Articles

Clopidogrel resistance "Live" – the risk of stent thrombosis should be evaluated before procedures

Every year, millions of people undergo percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) with intracoronary stent implantation. A patient from the PRAGUE-8 trial (Optimal pre-PCI clopidogrel loading: 600 mg before ever...

Authors: Zuzana Motovska, Petr Widimsky, Iuri Marinov, Robert Petr, Jaroslava Hajkova and Jan Kvasnicka

Acute myocardial infarction and pulmonary embolism in a young man with pernicious anemia-induced severe hyperhomocysteinemia

A 27 year-old man who presented to the hospital with progressive lower extremity weakness, developed an acute ST elevation myocardial infarction on his second hospital day. Primary angioplasty to the left ante...

Authors: Ayyash Melhem, Ankit Desai and Marion A Hofmann

Comparison of VerifyNow-P2Y₁₂ test and Flow Cytometry for monitoring individual platelet response to clopidogrel. What is the cut-off value for identifying patients who are low responders to clopidogrel therapy?

Dual anti-platelet therapy with aspirin and a thienopyridine (DAT) is used to prevent stent thrombosis after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). Low response to clopidogrel therapy (LR) occurs, but labor...

Authors: Cosmo Godino, Loredana Mendolicchio, Filippo Figini, Azeem Latib, Andrew SP Sharp, John Cosgrave, Giliola Calori, Michela Cera, Alaide Chieffo, Alfredo Castelli, Attilio Maseri, Zaverio M Ruggeri and Antonio Colombo

Editorial on hypothesis and objectives in clinical trials: superiority, equivalence and non-inferiority

Authors: Claudio D Gonzalez, Ricardo Bolaños and Martha de Sereday

Mild hypothermia does not attenuate platelet aggregation and may even increase ADP-stimulated platelet aggregation after clopidogrel treatment

Mild hypothermia is currently standard of care for cardiac arrest patients in many hospitals and a common belief is that hypothermia attenuates platelet aggregation. We wanted to examine the effects of clopido...

Authors: Carl Högberg, David Erlinge and Oscar Ö Braun

Non ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction in patient with essential thrombocythemia

A 68-year-old woman presented with acute chest pain and a greatly increased platelet count. Cardiac catheterization revealed subtotal occlusion and a thrombus-like filling defect in the right coronary artery. ...

Authors: Emin Alioglu, Nurullah Tuzun, Fahri Sahin, Buket Kosova, Serkan Saygi, Istemihan Tengiz, Ugur Turk, Nazan Ozsan and Ertugrul Ercan

Expression of sterol regulatory element-binding transcription factor (SREBF) 2 and SREBF cleavage-activating protein (SCAP) in human atheroma and the association of their allelic variants with sudden cardiac death

Disturbed cellular cholesterol homeostasis may lead to accumulation of cholesterol in human atheroma plaques. Cellular cholesterol homeostasis is controlled by the sterol regulatory element-binding transcripti...

Authors: Yue-Mei Fan, Pekka J Karhunen, Mari Levula, Erkki Ilveskoski, Jussi Mikkelsson, Olli A Kajander, Otso Järvinen, Niku Oksala, Janita Thusberg, Mauno Vihinen, Juha-Pekka Salenius, Leena Kytömäki, Juhani T Soini, Reijo Laaksonen and Terho Lehtimäki

Human activated protein C variants in a rat model of arterial thrombosis

Activated protein C (APC) inhibits coagulation by degrading activated factor V (FVa) and factor VIII (FVIIIa), protein S (PS) functioning as a cofactor to APC.

Authors: Karl Malm, Björn Arnljots and Björn Dahlbäck

Clinical factors influencing normalization of prothrombin time after stopping warfarin: a retrospective cohort study

Anticoagulation with warfarin should be stopped 4–6 days before invasive procedures to avoid bleeding complications. Despite this routine, some patients still have high International Normalized Ratio (INR) val...

Authors: Sam Schulman, Rajae Elbazi, Michelle Zondag and Martin O'Donnell

A new method to determine tissue specific tissue factor thrombomodulin activities: endotoxin and particulate air pollution induced disbalance

Increase in tissue factor (TF) and loss in thrombomodulin (TM) antigen levels has been described in various inflammatory disorders. The functional consequences of such changes in antigen concentrations in the ...

Authors: Kim Frederix, Ingeborg M Kooter, René van Oerle, Diane Fens, Karly Hamulyak, Miriam E Gerlofs-Nijland, Hugo ten Cate and Henri MH Spronk

Prevention and treatment of venous thromboembolism with low-molecular-weight heparins: Clinical implications of the recent European guidelines

Venous thromboembolism (VTE) is an important cause of avoidable morbidity and mortality. However, routine prophylaxis for at-risk patients is underused. Recent guidelines issued by an international consensus g...

Authors: Paolo Prandoni

Use of rosiglitazone before and after vascular injury in hypercholesterolemic rabbits: Assessment of neointimal formation

To analyse the effects of rosiglitazone administered at different times on neointimal formation in hypercholesterolemic rabbits following vascular injury.

Authors: Alexandre Alessi, Olímpio Ribeiro França Neto, Paulo Roberto Slud Brofman, Camila Prim, Lucia Noronha, Ruy Fernando Kuenzer Caetano Silva, Liz Andréa Villela Baroncini and Dalton Bertolim Précoma

Ischemic stroke risk, smoking, and the genetics of inflammation in a biracial population: the stroke prevention in young women study

Although cigarette smoking is a well-established risk factor for vascular disease, the genetic mechanisms that link cigarette smoking to an increased incidence of stroke are not well understood. Genetic variat...

Authors: John W Cole, David W Brown, Wayne H Giles, Oscar C Stine, Jeffrey R O'Connell, Braxton D Mitchell, John D Sorkin, Marcella A Wozniak, Barney J Stern, Mary J Sparks, Mark T Dobbins, Latasha T Shoffner, Nancy K Zappala, Laurie J Reinhart and Steven J Kittner

Risk of myocardial infarction and overall mortality in survivors of venous thromboembolism

Venous thromboembolism (VTE) and thromboembolic arterial diseases are usually considered to be distinct entities, but there is evidence to suggest that these disorders may be linked. The aim of this study was ...

Authors: Consuelo Huerta, Saga Johansson, Mari-Ann Wallander and Luis AGarcía Rodríguez

Successful management of acute thromboembolic disease complicated with heparin induced thrombocytopenia type II (HIT II): a case series

Heparin-induced thrombocytopenia type II (HIT II) is a rare immune-mediated complication of heparin. The diagnosis of HIT is considered in patients exposed to heparin, presenting with thrombocytopenia and thro...

Authors: Eva Serasli, Maria Antoniadou, Venetia Tsara, Vassilis Kalpakidis, Angelos Megalopoulos, George Trellopoulos, Georgia Papaioannou and Pandora Christaki

Venous thromboembolism prevention post neck of femur fractures – does it make a difference?

Neck of femur fractures predispose patients to venous thromboembolism (VTE). NICE has issued guideline 46 to reduce this risk through the use of antithrombic agents. We audited our department's VTE practise by...

Authors: Radwane Faroug, Shireesha Konnuru, San S Min, Fazleenah Hussain and George Ampat

Warfarin dose and INR related to genotypes of CYP2C9 and VKORC1 in patients with myocardial infarction

Warfarin treatment has a narrow therapeutic range, requiring meticulous monitoring and dosage titration. Individual dosage requirement has recently partly been explained by genetic variation of the warfarin me...

Authors: Kari BenteFoss Haug, Mohammad N Sharikabad, Marianne K Kringen, Sigrid Narum, Stine T Sjaatil, Per Wiik Johansen, Peter Kierulf, Ingebjørg Seljeflot, Harald Arnesen and Odd Brørs

Examining warfarin underutilization rates in patients with atrial fibrillation: Detailed chart review essential to capture contraindications to warfarin therapy

Atrial fibrillation affects an estimated 2.5 million Americans and incurs an average annual stroke risk of 4.5% per year. Despite warfarin reducing stroke risk by approximately 66%, prior studies show warfarin...

Authors: Ajay Srivastava, Michael Hudson, Ihab Hamoud, Joao Cavalcante, Chetan Pai and Scott Kaatz

The value of D-dimer in the detection of early deep-vein thrombosis after total knee arthroplasty in Asian patients: a cohort study

The relationship of D-dimer and deep-vein thrombosis (DVT) after total knee arthroplasty (TKA) remains controversial. The purpose of this study was to assess the value of D-dimer in the detection of early DVT ...

Authors: Chung-Jen Chen, Ching-Jen Wang and Chung-Cheng Huang

Effects of rosiglitazone on contralateral iliac artery after vascular injury in hypercholesterolemic rabbits

The objective was to evaluate the effects of rosiglitazone on iliac arteries of hypercholesterolemic rabbits undergoing balloon catheter injury in the contralateral iliac arteries.

Authors: Olímpio Ribeiro França Neto, Dalton Bertolim Precoma, Alexandre Alessi, Camila Prim, Ruy FernandoKuenzerCaetano da Silva, Lucia de Noronha and Liz AndréaVillela Baroncini

Pleural mesothelioma and venous thrombosis: the eosinophilia link

Peripheral blood eosinophilia and vascular occlusions are rare occurrences in patients with pleural mesothelioma whereas eosinophilia may associate with thrombosis. We describe a patient with mesothelioma who ...

Authors: Paul Richard Julian Ames and Win Win Aye

Stroke in inflammatory bowel disease: a report of two cases and review of the literature

Thrombosis is a recognised complication of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), in particular venous thrombosis. Arterial thrombosis, especially stroke is rare. There is a paucity of information regarding stroke ...

Authors: Deepak Joshi, Tobias Dickel, Rakesh Aga and Gray Smith-Laing

Point-of-care platelet function assays demonstrate reduced responsiveness to clopidogrel, but not aspirin, in patients with Drug-Eluting Stent Thrombosis whilst on dual antiplatelet therapy

To test the hypothesis that point-of-care assays of platelet reactivity would demonstrate reduced response to antiplatelet therapy in patients who experienced Drug Eluting Stent (DES) ST whilst on dual antipla...

Authors: Alex R Hobson, Graham Petley, Geraint Morton, Keith D Dawkins and Nick P Curzen

Percutaneous mechanical thrombectomy for the treatment of acute massive pulmonary embolism: case report

To our knowledge we report the first case of percutaneous mechanical thrombectomy used for the treatment of massive pulmonary embolism in the United Kingdom. Pulmonary embolism is a common disease process but ...

Authors: Aung Myat and Arif Ahsan

Effect of PlA1/A2 glycoprotein IIIa gene polymorphism on the long-term outcome after successful coronary stenting

To prospectively determine the role of platelet glycoprotein IIIa (GP IIIa) gene PlA1/PlA2 polymorphism on the long-term clinical outcome in patients with coronary artery disease undergoing coronary stenting.

Authors: Claire Le Hello, Rémy Morello, Agnès Lequerrec, Christine Duarte, John Riddell and Martial Hamon

An unusual case of peripartum cardiomyopathy manifesting with multiple thrombo-embolic phenomena

Peripartum cardiomyopathy (PPCM) is a rare form of heart failure with a reported incidence of 1 per 3000 to 1 per 4000 live births and a fatality rate of 20%–50%. Onset is usually between the last month of pre...

Authors: Uzoma N Ibebuogu, John W Thornton and Guy L Reed

The 5, 10 methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase C677T mutation and risk of fetal loss: a case series and review of the literature

The true relationship between methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase C677T homozygosity and risk of recurrent spontaneous abortion is unknown, and it is unclear if women with these mutations should be anticoagula...

Authors: Ivy Altomare, Alan Adler and Louis M Aledort

Influenza infection and risk of acute pulmonary embolism

Influenza infections have been associated with procoagulant changes. Whether influenza infections lead to an increased risk of pulmonary embolism remains to be established.

Authors: Matthijs van Wissen, Tymen T Keller, Brechje Ronkes, Victor EA Gerdes, Hans L Zaaijer, Eric CM van Gorp, Dees PM Brandjes, Marcel Levi and Harry R Büller

Dual antiplatelet therapy and drug eluting stents: a marriage of convenience

Authors: Juan Benezet-Mazuecos, Borja Ibanez and Juan J Badimon

Relationship between ABO blood group and von Willebrand factor levels: from biology to clinical implications

Although a number of studies have demonstrated the influence of ABO blood group on plasma levels of von Willebrand factor (VWF), the nature of this association and its clinical importance is still largely unkn...

Authors: Massimo Franchini, Franco Capra, Giovanni Targher, Martina Montagnana and Giuseppe Lippi

Heat shock inhibits lipopolysaccharide-induced tissue factor activity in human whole blood

During gram-negative sepsis, lipopolysaccharide (LPS) induces tissue factor expression on monocytes. The resulting disseminated intravascular coagulation leads to tissue ischemia and worsens the prognosis of s...

Authors: Christoph Sucker, Kai Zacharowski, Matthias Thielmann and Matthias Hartmann

Combining Taipan snake venom time/Ecarin time screening with the mixing studies of conventional assays increases detection rates of lupus anticoagulants in orally anticoagulated patients

Oral anticoagulation compromises conventional lupus anticoagulant (LA) screening assays. Mixing studies can counteract the oral anticoagulant effect but the dilution reduces sensitivity and can generate false ...

Authors: Gary W Moore

Antithrombotic prevention in vascular disease: bases for a new strategy in antithrombotic therapy

A tendency toward bleeding often undercuts the beneficial preventive effect of higher doses of a single antithrombotic drug or combined antithrombotic therapy. Although high doses of antithrombotic drugs may b...

Authors: Raul Altman

Hyperhomocysteinemia in women with unexplained sterility or recurrent early pregnancy loss from Southern Italy: a preliminary report

Hyperhomocysteinemia has been described as a risk factor for unexplained recurrent pregnancy loss. Increased levels of homocysteine may be due to inadequate dietary intake of folate and vitamin B12 and inherit...

Authors: Maristella D'Uva, Pierpaolo Di Micco, Ida Strina, Carlo Alviggi, Mariateresa Iannuzzo, Antonio Ranieri, Antonio Mollo and Giuseppe De Placido

Deep venous thrombosis in the antenatal period in a large cohort of pregnancies from western India

Deep venous thrombosis (DVT) is an important complication in the peripartal and postpartal period.

Authors: Sonal Vora, Kanjaksha Ghosh, Shrimati Shetty, Vinita Salvi and Purnima Satoskar

Why differentiate low molecular weight heparins for venous thromboembolism?

Authors: Jawed Fareed and Jeanine M Walenga

Increased platelet expression of FcGammaRIIa and its potential impact on platelet reactivity in patients with end stage renal disease

Increased platelet reactivity has been implicated in cardiovascular disease – the major cause of death in patients with end stage renal disease (ESRD). FcGammaRIIA is a component of glycoprotein VI and Ib-IX-V...

Authors: Feliciano A Serrano, Mohamed El-Shahawy, Richard J Solomon, Burton E Sobel and David J Schneider

Clopidogrel in Orthopaedic patients: a review of current practice in Scotland

Clopidogrel bisulfate is an antiplatelet agent used to prevent ischaemic events in patients with vascular disease. Current guidelines recommend withholding clopidogrel for 7 days pre-operatively. However these...

Authors: Jibu J Joseph, Anand Pillai and Diane Bramley

Platelet adhesion onto immobilized fibrinogen under arterial and venous in-vitro flow conditions does not significantly differ between men and women

Gender-related differences in incidence of arterial thrombosis have been a focus of interest for years. The platelet integrin αIIbβ3 is primarily responsible for the interaction between platelets and fibrinoge...

Authors: Robert Loncar, Reiner B Zotz, Christoph Sucker, Aleksandar Vodovnik, Mario Mihalj and Rüdiger E Scharf

Histological composition and progression of carotid plaque

To analyse histological composition and progression of carotid plaque.

Authors: Liz AndréaVillela Baroncini, Antonio Pazin Filho, Simone Gusmão Ramos, Antonio Roberto Martins and Luiz Otavio Murta Jr

Evaluation of the TEG^® platelet mapping™ assay in blood donors

Monitoring of antiplatelet therapy in patients at cardiovascular risk is difficult because existing platelet function tests are too sophisticated for clinical routine. The whole blood TEG^® Platelet Mapping™ assay...

Authors: Louise Bochsen, Bo Wiinberg, Mads Kjelgaard-Hansen, Daniel A Steinbrüchel and Pär I Johansson

HPA-1 polymorphism of αIIbβ3 modulates platelet adhesion onto immobilized fibrinogen in an in-vitro flow system

Platelet adhesion and subsequent thrombus formation on a subendothelial matrix at the site of vascular damage play a crucial role in the arrest of posttraumatic bleeding but also in different pathological thro...

Authors: Robert Loncar, Volker Stoldt, Sabine Hellmig, Rainer B Zotz, Mario Mihalj and Rüdiger E Scharf

Emergency correction of coagulation before major surgery in two elderly patients on oral anticoagulation

Recommendations for urgent reversal of oral anticoagulation with vitamin K₁ antagonists are largely derived from case series employing empirical dosing regimens with vitamin K₁ and prothrombin complex concentrate...

Authors: Marzia Angelo, Bernhard Gutmann, Michele Adami, Bernd Zagler, Anton Zelger, Christoph Pechlaner and Christian J Wiedermann

Benign intracranial hypertension associated to blood coagulation derangements

Benign Intracranial Hypertension (BIH) may be caused, at least in part, by intracranial sinus thrombosis. Thrombosis is normally due to derangements in blood coagulation cascade which may predispose to abnorma...

Authors: Domenico De Lucia, Marisanta Napolitano, Pierpaolo Di Micco, Alferio Niglio, Andrea Fontanella and Giuseppe Di lorio

An unusual case of Behçet's disease presenting with postpartum ovarian iliac vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism

Thrombosis of the ovarian vein is a rare complication which arises classically in the postpartum. We report a case of 24-year-old woman with a history of Behçet's disease, who presented with pelvic and thoraci...

Authors: Sonia Hammami, Mondher Golli, Faouzi Addad, Chiraz Hafsa, Amira Hamzaoui, Silvia Mahjoub and Amor Gannouni

Antithrombin significantly influences platelet adhesion onto immobilized fibrinogen in an in-vitro system simulating low flow

Adhesion of platelets onto immobilized fibrinogen is of importance in initiation and development of thrombosis. According to a recent increase in evidence of a multiple biological property of antithrombin, we ...

Authors: Robert Loncar, Uwe Kalina, Volker Stoldt, Volker Thomas, Rüdiger E Scharf and Aleksandar Vodovnik

Preparation of platelet-rich plasma as a tissue adhesive for experimental transplantation in rabbits

Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) is an autologous substance with adhesive properties. We aimed at developing and testing the efficacy of a method for PRP preparation in rabbits.

Authors: Federico Luengo Gimeno, Silvia Gatto, José Ferro, Juan Oscar Croxatto and Juan Eduardo Gallo

Outcomes of thromboprophylaxis with enoxaparin vs. unfractionated heparin in medical inpatients

Clinical trials have shown low-molecular weight heparin (LMWH) to be at least as safe and efficacious as unfractionated heparin (UFH) for preventing venous thromboembolism (VTE) in acutely-ill medical inpatients.

Authors: Lisa J McGarry, Michael E Stokes and David Thompson

The screening power of methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase C677T polymorphism versus plasma homocysteine concentration in patients with stenosis of the internal carotid artery

Hyperhomocysteinemia is an important and independent risk factor for vascular disease. About 35% of patients with stroke and 47% of patients with peripheral arterial disease have elevated plasma homocysteine (...

Authors: Robert Loncar, Barbara T Müller, Reiner B Zotz, Christof Sucker, Wilhelm Sandmann and Rüdiger E Scharf

Development of an in vitro model to study clot lysis activity of thrombolytic drugs

Thrombolytic drugs are widely used for the management of cerebral venous sinus thrombosis patients. Several in vitro models have been developed to study clot lytic activity of thrombolytic drugs, but all of th...

Authors: Sweta Prasad, Rajpal S Kashyap, Jayant Y Deopujari, Hemant J Purohit, Girdhar M Taori and Hatim F Daginawala