Perioperative therapeutic plasma exchange in a patient with rare Factor XIII inhibitor.

INTRODUCTION: Factor XIII deficiency is a rare bleeding disorder which could be severe if inherited or less severe if acquired. We report a case of acquired Factor XIII inhibitor in a 75-year-old male with a suspicious left renal mass treated perioperatively with therapeutic plasma exchange (TPE). PATIENT AND METHOD: To perform kidney biopsy and ablation of the renal mass, six daily TPE treatments were performed before and after biopsy to minimize bleeding risk because the patient did not respond to drug therapy. Both thromboelastography (TEG) and laboratory-based coagulation tests were performed to assess coagulation status prior to and after TPE. RESULTS: The biopsy indicated oncocytoma which was removed by surgical procedure. Factor XIII activity remained below 15 % throughout TPE treatments, but Factor XIII inhibitor titer reduced from initial positive value of 1:40 to negative following the third TPE and remained negative through the sixth TPE. Unfortunately, the inhibitor titer was positive at 1:20 in the fifth month and 1:5 in the sixth month during follow-up. CONCLUSIONS: TPE is useful in removing XIII inhibitory factor, but the effects are only short term.

Long-acting PGE2 and Lisinopril Mitigate H-ARS.

Thrombocytopenia is a major complication in hematopoietic-acute radiation syndrome (H-ARS) that increases the risk of mortality from uncontrolled hemorrhage. There is a great demand for new therapies to improve survival and mitigate bleeding in H-ARS. Thrombopoiesis requires interactions between megakaryocytes (MKs) and endothelial cells. 16, 16-dimethyl prostaglandin E2 (dmPGE2), a longer-acting analogue of PGE2, promotes hematopoietic recovery after total-body irradiation (TBI), and various angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors mitigate endothelial injury after radiation exposure. Here, we tested a combination therapy of dmPGE2 and lisinopril to mitigate thrombocytopenia in murine models of H-ARS following TBI. After 7.75 Gy TBI, dmPGE2 and lisinopril each increased survival relative to vehicle controls. Importantly, combined dmPGE2 and lisinopril therapy enhanced survival greater than either individual agent. Studies performed after 4 Gy TBI revealed reduced numbers of marrow MKs and circulating platelets. In addition, sublethal TBI induced abnormalities both in MK maturation and in in vitro and in vivo platelet function. dmPGE2, alone and in combination with lisinopril, improved recovery of marrow MKs and peripheral platelets. Finally, sublethal TBI transiently reduced the number of marrow Lin-CD45-CD31+Sca-1- sinusoidal endothelial cells, while combined dmPGE2 and lisinopril treatment, but not single-agent treatment, accelerated their recovery. Taken together, these data support the concept that combined dmPGE2 and lisinopril therapy improves thrombocytopenia and survival by promoting recovery of the MK lineage, as well as the MK niche, in the setting of H-ARS.

iTRAQ-based quantitative proteomics and network pharmacology revealing hemostatic mechanism mediated by Zingiberis Rhizome Carbonisata in deficiency-cold and Hemorrhagic Syndrome rat models.

Zingiberis Rhizome Carbonisata (ZRC) has been used as a hemostatic agent in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). However, the underlying molecular mechanism remains unclear. In this study, network pharmacology method was used to predict the potential mechanism of ZRC on hemostasis, based on the structures of the main compounds. Then, iTRAQ-based quantitative proteomics analysis was used for verification of the candidate target proteins and pathways to illustrate the underlying mechanisms. Furthermore, the differentially expressed proteins (DEPs) in the enriched pathways were validated by Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The results showed that the hemostasis mechanism of ZRC may be related to Platelet activation, Rap1 signaling pathway and Complement and coagulation cascades. And 10 proteins (Fermt3, ACTB, Talin, αIIbß3, Fga, Fgb, Fgg, FXIIIb, Kng and PLC-ß were identified as the target DEPs) are considered as the key factors related to hemostatic efficacy of ZRC. Thus, integrated network pharmacology and quantitative proteomics technology were applied for the effective illuminating the molecular mechanisms of Chinese material medica.

Third-Party BK Virus-Specific Cytotoxic T Lymphocyte Therapy for Hemorrhagic Cystitis Following Allotransplantation.

PURPOSE: BK virus-associated hemorrhagic cystitis (BKV-HC) is a common complication of allogenic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (AHSCT), particularly in recipients of alternative donor transplants, which are being performed in increasing numbers. BKV-HC typically results in painful hematuria, urinary obstruction, and renal dysfunction, without a definitive therapeutic option. METHODS: We performed a clinical trial (ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT02479698) to assess the feasibility, safety, and efficacy of administering most closely HLA-matched third-party BKV-specific cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs), generated from 26 healthy donors and banked for off-the-shelf use. The cells were infused into 59 patients who developed BKV-HC following AHSCT. Comprehensive clinical assessments and correlative studies were performed. RESULTS: Response to BKV-CTL infusion was rapid; the day 14 overall response rate was 67.7% (40 of 59 evaluable patients), which increased to 81.6% among evaluable patients at day 45 (40 of 49 evaluable patients). No patient lost a previously achieved response. There were no cases of de novo grade 3 or 4 graft-versus-host disease, graft failure, or infusion-related toxicities. BKV-CTLs were identified in patient blood samples up to 3 months postinfusion and their in vivo expansion predicted for clinical response. A matched-pair analysis revealed that, compared with standard of care, after accounting for prognostic covariate effects, treatment with BKV-CTLs resulted in higher probabilities of response at all follow-up timepoints as well as significantly lower transfusion requirement. CONCLUSION: Off-the-shelf BKV-CTLs are a safe and effective therapy for the management of patients with BKV-HC after AHSCT.

Anticoagulation in Patients with Platelet Disorders.

Platelet disorders comprise heterogeneous diseases featured by reduced platelet counts and/or impaired platelet function causing variable bleeding symptoms. Despite their bleeding diathesis, patients with platelet disorders can develop transient or permanent prothrombotic conditions that necessitate prophylactic or therapeutic anticoagulation. Anticoagulation in patients with platelet disorders is a matter of concern because the bleeding risk could add to the hemorrhagic risk related to the platelet defect. This review provides an overview on the evidence on anticoagulation in patients with acquired and inherited thrombocytopenia and/or platelet dysfunction. We summarize tools to evaluate and balance bleeding- and thrombotic risks and describe a practical approach on how to manage these patients if they have an indication for prophylactic or therapeutic anticoagulation.

Acquired factor V inhibitor in the setting of coronavirus disease 2019 infection.

Factor V inhibitors are a rare cause of life-threatening bleeding. We present a case of an acquired factor V inhibitor likely caused by coronavirus disease 2019 infection. Bleeding was manifested by severe anemia requiring frequent red-cell transfusion, left psoas muscle hematoma, and left retroperitoneal cavity hematoma. Factor V activity was less than 1% and the factor V inhibitor titer was 31.6 Bethesda units. Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 RNA testing of the nasopharynx was positive 2 weeks before presentation and continued to be positive for 30 days. The patient failed treatment with intravenous immunoglobulin and dexamethasone. Three cycles of plasmapheresis with fresh frozen plasma replacement resulted in correction of the bleeding and laboratory coagulopathy. This is the first reported case of a factor V inhibitor in a coronavirus disease 2019 patient and suggests that plasmapheresis may be a successful treatment strategy.

γ-Glutamyl carboxylase mutations differentially affect the biological function of vitamin K-dependent proteins.

γ-Glutamyl carboxylase (GGCX) is an integral membrane protein that catalyzes posttranslational carboxylation of a number of vitamin K-dependent (VKD) proteins involved in a wide variety of physiologic processes, including blood coagulation, vascular calcification, and bone metabolism. Naturally occurring GGCX mutations are associated with multiple distinct clinical phenotypes. However, the genotype-phenotype correlation of GGCX remains elusive. Here, we systematically examined the effect of all naturally occurring GGCX mutations on the carboxylation of 3 structure-function distinct VKD proteins in a cellular environment. GGCX mutations were transiently introduced into GGCX-deficient human embryonic kidney 293 cells stably expressing chimeric coagulation factor, matrix Gla protein (MGP), or osteocalcin as VKD reporter proteins, and then the carboxylation efficiency of these reporter proteins was evaluated. Our results show that GGCX mutations differentially affect the carboxylation of these reporter proteins and the efficiency of using vitamin K as a cofactor. Carboxylation of these reporter proteins by a C-terminal truncation mutation (R704X) implies that GGCX's C terminus plays a critical role in the binding of osteocalcin but not in the binding of coagulation factors and MGP. This has been confirmed by probing the protein-protein interaction between GGCX and its protein substrates in live cells using bimolecular fluorescence complementation and chemical cross-linking assays. Additionally, using a minigene splicing assay, we demonstrated that several GGCX missense mutations affect GGCX's pre-messenger RNA splicing rather than altering the corresponding amino acid residues. Results from this study interpreted the correlation of GGCX's genotype and its clinical phenotypes and clarified why vitamin K administration rectified bleeding disorders but not nonbleeding disorders.

Congenital Factor XIII Deficiency With the Presence of Inhibitor: A Case Study.

Coagulation factor XIII (FXIII) is a fibrin-stabilizing factor with additional roles in wound healing and interactions between the decidua and fetus. Congenital FXIII deficiency is rare bleeding disorder. Inhibitor development against FXIII in inherited FXIII deficency is also uncommon, but may cause severe, life-threatening bleeding. FXIII is the last step in the coagulation cascade with normal coagulation paramaters (PT, aPTT), the detection of inhibitor to FXIII is quite difficult. The treatment of inhibitor-positive congenital FXIII deficiency is challenging due to the lack of a role of by-pass agents such as FVII. The best known ways of treatment in these cases are the use of high-dose FXIII concentrates and immunosuppression. Herein, we report the management of postoperative bleeding diathesis in a patient with FXIII deficiency who developed inhibitors, and to follow the clinical course of the disease with FXIII concentrate and immunosuppression.

Guidelines on the use of prophylactic factor replacement for children and adults with Haemophilia A and B

The writing group produced the draft guideline, which was subsequently revised by consensus. Review of the manuscript was performed by the BSH Guidelines Committee Haemostasis and Thrombosis Taskforce, the BSH Guidelines Committee and the Haemostasis and Thrombosis sounding board of the BSH. It was also on the members section of the BSH website for comment. It has also been reviewed by members of the United Kingdom Haemophilia Centre Doctors' Organisation (UKHCDO) Advisory Board, Haemophilia Nurses Association (HNA), Haemophilia Chartered Physiotherapists Association (HCPA); these organisations do not necessarily approve or endorse the contents.

Inherited disorders of the fibrinolytic pathway.

Deficiencies or excessive activation of the fibrinolytic system can result in severe, lifelong bleeding disorders. The most severe clinical phenotype is caused by α2-Antiplasmin (α2-AP) deficiency which results in excess fibrinolysis due to the inability to inhibit plasmin. Another bleeding disorder due to a defect in the fibrinolytic pathway results from Plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1) deficiency causing enhanced fibrinolysis due to the decreased inhibition of plasminogen activators resulting in increased conversion of plasminogen to plasmin. Both these disorders are rare and have an autosomal recessive pattern of inheritance. They can remain undetected as routine coagulation and platelet function tests are normal. A unique gain-of-function defect in fibrinolysis causes the Quebec platelet disorder (QPD) which is characterized by profibrinolytic platelets containing increased urokinase-type plasminogen activator (uPA) in the α-granules. A high index of suspicion based on clinical phenotype along with the availability of specialized hemostasis testing is required for timely and accurate diagnosis. Antifibrinolytic agents, such as tranexamic acid or ε-aminocaproic acid, are the mainstays of treatment which inhibit fibrinolysis by preventing the binding of plasminogen to fibrin and thereby stabilizing the fibrin clot. The purpose of this review is to summarize the pathogenesis, clinical phenotype, approaches to diagnosis and treatment for these three major disorders of fibrinolysis.

A Network Pharmacology Approach Used to Estimate the Active Ingredients of Moutan Cortex Charcoal and the Potential Targets in Hemorrhagic Diseases.

Moutan Cortex charcoal has been used to ameliorate blood heat symptoms and treat pathologic hemorrhage down the ages. Although well known as an agent with the effect of astringency and hemostasis, its active ingredients and action mechanism remain unclear. In the present study, molecular docking technology was employed to screen the potential hemostatic compounds in Moutan Cortex charcoal and their target proteins. Protein-protein-interaction (PPI) analysis was performed to explain the functions and enrichment pathways of the target proteins. The results showed that a total of 25 compounds were estimated as active constituents targeting multiple proteins related to hemostatic diseases, including 5 proteins (SERPINC1, FVIII, FX, FII and FXII) that were considered as the key targets. Then the drug-target (D-T) network was constructed to analyze the underlying hemostatic mechanism of Moutan Cortex charcoal, followed by a hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA) for compounds clustering, and a coagulation screening test for compound verification on their coagulation activities, with the results indicating that M15 (5-Tetradecenoic acid) and M31 (1-Monolinolein) might be the key compounds contributing to the hemostasis effect of Moutan Cortex charcoal by involving in the pathways related to complement, coagulation cascades and the platelet activation, particularly by activating FVIII, FX, FII and FXII and inhibiting SERPINC1. This study has demonstrated that Moutan Cortex charcoal may work as a hemostatic through the interaction between multiple-compounds and multiple-proteins, which provides the basis for further researches on the hemostasis mechanism of Moutan Cortex charcoal.

Efficacy of Cidofovir in Treatment of BK Virus-Induced Hemorrhagic Cystitis in Allogeneic Hematopoietic Cell Transplant Recipients.

BK virus-associated hemorrhagic cystitis (BK-HC) is a common complication after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HCT), with incidences up to 70%. Cidofovir is an antiviral agent with growing evidence as a therapeutic intervention. To assess the safety profile and efficacy of intravenous and intravesical cidofovir in allo-HCT patients with BK-HC, a retrospective study was undertaken of the allo-HCT cohort who received cidofovir for symptomatic BK-HC (hematuria with BK viruria or viremia) from January 2010 until March 2017 in a single transplant center in Ontario, Canada. The primary outcome measure was a reduction in BK-HC severity (graded from 1 to 4); secondary outcomes included overall survival, BK virus titers, and the onset of acute kidney injury. Twelve allo-HCT patients received cidofovir for BK-HC, with pretreatment clinical severity of 3 (50%) or 4 (50%). Cidofovir was administered via intravenous (33%), intravesical (58%), or both modalities (8%). After a median cumulative dose of 10 mg/kg (range, 1 to 37), mean BK-HC grade decreased significantly by 1.8 (3.5 precidofovir, 1.7 postcidofovir, P < .01). Sixty-six percent of patients had at least partial response to cidofovir, with similar response rates between intravenous (66%) and intravesical (62%) administration. Sixty-seven percent of patients died, and 33% of patients experienced renal toxicity, including 2 patients receiving intravesical therapy. In this retrospective series, there was a significant reduction in BK-HC severity after cidofovir administration; most patients achieved at least partial response after cidofovir administration. Even with intravesical instillation, acute kidney injury remains a potential complication of cidofovir. Although cidofovir may be an efficacious therapy for BK-HC, albeit with potential demonstrated toxicities, further prospective trials are needed.

Therapeutic exploitation of IPSE, a urogenital parasite-derived host modulatory protein, for chemotherapy-induced hemorrhagic cystitis.

Chemotherapy-induced hemorrhagic cystitis (CHC) can be difficult to manage. Prior work suggests that IL-4 alleviates ifosfamide-induced hemorrhagic cystitis (IHC), but systemically administered IL-4 causes significant side effects. We hypothesized that the Schistosoma hematobium homolog of IL-4-inducing principle from Schistosoma mansoni eggs (H-IPSE), would reduce IHC and associated bladder pathology. IPSE binds IgE on basophils and mast cells, triggering IL-4 secretion by these cells. IPSE is also an "infiltrin," translocating into the host nucleus to modulate gene transcription. Mice were administered IL-4, H-IPSE protein or its nuclear localization sequence (NLS) mutant, with or without neutralizing anti-IL-4 antibody, or 2-mercaptoethane sulfonate sodium (MESNA; a drug used to prevent IHC), followed by ifosfamide. Bladder tissue damage and hemoglobin content were measured. Spontaneous and evoked pain, urinary frequency, and bladdergene expression analysis were assessed. Pain behaviors were interpreted in a blinded fashion. One dose of H-IPSE was superior to MESNA and IL-4 in suppressing bladder hemorrhage in an IL-4-dependent fashion and comparable with MESNA in dampening ifosfamide-triggered pain behaviors in an NLS-dependent manner. H-IPSE also accelerated urothelial repair following IHC. Our work represents the first therapeutic exploitation of a uropathogen-derived host modulatory molecule in a clinically relevant bladder disease model and indicates that IPSE may be an alternative to MESNA for mitigating CHC.-Mbanefo, E. C., Le, L., Pennington, L. F., Odegaard, J. I., Jardetzky, T. S., Alouffi, A., Falcone, F. H., Hsieh, M. H. Therapeutic exploitation of IPSE, a urogenital parasite-derived host modulatory protein, for chemotherapy-induced hemorrhagic cystitis.

Evaluation of the efficiency under current use of human fibrinogen concentrate in trauma patients with life-threatening hemorrhagic disorders.

The aim of the study was to assess the influence of fibrinogen concentrate on survival when it is used in trauma patients with life-threatening hemorrhagic disorders. Secondly, to evaluate when the fibrinogen concentrate administration maximizes its efficacy, and to describe what other concomitant treatment the patients received in order to control their life-threatening hemorrhage. Retrospective, observational, and multicenter study was carried out in three trauma areas between June 2012 and June 2014. The totality of trauma patients with a documented life-threatening hemorrhage who received a fibrinogen concentrate prescription was included in the study. Demographic and analytical data, admission diagnosis, treatment indication, fibrinogen concentrate dose, survival after 1 and 7 days, hospitalization time, and concomitant blood product treatment were collected. One hundred and twenty-three patients were finally included. The mean dose of fibrinogen concentrate administered was 2.87 g. The mean initial fibrinogen plasma level was 1.49 g/l, which rose to 2.26 g/l. The number of patients who survived after 24 h was 80.49%, and 69.11% after 7 days. Lower fibrinogen plasma levels are statistically associated with a higher probability of death after 7 days (P = 0.004). The most suitable threshold to recommend the fibrinogen concentrate administration has been found to be 1.5 g/dl (P = 0006, after 24 h; P = 0.032, after 7 days). Finally, the most common concomitant treatment was the erythrocytes concentrate. A statistically significant relationship between lower fibrinogen plasma levels and a higher probability of death after 7 days has been found. Our data support the threshold of 1.5 g/l as the recommended level to administer fibrinogen concentrate in trauma patients.

Endometriosis and Glanzmann’s thrombasthenia.

Glanzmann’s thrombasthenia (GT) is a rare bleeding syndrome characterized by deficiency or defect of platelet aggregation complex. The pathogenesis of endometriosis is controversial but the strongest evidence leans towards retrograde menstruation. GT probably predisposes to endometriosis. The management of women affected by this disease can be difficult due to the risk of bleeding complications, especially during surgical treatment. We describe the cases of three sisters affected by endometriosis and GT, referred to our Department, who received different therapeutic management.