[Chronic HCV hepatopathy and cryoglobulinemia. The associated clinical spectrum].

Background And Aim: The hepatitis C infection (HCV) has numerous extrahepatic manifestations owing to the systemic nature of the infection itself. HCV infects the cells that carry a CD 81 receptor and show a marked tropism for hepatocytes, bone marrow staminal cells and circulating lymphomonocytes. One consequence of this tropism is the activation of B lymphocyte clones with the consequent production of autoantibodies and cryoglobulins.

HLA antigens and clinical manifestations in Crohn's disease.

A clinical, radiological and immunogenetical study was carried out on 51 Crohn's patients. Rheumatological disorders were found in 16 of them, with higher frequency in those with colon involvement only. A statistically significant increase in the frequencies of HLA-A9 and HLA-Cw3 was noted: Cw3 showed a particularly high frequency in males, and A9 in younger patients.

Intravertebral vacuum cleft: notes on five cases.

Analysis of five personal cases of the intravertebral vacuum cleft phenomenon and a close examination of the literature, suggest that it is rather more frequent than it first appears. Intravertebral vacuum cleft tends to occur more readily in the vertebrae of the dorsolumbar hinge and mainly in the elderly, slightly more common in women than men. The main factors, from the pathogenetic point of view, are osteoporosis, a history of trauma and frequent occurrence of rheumatic problems which are often complicated by vasculitis.