Thirty-four patients with acute myocardial infarction were treated prospectively using a new strategy of prehospital intravenous streptokinase given by a physician-operated mobile intensive care unit. The 29 prehospital-treated patients who had experienced no previous myocardial infarction were compared to a similar group treated with streptokinase inhospital. Patients receiving streptokinase i...

Background Necrotizing fasciitis (NF) retains a very high mortality rate despite prompt and adequate antibiotic treatment and surgical debridement. Necrotizing fasciitis has recently been associated with Streptococcus dysgalactiae subspecies equisimilis (SDSE). Methods We investigated the causes of a very severe clinical manifestation of SDSE-NF by assessing both host and pathogen factors. ...

Highly purified human (Lys-forms), cat, dog, and rabbit plasminogens showed significantly different sensitivities to activation by highly purified streptokinase. The most sensitive plasminogen is the human zymogen, followed by the cat, dog, and rabbit zymogens, respectively. These human, cat, dog, and rabbit zymogens reacted with streptokinase to form homogeneous equimolar plasminogen-streptoki...

Fibrinolytic enzymes, particularly streptokinase, are now widely used to treat empyema thoracis. Recent in vitro evidence suggests that streptokinase has no effect on pus viscosity but that deoxyribonuclease (DNase) reduces the viscosity of pus. We report the first use of human recombinant DNase given intrapleurally to treat an empyema which had not resolved after standard treatment with strept...

BACKGROUND The nonsurgical medical approach with use of fibrinolytic agent is an alternative modality in management of chronic empyemas. With the introduction of purer forms of streptokinase, there has been renewed interest generated in the use of intrapleural thrombolytics with documented successful drainage of difficult to drain chronic empyemas. To evaluate the utility of streptokinase in th...

The therapeutic properties of plasminogen activators are dictated by their mechanism of action. Unlike staphylokinase, a single domain protein, streptokinase, a 3-domain (alpha, beta, and gamma) molecule, nonproteolytically activates human (h)-plasminogen and protects plasmin from inactivation by alpha(2)-antiplasmin. Because a streptokinase-like mechanism was hypothesized to require the strept...

The present study compares the efficacy of two formulations of encapsulated streptokinase to streptokinase in a rabbit model of carotid artery thrombosis. Arterial thrombosis followed the injection of thrombin mixed with autologous whole blood into a carotid artery of New Zealand white rabbits. Thirty minutes after the confirmation of an occlusive thrombus, one of four streptokinase formulation...

Acute myocardial infarction (AMI) is one of the main leading causes of mortality and morbidity. Despite the progress in the treatment of AMI, streptokinase is still being used in many countries. Because of the critical condition of patients with AMI and complications of streptokinase therapy, this study was performed to evaluate the pattern of adverse drug reaction (ADRs) induced by streptokina...

Acute myocardial infarction (AMI) is one of the main leading causes of mortality and morbidity. Despite the progress in the treatment of AMI, streptokinase is still being used in many countries. Because of the critical condition of patients with AMI and complications of streptokinase therapy, this study was performed to evaluate the pattern of adverse drug reaction (ADRs) induced by streptokina...

AIMS The dosage of fibrinolytic agents such as streptokinase must be controlled carefully to maximize therapeutic activity while avoiding adverse effects. Therefore, the integrity and activity of streptokinase products is likely to be clinically relevant. This study was conducted to compare the in vitro characteristics of different streptokinase preparations. METHODS AND RESULTS Sixteen strep...