The lysis and aspiration of a clotted hemothorax by means of an effective enzymatic agent is highly desirable. Various enzymes have been used for this purpose but alt have certain disadvantages. Trypsin has an irritative effect of pleural pain on injection and often shows a toxic reaction due to the enzyme or breakdown of protein products.’ The inhibitor (antitrypsin) normally present in the se...

Certain specimens of human semen shorten the coagulation time of whole blood because of the presence of active thromboplastic agents, while other samples prolong its coagulation time. Human prostatic fluid in large amounts always delays or abolishes blood coagulation. The delay or absence of clotting is counteracted by adding calcium ions and is due to the large concentration of citrate in pros...

Methods of quantitative measurement of fibrinolysin are available (Astrup and Alkjaersig, 1952; Loomis, George, and Ryder, 1947; Shulman and Tagnon, 1950). For the most part, these are fairly complicated techniques suitable for the research laboratory but not for the routine clinical laboratory. The method most generally used in the clinical laboratory is a simple qualitative technique in which...

Human plasminogen, plasma, or serum increased the pathogenicity of six streptokinase-positive streptococcal strains for mice. Combinations of commercial streptokinase and plasminogen or streptokinase and plasma did not usually increase mouse mortality to a greater degree than did plasminogen or plasma alone, suggesting that the maximal effective amount of streptokinase was produced by the organ...

Injection of ACTH or cortisone has no effect on the amount of fibrinolysin resulting from the activation of profibrinolysin by peptone. Antifibrinolytic activity of serum is significantly increased by ACTH or cortisone but not by desoxycorticosterone or corticosterone. No increase in anti-fibrinolytic power of serum is produced, however, by the injection of ACTH or cortisone in splenectomized g...

In the course of a study of the blood coagulation reaction involving the use of partially purified reagents it was thought of some interest to determine effects of fibrinolytic enzyme on these isolated materials. It is well known that serum lysin (fibrinolysin, plasmin) will lyse or destroy both fibrinogen and fibrin. It may be thrombinolytic (1). Seegers and Loomis (2) have stated that it dest...