Evaluation of an Automated von Willebrand Factor Activity Assay in von Willebrand Disease

Evaluation of a new turbidimetric assay for von Willebrand factor activity useful in the general screening of von Willebrand disease.

We evaluated a new assay (HemosIL VWF Activity on ACL-Futura) in the screening of VWD. Samples from healthy donors and previously diagnosed VWD patients were blindly analyzed by this new activity assay and standard VWF:RCo. Results agreed and both assays showed a similar sensitivity for the screening of VWD.

Factor VIII/von Willebrand factor protein. Galactose a cryptic determinant of von Willebrand factor activity.

The normal Factor VIII/von Willebrand factor protein has the ability to agglutinate or aggregate normal platelets in the presence of ristocetin (von Willebrand factor activity). Removal of greater than 95% of the sialic acid from this protein by neuraminidase did not affect the von Willebrand factor or procoagulant activity. However, oxidation of the penultimate galactose of the asialo Factor V...

Von Willebrand Disease: An Update

Von Willebrand disease (VWD) is the common autosomal bleeding disorder caused by a quantitative and/ or qualitative defect in the Von Willebrand Factor (VWF), a large multimeric multifunctional plasma glycoprotein which plays a critical role in hemostasis. It is essential for platelet adhesion to damaged endothelium as well as platelet interactions at high shear stress. VWF has a direct role in...

Zebrafish von Willebrand factor.

von Willebrand factor (vWF) is a large protein involved in primary hemostasis. A dysfunction in this protein or an insufficient production of the protein leads to improper platelet adhesion/aggregation, resulting in a bleeding phenotype known as von Willebrand disease (vWD). To gain a better understanding of vWF interactions in vivo, the use of zebrafish as a model is ideal because of the trans...

Willebrand factor in von Willebrand's disease.