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Biomedical subjects

M Aiach

Publications and source records attributed to M Aiach.

At least 163 records · Page 9Linked to original sources

Variations of prothrombin time, factor VII and protein C with a single daily dose of acenocoumarol. Preliminary results.

In 11 patients on steady anticoagulation with a daily dose of acenocoumarol, prothrombin time, factor VII and protein C were measured 2 and 16 h after the daily intake of acenoumarol. Prothrombin time (expressed as International Normalised Ratio) increases significantly, factor VII and protein C decrease between the two samples. These results suggest that a daily dose of acenoumarol is associated with fluctuation of the anticoagulant effect.

Acenocoumarol↗

Molecular characterization of antithrombin III (ATIII) variants using polymerase chain reaction. Identification of the ATIII Charleville as an Ala 384 Pro mutation.

The genes of seven structural mutants of antithrombin III (ATIII), presenting either defective serine protease reactivity or abnormal heparin binding, were analyzed. The polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was used to amplify the corresponding gene exon and the mutation was identified by either dot blot analysis using a battery of allele-specific oligonucleotide probes or sequencing. Variants Paris and Paris 2 were identified as Arg 47 Cys mutations, and Clichy, Clichy 2, and Franconville were found to be Pro 41 Leu mutations. All five are heparin binding-site variants. ATIII Avranches is an Arg 393 His mutation and ATIII Charleville is an Ala 384 Pro mutation. These two mutations impair the reactive site of the molecule. ATIII Charleville is a new mutation of the reactive center, as predicted by previous biochemical data. The position of this new mutation, together with the other previously described mutations of the reactive center, sheds light on the molecular function of this site in inhibiting thrombin. Finally, genomic amplification by PCR is a powerful technique for the fast identification of antithrombin III mutations and their homozygous/heterozygous status, and should be useful for predicting thrombotic risk.

Adult↗

Antithrombin III Avranches, a new variant with defective serine-protease inhibition--comparison with antithrombin III Charleville.

A decreased plasma antithrombin activity in presence or in absence of heparin was discovered in a 47-year-old patient presenting with recurrent venous thromboembolism. The immunoreactive material (AT III-IR) was normal. The same biological abnormalities were found in two relatives of the patient, leading to the diagnosis of hereditary qualitative AT III deficiency. The propositus' AT III was coeluted with normal AT III from an heparin-sepharose column. An additional step of ion-exchange chromatography on a Mono Q column using a FPLC system (Pharmacia, St-Quentin en Yvelines, France) allowed the purification of a protein which was homogenous in SDS-10% polyacrylamide electrophoresis gel (PAGE). AT III purified from propositus' plasma, normal plasma and the plasma of the patient known to have an AT III variant with defective protease binding (AT III Charleville) were compared. The specific activities measured as heparin cofactor antithrombin or factor Xa inhibition in absence of heparin were decreased to half the normal value. Kinetic studies confirmed a decreased rate of thrombin inhibition for both abnormal AT III preparations. SDS-PAGE experiments performed in purified system and immunoblots obtained from plasma showed that the two variants have different behaviour: in the case of AT III Charleville thrombin induced an apparent 5 k delta increase in molecular mass, probably due to a conformational change. AT III Avranches did not form stoechiometric complexes with thrombin, but was unmodified by the protease.

Antithrombin III↗

A study of fibrinogen and fibrinolysis in 10 adults with nephrotic syndrome.

In 10 patients with nephrotic syndrome (NS), the coagulation inhibitors, the fibrinolytic system and several functions of the fibrinogen-fibrin molecule were studied. Among the coagulation inhibitors, only antithrombin III (AT III) was found decreased and correlated with serum-albumin levels. Venous occlusion test provoked a normal tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) release in all patients. The plasminogen activator inhibitor (PAI) had an increased activity in 5 out of the 10 patients. Thrombin and reptilase times were found abnormal in most patients. The thrombin time (TT) prolongation correlated with serum albumin levels and was corrected by adding purified albumin. The fibrinogen was purified from each of the 10 patients' plasma. Only 2 of them showed abnormal polymerization in purified system, suggesting dysfibrinogenaemia. Other functions (thrombin binding, tPA stimulating activity, lysis by purified plasmin) were found normal except in one of the 2 patients with dysfibrinogenaemia whose fibrinogen lysis by plasmin was delayed. It is concluded that an abnormal fibrinogen molecule is not the most frequent explanation for thrombin time prolongation in NS.

Adult↗

Association of inherited dysfibrinogenaemia and protein C deficiency in two unrelated families.

An inherited association of dysfibrinogenaemia and protein C deficiency was found in three members of the same family. The propositus was a 48-year-old man who suffered from severe and rapidly complicated atherosclerosis of the aorta and lower limbs arteries, which perhaps suggests that the association of these two molecular abnormalities may have enhanced the thrombotic process. The abnormal fibrinogen had a reduced ability to bind thrombin which may be thrombogenic. We found the same inherited association of dysfibrinogenaemia and protein C deficiency in a patient with venous thrombosis. The functional abnormality of the fibrinogen, which could have been responsible for thrombosis, was delayed proteolysis by plasmin. Not only fibrinogen, but also fibrin clots were resistant to plasmic degradation. These observations raise two questions: (1) Is the association of a protein C deficiency with a dysfibrinogenaemia fortuitous or the result of a common mechanism? (2) Is there a link between an increased thrombotic tendency and either both of the defects of haemostasis that we have found, or only one of them?

Adult↗

[Biological monitoring of treatment with low molecular weight heparin].

The monitoring of low molecular weight heparins (LMWH) can be realized in plasma from treated patients by measuring the anti-Xa activity. The commercially available methods belong to two different categories respectively measuring residual F Xa using clotting or amidolytic methods. The latter may be standardized and provided an appropriate standard is used present acceptable in laboratory variability. These chromogenic substrate based assays have been used in most clinical trial, thus have well known usual ranges. In most cases, it does not seem necessary to perform a biological test in prophylactic treatments. However in curative treatment the anti-Xa activity may help in evaluating the patient sensitivity and allowing a dose adjustment.

Blood Coagulation↗

Circulating activities during constant infusion of heparin or a low molecular weight derivative (enoxaparine): failure to demonstrate any circadian variations.

We compared in six patients successively treated with an unfractionated heparin (UFH) and a low molecular weight heparin (LMWH) the variations in plasma anti-Xa activity, measured in a chromogenic assay, during a 36 h constant infusion. The values varied in a wider range during UHF infusion, but remained in the therapeutic range except once in one patient. No circadian rhythm could be demonstrated in our six patients. LMWH infusion yielded very constant anti-Xa circulating activities. In both cases, there were no significant modifications of three proteins with high heparin affinity (antithrombin III, heparin cofactor II, histidine-rich glycoprotein). Our results suggest that the circadian rhythm of the biological activities previously observed in patients treated with constant heparin infusion using clotting method is due to other factors than heparin itself.

Adult↗

Antithrombin III and heparin cofactor II in patients with chronic renal failure undergoing regular hemodialysis.

Heparin enhances the inhibition rate of thrombin by both antithrombin III (AT III) and heparin cofactor II (HC II). We studied the activity of these two plasma proteins in patients with chronic renal failure (CRF) undergoing regular hemodialysis as their heparin requirements varied widely. In 77 normal blood donors, normal ranges (mean +/- 2 SD) were 82-122% for AT III and 65-145% for HC II. When compared with these controls 82 dialyzed CRF patients had a subnormal AT III activity and a significantly (p less than 0.001) lower HC II activity. To evaluate the effect of hemodialysis we compared AT III, HC II and total proteins in plasma before and after dialysis in 24 patients (12 with normal and 12 with low basal HC II activity). AT III and HC II activities significantly (p less than 0.001) increased in absolute value. When related to total plasma proteins, in order to suppress the influence of hemoconcentration induced by dialysis, AT III decreased significantly (p less than 0.01) whereas HC II increased slightly but significantly (p less than 0.01) in the 12 patients with low initial HC II activity. The decrease of AT III induced by heparin administrated during dialysis is likely to account for this relative decrease of AT III activity. A modification of the distribution of both HC II and heparin between the vascular wall and the circulating blood is evoked to explain the relative increase in HC II activity and the need for higher heparin dosage in patients with low HC II levels.

Adult↗