Antithrombin and antiplatelet therapies remain the foundation for the treatment of patients with NSTE ACS. Special groups including women, elderly, diabetics and those with chronic renal insufficiency represent a particular challenge for the clinician evaluating and treating these patients. These individuals are at high risk for ischemic complications including death, myocardial infarction, and...

adjunct to fibrinolysis (with streptokinase only) validate continued interest in pursuing better thrombin inhibitors. Low molecular weight, active site thrombin inhibitors, (argatroban and melogatran) are currently approved (for HIT) or are in late stage clinical trials. In addition, new parenteral agents which block the coagulation cascade upstream of thrombin, by targeting Factor VII/tissue f...

IN A REVIEW published in 1955 Alexander’ stated that he knew of no well documented case of disturbed hemostasis in which excessive antithrombin activity had been the pthnary disorder. In 1955 Chevalier et al.2 reported briefly on three patients in whom purpura was accompanied by an increased capacity of serum to destroy thrombin during incubation at 37 C.; in at least one of these patients the ...

New non-sugar, small, sulfated molecules, based on our de novo rationally designed activator (-)-epicatechin sulfate (ECS), were investigated to bind and activate antithrombin, an inhibitor of plasma coagulation enzyme factor Xa. For the activators studied, the equilibrium dissociation constant (K(D)) of the interaction with plasma antithrombin varies nearly 53-fold, with the highest affinity o...

Thromb Haemost 2007; 98: 97–104 The focus of this review is on findings that have a bearing on clinical issues and our understanding of the biology of antithrombin. I appreciate the offer from the Editor-inchief to give the review a personal touch, and have described my first purification and activity studies performed in the years 1965–1970 in more detail. I have also included details of the e...

Currently used antithrombotics such as heparin have a number of potential limitations that may be overcome by the new class of agents that directly inhibit thrombin. These agents variously block the active catalytic and/or the anion binding exosites of the thrombin molecule and are potent and specific inhibitors of thrombin's many biological actions, as demonstrated by in vitro and animal model...

A family with a high incidence of spontaneous thromboembolism over four generations has been investigated. The propositus is a 21-yr-old male with a history of thrombophlebitis. Medical histories of 46 family members were obtained. Twelve of these individuals have experienced deep venous thromboses and/or pulmonary emboli. Seven members of the kindred, with a prior history of thrombotic phenome...

Progress in molecular biology has stimulated interest in the structure and function of thrombin. It has improved our understanding of its central role in thrombogenesis and has clarified the molecular events of inhibitor binding. This development has resulted in the production of recombinant hirudins and hirudin analogues. It has also allowed the molecular design of synthetic antithrombins, and...