Moreover, almost all the CD4+CD45RO+ subpopulation coexpressed CD29 in all patients examined. No significant differences between the two groups of patients were detected as to the increase of cytotoxic T CD8+CD57+ lymphocytes. The B cells CD19+CD5+ responsible for the production of "natural" antibodies were detectable in both the examined groups, even ifnot in all HCV+ subjects (30% ± 10.1 in HCV-and 27% ±19.4in HCV+ patients; p=0.47).These findings suggest the existence ofdifferences in lymphocyte subpopulations between OLP-HCV+ subjects and OLP-HCV-patients.

Chronic Idiopathic Urticaria (CIU) is a cutaneous disorder for which there is no identifiable specific etiologic agent. Some recent evidences suggest that CIU might be an autoimmune disease. We analyzed immunological features occurring in CIU and evaluated effectiveness and tolerance of Cyclosporin A (CsA) treatment in patients unresponsive to antihistaminic treatment. Twenty patients with CIU were recruited after a selective diagnostic protocol and were divided into two groups. CsA was prescribed for group 1 and Prednisone for group 2 as control, for 8 weeks. Before and after the therapy we performed on all patients immunological studies. For all patients symptoms disappeared after a few days of therapy. Before therapy all patients showed activated B cells (CD19+CD23+ cells) and among B CD19+ cells, about 20% were CD5+ (cells that synthesize natural autoantibodies). After treatment with Prednisone in group 2, a significant reduction of CD4+ lymphocytes (p = 0,01) was observed. Our findings might support the CIU autoimmune pathogenetic hypothesis. The clinical remission in the CsA-treated group confirmed the therapeutic effectiveness of this therapy in antihistaminic unresponsive CIU and, at dosage used, side effects were rare, mild and reversible. Thus, CsA might be a good therapeutic alternative in CIU patients unresponsive to conventional treatments.

The involvement of the synovium is common in phlogistic processes of various joint diseases. Apart from synoviocytes and the other cells in the synovial tissue, circulating cells recruited from peripheral blood also participate in the phlogistic process. The increased expression of adhesion molecules on both circulating and endothelial cell surface may further this recruitment. We studied 15 patients affected by serious gonarthrosis requiring a prosthetic implant (GPI) and 7 with knee prosthesis aseptic loosening (KPL) to evaluate adhesion molecule expression and phlogistic infiltration in the synovium using immunohistochemistry and microscopic analysis. As control we studied 10 subjects affected by degenerative meniscopathies undergoing a selective arthroscopic surgical meniscectomy. Analysis with Kruskal-Wallis test showed no statistical significant differences in the expression of CD54, CD11a, CD11b and CD18 in three groups examined. The model of variance analysis (Friedman test), showed that CD54 expression is greater in patients with GPI and KPL in comparison with the other molecules. Adhesion molecules and their functions are important in arthropathies not only because their evaluation can allow us to identify the degree of inflammation and to predict its evolution, but also because pharmacological control of their expression could have important therapeutic implications.