Glucose and erythrocyte ATP: distinctive effects of dipyridamole and of ticlopidine.

This experiment suggests the following points: 1. Erythrocytes in control patients and in atherosclerosis patients seem to have a variable grade of affinity for adenosine and for plasma glucose. This variable grade seems to fix the level of the adenosine triphosphate (ATP) reserves and induces the erythrocytes' deformability. 2. The drop in the level of ATP reserves that induces the poor deformability of the erythrocytes in atherosclerosis patients would appear to be caused by two consecutive shortages: first a shortage that seems to be related to a deficiency of erythrocyte adenosine as the ATP shortage disappears with dipyridamole treatment and then a shortage induced by the lack of erythrocyte glucose and suppressed by the addition of ticlopidine to the dipyridamole treatment.

Platelet hyperaggregability, blood prostacyclin and dipyridamole.

This study demonstrates the presence of PGI2 in blood and its influence on platelet retention tests, possibly by the intermediate of a releasing system in the columns, which is followed by a proximate recuperation on the erythrocyte sites after the passage. The presence of prostacyclin on the erythrocyte sites seems to depend upon the red cell deformability in relation to the good condition of their erythrocyte ATP reserve. The load of the erythrocyte sites increases with the daily dose of dipyridamole. The maximum load of the sites appears to be reached with a daily dose of dipyridamole 450 mg. Approximately 10% of the atherosclerosis patients who have been treated by dipyridamole keep their platelet hyperaggregability and their abnormally lowered prostacyclin level.

Atherosclerosis and cerebral ischemic attacks: intakes of cerebrography with xenon133 inhaled and platelet tests in the diagnosis, clinical and therapeutic monitoring; the preventive role of dipyridamole.

A study of patients to develop the significance of the role of the blood platelets in the recurrence of transient cerebral ischemic attacks in patients with cerebral atheromatous, develop the effectiveness of dipyridamole in the prophylactic therapeutic regimen. In the group treated with dipyridamole, a 76.3% clinical improvement was recorded (mean increases of 11.2 ml/min. and 11.4 ml/min. of the cerebral hemispheric flows), 15.8% of cases stabilized (mean increases of 1.7 ml/min. and 1.2 ml/min.) and 7.9% failures (mean decreases of 10.4 ml/min. and 14.3 ml/min.) of these same flows. The cerebrography with xenon133 inhaled as well as the platelet tests used, constitute unfailing means of diagnosing and monitoring the clinical development.

[Discrete distal gangrene]. / Gangrènes parcellaires distales.

The authors present their statistical findings from 114 cases of discrete distal gangrene. They stress the importance of a rigorous methodology to detect mechanical causes from the thoracic outlet syndrome and immunological causes, predominantly scleroderma, especially in women. It is important not to overlook blood diseases nor those cases which are a presentation of underlying cancer. Finally, the iatrogenic cause is now well known. Treatment depends on the causes of this distal lesion. However, in cases of severe connective tissue disease, the use of plasmapheresis is beginning to give interesting results.