The blood coagulation cascade is regulated by the luminal surface of the endothelial cell lining.1 Endothelial cells synthesize tissue factor pathway inhibitor (TFPI), which, in part, binds to the cell surface glycosaminoglycans and inhibits factors Xa, VIIa, and tissue factor.2 Endothelial cells also produce and exhibit thrombomodulin (TM) on their luminal surface.3 TM is a kind of thrombin re...

The coagulation system constitutes an important facet of the unique vascular microenvironment in which primary and metastatic brain tumors evolve and progress. While brain tumor cells express tissue factor (TF) and other effectors of the coagulation system (coagulome), their propensity to induce local and peripheral thrombosis is highly diverse, most dramatic in the case of glioblastoma multifo...

BACKGROUND/AIMS Ischemia-reperfusion (IR) injury in the kidney is a major cause of acute kidney injury in humans. However, the molecular mechanisms responsible for the progression of kidney IR injury still need to be explored. In this study, we aimed to explore the underlying genes and pathways associated with kidney IR injury. METHODS Gene microarray of GSE27274 was downloaded from the Gene ...

TAFI (thrombin activatable fibrinolysis inhibitor) down regulates fibrinolysis after activation by relatively high concentrations of thrombin generated during coagulation via thrombin mediated factor XI activation and subsequent activation of the intrinsic pathway. It is this secondary burst of thrombin that is severely diminished in haemophilia A, a deficiency of coagulation factor VIII. We th...

An excess of free heme is present in the blood during many types of hemolytic anemia. This has been linked to organ damage caused by heme-mediated oxidative stress and vascular inflammation. We investigated the mechanism of heme-induced coagulation activation in vivo. Heme caused coagulation activation in wild-type mice that was attenuated by an anti-tissue factor antibody and in mice expressin...

Coagulation is triggered by inflammatory mediators in a number of ways. However, to prevent unwanted clot formation, several natural anticoagulant mechanisms exist, such as the antithrombin-heparin mechanism, the tissue factor pathway inhibitor mechanism and the protein C anticoagulant pathway. This review examines the ways in which these pathways are down-regulated by inflammation, thus limiti...

The activation of factor XI initiates the intrinsic coagulation pathway. Until recently it was believed that the main activator of factor XI is factor XIIa in conjunction with the cofactor high molecular weight kininogen on a negatively charged surface. Two recent reports have presented evidence that in a purified system factor XI is activatable by thrombin together with the soluble polyanion d...

Spontaneous preterm birth (<37 weeks gestation-PTB) occurs in approximately 12% of pregnancies in the United States, and is the largest contributor to neonatal morbidity and mortality. PTB is a complex disease, potentially induced by several etiologic factors from multiple pathophysiologic pathways. To dissect the genetic risk factors of PTB a large-scale high-throughput candidate gene associat...

Alessandro Celia,c, Roberto Lorenzetb, Barbara C. Furiec and Bruce Furiec,∗ Laboratorio di Biologia Cellulare Respiratoria, Dipartimento Cardiotoracico dell’Universit à di Pisa, Pisa, Italy Antonio Taticchi Unit for Atherosclerosis and Thrombosis, Istituto Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri, Consorzio Mario Negri Sud, S. Maria Imbaro, Italy Center for Hemostasis and Thrombosis Research, Beth I...

Streptococcal pharyngitis is among the most common bacterial infections, but the molecular mechanisms involved remain poorly understood. Here we investigate the interactions among three major players in streptococcal pharyngitis: streptococci, plasma, and saliva. We find that saliva activates the plasma coagulation system through both the extrinsic and the intrinsic pathways, entrapping the bac...