Hemorrhagic shock and tissue injury provoke distinct components of trauma-induced coagulopathy in a swine model.

INTRODUCTION: Tissue injury (TI) and hemorrhagic shock (HS) are the major contributors to trauma-induced coagulopathy (TIC). However, the individual contributions of these insults are difficult to discern clinically because they typically coexist. TI has been reported to release procoagulants, while HS has been associated with bleeding. We developed a large animal model to isolate TI and HS and characterize their individual mechanistic pathways. We hypothesized that while TI and HS are both drivers of TIC, they provoke different pathways; specifically, TI reduces time to clotting, whereas, HS decreases clot strength stimulates hyperfibrinolysis. METHODS: After induction of general anesthesia, 50 kg male, Yorkshire swine underwent isolated TI (bilateral muscle cutdown of quadriceps, bilateral femur fractures) or isolated HS (controlled bleeding to a base excess target of - 5 mmol/l) and observed for 240 min. Thrombelastography (TEG), calcium levels, thrombin activatable fibrinolysis inhibitor (TAFI), protein C, plasminogen activator inhibitor 1 (PAI-1), and plasminogen activator inhibitor 1/tissue-type plasminogen activator complex (PAI-1-tPA) were analyzed at pre-selected timepoints. Linear mixed models for repeated measures were used to compare results throughout the model. RESULTS: TI resulted in elevated histone release which peaked at 120 min (p = 0.02), and this was associated with reduced time to clot formation (R time) by 240 min (p = 0.006). HS decreased clot strength at time 30 min (p = 0.003), with a significant decline in calcium (p = 0.001). At study completion, HS animals had elevated PAI-1 (p = 0.01) and PAI-1-tPA (p = 0.04), showing a trend toward hyperfibrinolysis, while TI animals had suppressed fibrinolysis. Protein C, TAFI and skeletal myosin were not different among the groups. CONCLUSION: Isolated injury in animal models can help elucidate the mechanistic pathways leading to TIC. Our results suggest that isolated TI leads to early histone release and a hypercoagulable state, with suppressed fibrinolysis. In contrast, HS promotes poor clot strength and hyperfibrinolysis resulting in hypocoagulability.

Agent-based model using GPS analysis for infection spread and inhibition mechanism of SARS-CoV-2 in Tokyo.

Analyzing the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic outbreak based on actual data while reflecting the characteristics of the real city provides beneficial information for taking reasonable infection control measures in the future. We demonstrate agent-based modeling for Tokyo based on GPS information and official national statistics and perform a spatiotemporal analysis of the infection situation in Tokyo. As a result of the simulation during the first wave of SARS-CoV-2 in Tokyo using real GPS data, the infection occurred in the service industry, such as restaurants, in the city center, and then the infected people brought back the virus to the residential area; the infection spread in each area in Tokyo. This phenomenon clarifies that the spread of infection can be curbed by suppressing going out or strengthening infection prevention measures in service facilities. It was shown that pandemic measures in Tokyo could be achieved not only by strong control, such as the lockdown of cities, but also by thorough infection prevention measures in service facilities, which explains the curb phenomena in real Tokyo.

Full-length plasma skeletal muscle myosin isoform deficiency is associated with coagulopathy in acutely injured patients.

BACKGROUND: Skeletal muscle myosin (SkM) molecules are procoagulant both in vitro and in vivo. The association of plasma SkM isoforms with blood coagulability and hemostatic capacity has not been defined. OBJECTIVES: We hypothesized that coagulopathy in acutely injured patients is associated with procoagulant plasma SkM heavy chain levels. METHODS: To test this hypothesis, citrated whole blood and plasma from 104 trauma patients were collected and studied to obtain data for rapid thrombelastography, international normalized ratios, and plasma SkM levels. Coagulability parameters were dichotomized by the threshold for the hypercoagulable trauma-induced coagulopathy. RESULTS: Lower plasma full-length SkM heavy chain (full-SkM) levels were associated with higher international normalized ratio values (>1.3) (p = .03). The full-SkM levels were also associated with a lower rate of clot propagation (thrombelastography angle <65°) (p = .004), and plasma full-SkM levels were positively correlated with the thrombelastography angle (r2  = .32, p = .0007). The trauma patient group with the lower plasma full-SkM levels showed an association with lower clot strength (maximum amplitude <55 mm) (p = .002), and plasma full-SkM levels positively correlated with maximum amplitude (r2  = .27, p = .005). Hyperfibrinolysis was associated with significantly decreased full-SkM levels (p = .03). Trauma patients who required red blood cells and fresh frozen plasma transfusions had lower plasma full-SkM levels compared with those without transfusions (p = .04 and .02, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: In acutely injured trauma patients, lower levels of plasma full-SkM levels are linked to hypocoagulability in trauma-induced coagulopathy, implying that SkM plays a role in the hemostatic capacity in trauma patients and may contribute to trauma-induced coagulopathy.

Skeletal muscle myosin promotes coagulation by binding factor XI via its A3 domain and enhancing thrombin-induced factor XI activation.

Skeletal muscle myosin (SkM) has been shown to possess procoagulant activity; however, the mechanisms of this coagulation-enhancing activity involving plasma coagulation pathways and factors are incompletely understood. Here, we discovered direct interactions between immobilized SkM and coagulation factor XI (FXI) using biolayer interferometry (Kd = 0.2 nM). In contrast, we show that prekallikrein, a FXI homolog, did not bind to SkM, reflecting the specificity of SkM for FXI binding. We also found that the anti-FXI monoclonal antibody, mAb 1A6, which recognizes the Apple (A) 3 domain of FXI, potently inhibited binding of FXI to immobilized SkM, implying that SkM binds FXI A3 domain. In addition, we show that SkM enhanced FXI activation by thrombin in a concentration-dependent manner. We further used recombinant FXI chimeric proteins in which each of the four A domains of the heavy chain (designated A1 through A4) was individually replaced with the corresponding A domain from prekallikrein to investigate SkM-mediated enhancement of thrombin-induced FXI activation. These results indicated that activation of two FXI chimeras with substitutions of either the A3 domains or A4 domains was not enhanced by SkM, whereas substitution of the A2 domain did not reduce the thrombin-induced activation compared with wildtype FXI. These data strongly suggest that functional interaction sites on FXI for SkM involve the A3 and A4 domains. Thus, this study is the first to reveal and support the novel intrinsic blood coagulation pathway concept that the procoagulant mechanisms of SkM include FXI binding and enhancement of FXI activation by thrombin.

Novel blood coagulation molecules: Skeletal muscle myosin and cardiac myosin.

Essentials Striated muscle myosins can promote prothrombin activation by FXa or FVa inactivation by APC. Cardiac myosin and skeletal muscle myosin are pro-hemostatic in murine tail cut bleeding models. Infused cardiac myosin exacerbates myocardial injury caused by myocardial ischemia reperfusion. Skeletal muscle myosin isoforms that circulate in human plasma can be grouped into 3 phenotypes. ABSTRACT: Two striated muscle myosins, namely skeletal muscle myosin (SkM) and cardiac myosin (CM), may potentially contribute to physiologic mechanisms for regulation of thrombosis and hemostasis. Thrombin is generated from activation of prothrombin by the prothrombinase (IIase) complex comprising factor Xa, factor Va, and Ca++ ions located on surfaces where these factors are assembled. We discovered that SkM and CM, which are abundant motor proteins in skeletal and cardiac muscles, can provide a surface for thrombin generation by the prothrombinase complex without any apparent requirement for phosphatidylserine or lipids. These myosins can also provide a surface that supports the inactivation of factor Va by activated protein C/protein S, resulting in negative feedback downregulation of thrombin generation. Although the physiologic significance of these reactions remains to be established for humans, substantive insights may be gleaned from murine studies. In mice, exogenously infused SkM and CM can promote hemostasis as they are capable of reducing tail cut bleeding. In a murine myocardial ischemia-reperfusion injury model, exogenously infused CM exacerbates myocardial infarction damage. Studies of human plasmas show that SkM antigen isoforms of different MWs circulate in human plasma, and they can be used to identify three plasma SkM phenotypes. A pilot clinical study showed that one SkM isoform pattern appeared to be linked to isolated pulmonary embolism. These discoveries enable multiple preclinical and clinical studies of SkM and CM, which should provide novel mechanistic insights with potential translational relevance for the roles of CM and SkM in the pathobiology of hemostasis and thrombosis.

Skeletal muscle myosin and cardiac myosin attenuate heparin's antithrombin-dependent anticoagulant activity.

BACKGROUND: Heparin enhances the ability of the plasma protease inhibitor, antithrombin, to neutralize coagulation factor Xa and thrombin. Skeletal muscle myosin binds unfractionated heparin. OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to investigate the influence of myosin binding to heparin on antithrombin's anticoagulant activity. METHODS: Inhibition of factor Xa and thrombin by antithrombin in the presence of different heparins and skeletal muscle myosin or cardiac myosin was studied by measuring inhibition of each enzyme's chromogenic substrate hydrolysis. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS: Skeletal muscle myosin and cardiac myosin neutralized unfractionated heparin's enhancement of antithrombin's inhibition of purified factor Xa and thrombin. Skeletal muscle myosin also reduced the inhibition of factor Xa and thrombin by antithrombin in the presence of heparan sulfate. These two myosins did not protect factor Xa from antithrombin inhibition when tested in the presence of smaller heparins (eg, low molecular weight heparin, heparin pentasaccharide). This chain length dependence for skeletal muscle myosin's ability to reduce heparin's anticoagulant activity might have potential implications for therapy for patients who experience increases in plasma myosin levels (eg, acute trauma patients). In addition to the chain length, the type and extent of sulfation of glycosaminoglycans influenced the ability of skeletal muscle myosin to neutralize the polysaccharide's ability to enhance antithrombin's activity. In summary, these studies show that skeletal muscle myosin and cardiac myosin can influence antithrombin's anticoagulant activity against factor Xa and thrombin, implying that they may significantly influence the hemostatic balance involving bleeding vs clotting.

Novel exomic rare variants associated with venous thrombosis.

Exomic rare variant polymorphisms (c. 300 000) were analysed in the Scripps Venous Thrombosis (VTE) registry (subjects aged <55 years). Besides coagulation factor V (F5) single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), family with sequence similarity 134, member B (FAM134B; rs78314670, Arg127Cys) and myosin heavy chain 8 (MYH8; rs111567318, Glu1838Ala) SNPs were associated with recurrent VTE (n = 34 cases) (false discovery rate-adjusted P < 0·05). FAM134B (rs78314670) was associated with low plasma levels of anticoagulant glucosylceramide. Analysis of 50 chr17p13.1 MYH rare SNPs (clustered skeletal myosin heavy chain genes) using collapsing methods was associated with recurrent VTE (P = 2·70 ×10-16 ). When intravenously injected, skeletal muscle myosin was pro-coagulant in a haemophilia mouse tail bleeding model. Thus, FAM134B and MYH genetic variants are plausibly linked to VTE risk.

Plasma skeletal muscle myosin phenotypes identified by immunoblotting are associated with pulmonary embolism occurrence in young adults.

BACKGROUND: Purified skeletal muscle myosin (SkM) binds factor Xa and is procoagulant. The molecular forms of SkM in human plasma have not been characterized. METHOD: Human plasma SkM heavy chain (HC) isoforms of different molecular weights were detected by a newly developed immunoblotting protocol. In this pilot study, the distribution of SkM HC antigen isoforms in plasmas of healthy subjects and young adult patients with venous thrombosis was analyzed. RESULTS: Multiple SkM HC antigen bands were detected in human plasmas, corresponding to full-length SkM HC, heavy meromyosin, or the S1 fragment. Plasma immunoblots of healthy subjects displayed three major phenotypes: Type I with two primary bands for full-length SkM and heavy meromyosin, and two lesser bands including S1 fragment (54%); Type II with bands primarily for full-length SkM HC (34%); and Type III with only a band for the S1 fragment (12%). Plasma SkM HC antigen Type II phenotype was associated with an increased occurrence of isolated pulmonary embolism in younger patients, respectively (≤50 years old). CONCLUSIONS: Three SkM HC antigen phenotypes were identified in human plasma by immunoblotting, and Type II phenotype was correlated with the occurrence of isolated pulmonary embolisms in younger patients.

Cardiac Myosin Promotes Thrombin Generation and Coagulation In Vitro and In Vivo.

OBJECTIVE: Cardiac myosin (CM) is structurally similar to skeletal muscle myosin, which has procoagulant activity. Here, we evaluated CM's ex vivo, in vivo, and in vitro activities related to hemostasis and thrombosis. Approach and Results: Perfusion of fresh human blood over CM-coated surfaces caused thrombus formation and fibrin deposition. Addition of CM to blood passing over collagen-coated surfaces enhanced fibrin formation. In a murine ischemia/reperfusion injury model, exogenous CM, when administered intravenously, augmented myocardial infarction and troponin I release. In hemophilia A mice, intravenously administered CM reduced tail-cut-initiated bleeding. These data provide proof of concept for CM's in vivo procoagulant properties. In vitro studies clarified some mechanisms for CM's procoagulant properties. Thrombin generation assays showed that CM, like skeletal muscle myosin, enhanced thrombin generation in human platelet-rich and platelet-poor plasmas and also in mixtures of purified factors Xa, Va, and prothrombin. Binding studies showed that CM, like skeletal muscle myosin, directly binds factor Xa, supporting the concept that the CM surface is a site for prothrombinase assembly. In tPA (tissue-type plasminogen activator)-induced plasma clot lysis assays, CM was antifibrinolytic due to robust CM-dependent thrombin generation that enhanced activation of TAFI (thrombin activatable fibrinolysis inhibitor). CONCLUSIONS: CM in vitro is procoagulant and prothrombotic. CM in vivo can augment myocardial damage and can be prohemostatic in the presence of bleeding. CM's procoagulant and antifibrinolytic activities likely involve, at least in part, its ability to bind factor Xa and enhance thrombin generation. Future work is needed to clarify CM's pathophysiology and its mechanistic influences on hemostasis or thrombosis.

Serum amyloid A4 is a procoagulant apolipoprotein that it is elevated in venous thrombosis patients.

BACKGROUND: Serum amyloid A4 (SAA4) is an apolipoprotein that is in the SAA family and it is constitutively translated. Previously, acute-phase SAA1 and SAA2 levels were associated with venous thromboembolism (VTE). OBJECTIVE: We investigated the association of plasma SAA4 with VTE and the role of SAA4 in coagulation. PATIENTS AND METHODS: The association of SAA4 with VTE in a case-control study of adult VTE subjects (N = 113 each group) and the effects of recombinant SAA4 on plasma blood coagulation assays and prothrombin activation initiated by factor Xa were evaluated. RESULTS: Plasma SAA4 levels in VTE subjects were higher vs. controls (48.1 vs. 38.4 µg/mL; P < .001). Elevated plasma SAA4 level (above the 90th percentile of controls) was associated with increased VTE occurrence (odds ratio, 3.8; 95% confidence interval, 1.8-8.0). This association remained significant after the adjustment for acute-phase SAA level, suggesting that SAA4 associated with VTE is independent of acute-phase SAA. Two isoforms of SAA4, that is, glycosylated and nonglycosylated SAA4 isoforms, were each higher in VTE patients. When recombinant SAA4 was added to plasma, it shortened factor Xa-1-stage clotting times, showing that it enhances clotting in plasma. In reaction mixtures containing purified factors Xa and Va and prothrombin, recombinant SAA4 increased prothrombin activation, showing that it enhances prothrombinase activity. CONCLUSION: Elevated plasma constitutive SAA4 levels were linked to VTE in adults, and SAA4 can enhance thrombin generation in plasma. Our data highlight a previously unknown procoagulant activity of SAA4 that appears to be related to risk of venous thrombotic events.

Care providers, access to care, and the Long-term Care Nursing Insurance in China: An agent-based simulation.

China piloted a publicly funded Long-term Care Nursing Insurance (LTCNI) with an aim to improve access to long-term care (LTC) for older people in China in 2012. Existing studies showed that the scheme has been successful in meeting some goals, but little is known on how the availability, price and quality of the local care providers affect access to care. Using an Agent-based Modelling approach, this paper simulates the effects of the LTCNI on access to care by considering quality, costs and availability of the local care providers. Our simulation is based on Qingdao city-the first city in China that piloted the LTCNI. We found considerable discrepancies in terms of access to services among the LTCNI beneficiaries. The poor are more likely to choose nursing home care with low costs albeit these services may be of poor quality. The demand for home-based services is high, but these services are not distributed according to population needs and are not available in some districts with high concentration of older people. Consequently, a large proportion of disabled older people have no access to home-based services. We urge policy makers to improve the benefit package of the LTCNI, especially for the poor. We also suggest that more resources should be directed to promote and improve the availability of home-based services in areas with a large number of older people.

Cardiac and Skeletal Muscle Myosin Exert Procoagulant Effects.

INTRODUCTION: Trauma-induced coagulopathy (TIC) and the tissue injury-provoked procoagulant profile are prevalent in severely injured patients, but their mechanisms remain unclear. Myosin, exposed by or released from tissue injury, may play a role in promoting thrombin generation and attenuating fibrinolysis. The objective of the study is to examine the effects of cardiac and skeletal muscle myosins on coagulation in whole blood using thrombelastography (TEG). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Whole blood was collected from healthy adult volunteers (n=8) and native TEGs were performed to evaluate the global coagulation response in the presence of cardiac or skeletal muscle myosin by measuring reaction (R) time (minutes), clot angle (), and maximum amplitude (MA, mm). TEG measurements were compared using paired t tests. RESULTS: Cardiac and skeletal muscle myosins decreased R, from 10.8 min to 8.0 min (P<0.0001) and 6.9 min (P =0.0007), respectively. There were no effects observed on clot propagation (angle) or clot strength (MA) with myosin addition. In the presence of tPA, both cardiac and skeletal muscle myosins shortened R from 11.1 min to 8.62 min (P=0.0245) and 7.75 min (P =0.0027), respectively), with no changes on angle or MA. CONCLUSIONS: Cardiac and skeletal muscle myosins exhibit procoagulant effects in TEG assays. These whole blood TEG results support the hypothesis that cardiac and skeletal muscle myosins may be either pro-hemostatic or prothrombotic depending on context.

Molecular interaction site on procoagulant myosin for factor Xa-dependent prothrombin activation.

Skeletal muscle myosin has potent procoagulant activity that is based on its ability to enhance thrombin generation due to binding coagulation factors Xa and Va and accelerating prothrombin activation. A well-studied myosin inhibitor that binds to myosin's neck region inhibits myosin-dependent prothrombin activation. Hence, to identify a potential binding site(s) on skeletal muscle myosin for factor Xa, 19 peptides (25-40 residues) representing the neck region, which consists of a regulatory light chain, an essential light chain, and a heavy chain (HC), were screened for inhibition of myosin-supported prothrombin activation. Peptide HC796-835 comprising residues 796-835 of the heavy chain strongly inhibited myosin-enhanced prothrombin activation by factors Xa and Va (50% inhibition at 1.2 µm), but it did not inhibit phospholipid vesicle-enhanced prothrombin activation. Peptide inhibition studies also implicated several myosin light chain sequences located near HC796-835 as potential procoagulant sites. A peptide comprising HC796-835's C-terminal half, but not a peptide comprising its N-terminal half, inhibited myosin-enhanced prothrombin activation (50% inhibition at 1.2 µm). This inhibitory peptide (HC816-837) did not inhibit phospholipid-enhanced prothrombin activation, indicating its specificity for inhibition of myosin-dependent procoagulant mechanisms. Binding studies showed that purified factor Xa was bound to immobilized peptides HC796-835 and HC816-837 with apparent Kd values of 0.78 and 1.3 µm, respectively. In summary, these studies imply that HC residues 816-835 in the neck region of the skeletal muscle myosin directly bind factor Xa and, with contributions from light chain residues in this neck region, contribute to provision of myosin's procoagulant surface.

Low level of the plasma sphingolipid, glucosylceramide, is associated with thrombotic diseases.

BACKGROUND: One previous pilot study suggested the association of low plasma glucosylceramide (GlcCer) levels with venous thrombosis (VTE) risk. OBJECTIVE: We aimed to confirm and evaluate the association of low plasma GlcCer levels with VTE and myocardial infarction (MI) occurrence, respectively. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We evaluated the association of GlcCer in two independent case-control studies of Caucasian VTE populations (N = 210 and 636) and one case-control study of Caucasian MI patients (N = 345). RESULT: Plasma GlcCer levels in VTE patients were lower compared to controls in two independent VTE populations (5.0 vs 5.8 µg/mL, p = 0.003 for the Scripps registry, and 5.6 vs 6.0 µg/mL, p = 0.001 for the Valencia registry, respectively). A low plasma GlcCer level (below 10th percentile of controls) was associated with increased VTE occurrence [odds ratio (OR) = 3.7 (95%CI, 1.8-7.9) for Scripps registry and OR = 2.1 (95%CI, 1.3-3.3) for Valencia registry, respectively). For the MI study, the median GlcCer plasma level was lower in MI patients than in controls (4.3 vs 5.6 µg/mL, p<0.001), and a low level of GlcCer (below 10th percentile of control) was associated with higher MI occurrence [OR = 7.7, (95%CI, 4.3-13.8)]. CONCLUSION: Lower concentration of GlcCer was associated with VTE occurrence in two independent studies and also with MI occurrence in one study.

Minor Plasma Lipids Modulate Clotting Factor Activities and May Affect Thrombosis Risk.

Different minor abundance plasma lipids significantly influence thrombin generation in vitro and significant differences in such lipids are linked to risk for venous thrombosis. Some plasma sphingolipids including glucosylceramide, lyso-sulfatide and sphingosine have anticoagulant properties whereas, conversely, some plasma phospholipid derivatives, including certain lyso-phospholipids and ethanolamides, have procoagulant properties. Plasma metabolite profiling of venous thrombosis patients showed association of venous thrombosis with decreased plasma long-chain acylcarntines, leading to discovery of their anticoagulant activity as inhibitors of factor Xa. Inhibition of factor Xa by acylcarnitines does not require the protein's Gla-domain, emphasizing an expanded framework for the paradigm for lipid-clotting factor interactions. Overall, whether by genetics or environment, alterations in the dynamics of lipid metabolism linked to an altered lipidome may contribute to regulation of blood coagulation because imbalances between physiologic procoagulant and anticoagulant lipids may contribute to excessive thrombin generation that augments risk for thrombosis.

Prothrombotic skeletal muscle myosin directly enhances prothrombin activation by binding factors Xa and Va.

To test the hypothesis that skeletal muscle myosins can directly influence blood coagulation and thrombosis, ex vivo studies of the effects of myosin on thrombogenesis in fresh human blood were conducted. Addition of myosin to blood augmented the thrombotic responses of human blood flowing over collagen-coated surfaces (300 s-1 shear rate). Perfusion of human blood over myosin-coated surfaces also caused fibrin and platelet deposition, evidencing myosin's thrombogenicity. Myosin markedly enhanced thrombin generation in both platelet-rich plasma and platelet-poor plasma, indicating that myosin promoted thrombin generation in plasma primarily independent of platelets. In purified reaction mixtures composed only of factor Xa, factor Va, prothrombin, and calcium ions, myosin greatly enhanced prothrombinase activity. The Gla domain of factor Xa was not required for myosin's prothrombinase enhancement. When binding of purified clotting factors to immobilized myosin was monitored using biolayer interferometry, factors Xa and Va each showed favorable binding interactions. Factor Va reduced by 100-fold the apparent Kd of myosin for factor Xa (Kd ∼0.48 nM), primarily by reducing koff, indicating formation of a stable ternary complex of myosin:Xa:Va. In studies to assess possible clinical relevance for this discovery, we found that antimyosin antibodies inhibited thrombin generation in acute trauma patient plasmas more than in control plasmas (P = .0004), implying myosin might contribute to acute trauma coagulopathy. We posit that myosin enhancement of thrombin generation could contribute either to promote hemostasis or to augment thrombosis risk with consequent implications for myosin's possible contributions to pathophysiology in the setting of acute injuries.

Elevated CETP Lipid Transfer Activity is Associated with the Risk of Venous Thromboembolism.

AIM: Cholesteryl ester transfer protein (CETP) is an important lipid transfer factor in plasma that enhances prothrombinase activity in purified systems. This study was conducted to test the association of plasma CETP activity with venous thrombosis (VTE) and to address the procoagulant mechanism of CETP activity in prothrombinase assays. METHODS: We measured CETP lipid transfer activity in plasmas of 49 male VTE patients and in plasmas of matched controls. CETP procoagulant activity was tested in purified prothrombinase systems. RESULTS: CETP lipid transfer activity levels were significantly higher in VTE patients than in controls (p=0.0008). A subset of patients carrying the CETP mutations Ala373Pro and Arg451Gln, which were also linked to the VTE risk, showed significantly higher plasma CETP activity than the noncarriers. The plasma CETP activity negatively correlated with APTT, suggesting that the CETP activity is associated with plasma coagulability. Recombinant (r) CETP bound to both factor Xa (Kd=15 nM) and Gla-domainless factor Xa (Kd=59 nM), whereas rCETP enhanced prothrombin activation by factor Xa, but not by Gla-domainless factor Xa. rCETP also required factor Va for enhancement of prothrombinase activity. When we addressed the effects of mutations in CETP on prothrombinase activity, Gln451-rCETP was found to have five-fold higher thrombin generation activity than wt-rCETP or Pro373-rCETP. CONCLUSIONS: Elevated CETP lipid transfer activity in plasma was associated with the risk of VTE. Gln451-CETP, which is linked to VTE, has much higher procoagulant activity than wt-CETP. CETP might act as a physiologic procoagulant by mechanisms that involve its direct binding to factor Xa.

Arteriovenous Blood Metabolomics: A Readout of Intra-Tissue Metabostasis.

The human circulatory system consists of arterial blood that delivers nutrients to tissues, and venous blood that removes the metabolic by-products. Although it is well established that arterial blood generally has higher concentrations of glucose and oxygen relative to venous blood, a comprehensive biochemical characterization of arteriovenous differences has not yet been reported. Here we apply cutting-edge, mass spectrometry-based metabolomic technologies to provide a global characterization of metabolites that vary in concentration between the arterial and venous blood of human patients. Global profiling of paired arterial and venous plasma from 20 healthy individuals, followed up by targeted analysis made it possible to measure subtle (<2 fold), yet highly statistically significant and physiologically important differences in water soluble human plasma metabolome. While we detected changes in lactic acid, alanine, glutamine, and glutamate as expected from skeletal muscle activity, a number of unanticipated metabolites were also determined to be significantly altered including Krebs cycle intermediates, amino acids that have not been previously implicated in transport, and a few oxidized fatty acids. This study provides the most comprehensive assessment of metabolic changes in the blood during circulation to date and suggests that such profiling approach may offer new insights into organ homeostasis and organ specific pathology.