Microparticles: new light shed on the understanding of venous thromboembolism.

Microparticles are small membrane fragments shed primarily from blood and endothelial cells during either activation or apoptosis. There is mounting evidence suggesting that microparticles perform a large array of biological functions and contribute to various diseases. Of these disease processes, a significant link has been established between microparticles and venous thromboembolism. Advances in research on the role of microparticles in thrombosis have yielded crucial insights into possible mechanisms, diagnoses and therapeutic targets of venous thromboembolism. In this review, we discuss the definition and properties of microparticles and venous thromboembolism, provide a synopsis of the evidence detailing the contributions of microparticles to venous thromboembolism, and propose potential mechanisms, by which venous thromboembolism occurs. Moreover, we illustrate a possible role of microparticles in cancer-related venous thromboembolism.

[Changes in content of inflammatory cytokines and troponin I in peri-operative periods of coronary artery bypass grafting with or without cardiopulmonary bypass].

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effects of coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) with or without cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) on inflammatory response and myocardial injury. METHODS: Sixty patients undergoing elective CABG were randomly divided into CABG with CPB group (CCABG, 30 cases) and CABG without CPB group (OPCABG, 30 cases). Blood samples were collected from central vein to assay interleukin-6 (IL-6), interleukin-8 (IL-8), tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha), MB isoenzyme of creatine kinase (CK-MB) and troponin I (cTnI) before operation and 2, 8, 24, as well as 48 hours after operation, and all clinical data of the patients were recorded accordingly. RESULTS: After operation, the contents of IL-6, IL-8, TNF-alpha, CK-MB and cTnI were significantly higher in CCABG group than those before operation and those in OPCABG group, while most of these parameters showed little change in OPCABG group both in operative or postoperative period. CONCLUSION: The results suggest that OPCABG may provide better myocardial protection and less systemic inflammatory response than CCABG.