Impaired fibrinolysis in angiographically documented coronary artery disease.

Impaired fibrinolysis may predispose to coronary artery disease (CAD). Hypofibrinolysis due to high levels of plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1) has been reported in CAD. A novel regulator of fibrinolytic activity, thrombin activatable fibrinolysis inhibitor (TAFI), has attracted attention in recent years.

PAI-1 4G/5G polymorphism and plasma levels association in patients with coronary artery disease.

Background: Type-1 plasminogen activator inhibitor (PAI-1) 4G/5G polymorphism may influence the PAI-1 expression. High plasma levels of PAI-1 are associated with coronary artery disease (CAD).

Objective: This study investigated the influence of PAI-1 4G/5G polymorphism on plasma PAI-1 levels and its association with CAD assessed by coronary angiography.

Urinary 11-dehydro thromboxane B₂ levels in type 2 diabetic patients before and during aspirin intake.

Background: Diabetic patients commonly present an increased risk for cardiovascular events, for which aspirin is the most frequently used medication for primary prevention. Urinary 11-dehydro thromboxane (11-dhTXB₂) concentrations assess the effect of aspirin on platelets and identify patients who are at risk of cardiovascular events. The present study investigated whether or not type 2 diabetic patients who took a daily dose of 100mg of aspirin had a significant reduction in urinary 11-dhTXB₂ concentrations and whether these results were associated with clinical and laboratory variables.

PAI-1 and D-dimer in type 2 diabetic women with asymptomatic macrovascular disease assessed by carotid Doppler.

Asymptomatic diabetic patients with different degrees of macrovascular complications can present different hemostatic changes. At this study, plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1) and D-dimer were evaluated in 12 women without diabetes and 64 type 2 diabetic women. All patients were classified into 3 different categories according to the carotid intima-media thickness (IMT) assessed by Doppler: 25 with <1 mm (normal), 15 with >1 mm and without plaque (intermediate), and 24 with stenosis lower than 50% of the vessel lumen (plaque).

Secretory phospholipase A2 in patients with coronary artery disease.

This study investigated the correlation of sPLA2 (secretory phospholipase A2) activity with the atheromatosis extent in subjects with coronary artery disease (CAD) undergoing coronary angiography. We analyzed 123 patients, including 35 subjects with angiographically normal coronary arteries (controls), 31 with mild/moderate atheromatosis (stenosis of 30-70% of the luminal diameter in one or more coronary arteries) and 57 with severe atheromatosis (>70% stenosis). Plasma sPLA2 activity was significantly higher in subjects with severe [127.

Hypercoagulability markers in patients with peripheral arterial disease: association to ankle-brachial index.

Peripheral arterial disease is diagnosed by measuring the ankle-brachial index. Values lower than 0.90 define the disease being usually related to its severity.

ApoB/ApoA-I ratio in young patients with ischemic cerebral stroke or peripheral arterial disease.

Although smoking and hypertension are classic risk factors for atherothrombotic diseases, the relationship of dyslipidemia and vascular diseases, other than myocardial infarction, is less clearly established, especially in young subjects. In the current study, a detailed analysis of the lipid and apolipoprotein profiles was conducted in young patients of ischemic cerebral stroke (IS) and peripheral arterial disease (PAD). Plasma levels of C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), total cholesterol (TC), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDLc), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDLc), triglycerides (TG), and apolipoproteins A-I (ApoA-I) and apolipoproteins B (ApoB), which include the ApoB/ApoA-I ratio, were analyzed in a group of 81 patients who presented with IS (n = 46) or PAD (n = 35) as well as in 167 control subjects.

[Apolipoprotein A5 gene: association with triglyceride metabolism and cardiovascular disease].

Hypertriglyceridemia constitutes an independent risk factor for coronary disease. The gene apolipoprotein A5 (ApoA5) is a newly discovered member in the ApoA1/C3/A4/A5 cluster, and its product, apolipoprotein A5, influences on triglycerides through an unknown mechanism. Recently, there have been described the clinical consequences and the functional effects over more than 10 variants of the ApoA5 gene, associated with atherosclerosis.

Interaction between APOA5 -1131T>C and APOE polymorphisms and their association with severe hypertriglyceridemia.

Background: Apolipoprotein A5 gene (APOA5) has been shown to modulate plasma triglyceride concentrations. The apolipoprotein E gene (APOE) has been implicated in cholesterol and triglyceride homeostasis in humans and plays an important role in atherogenesis. The aim of this study was to determine the genotypic distribution of the APOA5 -1131T>C and APOE polymorphisms and to identify the combined association of these variants between patients with and without severe hypertriglyceridemia (HTG).

[Lack of association between the APOE genotype and the response to statin treatment in patients with acute ischemic episodes].

Background And Objective: APOE genotype has been shown to have an influence on lipid concentrations. However, its relation with response to lipid-lowering treatment is not well established. The aim of our work was to analyze whether this genotype is associated with changes in the lipid profile in response to statins treatment.

Assessment of hypercoagulability markers and lipid levels in postmenopausal women undergoing either oral or transdermal hormone replacement therapy.

Background: This study investigated the effect of either oral or transdermal hormone replacement therapy (HRT) on haemostatic, fibrinolytic and lipid profiles in a group of Brazilian women 3 months after beginning treatment by comparing these results with those obtained immediately before HRT.

Methods: Plasma levels of TAT, DDi, F1+2, PC, PS, AT, PAI-1 and serum lipids were determined in blood samples collected from 24 women undergoing oral HRT and from 11 women undergoing transdermal HRT.

Results: Significant increases in DDi and F1+2 plasma levels were observed after 3 months of oral HRT, while PS levels decreased.

Polymorphism in the methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (C677T) gene and homocysteine levels: a comparison in Brazilian patients with coronary arterial disease, ischemic stroke and peripheral arterial obstructive disease.

This study aimed to compare plasma levels of total homocysteine (tHcy) in different arterial events as well as to investigate an association between homocysteine levels and C677T polymorphism in Brazilian patients. A total of 145 subjects were enrolled in this study including 43 patients with coronary arterial disease (CAD), 21 with ischemic stroke (IS), 44 with peripheral arterial obstructive disease (PAOD) and 37 control subjects. A preliminary analysis showed significant difference for tHcy plasma levels between patients with CAD (P = 0.

Homocysteine and methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase in subjects undergoing coronary angiography.

Objective: To determine plasma homocysteine levels and the incidence of methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) gene C677T polymorphism in a group of subjects who underwent coronary angiography, in an attempt to establish a correlation between these parameters and the severity of coronary artery disease (CAD), as well as investigate the correlation between hyperhomocysteinemia and the presence of polymorphism.

Methods: Twenty subjects with no coronary atheromatosis (controls), fourteen subjects with mild/moderate atheromatosis, and twenty-nine subjects with severe atheromatosis were evaluated.

Results: Significant differences were observed in mean homocysteine levels between the control and the severe atheromatosis groups (p < 0.

The effect of cations on the amidase activity of human tissue kallikrein: 1-linear competitive inhibition by sodium, potassium, calcium and magnesium. 2-linear mixed inhibition by aluminium.

Hydrolysis of D-valyl-L-leucyl-L-arginine p-nitroanilide by human tissue kallikrein (hK1) was studied in the absence and in the presence of increasing concentrations of the following chloride salts: sodium, potassium, calcium, magnesium and aluminium. The data indicate that the inhibition of hK1 by sodium, potassium, calcium and magnesium is linear competitive and that divalent cations are more potent inhibitors of hK1 than univalent cations. However the inhibition of hK1 by aluminium cation is linear mixed, with the cation being able to bind to both the free enzyme and the ES complex.