Publications by authors named "Elena Ossi"

Article Synopsis
  • The study looked at patients with a condition called HCV-unrelated cryoglobulinaemic vasculitis (CV) to understand how it affects people and what makes it worse or better.
  • They followed 175 patients for a long time and found that many had other health issues that can affect CV, like autoimmune diseases and liver problems.
  • The researchers found that older age, being male, and having certain types of cryoglobulins made patients more likely to have serious health issues or die from the condition.
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Objective: The objective of this review was to define a core set of recommendations for the treatment of HCV-associated mixed cryoglobulinemia syndrome (MCS) by combining current evidence from clinical trials and expert opinion.

Methods: Expert physicians involved in studying and treating patients with MCS formulated statements after discussing the published data. Their attitudes to treatment approaches (particularly those insufficiently supported by published data) were collected before the consensus conference by means of a questionnaire, and were considered when formulating the statements.

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Introduction: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of risedronate (Ris) in the modulation of bone formation in rats with glucocorticoid (GC)-induced osteoporosis by histomorphometric, immunohistochemical and gene expression analyses.

Methods: We analyzed structure, turnover and microarchitecture, cyclooxygenase 2 (COX-2) levels and osteocyte apoptosis in 40 female rats divided as follows: 1) vehicle of methylprednisolone (vGC) + vehicle of risedronate (vRis); 2) Ris 5 μg/Kg + vGC; 3) methylprednisolone (GC) 7 mg/Kg + vRis; 4) GC 7 mg/Kg +Ris 5 μg/Kg. In addition, we evaluated cell proliferation and expression of COX-2 and bone alkaline phosphatase (b-ALP) genes in bone marrow cells and MLO-y4 osteocytes treated with Ris alone or in co-treatment with the selective COX-2 inhibitor NS-398 or with dexametasone.

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Background: Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and colorectal surgery are risk factors for deep venous thrombosis (DVT). The aim of this prospective study was to evaluate the effectiveness of standardized prophylactic low molecular weight heparin (LMWH) therapy in patients who underwent surgery for ulcerative colitis (UC) and Crohn's disease (CD).

Patients And Methods: Since 1999 all patients operated on for colorectal diseases in our institute have received 4,000 IU/day LMWH from the day of operation to discharge.

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Antitumor necrosis factor alpha (anti-TNF-alpha) therapy in perianal Crohn's disease (CD) is widely established but recent studies suggest that the underlying fistula tract and inflammation may persist. Treatment with a monoclonal antibody against interleukin (IL)-12 was reported to induce clinical responses and remissions in patients with active CD. The aim of our study was to analyze the cytokine network (TNF-alpha, IL-12, IL-1beta, and IL-6) in 12 patients with chronic perianal CD and a Crohn's disease activity index (CDAI) score <150 to exclude active intestinal disease, in 7 patients with indeterminate colitis (IC) after restorative proctocolectomy with perianal complications, in 7 patients with active intestinal CD without perianal manifestations, and in 19 healthy controls.

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Background: Some patients with cryoglobulinemic syndrome (CS) develop frank non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL), but the incidence and timing of this event are still poorly defined.

Methods: A retrospective multicenter study was performed of hepatitis C virus-positive patients with CS observed in 11 Italian centers belonging to the Italian Group for the Study of Cryoglobulinemia.

Results: The inclusion criteria were satisfied by 1,255 patients.

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A 41-year-old woman with recent onset of heart failure and angina due to aortic valve incompetence and critical left coronary ostium stenosis in the setting of Takayasu's arteritis is reported. The patient was successfully surgically treated by aortic valve replacement and coronary artery bypass with saphenous vein graft, showing a cardiac event-free 17 months follow-up. Takayasu's arteritis must be included among the possible causes of coronary artery disease and aortic valve incompetence in young female patients.

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Objective: We evaluated the prevalence and clinical significance of proteinase 3 (PR3-) and myeloperoxidase (MPO-) antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibodies (ANCA) in 115 patients with systemic sclerosis (SSc, scleroderma).

Methods: Sera were assayed by 2 independent centers, which used indirect immunofluorescence (IIF) and direct ELISA as screening tests. Inhibition-ELISA for PR3- and MPO-ANCA and PR3 capture-ELISA experiments were also performed.

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