D'Amato G, Chatzigeorgiou G, Corsico R, Gioulekas D, Jäger L, Jäger S, Kontou‐Fili K, Kouridakis S, Liccardi G, Meriggi A, Palma‐Carlos A, Palma‐Carlos ML, Pagan Aleman A, Parmiani S, Puccinelli R Russo M, Spieksma FThM, Torricelli R, Wüthrich B. Evaluation of the prevalence of skin prick test positivity to Alternaria and Cladosporium in patients with suspected respiratory allergy. A European multicenter study promoted by the Subcommittee on Aerobiology and Environmental Aspects of Inhalant Allergens of the European Academy of Allergology and Clinical Immunology. This trial was undertaken to study, in several geographically spread European countries, the prevalence of skin prick test (SPT) positivity to Alternaria (A) and Cladosporium (C) in subjects with nasal and/or bronchial symptoms of suspected allergic cause. Each patient completed an anamnestic questionnaire and underwent SPT with a panel of common inhalant allergens and also A and C supplied by three different laboratories, to allow for manufacturer bias. Specific scrum IgE determination was carried out only in subjects with SPT positivity to A and/or C with an immunoassay system. In nine European allergology centers, a total of 877 subjects was enrolled in the trial; 83 of them showed SPT positivity to A and/or C; only nine patients showed monosensitization to A, and none to C The highest percentage of positive subjects was found in Spain (20%); the lowest in Portugal (3%). In the other seven centers, the variation was 7–10%. The age range of mold‐positive subjects was 5–60 years. Rhinitis was by far the most common symptom, whether associated or not with asthma and/or conjunctivitis.

Tumour necrosis factor alpha (TNFalpha) of peritoneal fluid is believed to have important pro-inflammatory and angiogenic activities in the complex mechanisms of development of peritoneal endometriotic lesions. We have evaluated the concentrations of TNFalpha and macrophages in peritoneal fluid of infertile women with minimal or mild endometriosis and related them to the presence of peritoneal red lesions alone (red lesions only group; n = 11) or their absence (non-red lesions group; n = 36). A group of 39 infertile normo-ovulatory patients with normal pelvic anatomy was used as controls. TNFalpha concentrations did not differ between controls and either group of patients. Patients with red lesions only had significantly lower concentrations of TNFalpha in peritoneal fluid (P < 0.05) and had a higher proportion of samples with undetectable concentrations (P < 0.05) than patients without red lesions. The significant difference in TNFalpha concentrations was present when comparing the groups of patients in the proliferative phase but not in the secretory phase. Macrophage concentrations were not different in the groups. Our findings are compatible with an impairment of macrophage function and therefore lend support to the theory that an inappropriate immunological response of the peritoneal environment to regurgitated endometrium may play a part in the initial phases of endometriotic implants.

The results of this study show that the allergoid SLIT is safe and effective in decreasing symptom scores and drug use in rhinitic patients allergic to grass pollen.

The platelet aggregation in the presence of 4 aggregation inducers was studied in 63 allergic patients, consisting of atopic and non-atopic asthmatics and aspirin-sensitive subjects, before and after inhalation tests or in vitro incubation with allergen. Basal platelet aggregation was decreased in 43% of the atopic patients for adrenaline and also in a smaller percentage for other agonists. A decreased aggregation was also observed in 3 out of 6 nonatopic patients and in aspirin-sensitive patients. In vivo or in vitro provocation tests decreased aggregation in some additional patients. These results point out to a compromise of platelets in allergic mechanisms.

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