BACKGROUND The fibrinolytic and matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) systems cooperate in thrombus dissolution and extracellular matrix proteolysis. The plasminogen/plasmin system activates MMPs, and some MMPs have been involved in the dissolution of fibrin by targeting fibrin(ogen) directly or by collaborating with plasmin. MMP-10 has been implicated in inflammatory/thrombotic processes and vascular...

PURPOSE Management of empyema has been debated in the literature for decades. Although both primary video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) and tube thoracostomy with pleural instillation of fibrinolytics have been shown to result in early resolution when compared to tube thoracostomy alone, there is a lack of comparative data between these modes of management. Therefore, we conducted a pro...

Recently, it has been shown that Factor XI can be activated by thrombin, and that Factor XIa significantly contributes to the generation of thrombin via the intrinsic pathway after the clot has been formed. This additional thrombin, generated inside the clot, was found to protect the clot from fibrinolysis. A plausible mechanism for this inhibitory effect of thrombin involves TAFI (thrombin-act...

OBJECTIVE Familial amyloid polyneuropathy (FAP) is an autosomal dominant form of hereditary amyloidosis. Several studies reported coagulation factor X deficiency and excessive fibrinolysis in immunoglobulin light chain amyloidosis. However, few have investigated coagulation and fibrinolysis in FAP. The objective of this study was to determine abnormalities in plasma biomarkers of coagulation an...

BACKGROUND Optimal reperfusion strategy in ST-elevation myocardial infarction is controversial. Failure of fibrinolytic therapy is related to limited efficacy, high reocclusion rates, reinfarction, and systemic bleeding complications. Data on the impact of percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) after fibrinolysis are conflicting. The Southwest German Interventional Study in Acute Myocardial I...

BACKGROUND Activated factor XIII (FXIIIa), a transglutaminase, introduces fibrin-fibrin and fibrin-inhibitor cross-links, resulting in more mechanically stable clots. The impact of cross-linking on resistance to fibrinolysis has proved challenging to evaluate quantitatively. METHODS We used a whole blood model thrombus system to characterize the role of cross-linking in resistance to fibrinol...

AIMS To evaluate the prognostic importance of pre-discharge maximal symptom-limited exercise testing (ET) following acute myocardial infarction (AMI) in the era of aggressive reperfusion. METHODS AND RESULTS In the DANAMI-2 (the second DANish trial in AMI) study, patients with ST-elevation AMI (STEMI) were randomized to primary angioplasty (PCI) or fibrinolysis. Of 1462 patients discharged al...

The pathogenesis of accelerated fibrinolysis in liver cirrhosis was investigated by comparing the results of specific assays for tissue plasminogen activator (tpa) antigen, tpa activity, tpa inhibitor, and alpha-2 plasmin inhibitor (a2PI) in 12 patients with cirrhosis and markedly accelerated fibrinolysis (dilute whole blood clot lysis time (DWBCLT) less than two hours), in nine patients with c...