Hemorheological and cardiovascular effects of exercise training in the rehabilitation of elderly patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

The purpose of this study is to evaluate hemorheological effects of a single exercise respiratory session (SERS), in the rehabilitation of elderly patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Fifteen elderly patients with COPD and 15 controls, matched for demographic variables and body habitus, were submitted to a single session of relaxation and unsupported upper-extremity exercise, coordinated with breathing. We measured hemogasanalytical and cardiovascular parameters: hematocrit value, platelet aggregation, beta-TG and PF(4) plasma levels, blood viscosity and erythrocyte filterability.

C1 inhibitor infusion modifies platelet activity in hereditary angioedema patients.

Context: C1 inhibitor (C1-INH) is an alpha2-globulin that blocks esterolytic activity of the first component of the classic complement cascade. The alpha-granules of normal human platelets also contain C1-INH, which is expressed on the platelet surface during platelet secretion in healthy patients, but it is clearly reduced in patients with hereditary angioedema (HAE).

Objective: To evaluate the effects of in vivo C1-INH concentrate infusion on platelet responsiveness and coagulation system activity in patients with HAE.

A 'de novo' arisen case of angioedema C1-inhibitor deficiency dependent: possible mutagenic effect of azathioprine?

It is reported that a C1-inhibitor (CI-INH) deficiency dependent angiodema case arose 'de novo' in a child without a family history of this disease. His mother was undergoing immunosuppressive therapy (50 mg of azathioprine plus 8 mg of methyl-prednisolone daily) during pregnancy, uninterrupted for seven years because of a kidney transplant. All the other known causes of acquired C1-INH deficiency were excluded.

Effect of insulin on blood rheology in non-diabetic subjects and in patients with Type 2 diabetes mellitus.

We evaluated the effect of insulin on platelet function, blood viscosity, and filterability in healthy subjects and in patients with Type 2 (non-insulin-dependent) diabetes mellitus. Fifteen diabetic patients were free from cardiovascular complications (group A), while the other 15 patients had both clinical and measured evidence of coronary or peripheral vascular disease (group B); 15 non-diabetic subjects served as controls. On blood samples taken without stasis, maximal platelet aggregation to 1.

L-arginine for testing endothelium-dependent vascular functions in health and disease.

The objective of this study was to assess the role of L-arginine, the natural precursor of nitric oxide, for testing endothelial function in physiological and pathophysiological conditions. In an initial study of 20 healthy subjects, mean blood pressure decreases in response to increasing doses of L-arginine (1, 2, 3, and 5 g) were 1.1 +/- 1.