Serum or Plasma for Quantification of Direct Oral Anticoagulants?

Background: Direct oral anticoagulants are increasingly replacing vitamin K antagonists for prevention of stroke in patients with atrial fibrillation, partly owing to the lack of a need for routine monitoring. Therapeutic drug monitoring may still be warranted under certain circumstances. It is generally assumed that serum and plasma can be interchangeably used for this purpose.

The Tongue Squamous Carcinoma Cell Line Cal27 Primarily Employs Integrin α6β4-Containing Type II Hemidesmosomes for Adhesion Which Contribute to Anticancer Drug Sensitivity.

Integrins are heterodimeric cell surface glycoproteins used by cells to bind to the extracellular matrix (ECM) and regulate tumor cell proliferation, migration and survival. A causative relationship between integrin expression and resistance to anticancer drugs has been demonstrated in different tumors, including head and neck squamous cell carcinoma. Using a Cal27 tongue squamous cell carcinoma model, we have previously demonstrated that expression of integrin αVβ3 confers resistance to several anticancer drugs (cisplatin, mitomycin C and doxorubicin) through a mechanism involving downregulation of active Src, increased cell migration and invasion.