PubMed Health⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

O Kaftan

Publications and source records attributed to O Kaftan.

6 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2005

Plasma levels of thrombin-activatable fibrinolysis inhibitor in primary and secondary thrombocytosis.

An elevated platelet count is a common finding in both hospitalized and ambulatory patients. Thrombosis and bleeding complications are more frequently observed in patients with clonal thrombocytosis than secondary thrombocytosis. The aim of this study was to investigate the behaviors of thrombin-activatable fibrinolysis inhibitor (TAFI) activity, the inhibitor of fibrinolysis, and also prothrombin time (PT), active partial thromboplastin time, and D-dimer and fibrinogen levels in 21 patients affected with clonal thrombocytemia as compared with 21 patients with reactive thrombocytosis and 21 healthy controls. In the clonal thrombocytemia group, plasma levels of TAFI activity were significantly higher than in both the reactive thrombocytosis and the control group. Plasma levels of leukocyte and platelet counts were significantly higher in the clonal thrombocytemia group than in the other two groups and also higher in the reactive thrombocytosis group than in the control group, which was also significant. Fibrinogen and D-dimer levels were higher in patients than in the control group but showed no significant difference between the clonal and secondary thrombocytosis groups. Plasma levels of PT and aPTT were higher in secondary thrombocytosis group than the clonal thrombocytosis group. The results of this study showed for the first time that TAFI activity is increased in patients with clonal thrombocytosis. These increased levels in clonal thrombocytosis can be considered a factor to explain the thrombotic tendency in myeloproliferative disorders.

Carboxypeptidase B2↗
PubMed2000

Coronary artery disease and infection with chlamydia pneumonia.

The association between chlamydia pneumonia and coronary artery disease is well documented, however less is known about the correlation between chlamydia pneumonia infection and blood inflammatory markers or lipid levels. In 100 patients with proven coronary artery disease (25 females, 61.0 +/- 4.0 years old), and 60 healthy volunteer control cases (15 females, 60.6 +/- 3.4 years old), anti chlamydia pneumonia IgG, blood lipid, C-reactive protein and fibrinogen levels were detected. In cases with coronary artery disease seropositivity for IgG antibodies to chlamydia pneumonia (74% versus 34%, p < 0.0001), C-reactive protein (mg / l) (2.8 +/- 0.6 versus 1.4 +/- 0.6; p < 0.0001), fibrinogen (mg / dl) (317.4 +/- 38.2 versus 256.2 +/- 34.5, p < 0.0001), triglyceride (mg / dl) (217.5 +/- 39.0 versus 191.0 +/- 25.9, p < 0.0001), LDL-cholesterol (mg / dl) (126.9 +/- 19.2 versus 110.6 +/- 19.5, p < 0.0001) levels and total cholesterol / HDL-cholesterol ratio (7.7 +/- 1.8 versus 4.4 +/- 1.2, p < 0.0001) were higher but the level of HDL-cholesterol (mg / dl) (26.4 +/- 6.7 versus 47.0 +/- 11.2, p < 0.0001) was lower. The levels of total cholesterol did not differ between the two groups (p=0.9). Levels of triglyceride (r=0.60, p < 0.00001), LDL-cholesterol (r = 0.27, p = 0.0004), C-reactive protein (r = 0.69, p < 0.00001), fibrinogen (r = 0.60, p < 0.00001) and total cholesterol / HDL-cholesterol ratio (r = 0.74, p < 0.00001) had a direct relation, but the level of HDL-cholesterol had a negative (r= -0.80, p < 0.00001) relation with the seropositivity for chlamydia pneumonia. As a result, seropositivity for IgG antibodies to chlamydia pneumonia is considered as a risk factor for coronary artery disease by its association with the atherogenic lipid profile and procoagulant activity.

Antibodies↗
PubMed2000

QT intervals and heart rate variability in hypertensive patients.

Low heart rate variability and increased QT dispersion are risk factors for cardiac mortality in various patient populations. We studied dispersion of QT interval, i.e. an index of inhomogeneity of repolarization, and heart rate variability (HRV) i.e., a measure of cardiac autonomic modulation in 76 essential hypertension cases (45 women, 53.0 +/- 11.1 years, body mass index: 25.1 +/- 1.4 kg/m2) and 70 healthy cases (42 women, 54.0 +/- 10.2 years, body mass index: 25.5 +/- 1.6 kg/m2, p > 0.05). QT-corrected QT intervals and their dispersions were significantly higher in the hypertensive group (p < 0.0001), all showing a direct relation with the level of systolic and diastolic blood pressures, ventricular mass index and high Lown grade ventricular rhythm problems. Time domain measures like standard deviation of RR intervals, standard deviation of the means of all corrected RR intervals calculated at 5 min intervals (p < 0.0001), proportion of adjacent RR intervals differing by > 50 msec (p = 0.005), HRV triangular index (p = 0.007), the square root of the mean squared differences of successive RR intervals (p = 0.011), and the high frequency (HF, 0.16-0.40 Hz, p < 0.0001) part of the frequency domain measure of HRV were all decreased, whereas the low frequency (LF, 0.04-0.15 Hz, p = 0.013) part of the frequency domain measures and LF / HF ratio (p < 0.0001) were increased in hypertensive cases. Time domain and the HF part of frequency domain measures of heart rate variability showed an inverse relation with the increased levels of both systolic and diastolic blood pressures and Lown grading system of ventricular rhythm problems, whereas LF and LF / HF showed direct relations with high levels of systolic and diastolic blood pressures and high Lown grade ventricular rhythm problems. The measures of heart rate variability apart from LF and LF / HF were inversely related with the QT intervals and dispersions, whereas LF / HF was directly related with them. Therefore, we conclude that the levels of both systolic and diastolic blood pressures are related to the generation of ventricular rhythm problems either via increasing left ventricular mass which results in an increase in QT parameter measurements, or by altering heart rate variability measures indicating a disturbance in cardiac autonomic balance in essential hypertension.

Adult↗
PubMed1999

Markers of chronic infection and inflammation. Are they important in cases with chronic coronary heart disease.

The human cytomegalovirus plays a causal role in atherosclerosis etiology, but it is discussed as controversial. We conducted a case control study to investigate whether previous infection with cytomegalovirus is associated with coronary heart disease and markers of systemic inflammation, because systemic inflammation may play a role in atherosclerosis too. We also studied the correlation between anti-cytomegalovirus antibody titer and coronary artery disease. The study involved 150 cases (45 females, mean age +/- SD is 58.73 +/- 7.68 years) with a documented coronary heart disease and 160 healthy volunteers (50 females, mean age +/- SD is 57.82 +/- 7.68, p > 0.05). Cytomegalovirus serology was performed to determine the presence of specific IgG antibodies and titers of the anti-cytomegalovirus IgG antibodies. In addition, C-Reactive protein levels were determined for each case. The prevalence of specific antibodies to cytomegalovirus was 57.30% for the patients and 56% for the controls (p = 0.39). But higher levels of anti-cytomegalovirus IgG antibody titer (> 1/800) were seen in the patient group (28.6% versus 10%, p = 0.0000). Mean value of C-reactive protein was higher in the patient group (2.99 +/- 0.92 mg/l versus 1.79 +/- 0.51 mg/l, p = 0.0000), and there was a linar correlation with the high antibody titers and the level of C-reactive protein (r = 0.35, p = 0.0000) These findings support that not the seropositivity of the population but rather the titer of anti-cytomegalovirus antibody and the levels of C-reactive protein could predict patients with a high risk of coronary heart disease.

Adult↗