Venous occlusion and chronic cigarette smoking: dose-dependent decrease in the measurable release of tissue-type plasminogen activator and von Willebrand factor.

This study was aimed at examining the effect of chronic cigarette smoking on a venous occlusion test. Two groups of young healthy men, a control group of 20 non-smoking subjects and a group of 21 smoking subjects having an average consumption of 17.6 packages.day-1.years (SD 8.6) were studied. Venous occlusion performed in smokers did not induce a significant measurable release of von Willebrand factor (vWF). The release of tissue-type plasminogen activator (t-PA) was significantly weaker for the smokers than for the control group (P less than 0.02). An inverse correlation was found between the cumulative parameter of tobacco consumption and the measurable amount of t-PA Ag or vWF Ag released during venous occlusion (r' = -0.994 and r' = -0.889). Cigarette smoking is thus associated with disturbances of the biological response to this venous occlusion test.

The relationship between plasma microparticles, protein S and anticardiolipin antibodies in patients with human immunodeficiency virus infection.

The high prevalence of free protein S deficiency in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected patients is poorly understood. We studied 38 HIV seropositive patients. Free protein S antigen values assayed using the polyethylene-glycol precipitation technique (PEG-fS) were statistically lower in patients than in controls. These values using a specific monoclonal antibody-based ELISA (MoAb-fS) and the values of protein S activity (S-act) were not statistically different between patients and controls. C4b-binding protein values were not different from control values. In patients, PEG-fS values were lower than MoAb-fS values. Ten patients had a PEG-fS deficiency, 4 patients had a MoAb-fS deficiency and 8 had a S-act deficiency. Protein S activity and MoAb-fS were lower in clinical groups with poor prognosis and in patients with AIDS but PEG-fS was not. A trend for reduced S-act/MoAb-fS ratios was observed in patients. PEG-fS was negatively correlated with anticardiolipin antibody titers whereas MoAb-fS was not. The plasma of PEG-fS deficient HIV-patients contained high amounts of flow cytometry detectable microparticles which were depleted from plasma by PEG precipitation. The microparticles were partly CD42b and CD4 positive but CD8 negative. These micro-particles were labelled by an anti free protein S monoclonal antibody. The observed differences between MoAb-fS and PEG-fS values were correlated with the amount of detectable plasma microparticles, just like the differences between MoAb-fS and S-act. Plasma microparticles correlated with anticardiolipin antibody titers. In summary, free protein S antigen in HIV infected patients is underestimated when the PEG precipitation technique is used due to the presence of elevated levels of microparticles that bind protein S. The activity of free protein S is also impaired by high levels of microparticles. The prevalence of free protein S deficiency in HIV positive patients is lower than previously published (4/38, approximately 10%) and is correlated with poor prognosis. By implication, use of a PEG precipitation technique might give artefactually low free protein S antigen values in other patient groups if high numbers of microparticles are present. In HIV patients, high titers of anticardiolipin antibodies are associated with high concentrations of cell-derived plasma microparticles.

Impact of smoking, physical training and weight reduction on FVII, PAI-1 and hemostatic markers in sedentary men.

The variations of FVII, PAI-1, TAT complexes, fibrinopeptide A, D-Dimers and beta thromboglobulin plasma levels were studied on 30 sedentary men, smokers and non-smokers, who were admitted to a 6 months' program of physical training and smoking cessation. After 3 months of intervention, sustained physical training was associated with the decrease of FVII and PAI-1 levels. Mild exercise performed during a second 3-month period could maintain normal FVII and PAI-1 activities but participants who stopped the training increased their FVII and PAI-1 plasma levels. FVII was not influenced by smoking habits. Smoking cessation seemed to slightly potentiate the decrease of PAI-1 levels associated with mild exercise. Overweight, FVII and PAI-1 levels were correlated and the weight reduction induced by training was related to the changes in the factors. In smokers, physical exercise was associated with a significant increase of hemostatic markers. This exercise-induced variation disappeared after 3 months of intervention in participants who stopped smoking and reappeared in those who smoked again after 6 months of intervention. This finding was not influenced by the physical training program.

Impaired fibrinolytic capacity in patients with inflammatory bowel disease.

The venous occlusion test was applied to 17 patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD; 7 cases of Crohn's disease, 10 cases of ulcerative colitis). Results were compared to those obtained in 20 healthy matched control subjects. Patients with IBD had significantly decreased t-PA Ag release (p less than 0.001) and had no significant vWF Ag release. Residual PAI activity was evidenced after venous stasis in the IBD group but not in the control group. Hypofibrinolysis was more important in patients with an evolutive IBD than in patients with IBD in remission. Impaired systemic fibrinolytic capacity might contribute to an increased risk for thromboembolic complications and to the pathogenesis of inflammatory bowel disease.

Meningococcaemia in an adult with hereditary C4b-binding protein deficiency: study of the variations of the protein S system.

Serial studies of the plasma protein C-protein S system were performed during the clinical course of a pregnant woman with meningococcaemia who recovered under therapy. The patient had limited purpura fulminans skin lesions and hereditary C4b-binding protein deficiency was suspected. This diagnosis was confirmed in the patient 1 year after delivery and also by family studies. During the meningococcaemia, an initial mild and transient acquired protein C deficiency was seen but no protein S deficiency was observed despite consumption of the latter protein. As C4b-binding protein partial deficiency is associated with high free protein S and protein S activity, this may have protected against acquired protein S deficiency during meningococcaemia.

Autoantibody to plasma fibrinopeptide A in a patient with a severe acquired haemorrhagic syndrome.

We describe a 50-year-old man with a severe acquired haemorrhagic syndrome. He had slightly prolonged clotting times using bovine thrombin, human thrombin and reptilase. His plasma contained a polyclonal IgG which interfered with the generation of fibrin monomers without inhibiting the aggregation of preformed monomers. The inhibitor delayed thrombin-induced fibrinopeptide A release. The IgG bound to insolubilized synthetic fibrinopeptide A (one binding site per molecule) and, with higher affinity, to fibrinogen (two binding sites per molecule). It did not bind to insolubilized fibrin monomers. The IgG did not impair the catalytic activity of thrombin toward a small synthetic substrate but inhibited the binding of thrombin to fibrinogen without binding to thrombin. The binding of the anti-fibrinopeptide A autoantibody to fibrinogen might have impaired thrombin-induced fibrinogen to fibrin conversion in vivo. This may have favoured the reported haemorrhagic syndrome which was associated with severe chronic renal insufficiency.

von Willebrand factor antigen, tissue-type plasminogen activator antigen, and risk of death in human immunodeficiency virus 1-related clinical disease: independent prognostic relevance of tissue-type plasminogen activator.

Tissue-type plasminogen activator, von Willebrand factor, and plasminogen-activator inhibitor type 1 plasma levels were measured at first consultation in 85 consecutive patients infected with human immunodeficiency virus. Patients were assigned to three groups according to clinical status: mild disease group, intermediate group, and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome group. Significant differences were found in von Willebrand factor, tissue-type plasminogen activator, and plasminogen-activator inhibitor type 1 plasma levels among the three groups: severe clinical status was associated with higher von Willebrand factor, tissue-type plasminogen activator, and plasminogen-activator inhibitor type 1 plasma levels. Significant correlations were found among these three parameters, such known biologic prognostic indicators of human immunodeficiency virus infection as IgA, anti-p24 antibodies, p24 antigenemia, CD4+ lymphocytes, beta 2-microglobulin, and the clinical status. The prognostic relevance of plasma von Willebrand factor and tissue-type plasminogen activator levels at the time of entry into the study was then investigated in a cohort of 65 of the 85 patients who had follow-up during a median period of 22 months. The median survival time for all patients was 39 months after the first consultation. A plasma von Willebrand factor level greater than 200% of the control value had a positive predictive value of 86% for determining nonsurvivors; the median survival time for such patients was 9 months after the first consultation. A positive predictive value of 100% in recognizing nonsurvivors was found for tissue-type plasminogen factor plasma levels greater than 20 ng/ml; the median survival time for these patients was 2 months after the first consultation.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Study of quantitative modifications of the plasma protein S system components in non-acute inflammatory syndromes.

Thrombosis frequently accompanies inflammatory disease. There are numerous and frequent modifications of haemostasis parameters during inflammatory disease. Deficiencies in protein S, a protein C cofactor, are predisposing factors for thromboses. In 43 patients with biological inflammatory syndromes (ESR above 80 mm in the first hour found twice in a three-day period and disturbances of other biological inflammatory markers) we studied the variations of the protein S system: total antigenic protein S, free antigenic protein S, C4b BP, all antigenic fractions being assayed by electro-immuno diffusion. The results show an increase in free protein S (mean 114.3%, range 25%-180%, P less than 0.005), the biologically active fraction of protein S. They also evidence the expected increase in C4b BP (mean 188.3%, range 41%-335%, P less than 10(-5]. There is an increase in total protein S Ag (mean 145.3%, range 56%-220%, P less than 10(-5]. The results show a high positive correlation between the increased free protein S Ag and total protein S Ag (r' = 0.78, P less than 0.01), between total protein S and C4b BP (r' = 0.8, P less than 0.01) and between free protein S and C4b BP (r' = 0.73, P less than 0.01). C4b BP concentrations are correlated with haptoglobin (r' = 0.59, P less than 0.01), orosomucoid (r' = 0.53, P less than 0.01), C3 complement component (r' = 0.80, P less than 0.01), C4 (r' = 0.39, P less than 0.02) and platelet count (r' = 0.51, P less than 0.01).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)