Her training in Hepatology included mentorship under esteemed physicians Giovanni Gasbarrini, MD, and Mauro Bernardi, MD, in Bologna and later under David H. Van Thiel, MD, in the United States. During her time in the U.S. (1993-2002), she enhanced her clinical training with extensive basic science research, collaborating with renowned scientists such as Elizabeth Kovacs, PhD; Robert Floyd, PhD; Judith Gavaler, PhD; Pamela Witte, PhD; MaryAnn Emanuele, MD; and Richard Gamelli, MD, in the fields of aging, free radical biology, cytokine biology, and alcohol research.
She practiced as an Emergency Room physician at Policlinico of Modena Hospital. Since 2017, she is a senior physician in the Emergency Department of Maggiore Hospital, AUSL of Bologna,
EDUCATION
Alessandra Colantoni, born in Bologna, Italy, in November 1966, attended the University of Bologna School of Medicine. She obtained her MD degree cum laude in 1992. She is a specialist in Geriatrics with a Master’s degree in Hepatology and Transplant Medicine.
RESEARCH, TEACHING, or OTHER INTERESTS
Geriatrics and Gerontology, Emergency Medicine, Hepatology
FUTURE PROJECTS
GERIATRIC EMERGENCY MEDICINE
DISSEMINATION OF GERIATRIC CULTURE IN THE EMERGENCY DEPARTMENT. MULTIDISCIPLINARY APPROACH
Applications Invited
76
Scopus Publications
Scopus Publications
The early acute phase response after burn injury in mice Timothy P. Plackett, Alessandra Colantoni, Scott A. Heinrich, Kelly A. N. Messingham, Richard L. Gamelli, Elizabeth J. Kovacs Journal of Burn Care and Research, 2007 In the hours immediately after burn injury, the body enters into an acute phase reaction characterized, in part, by the augmentation of cytokine and acute phase protein production. This reaction has been poorly characterized in the 24 hours immediately after injury. To better understand the early acute phase response, 8- to 10-week-old BALB/C female mice were subjected to a 15% total body surface area (TBSA). Hepatic levels of tumor necrosis factor-α, interleukin-1β, and interleukin-6 were monitored. In addition, the circulating level of serum amyloid A, an acute phase protein, also was measured at the same time points. Tumor necrosis factor-α levels peaked 2 hours after burn injury, whereas interleukin-1β had a biphasic response, increasing 2 hours after injury and again at 12 hours. Interleukin-6 and serum amyloid A were not increased until 12 hours after injury and began to decline at 24 hours. These results demonstrate that within the liver, the acute phase response after burn injury initially involves tumor necrosis factor-α and interleukin-1β, whereas interleukin-6 is not involved until later and that systemic serum amyloid A levels are not increased until interleukin-6 is also increased.
Lymphoproliferative disorders in chronic hepatitis C R. Idilman, A. Colantoni, N. De Maria, S. Alkan, S. Nand, D. H. Van Thiel Journal of Viral Hepatitis, 2004 Summary. Chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is associated with the development of lymphoproliferative disorders (LPDs). The aim of this investigation was to determine the prevalence and characterization of monoclonal gammopathy and benign and malignant LPDs in individuals with chronic hepatitis C. A total of 233 subjects diagnosed with chronic hepatitis C (male/female ratio: 131/102, median age; 49 years) were studied. Serum and urine were examined for the presence of a monoclonal gammopathy. A bone marrow aspirate and biopsy was obtained in individuals with a monoclonal gammopathy. Thirty‐two patients (13.7%, 32 of 233) had a monoclonal gammopathy; 75% of them were benign and were not associated with malignant disorders (24 of 32) while 25% were associated with malignant LPDs or a plasma cell disorder (eight of 32). Two additional subjects without monoclonal gammopathy were diagnosed as having a malignant LPDs. The prevalence of malignant LPDs/plasma cell disorder in individuals with HCV‐induced chronic liver disease was 4.3%. No difference was found in terms of disease duration, HCV genotype, viral load, alanine aminotransferase level or histopathologic score between the subjects with or without a monoclonal gammopathy. The presence of mixed cryoglobulinaemia was strongly associated with the presence of an underlying malignant disorder. Hence a monoclonal gammopathy is found in 14% of patients with chronic hepatitis C and is associated with malignant B‐cell LPD in more than a quarter of such patients. The prevalence of LPDs in individuals with HCV‐induced chronic liver disease is greater than that of the normal healthy population.
Hepatic apoptosis and proliferation in male and female rats fed alcohol: Role of cytokines Alessandra Colantoni, Ramazan Idilman, Nicola De Maria, Nancy La Paglia, Joseph Belmonte, Frederick Wezeman, Nicholas Emanuele, David H. Van Thiel, Elizabeth J. Kovacs, Mary Ann Emanuele Alcoholism Clinical and Experimental Research, 2003 Background: The female liver is more sensitive to the toxic effect of chronic alcohol intake than the male liver. The aim of the study was to compare the influence of gender and sex hormonal status on apoptosis and cell proliferation following chronic ethanol intake.Methods: Male and female rats were pair fed for 8 weeks a liquid diet containing 36% of their total daily calories as ethanol (ETOH group) or sucrose (control group). Liver samples were analyzed for apoptosis and hepatocyte proliferation by immunohistochemistry. The hepatic production of factors able to influence cell death and proliferation, such as tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNFα) and interleukin 6 (IL‐6) were determined.Results: In both male and female rats, ethanol intake promoted apoptosis in the liver. This effect of ethanol was more evident in female than male rat livers. Hepatic TNFα levels, which promote apoptosis, are significantly more elevated in female than in male livers. Hepatic IL‐6 production, which promotes hepatocyte proliferation, was induced by ethanol only in males, but not female animals.Conclusion: This observed difference in cytokine responses may contribute to the enhanced sensitivity of female liver to EtOH‐induced injury.
Elevated monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 levels following thermal injury precede monocyte recruitment to the wound site and are controlled, in part, by tumor necrosis factor-α Scott A. Heinrich, Kelly A. N. Messingham, Meredith S. Gregory, Alessandra Colantoni, Ahalia M. Ferreira, Luisa A. Dipietro, Elizabeth J. Kovacs Wound Repair and Regeneration, 2003 In previous studies, mice given a full‐thickness scald injury had an influx of neutrophils into the skin that followed a local increase in a neutrophil chemoattractant. Because macrophages are known to infiltrate the wound area after neutrophils and are essential for normal wound repair, studies were designed to characterize the time course of macrophage accumulation in the wound and to identify the factor(s) responsible for this influx. A macrophage infiltrate into the wound was observed at 4 days post‐injury and persisted through at least 10 days. This influx was preceded by an initial fourfold increase in dermal monocyte chemoattractant protein‐1 levels at 24 hours post‐injury (p < 0.05). This elevation in monocyte chemoattractant protein‐1 was enhanced at 4 and 10 days postburn resulting in a sixfold increase over baseline (p < 0.01). Levels of tumor necrosis factor‐α, a proinflammatory cytokine known to induce chemokine production, were elevated at 90 minutes after injury in burn‐ versus sham‐injured groups (p < 0.05). Furthermore, administration of tumor necrosis factor‐α neutralizing antibody in vivo reduced the dermal levels of monocyte chemoattractant protein‐1 seen at 10 days postburn by 57% (p < 0.01); however, macrophage accumulation was not altered. Thus, elevated systemic TNF‐α levels may influence the local chemokine milieu following burn injury. (WOUND REP REG 2003;11:110–119)
Estrogen receptor classification for hepatocellular carcinoma: Comparison with clinical staging systems Erica Villa, Alessandra Colantoni, Calogero Cammà, Antonella Grottola, Paola Buttafoco, Roberta Gelmini, Ilva Ferretti, Federico Manenti Journal of Clinical Oncology, 2003 Purpose: Several scoring systems to evaluate patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) exist. A good scoring system should provide information on prognosis and guide therapeutic decisions. The presence of variant liver estrogen receptor (ER) transcripts in the tumor has been shown to be the strongest negative predictor of survival in HCC. The aim of this study was to compare the predictive value of the commonly applied clinical scoring systems for survival of patients with HCC with that of the evaluation of ER in patients with HCC (molecular scoring system). Materials and Methods: HCC was staged according to the Okuda classification, Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer classification, Italian classification system (CLIP), French classification, and ER status in 96 patients. Analysis of survival was performed according to the Kaplan-Maier test and was made for each classification system and ER. A comparison between classifications was made by univariate and multivariate analysis. Results: Among the clinical classification systems, only the CLIP was able to identify patient populations with good, intermediate, and poor prognosis. On multivariate analysis, ER classification was shown to be the best predictive classification for survival of patients with HCC (P <.0001). This difference was the result of a better allocation of patients with ominous prognosis (variant ER) having nevertheless good clinical score. Conclusion: The evaluation of the presence of wild-type or variant ER transcripts in the tumor is the best predictor of survival in patients with HCC. Its accuracy in discriminating patients with good or unfavorable prognosis is significantly greater than that of the commonly used scoring systems for the staging of HCC.
Impaired antibody response rates after high dose short interval hepatitis B virus vaccination of immunosuppressed individuals Hepato Gastroenterology, 2003
ALEX® (artificial liver for extracorporeal xenoassistance): A new bioreactor containing a porcine autologous biomatrix as hepatocyte support. Preliminary results in an ex vivo experimental model G. Ambrosino, S. Varotto, S. Basso, D. Galavotti, A. Cecchetto, P. Carraro, A. Naso, G. De Silvestro, M. Plebani, G. Giron, G. Abatangelo, D. Donato, G.P. Braga, A. Cestrone, L. Marrelli, M. Trombetta, V. Lorenzelli, A. Picardi, M.L. Valente, G. Palu, A. Colantoni, D. Van Thiel, C. Ricordi, D.F. D'amico International Journal of Artificial Organs, 2002 Long-term maintenance of viability and expression of differentiated hepatocyte function is crucial for bioartificial liver support. We developed a new bioreactor design (ALEX®), associated with a new extracellular autologous hepatocyte biomatrix (Porcine Autologous Biomatrix - PBM) support. To test this new bioreactor, we compared it to a standard BAL (Bio-Artificial Liver) cartridge in a ex vivo model using human plasma added to bilirubin, ammonium and lidocaine. A pathology study was performed on both bioreactors. The results suggest that ALEX® allows a maximal contact between the perfusing plasma and the liver cells and a proper hepatocyte support by a cell-to-matrix attachment. ALEX® is a suitable cell support bioreactor, guaranteeing long-term maintenance of the metabolic activity of hepatocytes when compared to a standard BAL cartridge.
Hepatic estrogen receptors and alcohol intake Alessandra Colantoni, Mary Ann Emanuele, Elizabeth J Kovacs, Erica Villa, David H Van Thiel Molecular and Cellular Endocrinology, 2002
Variant estrogen receptors and their role in liver disease Erica Villa, Alessandra Colantoni, Antonella Grottola, Ilva Ferretti, Paola Buttafoco, Helga Bertani, Nicola De Maria, Federico Manenti Molecular and Cellular Endocrinology, 2002
Bronchoalveolar lavage fluid analysis in individuals with chronic hepatitis C Ramazan Idilman, Hülya Çetinkaya, İsmail Savaş, Nuray Aslan, Serpil Dizbay Sak, Mehmet Baştemir, Mustafa Sarioğlu, İrfan Soykan, Mithat Bozdayı, Alessandra Colantoni, Olcay Aydıntuğ, Kadir Bahar, Özden Uzunalimoğlu, David H. Van Thiel, Numan Numanoğlu, Abdulkadir Dökmeci Journal of Medical Virology, 2002
Development of a new bioartificial liver using a porcine autologous biomatrix as hepatocyte support Giovanni Ambrosino, Sergio Varotto, M. M. Stefano Basso, Daniele Galavotti, Attilio Cecchetto, Paolo Carraro, Agostino Naso, Giustina De Silvestro, Mario Plebani, Gianpiero Giron, Giovanni Abatangelo, Daniele Donato, Adriano Cestrone, Luigi Marrelli, Marcella Trombetta, Vincenzo Lorenzelli, Antonio Picardi, Alessandra Colantoni, David Van Thiel, Camillo Ricordi, Francesco Davide D’Amico ASAIO Journal, 2002
Hepatic iron, serum indices of iron status and chronic hepatitis C: Activity, stage and response to therapy Italian Journal of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, 1998
Polymerase chain reaction for the detection of HCV-RNA: Cryoglobulinaemia as a cause for false negative results Italian Journal of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, 1997
The cardiac evaluation of liver transplant recipients: A single center's experience Italian Journal of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, 1997
Pulmonary function in individuals being evaluated for orthotopic liver transplantation Transplantology Journal of Cell and Organ Transplantation, 1996
Ursodeoxycholic acid does not improve the clinical course of primary sclerosing cholangitis over a 2-year period Hepato Gastroenterology, 1996
Neuropsychological impairment in a patient with a normal liver and long-standing portacaval anastomosis: Studies obtained before and after liver transplantation European Journal of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, 1996
Liver transplantation in the United States: Current problems and future goals Italian Journal of Gastroenterology, 1996
Natural course and physiopathology of ascites in the cirrhotic patient Annali Italiani Di Medicina Interna Organo Ufficiale Della Societa Italiana Di Medicina Interna, 1996