The antimicrobial action of heparin.

Heparin Resistance During and Post-Intravenous Nitroglycerin Infusion

      Nitroglycerin has been reported to reduce activated partial thromboplastin time (aPTT) values in patients treated with concurrent heparin and nitroglycerin. However, studies have yielded conflicting results. To determine whether intravenous nitroglycerin alters the anticoagulant effect of heparin, we prospectively evaluated twenty patients admitted for coronary angioplasty by measurin...

Anticoagulant therapies versus heparin for the prevention of hemodialysis catheter-related complications: systematic review and meta-analysis of prospective randomized controlled trials.

Locking of central venous catheters with heparin is an accepted practice to maintain catheter patency between dialysis sessions. However, this practice may cause other adverse reactions. Although many studies suggest benefits of other catheter lock solutions over heparin on these grounds, no consensus has been reached for clinical practice. A systematic review and meta-analysis was performed of...

An Audit of Perioperative Antimicrobial Prophylaxis: Time to Take Action

Heparin induced thrombocytopenia

Abstract Background and Objectives Heparin is still a commonly used anticoagulant in prophylaxis and treatment of thromboembolic events. Heparin-induced thrombocytopenia (HIT) is a life-threating adverse drug reaction of heparin. The diagnosis of HIT is made based on two important criteria, firstly clinical evaluation and secondly laboratory testing. In this comprehensive review, the authors w...

An antimicrobial helix A-derived peptide of heparin cofactor II blocks endotoxin responses in vivo.

Host defense peptides are key components of the innate immune system, providing multi-facetted responses to invading pathogens. Here, we describe that the peptide GKS26 (GKSRIQRLNILNAKFAFNLYRVLKDQ), corresponding to the A domain of heparin cofactor II (HCII), ameliorates experimental septic shock. The peptide displays antimicrobial effects through direct membrane disruption, also at physiologic...

Generation of Mature Monocyte-Derived Dendritic Cells in the Presence of Heparin and Monocyte Conditioned Medium: Phenotypic and Functional Comparison

Background: Dendritic cells (DC) induce tumor or pathogen-specific T cell responses in humans. Several laboratories have developed culture systems, including maturation factors for human DC from peripheral blood monocytes. We comprehensively compared standard maturation stimulus, an autologous monocyte-conditioned medium (MCM), with heparin for their ability to promote uniformly mature DC that ...