Many authors have recently found a positive correlation between Helicobacter pylori infection and idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP), the most common autoimmune hematological disorder. In order to clarify the pathogenic mechanism of H. pylori-associated ITP, we have investigated 52 consecutive ITP adult patients for Helicobacter pylori infection, B- and T-cell clonality and HLA class II alleles. Thirty-four ITP patients (65.4%) were infected by H. pylori and bacterium eradication was accompanied by a long-term platelet response in 17 (53.1%) of them. A B-cell clonality was found in three patients (5.8%, two patients H. pylori-negative and one patient H. pylori-positive). The ITP patients with H. pylori infection showed a HLA-DRB1*11, *14 and -DQB1*03 frequencies significantly higher and a -DRB1*03 frequency significantly lower than in H. pylori-negative patients. Moreover, an HLA-DQB1*03 pattern was associated with a higher probability of platelet response to eradication treatment. If our study documents the efficacy of eradication treatment in H. pylori-infected ITP patients, it may also help to identify different subgroups of ITP patients with probably different pathogeneses of thrombocytopenia and, finally, different responses to eradication treatment.

We studied phenology and density of migrant aerial insectivore birds (Riparia riparia, Hirundo rustica, Delichon urbicum, Apus sp.) from a coastal landscape mosaic of central Italy, in order to detect differences in habitat use and seasonal dynamics of each species. Two habitat types were surveyed: wetlands (a mosaic of reed beds and rush beds) and altered habitats, consisting of orchards and urban areas. We used the point count method from January to June, in a set of randomly selected sampling points. A comparison between all species showed that swifts reached the highest mean point density, while sand martin showed the lowest values, mainly in altered habitats. Initially, all the breeding species were numerous in wetlands; subsequently they shifted toward altered habitats (mainly used as breeding sites), where they were observed up to the end of the counts. Along the Tyrrhenian coast, wetlands are exploited as soon as these aerial foragers arrive in the study area and then shift to the surrounding altered (i.e., urbanized or land reclaimed) zones for nesting after some ten-days.

No abstract

No abstract