A prospective, blinded study of a PF4-dependent assay for HIT diagnosis.

Heparin-induced thrombocytopenia (HIT) is a life-threatening, prothrombotic, antibody-mediated disorder. To maximize the likelihood of recovery, early and accurate diagnosis is critical. Widely available HIT assays, such as the platelet factor 4 (PF4) heparin enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) lack specificity, and the gold-standard carbon 14-labeled serotonin release assay (SRA) is of limited value for early patient management because it is available only through reference laboratories.

Enzymatic Synthesis of Chondroitin Sulfate E to Attenuate Bacteria Lipopolysaccharide-Induced Organ Damage.

Chondroitin sulfate E (CS-E) is a sulfated polysaccharide that contains repeating disaccharides of 4,6-disulfated -acetylgalactosamine and glucuronic acid residues. Here, we report the enzymatic synthesis of three homogeneous CS-E oligosaccharides, including CS-E heptasaccharide (), CS-E tridecasaccharide (), and CS-E nonadecasaccharide (). The anti-inflammatory effect of was investigated in this study.

A Platelet Factor 4-Dependent Platelet Activation Assay Facilitates Early Detection of Pathogenic Heparin-Induced Thrombocytopenia Antibodies.

Heparin-induced thrombocytopenia (HIT) is a dangerous complication of heparin therapy. HIT diagnosis is established by recognizing thrombocytopenia and/or thrombosis in an affected patient and from the results of serological tests such as the platelet factor 4 (PF4)/heparin immunoassay (PF4 ELISA) and serotonin release assay (SRA). Recent studies suggest that HIT antibodies activate platelets by recognizing PF4 in a complex with platelet glycosaminoglycans (and/or polyphosphates) and that an assay based on this principle, the PF4-dependent P-selectin expression assay (PEA), may be even more accurate than the SRA for HIT diagnosis.

IVIg for Treatment of Severe Refractory Heparin-Induced Thrombocytopenia.

Background: Heparin-induced thrombocytopenia (HIT) complicated by severe thrombocytopenia and thrombosis can pose significant treatment challenges. Use of alternative anticoagulants in this setting may increase bleeding risks, especially in patients who have a protracted disease course. Additional therapies are lacking in this severely affected patient population.

Low-frequency human platelet antigens as triggers for neonatal alloimmune thrombocytopenia.

Background: Twenty-four low-frequency human platelet antigens (LFHPAs) have been implicated as immunogens in neonatal alloimmune thrombocytopenia (NAIT). We performed studies to define more fully how often these antigens trigger maternal immunization leading to NAIT.

Study Design And Methods: In a Phase 1 study, fathers of selected NAIT cases not resolved by serologic testing but thought to have a high likelihood of NAIT on clinical and serologic grounds were typed for LFHPAs by DNA sequencing.

Effects of anthropogenic inputs on the organic quality of urbanized streams.

Due to arid conditions, population growth, and anthropogenic impacts from agricultural and urban development, wastewater effluent makes up an increasingly large percentage of surface water supplies promoting concerns about the potential ecological and human health effects associated with the organic quality of surface waters receiving treated wastewater discharge. Anthropogenic inputs alter the quality and quantity of organic carbon and also affect the ability of aquatic ecosystems to retain or transform carbon and other nutrients. In this paper, we use pyrolysis-GC/MS (Py-GC/MS) as a tool to examine whether the dissolved organic carbon (DOC) in suburban streams influenced by anthropogenic inputs displays an organic signature that is structurally different from natural organic material (NOM).

New platelet glycoprotein polymorphisms causing maternal immunization and neonatal alloimmune thrombocytopenia.

Background: Maternal immunization against low-frequency, platelet (PLT)-specific antigens is being recognized with increasing frequency as a cause of neonatal alloimmune thrombocytopenia (NAIT).

Study Design And Methods: Serologic and molecular studies were performed on PLTs and DNA from two families in which an infant was born with severe thrombocytopenia not attributable to maternal immunization against known PLT-specific alloantigens.

Results: Antibodies reactive only with paternal PLTs were identified in each mother using flow cytometry and solid-phase assays.

Development of associations between microalgae and denitrifying bacteria in streams of contrasting anthropogenic influence.

We compared the development of microalgal and bacterial-denitrifier communities within biofilms over 28 days in a restored-prairie stream (RP) and a stream receiving treated wastewater effluent (DER). Inorganic nutrient concentrations were an order of magnitude greater in DER, and stream waters differed in the quality of dissolved organics (characterized via pyrolysis-GC/MS). Biofilm biomass and the densities of algae and bacteria increased over time in both systems; however, algal and denitrifier community composition and the patterns of development differed between systems.