BACKGROUND Pattern recognition receptor nucleotide-binding oligomerization domain 2 (NOD2) is well investigated in immunity, but its expression and function in platelets has never been explored. METHOD AND RESULTS Using reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction and Western blot, we show that both human and mouse platelets express NOD2, and its agonist muramyl dipeptide induced NOD2 acti...

Extracellular histones promote platelet aggregation and thrombosis; this is followed by induction of coagulation disorder, which results in exhaustion of coagulation factors. Complement component 5 (C5) is known to be associated with platelet aggregation and coagulation system activation. To date, the pathological mechanism underlying liver injury has remained unclear. Here, we investigated whe...

Heparin-induced thrombocytopenia (HIT) is a potentially devastating form of drug-induced thrombocytopenia that occurs in patients receiving heparin for prevention or treatment of thrombosis. Patients with HIT develop autoantibodies to the platelet factor 4 (PF4)/heparin complex, which is termed the HIT Ab complex. Despite a decrease in the platelet count, the most feared complication of HIT is ...

Deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and its complication, pulmonary embolism, are frequent causes of disability and mortality. Although blood flow disturbance is considered an important triggering factor, the mechanism of DVT initiation remains elusive. Here we show that 48-hour flow restriction in the inferior vena cava (IVC) results in the development of thrombi structurally similar to human deep vein...

Cellulose acetate polymer (CAP) solution is a new liquid embolic material, and it has been used clinically for the thrombosis of cerebral aneurysms. The purpose of the study was to test a method of aneurysm treatment. In an experimental model, retrievable interlocking detachable coils (IDCs) were used to create an intraaneurysmal frame or prop and then CAP was injected into 20 experimentally in...

Essential thrombocythemia is a chronic myeloproliferative disorder characterized by a sustained proliferation of megakaryocytes, which leads to increased numbers of circulating platelets. Hemorrhagic and/or thrombotic episodes are frequent, and thrombosis of both veins and arteries may develop. Vessels in unusual sites may be involved, e.g., the hepatic veins, mesenteric veins, and the dig...

The mechanisms involved in the initiation, propagation, and dissemination of intravascular clots remain obscure. The identification of each new clotting factor has raised the possibility that abnormalities in these factors might be found among patients with thromboembolism. Data have yet to be presented, however, demonstrating a causal relationship between intravascular thrombosis and an altera...

OBJECTIVE Individuals with elevated prothrombin, including those with the prothrombin G20210A mutation, have increased risk of venous thrombosis. Although these individuals do not have increased circulating prothrombotic biomarkers, their plasma demonstrates increased tissue factor-dependent thrombin generation in vitro. The objectives of this study were to determine the pathological role of el...

UNLABELLED Patients who underwent local radiotherapy during surgical resection for cholangiocarcinoma are at increased risk of developing extensive thrombosis of splanchnic vessels and secondary biliary cirrhosis on the remnant liver; hence they become liver transplantation candidates. In these recipients, adequate graft inflow cannot be provided by conventional liver transplantation procedures...

Mutations in the gene encoding thrombomodulin (TM), a thrombin regulator, are suspected risk factors for venous and arterial thrombotic disease. We have previously described the generation of TM(Pro/Pro) mice carrying a TM gene mutation that disrupts the TM-dependent activation of protein C. Here, it is shown that inbred C57BL/6J TM(Pro/Pro) mice exhibit a hypercoagulable state and an increased...