the mean percentage of cryptogenic strokes among ischemic strokes is 31%, of which one-third may be associated with patent foramen ovale. the foramen ovale is required for blood flow through the fetal atrial septum.  it is formed as of the fourth week of gestation, and this leads to right-left interatrial shunt that allows the passage of oxygenated blood to systemic circulation. in 75% of cases...

background: direct thrombin inhibitors and factor xa inhibitors are gaining popularity as alternatives to warfarin for patients requiring anticoagulation. toxicity due to these medications is difficult to manage because overdose experience is very limited and there is no clear guidance on when or whether to use antidote in this setting. case presentation: a 50-year-old man with normal renal fun...

INTRODUCTION This section covers the means, as far as we now know them, by which components of the blood plasma produce an insoluble protein meshwork, or gel, at a site of blood-vessel damage. The plasma is normally completely fluid, containing all its proteins in soluble form. When the clotting system is activated at a site of blood-vessel damage, a series of proteolytic reactions is set going...