Thrombus precursor protein and clinical outcomes in patients with acute coronary syndromes

Role of D-dimer and Fibrinogen in the Diagnosis of Periprosthetic Joint Infection: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

The diagnostic potential of D-dimer and fibrinogen to detect periprosthetic joint infection (PJI) of the hip and knee is not well-understood. The aim of this study was to determine whether D-Dimer and fibrinogen can be used as effective biomarkers to screen PJI. A systematic review of the literature indexed in Web of Science, PubMed, Cochrane Library, Embase, and Google Scholar databases was performed. All studies using D-dimer levels in serum or plasma, or fibrinogen levels in plasma, for the diagnosis of PJI were included. Meta-analysis estimates, including sensitivity, specificity, diagnostic odds ratios (DOR), and the area under the summary receiver operating characteristic curve (AUSROC), were calculated using a random-effects model, and used to assess the diagnostic accuracy of these biomarkers. A total of nine studies were analyzed, and their quality was considered to be acceptable. D-dimer gave a limited diagnostic value if serum and plasma combined: sensitivity (0.77, 95% confidence interval [CI] [0.63 to 0.87]), specificity (0.67, 95% CI [0.54 to 0.78]), DOR (6.81, 95% CI [2.67 to 17.37]), and AUSROC (0.78, 95% CI [0.74 to 0.82]). Plasma D-dimer levels were associated with less satisfactory sensitivity (0.65, 95% CI 0.57 to 0.71), specificity (0.58, 95% CI 0.50 to 0.66), DOR (2.52, 95% CI 1.64 to 3.90), and AUSROC (0.65, 95% CI 0.61 to 0.69). Serum D-dimer levels showed higher corresponding values of 0.89 (95% CI 0.79 to 0.94), 0.76 (95% CI 0.55 to 0.89), 24.24 (95% CI 10.07 to 58.32), and 0.91 (95% CI 0.88 to 0.93). Plasma fibrinogen showed acceptable corresponding values of 0.79 (95% CI 0.70 to 0.85), 0.73 (95% CI 0.57 to 0.85), 10.14 (95% CI 6.16 to 16.70), and 0.83 (95% CI 0.79 to 0.86). Serum D-dimer may be an effective marker for the diagnosis of PJI in hip and knee arthroplasty patients, and it may show higher diagnostic potential than plasma fibrinogen. Plasma D-dimer may have limited diagnostic potential.

Biomarkers of coagulation and fibrinolysis in acute myocardial infarction: a joint position paper of the Association for Acute CardioVascular Care and the European Society of Cardiology Working Group on Thrombosis

The formation of a thrombus in an epicardial artery may result in an acute myocardial infarction (AMI). Despite major advances in acute treatment using network approaches to allocate patients to timely reperfusion and optimal antithrombotic treatment, patients remain at high risk for thrombotic complications. Ongoing activation of the coagulation system as well as thrombin-mediated platelet activation may both play a crucial role in this context. Whether measurement of circulating biomarkers of coagulation and fibrinolysis could be useful for risk stratification in secondary prevention is currently not fully understood. In addition, measurement of such biomarkers could be helpful to identify thrombus formation as the leading mechanism for AMI. The introduction of biomarkers of myocardial injury such as high-sensitivity cardiac troponins made rule-out of AMI even more precise. However, elevated markers of myocardial injury cannot provide proof of a type 1 AMI, let alone thrombus formation. The combined measurement of markers of myocardial injury with biomarkers reflecting ongoing thrombus formation might be helpful for the fast and correct diagnosis of an atherothrombotic type 1 AMI. This position paper gives an overview of the current knowledge and possible role of biomarkers of coagulation and fibrinolysis for the diagnosis of AMI, risk stratification, and individualized treatment strategies in patients with AMI.

P-Selectin Level at First and Third Day After Portal Hypertensive Splenectomy for Early Prediction of Portal Vein Thrombosis in Patients With Cirrhosis

We aimed to investigate the changes in p-selectin (p-sel), thrombus precursor protein, and D-dimer (D-D) in patients with cirrhosis after portal hypertensive splenectomy and explore its values on the prediction of postoperative portal vein thrombosis (PVT) formation. A total of 144 patients with cirrhosis with portal hypertension who underwent portal hypertensive splenectomy from January 2009 to December 2016 were enrolled in this study and divided into the thrombus and nonthrombus groups. The levels of p-sel, thrombus precursor protein (TpP), and D-D were measured by flow cytometry, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, and immunoturbidimetry, respectively. Sensitivity, specificity, and other values for p-sel, TpP, and D-D were calculated. The linear discriminant, logistic regression, and decision tree methods were used to analyze the p-sel value on the prediction of PVT formation. Seventy-nine patients were confirmed having postoperative PVT, with the incidence rate of 54.86%. No significant differences were observed in the p-sel, TpP, and D-D between the thrombus and nonthrombus groups before surgery, but these 3 indexes were obviously elevated in the thrombus group after operation (P < .01). P-selectin level on first day showed the highest positive predictive value (91.0%) and diagnostic coincidence rate (83.3%), while negative expected value (76.6%) was lower than those of TpP and D-D. Multiple analyses showed the prediction accuracy of PVT was 61.1% (P = .023), 97.2% (P < .001), and 97.2% (P < .001), respectively. P-selectin has a significant value in predicting PVT. P-selectin level on first and third day is valuable and feasible for the early prediction of PVT.

The potential role of anticoagulant therapy for the secondary prevention of ischemic events post-acute coronary syndrome

Abstract The use of dual antiplatelet therapy has led to a substantial reduction in ischemic events post-acute coronary syndrome (ACS). Despite this, recurrent event rates remain high. Recent research has combined antiplatelet with anticoagulant therapy to reduce recurrent event rates further. Compared with standard medical therapy, rivaroxaban demonstrated improved efficacy outcomes and significantly reduced mortality after an ACS. Although clear benefits of novel oral anticoagulants post-ACS have been proven, concerns regarding bleeding are still a barrier to widespread use. This review explores key trials of dual antiplatelet therapy and examines the latest research in anticoagulation aiming to optimize clinical outcomes post-ACS.

Challenges and limitations in the interpretation of systematic reviews: making sense of clopidogrel and CYP2C19 pharmacogenetics

From 2010 to 2012, nine systematic reviews reported highly variable conclusions regarding the association between carriage of a cytochrome P450 2C19 loss-of-function allele and the risk of adverse cardiovascular (CV) events in individuals using clopidogrel. Possible contributors to the variable findings include differences in patient populations, CV end points, and statistical models utilized by the systematic reviews, as well as unexplained heterogeneity, inconsistent/incomplete reporting, and risk of publication bias with respect to the primary studies.

Established and novel biomarkers in ST-elevation myocardial infarction

Cardiac biomarkers assist in the diagnosis of and risk stratification in acute coronary syndromes. In ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI), rapid diagnosis and initiation of reperfusion via primary percutaneous coronary intervention or fibrinolysis is often based on the clinical history and presenting ECG, but measurement of biomarkers in the early and/or late phases of STEMI may allow the selection of patients who are at increased or decreased risk of subsequent complications. Although the measurement of only three biomarkers (troponin, natriuretic peptides and C-reactive protein) are currently included in practice guidelines, more than 20 other novel cardiac biomarkers have been proposed to provide improved risk stratification after a STEMI.

Factors associated with clopidogrel nonresponsiveness

Clopiodgrel therapy is the standard of care in patients with acute coronary syndrome and in those undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention. However, there is a significant amount of interindividual variability in clopidogrel responsiveness. Clopidogrel is a prodrug and requires metabolism via several CYP450 enzymes in order to exert its antiplatelet effects. Interference in these activation steps is the primary cause of clopidogrel nonresponsiveness. This review focuses on genetic polymorphisms in, and drug interactions with, the CYP450 enzymes that are associated with clopidogrel nonresponsiveness. In addition, clinical factors that effect clopidogrel responsiveness are also reviewed. Particular emphasis is placed on those factors that are not only associated with a change in clopidogrel pharmacokinetics or pharmacodynamics, but are also associated with an increased risk of adverse cardiovascular events. Currently, the majority of data assessing clopidogrel nonresponsiveness focus on genetic variation in CYP2C19 and drug interactions with proton pump inhibitors. However, genetic variation in other CYP450 enzymes, other drug interactions and clinical causes have been studied and are also reviewed here. It is important for healthcare practitioners to recognize all of the causes of clopidogrel nonresponsiveness, especially as novel antiplatelet alternatives become available.