Evaluation of haemostatic molecular markers for diagnosis of disseminated intravascular coagulation in patients with infections.

Early treatment of disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC) is recommended but global coagulation tests used in authorized DIC criteria are not sensitive for diagnosis of early-phase DIC. We examined the plasma levels of thrombin-antithrombin complex (TAT), plasmin-plasmin inhibitor complex (PPIC) and D-dimer in patients with suspected DIC to determine the cutoff values for diagnosis of DIC. Plasma levels of D-dimer, TAT and PPIC were significantly elevated in patients with DIC and correlated with DIC score. The cutoff values were determined using the receiver operative curve analysis. The cutoff value represented the point at which the sensitivity curve crossed the specificity curve. The cutoff values of D-dimer, TAT and PPIC for DIC were 12.0 mug/ml, 11.0 ng/ml and 1.8 mug/ml, respectively. These values were moderately to highly sensitive for the diagnosis of DIC but not for poor outcome. The combination of D-dimer, TAT and PPIC showed high sensitivity and low specificity when one or more tests were positive, but showed low sensitivity and high specificity when all three tests were positive. We conclude that hemostatic molecular markers might be useful for the diagnosis of DIC and should be confirmed by several trials.

Efficacy of intravenous ciprofloxacin in patients with febrile neutropenia refractory to initial therapy.

We previously reported that monotherapy with carbapenem or cefepime exhibited efficacy equivalent to cefepime plus an aminoglycoside as initial therapy for febrile neutropenia (FN), achieving an adequate response in two-thirds of the patients. However, only one-third of the remaining poor responders to monotherapy became afebrile after an aminoglycoside was added to the initial carbapenem or cefepime. The present study was designed to evaluate the benefit of intravenous ciprofloxacin for neutropenic patients with fever who were refractory to initial therapy given for the first 3 days. Patients with FN--as defined by an axillary temperature >or=37.5 degrees C and a neutrophil count <1,000/microL-who had no response to initial therapy with carbapenem or cefepime for 72 hours were to receive additional ciprofloxacin 600 mg/day. They were otherwise managed according to the Japanese guidelines for FN. An adequate response was defined as a decline of temperature to <37.5 degrees C within 7 days after initiation of ciprofloxacin treatment. Thirty-one patients with FN (seventeen male and fourteen female; mean age 53.1 +/- 14.8 years) were entered in the study. The initial antibiotics were cefepime (2 - 4 g/day) in twenty and carbapenem (1 - 2 g/day) in eleven. Three patients were excluded from analysis, leaving 28 patients for evaluation of efficacy. The response rate was 16/31 patients (51.6%),with four patients judged non-assessable due to adverse effects, protocol violation or early change to other agents. Adverse events occurred in seventeen patients, but all were mild and reversible. Only three patients had adverse events (skin rash, hepatic dysfunction and elevation of alkaline phosphatase in one patient, respectively) considered related to ciprofloxacin. These findings indicate that addition of intravenous ciprofloxacin is effective against FN refractory to initial antibiotic therapy and has acceptable toxicity.

Evaluation of new Japanese diagnostic criteria for disseminated intravascular coagulation in critically ill patients.

New Japanese diagnostic criteria were prepared for disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC) in critically ill patients and their usefulness was compared with the criteria of the International Society of Thrombosis and Haemostasis (ISTH) and those of the Japan Ministry of Health and Welfare (JMHW). In a retrospective study of patients with platelet counts of less than 150 x10(3)/mL, 52 cases (33.3%), 66 cases (42.3%), and 101 cases (64.7%) were diagnosed as DIC by the ISTH, JMHW, and new Japanese DIC criteria, respectively. The DIC state as diagnosed by the new Japanese DIC criteria included both DIC states as diagnosed by ISTH or JMHW criteria. Some DIC states diagnosed by the JMHW criteria included those diagnosed by ISHT criteria but this was not universal. The mortality of DIC as diagnosed by the ISTH or JMHW criteria was markedly high, compared to that for DIC diagnosed by the new Japanese criteria. The mortality of patients without DIC by ISTH was also high when they were diagnosed as DIC by the new Japanese criteria. The frequency of DIC by each set of diagnostic criteria was significantly higher in patients with infection than in those without infection. The mortality of DIC by each set of diagnostic criteria was significantly higher in patients with infection than in those without infection, and the mortality of overt-DIC by ISTH diagnostic criteria was also high in patients without infection.

Measurement of soluble fibrin monomer-fibrinogen complex in plasmas derived from patients with various underlying clinical situations.

We previously reported a monoclonal antibody named IF-43 that specifically recognizes thrombin-modified fibrinogen (desAA- and desAABB- fibrin monomer) bound with fibrinogen or other D(1) domain-containing plasmic fragments such as fragments X,Y, and D(1), but not intact fibrinogen or cross-linked fibrin degradation products (XDP). Here, we tentatively named such complexes, soluble fibrin monomer (FM) -fibrinogen complex. By utilizing IF-43, we have developed a kit to measure soluble FM-fibrinogen complex and compared the profiles with those of two established molecular markers for thrombo-embolic disorders: i.e. the thrombin-antithrombin complex (TAT) and the D-dimer in plasma of patients who underwent surgery without any thrombo-embolic complications. The result indicated that soluble FM-fibrinogen complex is a distinct entity from the two established molecular markers. We have also attempted to observe their profiles in patients with the disseminated intravascular coagulation syndrome (DIC). Although the pro-files of soluble FM-fibrinogen complex in individual patients appeared to vary from one patient to the other, the plasma level of soluble FM-fibrinogen complex was found to be increased at the initial phase of disseminated intravascular coagulation syndrome. Thus, the soluble FM-fibrinogen complex may serve as an independent molecular marker for the detection of thrombin generation and the diagnosis of thrombosis. The soluble FM-fibrinogen complex may also serve as a risk factor for thrombosis, because it may precipitate as insoluble complexes beyond its threshold in plasma, or when it is modified by thrombin.

[A novel molecular marker for thrombus formation and life prognosis--clinical usefulness of measurement of soluble fibrin monomer-fibrinogen complex (SF)].

For a long time fibrinopeptide A(FPA), fibrinopeptide B(FPB), D-dimer, FM test, serum FDP, and thrombin anti-thrombin complex(TAT) are being used as molecular markers to for sure diagnose hypercoagulable state and thrombus formation. Indeed these molecular markers are very useful for diagnosing thrombus formation, disseminated intravascular coagulation(DIC), and the indicator of treatment of DIC. But these molecular parameters are not enough and difficult for prognosis of the disease or predicting the complication of patients as the most important subject for clinicians. The soluble fibrin monomer-fibrinogen complex (SF) is a complex coupling fibrin monomer and fibrinogen molecules to be formed in the early-activated state of blood coagulation. Thus such a molecular complex is expected to serve as a parameter for the diagnosis of thrombus formation and DIC, in particular its early stage. The aim of the present study is to evaluate a potential usefulness of a newly developed SF test utilizing an SF specific monoclonal antibody (IF-43). We measured SF together with established other parameters in 195 patients with DIC, subclinical DIC/hypercoagulable state, and non-DIC. The diagnosis of DIC was made based on a modified version of the criteria established by the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare of Japan. Underlying disease includes leukemia, malignant lymphoma, myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS), multiple injury, giant ovarian tumor, prostatic cancer with multiple bone metastasis, lung cancer, breast cancer with multiple lung and bone metastasis, severe pneumoniae, sepsis, hemophagocytic syndrome (HPS), and rheumatoid arthritis. The SF levels in DIC patients were significantly higher than those in the subclinical DIC/hypercoagulable state, and the non-DIC patients. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis shows that the specificity and sensitivity of the SF assay appears to be satisfactory. As the level of SF reflects the thrombin generation activity in plasma, it would serve as a strong tool to selectively kick up the state of thrombin generation. These results indicate that the SF could be a specific and reliable parameter for the diagnosis of DIC and contribute to legitimate managements of patients with DIC. The excessive life response to serious clinical insults, such as sepsis, severe pancreatitis, trauma and shock, is called systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS). Once SIRS occurs, people may often die from serious complications such as adult respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), acute lung injury (ALI), disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC) and multiple organ failure (MOF). Especially, ALI followed by pneumoniae associated with SIRS could depend on patient's prognosis and life. That is to say, it seems to be urgent for clinicians to make differential diagnosis between Pneumoniae associated with SIRS and Coagulopathy (PASC) and Simple Pneumoniae (SP). Soluble fibrin monomer-fibrinogen complex(SF) is formed in the early-activated state of blood coagulation. Thus such a molecular complex is expected to serve as a parameter for the diagnosis of coagulopathy, in particular its early stage. The aim of the present study is to make differential diagnosis between Pneumoniae associated with SIRS and Coagulopathy (PASC) and Simple Pneumoniae(SP) by using a newly developed SF test utilizing an SF specific monoclonal antibody (IF-43). We measured SF together with established other parameters, hemogram, blood laboratory items in 7 patients with PASC and 17 patients with SP. The diagnosis of Pneumoniae was defined according to the criteria: clinical symptoms abnormal shadow in both Chest X-p and Chest CT, increased level of CRP, number of WBC. The diagnosis of SIRS was based on the criteria established by American College of Chest Physicians (ACCP)/Society of Critical Care Medicine (SCCM) Consensus Conference held in August of 1991 in Northbrook, IL (USA). Underlying disease includes leukemias, malignant lymphoma, myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS), multiple myeloma, idiopathic thrombocytopenia purpura(ITP), multiple injury (bone fracture), cerebral hemorrhage, enterocolitis, Appendicitis, lung cancer, larynx cancer, bronchiolitis obliterans organizing pneumonia(BOOP), chronic obstructive pulmonary disease(COPD), sepsis. The SF levels in PASC patients are significantly higher than those in SP patients (p < 0.001). Otherwise, there is no significant difference of the CRP levels between in PASC group and SP group (p < ns). There is no co-relationship between SF level and D-dimer level. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis shows that the specificity and sensitivity of the SF assay appears to be quite satisfactory. As the level of SF reflects the thrombin generation activity in plasma, it would serve as a strong tool to selectively kick up the state of thrombin generation. These results indicate that the SF could be a specific and reliable parameter for the diagnosis of PASC and contribute to legitimate managements of patients with PASC.

[Evaluation of thrombin in urine as a real-time indicator of clotting activation in glomerulonephritis].

When tissues are injured and bleeding occurs, blood clotting is immediately activated and fibrin clots are formed by thrombin. Afterwards, antithrombin III promptly inactivates thrombin, which restricts the clotting to the bleeding site. In inflamed sites, tissue factor is expressed on cells in the lesion by stimulation from cytokines, and produces thrombin. In this case, thrombin may survive longer because of inefficient inactivation by antithrombin III due to dilution and less perturbation in the interstitial fluid, and therefore, has a greater chance to activate thrombin receptors (protease-activated receptors: PARs) on the cells, which induces various cellular events including proliferation, migration, and shape change. Recent studies have suggested a pathophysiological association of the PAR pathway with crescentic glomerulonephritis. However, the role of thrombin in human diseases has not been fully studied, probably because of a lack of simple and reliable methods for measuring thrombin in clinical samples. To solve this problem, we developed an ELISA system for human alpha-thrombin and applied it to the measurement of thrombin in the urine of patients with glomerulonephritis. Thrombin in urine was detected in glomerulonephritic patients but not in healthy volunteers or disseminated intravascular coagulation patients, which suggests that thrombin in urine may reflect thrombin generation by clotting activation in the glomerular lesion.

Frequency and hemostatic abnormalities in pre-DIC patients.

Disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC) sometimes has a poor outcome, and therefore early diagnosis and treatment are required. This study prospectively evaluated the hemostatic abnormalities and the onset of DIC in 613 patients with underlying diseases to identify a useful marker for diagnosing Pre-DIC. Pre-DIC was defined as the condition of patients within a week before the onset of DIC. Initially, 34.4% of patients were diagnosed with DIC, and about 8.5% of the patients without DIC were diagnosed as DIC within a week after registration (pre-DIC). The mortality of DIC, Pre-DIC and "without DIC" was 35.3%, 32.4% and 17.2%, respectively. All hemostatic parameters were significantly worse in "DIC" than "without DIC" and the values of the prothrombin time ratio, platelet count and fibrin monomer complex could classify the three groups; "DIC", "pre-DIC" and "without DIC". No useful marker was identified that provided an adequate cutoff value to differentiate "pre-DIC" from "without DIC". A multivariate analysis identified clinical symptoms that were related to poor outcome. DIC must be treated immediately; there is no specific marker to identify pre-DIC.

Expert consensus for the treatment of disseminated intravascular coagulation in Japan.

The present report from The Japanese Society of Thrombosis and Hemostasis provides an expert consensus for the treatment of disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC) in Japan. Disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC) may be classified as follows: asymptomatic type, marked bleeding type, and organ failure type. Although treatment of DIC is important, adequate treatment differs according to type of DIC. In asymptomatic DIC, low molecular weight heparin (LMWH), synthetic protease inhibitor (SPI), and antithrombin (AT) are recommended, although these drugs have not yet been proved to have a high degree of effectiveness. Unfractionated heparin (UFH) and danaparoid sodium (DS) are sometimes administrated in this type, but their usefulness is not clear. In the marked bleeding type, LMWH, SPI, and AT are recommended although these drugs do not have high quality of evidence. LMWH, UFH, and DS are not recommended in case of life threatening bleeding. In case of severe bleeding, SPI is recommended since it does not cause a worsening of bleeding. Blood transfusions, such as fresh frozen plasma and platelet concentrate, are also required in cases of life threatening bleeding. In the organ failure type, including sepsis, AT has been recommended based on the findings of several clinical trials. DIC is frequently associated with thrombosis and may thus require strong anticoagulant therapy, such as LMWH, UFH, and DS.

Dual targeting of transformed and untransformed HTLV-1-infected T cells by DHMEQ, a potent and selective inhibitor of NF-kappaB, as a strategy for chemoprevention and therapy of adult T-cell leukemia.

Human T-cell leukemia virus type I (HTLV-1) causes adult T-cell leukemia (ATL), a fatal T-cell leukemia resistant to chemotherapy, after more than 50 years of clinical latency from transmission through breast-feeding. Polyclonal expansion of virus-infected T cells predisposes them to transformation. Constitutive activation of nuclear factor-kappaB (NF-kappaB) in the leukemic cells is essential for their growth and survival. Blocking NF-kappaB has been shown to be a potential strategy to treat ATL. We tested this approach using a novel NF-kappaB inhibitor, dehydroxymethylepoxyquinomicin (DHMEQ), and also examined its application to chemoprevention by selective purging of the HTLV-1-infected cells. DHMEQ inhibited NF-kappaB activation in primary ATL cells and cell lines derived from them and induced apoptotic cell death. NF-kappaB inhibition down-regulated expression of genes involved in antiapoptosis or cell-cycle progression. DHMEQ protected severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID) mice inoculated with HTLV-1-transformed cells from death. In addition, DHMEQ selectively targeted HTLV-1-infected cells in the peripheral blood of virus carriers in vitro, resulting in a decreased number of infected cells. We conclude that NF-kappaB is a potential molecular target for treatment and prevention of ATL. As a potent NF-kappaB inhibitor, DHMEQ is a promising compound allowing the translation of this strategy into clinical medicine.

Application of a focused ion beam mill to the characterisation of a microstructure in tin plating on a Fe 42wt% Ni substrate.

The application of a focused ion beam (FIB) mill equipped with a microsampling unit to a tin-plated specimen was reported briefly. Tin-plating has a serious problem: Whiskers are liable to grow on the surface of tinplates. In order to clarify the mechanism of the whisker growth, detail characterisation is conducted using transmission electron microscopy (TEM). However, it is difficult to prepare specimens for TEM observation without the influences of mechanical damages. It was demonstrated that FIB etching was successfully used to observe a three-dimensional microstructure by scanning ion microscopy (FIB-imaging) and to prepare thin films for TEM observation. The observation has revealed the formation of precipitates of Ni(3)Sn(4) that is considered to be strongly related to the whisker growth.