Is thrombin a pharmacological target during reperfusion?
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Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to H D White.
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OBJECTIVE: To assess whether the 90 minute corrected thrombolysis in myocardial infarction frame count (CTFC) in the infarct related artery predicts left ventricular function at 48 hours in patients with myocardial infarction treated with aspirin, streptokinase, and either heparin or Hirulog. DESIGN AND SETTING: Analysis of 251 patients with acute myocardial infarction enrolled in the international, multicentre Hirulog early reperfusion/occlusion (HERO-1) trial, who underwent both 90 minute coronary angiography and 48 hour left ventriculography. MAIN OUTCOME VARIABLES: The CTFC was determined in the infarct related artery 90 minutes after starting intravenous streptokinase (1.5 x 106 U over 30 to 60 minutes), and compared with indices of left ventricular function assessed by contrast ventriculography at 48 hours. RESULTS: A CTFC of </= 27 frames (previously reported mean + 2 SD in coronary arteries of patients without acute infarction) occurred in 29% of infarct related arteries, and was associated with a lower infarct zone mean chord score (-2.06 v -2.54, p = 0.01), a lower fraction of chords > 2 SD below normal (37% v 51%, p = 0.005), and trends towards higher left ventricular ejection fractions (60.9% v 58.2%, p = 0.11) and lower end systolic volumes (50.1 ml v 55.9 ml, p = 0.23). A CTFC of </= 40 at 90 minutes occurred in 50% of infarct related arteries, and was associated with a significantly lower mean chord score (-2.20 v -2.60, p = 0.02), a smaller fraction of chords > 2 SD below normal (41% v 52%, p = 0.025), a smaller end systolic volume (49.1 ml v 59.3 ml, p = 0.02), and a higher left ventricular ejection fraction (60.4% v 56.5%, p = 0.03). CONCLUSIONS: The 90 minute CTFC predicts left ventricular function at 48 hours following streptokinase. The CTFC associated with better ventricular function may be higher than values determined from a non-infarct population.
AIM: To access the current lipid management of late survivors of acute myocardial infarction. METHODS: A systematic follow-up of all survivors who had previously been screened for enrolment into one of three randomised clinical trials in Auckland was undertaken from December 1995 to January 1997. All contacted survivors were asked to answer a questionnaire regarding their current therapy and were invited to undergo venepuncture for a lipid assay. RESULTS: Of the 1036 patients with acute myocardial infarction screened for enrolment in the three trials there were 984 (95%) who survived 30 days. At a median of 5.5 years (interquartile range 3.2-8.5) follow-up, 641 (86%) survivors agreed to have a fasting lipid test. The mean total cholesterol level was 5.7 +/- 1.1 mmol/L high density lipoprotein cholesterol 1.1 +/- 0.3 mmol/L, low density lipoprotein cholesterol 3.8 +/- 0.9 mmol/L and triglyceride level 1.9 +/- 1.1 mmol/L. Two hundred and seven (32%) patients were treated with a lipid-modifying agent. Four hundred and forty-five (69%) patients had a cholesterol level > or = 5.2 mmol/L 381 (59%) patients had a level > or = 5.5 mmol/L and 72 (11%) patients had a level > or = 7.0 mmol/L of whom 62 patients were not being treated with a lipid-modifying agent. For the 107 patients with coronary artery bypass grafts, the mean cholesterol level was 5.4 mmol/L and the mean low density lipoprotein cholesterol level was 3.7 +/- 0.9 mmol/L, with 57 (53%) patients not being treated with a "statin" or "fibrate". CONCLUSION: Lipid management is suboptimal in this high risk population of patients post-infarction and greater efforts need to be made to achieve better control. Diet is frequently inadequate in these patients at high risk and statin therapy is indicated.
Worldwide, streptokinase continues to be used widely in the treatment of myocardial infarction because it is inexpensive and causes fewer intracranial hemorrhages than other thrombolytic regimens. However, in the Global Use of Strategies to Open Occluded Coronary Arteries (GUSTO-I) trial, the 90-minute angiographic Thrombolysis in Myocardial Infarction (TIMI) trial grade 3 flow rate with streptokinase was 43% lower than that with accelerated tissue plasminogen activator, and there was a higher incidence of death or disabling stroke with streptokinase (7.8% vs 6.9%, p <0.01). In the first Hirulog and Early Reperfusion/Occlusion (HERO-1) trial, 48% of patients given the direct thrombin inhibitor bivalirudin (formerly Hirulog, The Medicines Company) after streptokinase had TIMI 3 patency at 90 minutes, compared with 35% of patients given intravenous heparin (p <0.05). Other angiographic and clinical studies and animal research have shown that early infarct artery blood flow may be increased markedly if a direct thrombin inhibitor is administered before the thrombolytic agent. In the HERO-2 trial, 17,000 patients presenting within 6 hours after the onset of acute myocardial infarction will be given aspirin and randomized to receive either intravenous heparin or bivalirudin before streptokinase is administered. The primary endpoint will be 30-day mortality, and secondary endpoints will include death or myocardial infarction within 30 days, and death or nonfatal disabling stroke. If the thrombin hypothesis is supported by improved clinical outcomes with bivalirudin in the HERO-2 trial, large-scale clinical trials will be needed to evaluate the administration of direct thrombin inhibitors before other thrombolytic regimens.
The role of the highly conserved residues in the gamma-phosphate binding site of myosin upon myosin motor function was studied. Each of five residues (Ser181, Lys185, Asn235, Ser236, and Arg238) in smooth muscle myosin was mutated. K185Q has neither a steady state ATPase nor an initial Pi burst. Although ATP and actin bind to K185Q, it is not dissociated from actin by ATP. These results indicate that the hydrolysis of bound ATP by K185Q is inhibited. S236T has nearly normal basal Mg2+-ATPase activity, initial Pi burst, ATP-induced enhancement of intrinsic tryptophan fluorescence, and ATP-induced dissociation from actin. However, the actin activation of the Mg2+-ATPase activity and actin translocation of S236T were blocked. In contrast S236A has nearly normal enzymatic properties and actin-translocating activity. These results indicate that 1) the hydroxyl group of Ser236 is not critical as an intermediary of proton transfer during the ATP hydrolysis step, and 2) the bulk of the extra methyl group of the threonine residue in S236T blocks the acceleration of product release from the active site by actin. Arg238, which interacts with Glu459 at the Switch II region, was mutated to Lys and Ile, respectively. R238K has essentially normal enzymatic activity and motility. In contrast, R238I does not hydrolyze ATP or support motility, although it still binds ATP. These results indicate that the charge interaction between Glu459 and Arg238 is critical for ATP hydrolysis by myosin. Other mutants, S181A, S181T, and N235I, showed nearly normal enzymatic and motile activity.
BACKGROUND: Limited information exists on risk factors for mortality after thrombolysis-related intracranial hemorrhage. We wished to determine the characteristics associated with 30-day mortality after thrombolysis-related intracranial hemorrhage. METHODS AND RESULTS: We performed an observational analysis within a randomized trial of 4 thrombolytic therapies, conducted in 1081 hospitals in 15 countries. Patients presented with ST-segment elevation within 6 hours of symptom onset. Our population was composed of the 268 patients who had primary intracranial hemorrhage after thrombolysis. With univariable and multivariable analyses, we identified clinical and brain imaging characteristics that would predict 30-day mortality among these patients. CT or MRI were available for 240 patients (90%). The 30-day mortality rate was 59.7%. Glasgow Coma Scale score, age, time from thrombolysis to symptoms of intracranial hemorrhage, hydrocephalus, herniation, mass effect, intraventricular extension, and volume and location of intracranial hemorrhage were significant univariable predictors. Multivariable analysis of 170 patients with complete data, 98 of whom died, identified the following independent, significant predictors: Glasgow Coma Scale score (chi2, 19.3; P<0. 001), time from thrombolysis to intracranial hemorrhage (chi2, 15.8; P<0.001), volume of intracranial hemorrhage (chi2, 11.6; P<0.001), and baseline clinical predictors of mortality in the overall GUSTO-I trial (chi2, 10.3; P=0.001). The final model had a C-index of 0.931. CONCLUSIONS: This model provides excellent discrimination between patients who are likely to live and those who are likely to die after thrombolytic-related intracranial hemorrhage; this may aid in making decisions about the appropriate level of care for such patients.
This study examined factors influencing the outcome of percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA) in patients <40 years of age. We followed 86 patients (mean age 37 years) treated from 1982 to 1994. The primary procedural success was 90%. At follow-up of 83 patients (97%) at a mean of 48 +/- 33 months (range 5 to 147), there had been 3 late deaths. Actuarial survival at 5 and 10 years was 95% and 91%, respectively. At review only 5% of patients had class III angina and no patient had class IV angina. Repeat revascularization (PTCA alone in 21 [25%], surgery in 8 [10%], or both in 10 [12%] patients) was performed for restenosis in 29 patients (35%) and for disease progression at other sites in 10 patients (12%). On multivariate analysis, a history of diabetes mellitus (p <0.02) was the only factor associated with death or a subsequent cardiovascular event (myocardial infarction, stroke, or hospital admission with unstable angina). At follow-up, 20 patients (24%) still smoked, 64 (77%) had a total cholesterol level > or = 200 mg/dl, 20 (24%) had a body mass index > or = 30, and 15 (18%) were not taking aspirin. In conclusion, PTCA in adults <40 years of age has excellent early results with a low morbidity and mortality. The medium-term prognosis and control of symptoms was good, although by 5 years, further revascularization was required in almost half of the patients.
Thrombolytic therapy has been a major advance in the management of acute myocardial infarction. Unfortunately, it continues to be underused or is administered later than is optimal. Thrombolytic therapy works by lysing infarct artery thrombi and achieving reperfusion, thereby reducing infarct size, preserving left ventricular function, and improving survival. The most effective thrombolytic regimens achieve angiographic epicardial infarct-artery patency in only approximately 50% of patients within 90 minutes. Bleeding requiring transfusion occurs in approximately 5% of patients and stroke in approximately 1.8% with these regimens, which include adjunctive aspirin and intravenous heparin. There are several ways in which reperfusion rates and thus patient outcomes might be improved, such as different dosing regimens of established agents; combinations of different agents; improved adjunctive therapy such as direct antithrombin agents, low-molecular-weight heparin, or glycoprotein IIb/IIIa receptor antagonists; or the development of novel thrombolytic agents with enhanced fibrin specificity, resistance to native inhibitors, or prolonged half-lives allowing bolus administration. All of these strategies are being tested in clinical trials. The best approach currently is to administer thrombolytic therapy as soon as possible to all patients without contraindications who present within 12 hours of symptom onset and have ST-segment elevation on the ECG or new-onset left bundle-branch block, unless an alternative reperfusion strategy is planned.
Because 24% to 30% of patent infarct-related arteries occlude in the year following thrombolytic therapy for acute myocardial infarction, angiographic factors including corrected Thrombolysis in Myocardial Infarction (TIMI) frame count which may predict abnormal infarct-artery flow, require definition. We examined changes in coronary flow and infarct-artery lesion severity by computerized quantitative angiography over 1 year in 154 patients with a patent infarct-related artery 4 weeks after myocardial infarction. These patients were randomized to receive either ongoing daily therapy of 50 mg aspirin and 400 mg dipyridamole, or placebo. All angiograms were interpreted blind in our core angiographic laboratory. Infarct-artery flow, assessed by corrected TIMI frame counts, was normal (< or = 27) in 46% and 45% of patients at 4 weeks and 1 year, respectively. At 4 weeks, patients with corrected TIMI frame counts < or = 27 had higher ejection fractions (60+/-11% vs 56+/-12%; p = 0.04) than those with corrected TIMI frame counts >27. On multivariate analysis, corrected TIMI frame count and stenosis severity were predictive of late abnormal infarct-artery flow (TIMI 0 to 2 flow, both p <0.01). Only stenosis severity at 4 weeks predicted reocclusion at 1 year (p <0.0001). Aspirin and dipyridamole had no effect on flow or reocclusion. Thus, corrected TIMI frame count and stenosis severity at 4 weeks was highly correlated with infarct-artery flow at 1 year.
BACKGROUND: Nonhemorrhagic stroke occurs in 0.1% to 1.3% of patients with acute myocardial infarction who are treated with thrombolysis, with substantial associated mortality and morbidity. Little is known about the risk factors for its occurrence. METHODS AND RESULTS: We studied the 247 patients with nonhemorrhagic stroke who were randomly assigned to one of four thrombolytic regimens within 6 hours of symptom onset in the GUSTO-I trial. We assessed the univariable and multivariable baseline risk factors for nonhemorrhagic stroke and created a scoring nomogram from the baseline multivariable modeling. We used time-dependent Cox modeling to determine multivariable in-hospital predictors of nonhemorrhagic stroke. Baseline and in-hospital predictors were then combined to determine the overall predictors of nonhemorrhagic stroke. Of the 247 patients, 42 (17%) died and another 98 (40%) were disabled by 30-day follow-up. Older age was the most important baseline clinical predictor of nonhemorrhagic stroke, followed by higher heart rate, history of stroke or transient ischemic attack, diabetes, previous angina, and history of hypertension. These factors remained statistically significant predictors in the combined model, along with worse Killip class, coronary angiography, bypass surgery, and atrial fibrillation/flutter. CONCLUSIONS: Nonhemorrhagic stroke is a serious event in patients with acute myocardial infarction who are treated with thrombolytic, antithrombin, and antiplatelet therapy. We developed a simple nomogram that can predict the risk of nonhemorrhagic stroke on the basis of baseline clinical characteristics. Prophylactic anticoagulation may be an important treatment strategy for patients with high probability for nonhemorrhagic stroke, but further study is needed.
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The primary objective of this study was to characterize a large cohort of patients receiving thrombolytic therapy for acute myocardial infarction with respect to the group with a prior event. Patients were randomly assigned to 1 of 4 thrombolytic strategies. Baseline characteristics, 30-day outcomes, and 1-year mortality were compared between patients with (n = 6,704) and without (n = 34,143) prior myocardial infarction. Patients with prior myocardial infarction presented to the hospital earlier than those having their first event, but institution of thrombolytic therapy was delayed. Mortality at 30 days (11.7% vs 5.9%, p = 0.001) and 1 year (17.3% vs 8.2%, p < 0.001) was greater among patients with prior infarction, and independent of other demographic variables. Accelerated alteplase was more effective than streptokinase or combination therapy (30-day mortality 10.4% vs 12.2%, p = 0.012; 1-year mortality 15.9% vs 17.8%, p = 0.041). Infarct vessel patency did not differ between those with and without prior myocardial infarction (67.3% vs 67% at 90 minutes, p = 0.92); however, recurrent ischemia was more common in patients with prior myocardial infarction. Patients with healed myocardial infarction should be educated to ensure early hospital admission if they develop symptoms suggestive of acute infarction, and upon hospital arrival should be promptly triaged to receive reperfusion therapy with accelerated alteplase.
Apparatus is described for the kinetic investigation of biological reactions by electron cryomicroscopy with time resolution on the order of milliseconds. This involves layering a grid with one reactant and then spraying on a second reactant immediately before freezing. Two-stage mixing can be achieved by mixing two solutions, holding them in a delay line for a preset interval, and then spraying the aged solution onto a grid carrying a third reactant. The individual steps of these procedures are under software control and can be adjusted independently. Spray-freezing is widely applicable since solutions of small molecules, proteins, and protein assemblies can be delivered as aerosols. Thus the method can be used to study both the effects of small molecules on macromolecules and for monitoring protein-protein interactions. It may also be useful in other situations, for instance in light microscopy.
OBJECTIVE: To quantify the numbers of leukocytes in the normal cervix and relate these numbers to the diagnosis of cervicitis. METHODS: Isolated cell suspensions were prepared from cervical tissue recovered at hysterectomy from 37 women who had no obvious cervical disease. The percentages of CD45+ cells (leukocytes) in these preparations were determined using immunofluorescence-based flow cytometric analysis. These percentages were compared with the pathologist's assessment of cervicitis. RESULTS: Leukocytes were present in all cervical samples tested. For endocervical samples, the mean (+/- standard error of the mean [SEM]) percentage of CD45+ cells was 12.4 +/- 1.9% of cells in patients with a diagnosis of cervicitis (n = 16) and 9.1 +/- 1.1% in patients without cervicitis (n = 17). For ectocervical samples, the mean (+/- SEM) percentage was 14.8 +/- 3.0% in those with cervicitis (n = 16) and 9.5 +/- 1.6% in those without cervicitis (n = 19). The differences between samples from patients with cervicitis and those without cervicitis were not statistically significant at the .05 level. Intra- and interassay variabilities were 5.7 +/- 1.2% and 7.3 +/- 1.6%, respectively. CONCLUSION: Our study demonstrates there is a resident population of leukocytes in the cervix. Leukocyte number did not relate clearly and consistently to the diagnosis of cervicitis made by the pathologist. We suggest that the resident population of leukocytes, in the absence of other indicators of infection, may confuse determinations of cervicitis.
OBJECTIVES: We sought to show that hirudin might interact differently with streptokinase (SK) and tissue-type plasminogen activator (t-PA), which could reduce the incidence of death or reinfarction at 30 days. BACKGROUND: In a large-scale trial of patients with acute coronary syndromes, hirudin provided modest benefit compared with heparin. However, the interaction with thrombolytic agents was not specifically assessed. METHODS: Patients with symptoms of acute myocardial infarction and electrocardiographic ST segment elevation were treated with thrombolytic therapy and randomly assigned to receive hirudin or heparin. RESULTS: A total of 2,274 patients received t-PA, and 1,015 received SK. Baseline characteristics were balanced by antithrombin assignment. Among SK-treated patients, death or reinfarction at 30 days occurred more often in those treated with adjunctive heparin (14.4%) rather than hirudin (8.6%, odds ratio [OR] 1.78, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.20 to 2.66, p = 0.004). Among t-PA-treated patients, the rates were 10.9% with heparin and 10.3% with hirudin (OR 1.06, 95% CI 0.81 to 1.38, p = 0.68; for treatment heterogeneity: chi-square 4.20, degrees of freedom [df] 1, p = 0.04). After adjustment for baseline differences between thrombolytic groups, the rates were 9.1% for SK with hirudin, 10.3% for t-PA with hirudin, 10.5% for t-PA with heparin and 14.9% for SK with heparin (for treatment heterogeneity: chi-square 4.5, df 1, p = 0.03), suggesting that the beneficial treatment effect of hirudin was limited to the SK-treated patients. CONCLUSIONS: Hirudin interacts favorably with SK but not t-PA, highlighting the importance of thrombin activity after SK therapy and the potential for simulating the effects of a more potent fibrinolytic agent through direct antithrombin therapy.
OBJECTIVES: This study sought to evaluate a biochemical approach to the early noninvasive assessment of reperfusion. BACKGROUND: In patients with an acute myocardial infarction, a rapid noninvasive method of detecting failure of intravenous thrombolytic therapy to restore early Thrombolysis in Myocardial Infarction (TIMI) grade 3 flow in the infarct-related artery (IRA) is needed. METHODS: Serial blood samples were collected to assay creatine kinase-MB fraction (CKMB mass), cardiac troponin T and myoglobin concentrations in 105 patients with a myocardial infarction who underwent early angiography after intravenous streptokinase. The ratios of the 60- and 90-min concentrations to prethrombolytic values were used to determine an index that could identify failure to achieve TIMI grade 3 flow in the IRA at 90 min. RESULTS: Significant increases in serum concentrations of markers at 60 min were more likely with TIMI grade 3 flow (59 patients) than with TIMI grade 0 to 2 flow (46 patients). Ratios < or = 5 at 60 min after thrombolysis detected failure to achieve 90-min TIMI grade 3 flow with 92% to 97% sensitivity, 43% to 60% specificity and 63% to 76% positive and 86% to 94% negative predictive values. Ratios < or = 10 at 90 min showed 88% to 95% sensitivity, 49% to 65% specificity and 61% to 69% positive and 86% to 94% negative predictive values for TIMI flow grade < 3. The overall predictive values were thus similar for all three markers. CONCLUSIONS: In acute myocardial infarction treated with intravenous streptokinase, a simple measurement of increased serum concentrations of CKMB mass, cardiac troponin T or myoglobin at 60 and 90 min can accurately predict failure to achieve TIMI grade 3 flow in the IRA at 90 min.
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The Fibrinolytic Therapy Trialists' Collaborative Group has demonstrated that patients without clear contraindications who present with ischaemic chest pain within 12 hours of the onset of symptoms and who have ST segment elevation or bundle branch block on their electrocardiogram (ECG), will benefit from thrombolytic therapy. Therefore the treatment of patients presenting with ischaemic chest pain is guided by the initial ECG. This paper addresses the question of thrombolytic eligibility in several subsets of patients who may benefit from treatment. It also explores the data which confirm the benefit for patients presenting with an inferior myocardial infarction and for those presenting from six-12 hours after the onset of symptoms. In conclusion, thrombolytic therapy should not be routinely withheld from diabetic or elderly patients, menstruating women and patients who have had cardiopulmonary resuscitation.