The antiphospholipid syndrome (APS) is characterized by clinical manifestations such as venous and arterial thrombosis, thrombocytopenia and/or recurrent pregnancy loss, as well as the persistent presence of laboratory markers of antiphospholipid (aPL) antibodies detected in laboratory assays. Though it is generally accepted that aPL antibodies, such as anticardiolipin (aCL), anti-beta2 glycopr...

Sepsis is characterized by a dysregulated host-pathogen response, leading to high cytokine levels, excessive coagulation and failure to eradicate invasive bacteria. Novel therapeutic strategies that address crucial pathogenetic steps during infection are urgently needed. Here, we describe novel bioactive roles and therapeutic anti-infective potential of the peptide EDC34, derived from the C-ter...

Cell-surface tissue factor (TF) binds the serine protease factor VIIa to activate coagulation or, alternatively, to trigger signaling through the G protein-coupled, protease-activated receptor 2 (PAR2) relevant to inflammation and angiogenesis. Here we demonstrate that TF.VIIa-mediated coagulation and cell signaling involve distinct cellular pools of TF. The surface-accessible, extracellular Cy...

The coagulation and fibrinolytic pathways regulate hemostasis and thrombosis, and an imbalance in these pathways may result in pathologic hemophilia or thrombosis. The plasminogen system is the primary proteolytic pathway for fibrinolysis, but also has important proteolytic functions in cell migration, extracellular matrix degradation, metalloproteinase activation, and hormone processing. Sever...

BACKGROUND In acute myeloid leukemia (AML), disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC) contributes to morbidity and mortality, but the underlying pathomechanisms remain incompletely understood. METHODS We conducted a prospective study on 69 patients with newly diagnosed AML to further define the correlates of systemic coagulation activation in this hematological malignancy. Tissue factor pr...

Inhibition of the tissue factor pathway has been shown to attenuate the activation of coagulation and to prevent death in a gram-negative bacteremia primate model of sepsis. It has been suggested that tissue factor influences inflammatory cascades other than the coagulation system. The authors sought to determine the effects of 2 different doses of recombinant tissue factor pathway inhibitor (T...

Blood coagulation involves the sequential activation of a series of serine proteinases, which culminates in the generation of thrombin and subsequent thrombin-catalysed conversion of fibrinogen into insoluble fibrin (Furie and Furie, 1988). Inhibitory modulation of this process, of paramount physiological importance, is primarily achieved by two principally different mechanisms (Figure 1). The ...

Inhibition of the tissue factor pathway has been shown to attenuate the activation of coagulation and to prevent death in a gram-negative bacteremia primate model of sepsis. It has been suggested that tissue factor influences inflammatory cascades other than the coagulation system. The authors sought to determine the effects of 2 different doses of recombinant tissue factor pathway inhibitor (T...

Knowledge of the pathogenetic mechanisms responsible for the activation of the coagulation system associated with endotoxemia is important for the development of improved modalities for prevention and treatment. We analyzed the appearance in plasma of TNF, IL-6, and indices of coagulation and fibrinolytic system activation in normal chimpanzees after intravenous infusion of endotoxin. Endotoxin...

Sepsis is a systemic response to infection, and symptoms are produced by host defense systems rather than by the invading pathogens. Amongst the most prominent features of sepsis, contributing significantly to its outcome, is activation of coagulation with concurrent down-regulation of anticoagulant systems and fibrinolysis. Inflammation-induced coagulation on its turn contributes to inflammati...