Antiphospholipid antibodies in convalescent plasma of donors recovered from mild COVID-19 infection.

Background And Objectives: Passive immunization by the infusion of convalescent plasma (CP) obtained from patients who have recently recovered from COVID-19, thus having antibodies to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2, is a potential strategy to reduce the severity of illness. A high prevalence of antiphospholipid antibodies (APLA) in patients with COVID-19 has been reported during the pandemic, raising a concern whether the use of CP could increase the risk of thrombosis in transfused patients. We aimed to evaluate the prevalence of APLA in COVID-19 CP (CCP) in order to assess the potential prothrombotic influence of transfused CCP to COVID-19 patients.

Platelet distribution width: a novel prognostic marker in an internal medicine ward.

: Platelet distribution width (PDW) has demonstrated clinical significance in populations with specific disorders; its prognostic significance in internal medicine wards has not been investigated. : Demographic, clinical and laboratory data were collected prospectively for 1036 internal medicine inpatients. The primary outcome was 90-day mortality, secondary outcomes were: treatment with mechanical ventilation, prolonged hospital stay, in-hospital death, and all-cause mortality following discharge.

International Normalized Ratio as a Screening Test for Assessment of Anticoagulant Activity for Patients Treated With Rivaroxaban or Apixaban: A Pilot Study.

In patients treated with direct oral anti activated factor X (anti-FXa) anticoagulants such as apixaban and rivaroxaban, there are several emergency and non-emergency conditions in which anticoagulation activity should be measured. The validity of the common global clotting tests, prothrombin time and international normalized ratio (PT/INR) for determination of blood levels of these drugs, has been widely investigated. As the anticoagulation activity evaluation "calibrated anti-FXa" of these drugs is relatively more expensive and less available, we aimed to build a prediction model for anticoagulation activity assessment based on INR values.

Low Protein Z levels in patients with plasma cell neoplasms are inversely correlated with IL-6 levels.

Unlabelled: Patients with multiple myeloma (MM) have an increased thrombotic risk, but pathogenesis remains uncertain. Low levels of Protein Z (PZ), a vitamin K-dependent plasma protein, are associated with venous as well as arterial thrombosis. The purpose of this study was to analyze PZ levels in patients with plasma cell neoplasms.

The proliferation arrest of primary tumor cells out-of-niche is associated with widespread downregulation of mitotic and transcriptional genes.

In recording the changes acquired in gene expression profile during culture of fresh bone marrow samples from patients with multiple myeloma or acute myeloid leukemia, the most remarkable finding in both instances was widespread downregulation of mitotic and transcriptional genes (e.g. MKI67, CCNB1, ASPM, SGOL1, DLGAP5, CENPF, BUB1, KIF23, KIF18a, KIF11, KIF14, KIF4, NUF2, KIF1, AE2FB, TOP2A, NCAPG, TTK, CDC20, and AURKB), which could account for the ensuing proliferation arrest.

GPRC5D is a promising marker for monitoring the tumor load and to target multiple myeloma cells.

In a comparison of gene expression profile in unsorted bone marrow (BM) samples from patients with multiple myeloma (MM), acute leukemia, and diffuse large B-cell lymphoma infiltrating the BM, the leading myeloma distinguishing gene was GPRC5D. This gene was highly expressed in BM samples from the 10 MM cases examined as opposed to minimal expression in samples from the eight cases with other hematological malignancies. Moreover, following antimyeloma treatment the expression of GPRC5D decreased several folds.

Niche-modulated and niche-modulating genes in bone marrow cells.

Bone marrow (BM) cells depend on their niche for growth and survival. However, the genes modulated by niche stimuli have not been discriminated yet. For this purpose, we investigated BM aspirations from patients with various hematological malignancies.

[Laboratory evaluation of lupus anticoagulant in Israel].

Lupus anticoagulants (LAC) are antibodies which are detected by a prolongation of phospholipid-dependent coagulation assays, and are associated with thrombotic events and pregnancy complications in patients with the antiphospholipid syndrome. The antiphospholipid syndrome is defined by arterial or venous thrombosis and/or pregnancy morbidity and by laboratory diagnosis of antiphospholipid antibodies. The laboratory diagnosis is based on LAC and/or anticardiolipin and/or anti-beta2-glycoprotein I antibodies present in plasma, on two or more occasions at least 12 weeks apart.

Protein Z levels and central retinal vein or artery occlusion.

Objectives: Central retinal vein occlusion (CRVO) and central retinal artery occlusion (CRAO) are common disorders associated with risk factors for atherosclerosis. Protein Z is a cofactor for the inactivation of activated factor X (Xa) by the protein Z dependent protease inhibitor. Protein Z deficiency was recently linked to increased risk of arterial thrombosis.

Upregulation of the calcium-dependent protease, calpain, during keratinocyte differentiation.

Calpain is a ubiquitous neutral calcium-activated thiol protease that is implicated in various cellular functions including exocytosis, cell fusion, apoptosis and proliferation. The calpain system is composed of the enzymes mu-calpain and m-calpain and their endogenous inhibitor, calpastatin. We employed the spontaneously immortalized human HaCaT keratinocytes, which retain their ability to differentiate in vitro and in vivo, to study the modulation of the calpain system during keratinocyte differentiation.

1,25-Dihydroxyvitamin D3 increases the growth-promoting activity of autocrine epidermal growth factor receptor ligands in keratinocytes.

Topical treatment of normal skin with 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 [1,25-(OH)2D3] or its synthetic analogs results in enhanced keratinocyte proliferation. Autocrine growth factors belonging to the epidermal growth factor (EGF) family play a major role in controlling keratinocyte proliferation. 1,25-(OH)2D3 enhanced the autonomous proliferation of HaCaT human keratinocytes in the absence of exogenous growth factors.

1,25-Dihydroxyvitamin D3 increases the cellular content of the calcium-activated neutral protease mu-calpain in renal cell carcinoma.

mu-Calpain is a calcium-dependent neutral thiol protease activated by micromolar concentrations of calcium. mu-Calpain is implicated in various cellular functions regulated by calcium including exocytosis, cell fusion, apoptosis and control of cell proliferation. We studied the effect of 1,25-(OH)2D3 on mu-calpain levels in the human renal cell carcinoma line SK-RC-29 using monoclonal antibodies to the 80 kDa subunit of mu-calpain.

1,25-Dihydroxyvitamin D3 potentiates the cytotoxic effect of TNF on human breast cancer cells.

We studied the effect of 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 (1,25(OH)2D3) on the cytotoxic action of TNF on MCF-7 human breast cancer cells and on adult bovine aortic endothelial cells. 1,25(OH)2D3 increased the effect of TNF on MCF-7 cells but not on endothelial cells over a wide TNF concentration range. At a suboptimal concentration (1 ng/ml) the potentiation was twofold.