High residual platelet aggregability and circulating platelet-monocyte aggregates in patients administered aspirin and clopidogrel are associated with ischaemic vascular events. To determine the relevance of these factors with residual thrombogenicity, we measured platelet thrombus formation using a microchip-based flow-chamber system in cardiac patients receiving aspirin and/or clopidogrel, an...

Background: Patients undergoing cardiac surgery are at increased risk of bleeding due to multifactorial coagulopathies. In the present study, we aimed at investigating the changes in platelet count and function during and after surgery as well as determining the association of the platelet dysfunction with bleeding and transfusion requirements in these patients. Methods: A total of 40 adult pat...

Platelet aggregation, the process by which platelets adhere to each other at sites of vascular injury, has long been recognized as critical for hemostatic plug formation and thrombosis. Until relatively recently, platelet aggregation was considered a straightforward process involving the noncovalent bridging of integrin alpha(IIb)beta(3) receptors on the platelet surface by the dimeric adhesive...

Sepsis severity has been positively correlated with platelet dysfunction, which may be due to elevations in nitric oxide (NO) and cGMP levels. Protein kinase C, Src kinases, PI3K and AKT modulate platelet activity in physiological conditions, but no studies evaluated the role of these enzymes in platelet aggregation in sepsis. In the present study we tested the hypothesis that in sepsis these e...

Platelet aggregation is currently felt to play an important role in the pathogenesis of ischemic vascular disorders. The smooth muscle relaxant, nitroglycerin, has been shown to inhibit platelet aggregation in vitro, but at concentrations that were felt to be unattainable in vivo. Because the in vivo action of nitroglycerin on smooth muscle cells has been shown to depend on the presence of redu...

The effect of acute hypoglycaemia on platelet function was examined in patients undergoing an insulin stress test. Enhanced platelet aggregation was observed in all cases but platelet count, platelet adenine nucleotides, and the plasma level of von Willebrand factor were unchanged overall. The onset of the hypoglycaemia-induced increase in platelet aggregation coincided with the lowest blood gl...

Noncovalently bound fluorescent probes have been used to study changes in the platelet which may occur during platelet aggregation. Platelets were exposed to either N-phenyl-naphthylamine (NPN) or 8-anilino-1-naphthalene-sulfonic acid (ANS). Both dyes were bound by the platelet, and platelet aggregation by collagen or thrombin was unaffected by the presence of the label. No change in fluorescen...

The effects of combined oestrogen/progestin hormone replacement therapy (HRT) on platelet aggregation were studied using women on HRT or placebo. The study involved 32 postmenopausal women (aged 50-75 years) who were enrolled in a double-blind randomized controlled trial, and who received either oral continuous combined HRT (Kliogest(R); 2 mg of oestradiol+1 mg of norethisterone) or placebo for...

Epidemiological studies indicate a J-shaped relationship linking coffee consumption and cardiovascular risk, suggesting that moderate coffee consumption can be beneficial. Platelet aggregation is of critical importance in thrombotic events, and platelets play a major role in the aetiology of several CVD. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of coffee drinking on platelet aggregation...

The proinflammatory and proatherogenic mediator, soluble CD40 ligand (CD40L), is increased in the metabolic syndrome (MS) and released from platelets. We hypothesized that adiponectin modulates platelet function, and we sought to evaluate the association of adiponectin and sCD40L levels with platelet aggregation in MS and the effects of adiponectin on platelet aggregation and activation. Platel...