Examination of biomarker expressions in sepsis-related DIC patients.

Background: Disseminated avascular coagulation (DIC) is the main cause of death among patients with sepsis. In particular, low platelet count is predictive of poor outcome. However, the significance of platelet activation in patients with sepsis-related DIC is poorly understood.

Immunohistochemical analysis of NANOG expression and epithelial-mesenchymal transition in pulmonary sarcomatoid carcinoma.

Pulmonary sarcomatoid carcinomas (PSCs) are defined as a group of poorly differentiated non-small cell lung cancers that demonstrate sarcoma-like differentiation. The mechanism of mesenchymal differentiation in PSC is epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT). The expression of homeobox protein NANOG (NANOG), which regulates the pluripotency of embryonic stem cells, is associated with the EMT process.

Microparticles as Biomarkers of Blood Coagulation in Cancer.

Cancer is associated with hypercoagulopathy and increased risk of thrombosis. This negatively influences patient morbidity and mortality. Cancer is also frequently complicated by the development of venous thromboembolism (VTE).

Clinical significance of procoagulant microparticles.

Microparticles (MPs) are small membrane vesicles that are released from many different cell types by exocytic budding of the plasma membrane in response to cellular activation or apoptosis. MPs may also be involved in clinical diseases because they express phospholipids, which function as procoagulants. Although flow cytometry is the most widely used method for studying MPs, some novel assays, such as tissue factor-dependent procoagulant assay or the ELISA method, have been reported.

Fatal TRALI associated with neutrophil antibodies in a recipient of pre-storage leukocyte-reduced blood components.

A 53-year-old man developed possible transfusion-related acute lung injury (TRALI) after red cell component transfusion. The patient developed autoimmune neutropenia with the expression of neutrophil antibodies. Neutrophil aggregation, endothelial damage, and development of a large thrombus containing platelets were observed post mortem in his pulmonary vessels.

The significance of EMAP-II after allogeneic stem cell transplantation.

Endothelial monocyte-activating polypeptide-II (EMAP-II) appears to play an important role in neovascularization and endothelial abnormalities. However, the role of EMAP-II in development of graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) after allogeneic SCT is poorly understood. We measured and compared the levels of EMAP-II, cytokines, and soluble factors in patients undergoing allogeneic SCT.