Exposure to diesel exhaust is an important cardiovascular risk factor and may promote atherothrombotic events. Some data suggest that polluted air exposure could affect haemostasis through platelet activation. The aim of the study was to investigate the effects of acute exposure to diesel exhaust on platelet activation and platelet function. We tested the hypothesis in a randomised, crossover s...

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES Platelet concentrates (PC) are used in thrombocytopenia and inherited or acquired platelet dysfunction disorders. Thus, retaining the platelets quality and function during storage will lead to desirable outcomes in treatment of such patients.  METHODS  In this study, we evaluated 40 PC bags, prepared by PRP method in IBTO centers. We applied an array of assays, on fi...

BACKGROUND/AIM The purpose of this study was to examine steroid pretreatment in order to decrease postoperative coagulopathy disorders and bleeding. MATERIALS AND METHODS In this randomized double-blinded study, the efficacy of low versus high doses of methylprednisolone on the coagulation system and postoperative bleeding was compared in patients who were undergoing cardiac surgery with card...

Platelet hyperaggregation in ischaemic stroke patients is a proven finding, and associated with increased expression of the platelet surface GPIIb/IIIa receptor. The polymorphism occurs at nucleotide position 1565 of the GPIIIa gene resulting a 33Leu-Pro change. Data are conflicting regarding the abnormal function of the PlA1/A2 receptor in stroke. The aim of the study was to address the differ...

High levels of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) enhance platelet activation, whereas high levels of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) exert a cardioprotective effect. However, the effects on platelet activation of high levels of LDL-C combined with low levels of HDL-C (HLC) have not yet been reported. We aimed to evaluate the platelet activation marker of HLC patients and ...

Reported in vitro data implicated soluble CD40 ligand (sCD40L) in endothelial dysfunction and angiogenesis. However, whether sCD40L could exert that influence in endothelial dysfunction and angiogenesis after injury in acute myocardial infarction (AMI) patients remains unclear. In the present study, we evaluated the association of sCD40L with markers of platelet activation, endothelial, and vas...

PURPOSE The predominant cause of mortality in dialysis patients are cardiovascular events. Platelet and monocyte activity markers play an important role in cardiovascular mortality and were assessed and related to dialysis quality criteria in haemodialysis (HD) and peritoneal dialysis (PD) patients. METHODS For this prospective comparative study, HD patients (n = 41) and PD patients (n = 10) ...

There is growing evidence that the maturation state of dendritic cells (DCs) is a critical parameter determining the balance between tolerance and immunity. We report that mouse CD4(+) effector memory T (T(EM)) cells, but not naive or central memory T cells, constitutively expressed CD40L at levels sufficient to induce DC maturation in vitro and in vivo in the absence of antigenic stimulation. ...