[Prognostic value of KIT and other clonal genetic mutations in core-binding factor acute myeloid leukemia].

Objective: To evaluate the prognostic significance of clonal gene mutations using next-generation sequencing in patients with core-binding factor acute myeloid leukemia (CBF-AML) who achieved first complete remission after induction chemotherapy. Methods: The study, which was conducted from July 2011 to August 2017 in First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, comprised 195 newly diagnosed patients with CBF-AML, including 190 patients who achieved first complete remission after induction chemotherapy. The cohort included 134 patients with RUNX1-RUNXIT1(+) AML and 56 patients with CBFß-MYH11(+) AML. The cohort age ranged from 15 to 64 years, with a median follow-up of 43.6 months. Overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS) were assessed by the log-rank test, and the Cox proportional hazards regression model was used to determine the effects of clinical factors and genetic mutations on prognosis. Results: The most common genetic mutations were in KIT (47.6% ) , followed by NRAS (20.0% ) , FLT3 (18.4% ) , ASXL2 (14.3% ) , KRAS (10.7% ) , and ASXL1 (9.7% ) . The most common mutations involved genes affecting tyrosine kinase signaling (76.4% ) , followed by chromatin modifiers (29.7% ) . Among the patients receiving intensive consolidation therapy, the OS tended to be better in patients with CBFß-MYH11(+) AML than in those with RUNX1-RUNXIT1 (+) AML (P=0.062) . Gene mutations related to chromatin modification, which were detected only in patients with RUNX1-RUNXIT1(+) AML, did not affect DFS (P=0.557) . The patients with mutations in genes regulating chromatin conformation who received allo-hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT) achieved the best prognosis. Multivariate analysis identified KIT exon 17 mutations as an independent predictor of inferior DFS in patients with RUNX1-RUNXIT1(+) AML (P<0.001) , and allo-HSCT significantly prolonged DFS in these patients (P=0.010) . Conclusions: KIT exon 17 mutations might indicate poor prognosis in patients with RUNX1-RUNXIT1(+) AML. Allo-HSCT may improve prognosis in these patients, whereas allo-HSCT might also improve prognosis in patients with mutations in genes related to chromatin modifications.

[Application of the situational simulation teaching method in occupational protection training for medical staff].

Objective: To investigate a new method for occupational protection training for medical staff, and to improve the awareness of occupational protection among medical staff. Methods: In August 2018, convenience sampling was performed to select 171 new medical workers in a grade A tertiary teaching hospital as subjects. The subjects were trained according to the requirements for occupational protection knowledge and training objectives. A questionnaire was distributed before training, and the scores were collected as control group; the subjects were trained using the conventional PPT theory, a questionnaire was distributed after training, and the scores were collected as trial group 1; the subjects were trained using the conventional PPT theory combined with the situational simulation teaching method, a questionnaire was distributed after training, and the scores were collected as trial group 2. A total of 171 questionnaires were distributed and collected for each survey, with a questionnaire recovery rate of 100%. Continuous data were expressed as mean±SD and were evaluated by an analysis of variance; categorical data were expressed as rate (%) , and the chi-square test was used for analysis. Results: A total of 171 medical workers, aged 22-33 years (mean 23.63±2.33 years) , participated in the study, among whom 127 (74.27%) were nurses, 146 (85.38%) were female workers, and 93 (54.39%) had a college degree. The awareness rate of occupational protection knowledge was 24.56%-70.18% in the control group, 63.16%-96.49% in the trial group 1, and 86.55%-99.42% in the trial group 2. There was a significant difference in the awareness rate of occupational protection knowledge among all the groups (P<0.01) , and there were also significant differences in theoretical test score, skill assessment score, and total score among all the groups (F=116.342, 189.424, and 304.904, P<0.01) . Theoretical test score, skill assessment score, and total score tended to increase after the training based on the conventional PPT theory or the training based on the conventional PPT theory and situational simulation (F=125.042, 352.025, and 444.073, P<0.01) . Conclusion: The situational simulation teaching method for the training of occupational protection knowledge for medical staff has a marked training effect and can significantly improve the theoretical and skill levels of medical staff.

[Developing a canine vocal fold scar model by CO2 laser and studying the LOX, HSP70 and HA expression in its extra celluar matrix].

Objective:Building a canine vocal fold scar model and analyzing the changes in morphology, histopathology and related factors of extra cellular matrix (ECM) of vocal cord healing at different time periods.Method:Five experimental dogs were randomly divided into the control group(one dog) and the experimental group (four dogs). No special treatment was done on the control group, and the experimental group was given CO2 laser through laryngoscope with minimally invasive surgery on bilateral vocal cords. Observation of the morphological changes of injured vocal cords was made at five different time, pre-operation and 6 h, 3 w, 8 w and 12 w post-operation. HE staining, immunofluorescence, were used respectively to observe the histopathological and ultrastructural changes of each layer of vocal cord. Observation were made on the changing pattern of lysyl oxidase (LOX), heat shock proteins70 (HSP70), and the integrated optical density index (IOD) of Hyaluronic acid (HA) in vocal cord tissues. Result:①Laryngoscope shows there were mild congestion and edema and inflammatory exudation on the wound surface of vocal cord 3w post-operation. On the wound surface of vocal cord 8 w post-operation, the congestion and edema disappear, the local contraction sink, and no adhesion and granulation form. 12 w post-operation, the surface of the vocal cord was smooth, there were local contractures, vocal fold scar form, and hoarseness in the bilateral vocal cords was obvious. ②HE staining shows 6 h post-operation there were a large number of inflammatory cell infiltration, red blood cell leakage, and cell congestion and edema on the wound surface of vocal cord. 3 w post-operation, there were fibroblast proliferation, angiogenesis, and a large number of fibrous tissues disorderly arranged on the wound surface of vocal cord. 8w post-operation, each layer of fibrous tissues were in hyperplasia and the blood vessels was thicken after on the wound surface of vocal cord, 12 w post-operation, a large number of collagens increases and were in group or fasciculation disorder. There were many irregular gaps in fibers, and blood vessels and glands become rare or disappear. ③The immunofluorescence showed LOX, HSP70 and HA were all localized in the cellular cytoplasm and nucleus. The expression levels were different at different postoperative time, and they were mainly relatively strong expressed in the inflammatory cells, vascular endothelial cells and the glands. ④The comparison of IOD values: The IOD values of LOX were different at different time periods (P< 0.05). There were no significant differences in IOD of HSP70 between pre-operation and 12 w post-operation, but there are significant differences among other groups (P< 0.05). There were no significant differences in IOD of HA between pre-operation and 12 w post-operation, but there were significant differences among other groups (P< 0.01). ⑤The expression of LOX decreased 6h post-operation and increased 3-12 w post-operation. The expression of HSP70 post-operation reached the peak 6 h post-operation and decreased 3-12 w post-operation. The expression of HA decreased 6 h post-operation, increased to the peak 8 w post-operation, and decreased 8-12 w post-operation.⑥The transmission electron microscope showed 3 w to 8 w post-operation, in the intrinsic layer of the vocal cord, the fibroblasts were extremely active, the cells swelled, and the organelles were abundant.12 w post-operation, there were a small number of fibroblasts in the active state, and larger gaps between the fibers and fewer and thinner elastic fibers. Conclusion:CO2 laser ablation of vocal cords under the Micro Post-Laryngoscope could establish reliable animal model of vocal fold scar, and 12 w reticular the vocal fold scars basically form. LOX, HSP70, HA play different roles at early, middle, and late stages in the vocal fold scar formation, and they can be used as a more sensitive index for vocal fold scar formation.

Design of jitter compensation algorithm for robot vision based on optical flow and Kalman filter.

Image jitters occur in the video of the autonomous robot moving on bricks road, which will reduce robot operation precision based on vision. In order to compensate the image jitters, the affine transformation kinematics were established for obtaining the six image motion parameters. The feature point pair detecting method was designed based on Eigen-value of the feature windows gradient matrix, and the motion parameters equation was solved using the least square method and the matching point pairs got based on the optical flow. The condition number of coefficient matrix was proposed to quantificationally analyse the effect of matching errors on parameters solving errors. Kalman filter was adopted to smooth image motion parameters. Computing cases show that more point pairs are beneficial for getting more precise motion parameters. The integrated jitters compensation software was developed with feature points detecting in subwindow. And practical experiments were conducted on two mobile robots. Results show that the compensation costing time is less than frame sample time and Kalman filter is valid for robot vision jitters compensation.

Significant association of APOA5 and APOC3 gene polymorphisms with meat quality traits in Kele pigs.

Apolipoprotein A5 (APOA5) and C3 (APOC3) genes are involved in the PPAR lipid metabolism pathway and thus associated with elevated triglyceride levels. However, whether APOA5 and APOC3 genetic polymorphisms affect intramuscular fat deposition and other meat quality traits remains unknown in pigs. One hundred and seventy-one Kele pigs were sampled to investigate genetic variants in the APOA5 and APOC3 genes and their association with seven pork quality traits. We identified 5 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the promoter region of the APOA5 gene and 17 SNPs in the APOC3 gene. Linkage disequilibrium analysis revealed 5 complete linkage disequilibria among these 22 SNPs. We found that 10 SNPs were significantly correlated with meat quality traits, including the mutation A5/-769 in the APOA5 gene, which was significantly associated with cooked weight percentage, and 9 SNPs in the APOC3 gene that were significantly associated with drip loss rate, meat color value of longissimus dorsi muscle and shear force. Therefore, these SNP markers will be useful for marker-assisted selection for improved pork quality.

Quetiapine ameliorates anxiety-like behavior and cognitive impairments in stressed rats: implications for the treatment of posttraumatic stress disorder.

The purpose of this study was to determine preventive and protective effects of chronic orally administration with quetiapine (QUE) against anxiety-like behavior and cognitive impairments in rats exposed to the enhanced single prolonged stress (ESPS), an animal model that is used to study post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and to detect changes in the expression of cortical phosphorylated p44/42 extracellular-regulated protein kinase (pERK1/2). Before or after exposure to ESPS paradigm, consisting of 2-h constraint, 20-min forced swimming, ether-induced loss of consciousness, and an electric foot shock, rats were given orally QUE (10 mg/kg daily) for 14 days. Animals were then tested in the open field (OF), elevated plus-maze (EPM), and Morris water maze (MWM). Brains were removed for immunohistochemical staining of pERK1/2. ESPS exposure resulted in pronounced anxiety-like behavior compared to unexposed animals. ESPS-exposed animals also displayed marked learning and spatial memory impairments. However, QUE treatment (both before and after ESPS exposure) significantly ameliorated anxiety-like behavior, learning and spatial memory impairments. ESPS also markedly reduced the expression of pERK1/2 in the prefrontal cortex, medial amygdala nucleus, and cingulate gyrus. Both before and after ESPS exposure QUE treatments significantly elevated the reduced pERK1/2 expression in the three brain regions. QUE has preventive and protective effects against stress-associated symptoms and the changes in pERK1/2 functions may be associated with the pathophysiology of traumatic stress and the therapeutic efficacy of anti-PTSD therapy.

Drug-use pattern of Chinese herbal medicines in insomnia: a 4-year survey in Taiwan.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Insomnia is a common complaint in the general population. Interest in the use of alternative treatments for insomnia is increasing exponentially and is fairly common in Taiwan. We undertook a survey to define the drug utilization patterns of Chinese herbal medicines (CM) for insomnia in Taiwan. METHODS: The survey was conducted over a period of 4 years, from January 2003 to December 2006. Outpatients with primary insomnia and being treated with CM were studied. Core drug-use indicators were the number of CM items per prescription, the dosing frequency and duration of CM prescriptions, the most common prescribed CM herbs and CM formulae used. RESULTS: Six thousand eight hundred and sixty patients, using 37,046 CM herb items, were screened during the study period. The average CM items per prescription was 5.40. Most of prescriptions (95.23%) were prescribed for administration three times a day. The most often prescribed Chinese herbal products were Hong-Hwa (Carthamus tinctorius) and Jia-Wey-Shiau-Yau-San, which includes Angelica sinensis, Atractylodes macrocephala, Paeonia lactiflora, Bupleurum chinense, and Poria coco. CONCLUSION: This is the first extensive survey examining the drug utilization patterns of Chinese herbal medicines in the treatment of insomnia. Although the data were generated in Taiwan, the herbs and practices identified are likely to be widely generalizable wherever Chinese herbal remedies are used for insomnia. Multiple herbs and complex formulae were commonly used. The baseline data generated should be of use in informing subsequent studies, including those aimed at a thorough evaluation of the herbs' effectiveness.

Efficacy of intracarotid propofol infusion and impact of cerebral blood flow alteration.

BACKGROUND: Intracarotid propofol infusion was studied in canines as an experimental basis for application of propofol in the Wada test. METHODS: First, efficacy and side-effects of propofol anaesthesia were studied in eight mongrel dogs that received intracarotid and i.v. propofol infusions for 30 min according to a cross-over design. Auditory evoked potentials were used to guide anaesthesia. Secondly, eight mongrel dogs received intracarotid propofol infusion during both normal and cerebral hyperperfusion states using nicardipine. Haemodynamics and clinical endpoints were compared between the two infusion conditions. RESULTS: We required 33 (7.6) mg propofol intracarotically vs 113 (17) mg propofol i.v. to achieve an anaesthetic state. The mean arterial pressure (MAP) decreased about 15-27% from the baseline during i.v. infusion. However, no obvious decrease of MAP was observed after intracarotid infusion. Administration of nicardipine increased the blood flow in the internal carotid artery by 17%. Then, the propofol dosage for achieving the anaesthetic effect increased from 7.7 (0.9) mg in the normal control to 11.3 (0.8) mg in the nicardipine group. The onset time of anaesthetic effect was prolonged and the recovery time was shortened during intracarotid infusion during cerebral hyperperfusion. CONCLUSIONS: Compared with i.v. propofol infusion, intracarotid infusion could reach and maintain the target anaesthetic depth with less dosage and without affecting MAP. In addition, increase of cerebral blood flow requires a higher propofol dose, prolongs onset, and shortens recovery time during intracarotid propofol anaesthesia, indicating that patients with a cerebral hyperperfusion state may need higher dose of anaesthetics during the Wada test.

Drug utilization pattern of Chinese herbal medicines in a general hospital in Taiwan.

PURPOSE: Drug utilization studies are important for the optimization of drug therapy and have received a great attention in recent years. Most of the information on drug use patterns has been derived from studies in modern Western medicines; however, studies regarding the drug utilization of traditional Chinese medicine (CM) are few. The present study was the first clinical research to evaluate the drug utilization patterns of Chinese herbal medicines in a general hospital in Taiwan. METHODS: Data were collected prospectively from the patients attending the Traditional Medicine Center of Taipei Veteran General Hospital under CM drug treatments. The study was carried out over a period of 1 year, from January 2002 to December 2002. Core drug use indicators, such as the average number of drugs per prescriptions, the dosing frequency of prescriptions, and the most common prescribed CM herbs and formulae were evaluated. The primary diagnosis and the CM drugs prescribed for were also revealed. All data were analyzed by descriptive statistics. RESULTS: A total of 10 737 patients, representing 52 255 CM drugs, were screened during the study period. Regarding the prescriptions, the average number of drugs per prescription was 4.87 and 37.21% of prescriptions were composed by five drugs. Most of prescriptions (91.38%) were prescribed for three times a day. The most often prescribed Chinese herb was Hong-Hwa (5.76%) and the most common Chinese herbal formula was Jia-Wey-Shiau-Yau-San (3.80%). The most frequent main diagnosis was insomnia (15.58%), followed by menopause (5.22%) and constipation (5.09%). CONCLUSION: The survey revealed the drug use pattern of CMs in a general hospital. The majority of CM prescriptions were composed by 3-6 drugs and often prescribed for three times a day. Generally, the rational drug uses of CM drugs were provided with respect to the various diagnoses.

Association of CTLA4 gene A-G polymorphism with rheumatoid arthritis in Chinese.

The aim of this study was to investigate the allelic association of a single nucleotide polymorphism in exon 1 of the cytotoxic T-lymphocyte antigen-4 (CTLA4) gene with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in Chinese people. One hundred and eighty-six unrelated adults with RA and 203 randomly selected normal adults were studied. All were ethnic Chinese living in Taiwan. The CTLA4 A-G polymorphism was genotyped with a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and digestion with the restriction enzyme BstEII. The genotype and allele frequencies of CTLA4 in patients with rheumatoid arthritis differed significantly from those of adult controls (P=0.022 and P=0.037, respectively). Genotype CTLA4 49 G/G and allele G were associated with an increased risk of RA (RR=1.72, 95% CI=1.15-2.57, P=0.008; RR=1.39, 95% CI=1.02-1.89, P=0.037, respectively), whereas genotype A/G and allele A were associated with protection against RA (RR=0.58, 95% CI=0.39-0.87, P=0.008 and RR=0.72, 95% CI=0.53-0.98, P=0.037, respectively). We concluded that, the CTLA4 49 A-G polymorphism is associated with RA in Chinese patients from Taiwan.

Phosphorylation of extracellular signal-regulated kinases 1/2 is predominantly enhanced in the microglia of the rat spinal cord following dorsal root transection.

The present study was initiated to investigate the role of extracellular signal-regulated kinases (ERK) 1/2 signaling pathway in the early response of spinal cord and associated dorsal root ganglion (DRG) to rhizotomy by using Western blotting and immunohistochemical techniques in a rat model of L3 and L4 dorsal root transection. The results showed that there were a considerable amount of total and phosphorylated ERK 1/2 protein in both spinal cord and DRG in normal animals killed under pentobarbital anesthesia. The total ERK 1/2 distributed in both glia and neurons, while phosphorylated ERK 1/2 dominantly existed in the latter in the gray matter of spinal cord, as demonstrated with double immunofluorescent staining. Twenty-four and forty-eight hours after axotomy, the phosphorylation level of ERK 1/2 in the operation side of dorsal spinal cord was much higher than that in the contralateral side, while the total ERK 1/2 level seemed unchanged. The increased expression of Fos protein was also seen in the dorsal spinal cord at lesion side twelve and twenty-four hours after axotomy. Double fluorescent staining proved that the phosphorylated ERK 1/2 positive cells in the ipsilateral dorsal spinal cord after axotomy predominantly were microglia and small portion was oligodendrocytes, whereas the Fos expression was mainly in neurons. In normal DRG, most neurons, especially the medium and small-sized ones, and the satellite cells contained total ERK 1/2-like immunoreactivity, whereas only a small portion of neurons and satellite cells contained phosphorylated ERK 1/2. After unilateral dorsal rhizotomy, there were no detectable changes for the phosphorylation of ERK 1/2 in either neurons or satellite cells in DRG.Collectively, the present results suggest that both ERK and Fos signal pathways involve the cellular activation in the spinal cord following dorsal rhizotomy, with ERK mainly in microglia and Fos in neurons. The increase of phosphorylation of ERK 1/2 in microglia of spinal cord after rhizotomy implicates that ERK signaling pathway involves intracellular activity of microglia responding to the experimental injury.

Gene expression of monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 in human monocytes by exposure to advanced glycosylation end products.

AIM: To explore the effects of advanced glycosylation end products (AGEP) on monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1) gene expression in human peripheral blood monocytes/macrophages (PBMC). METHODS: Expression of MCP-1 mRNA in PBMC incubated with AGEP-bovine serum albumin (AGEP-BSA) was examined by semi-quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) with beta-actin as an internal standard. Sequencing of RT-PCR products was performed to confirm the specificity of amplification for MCP-1 gene. RESULTS: AGEP-BSA stimulated monocytes to express MCP-1 mRNA in a glucose-concentration-related fashion. The levels of MCP-1 mRNA were increased slightly when monocytes were exposed to AGEP-BSA 200 mg/L (glycosylated with glucose 20 mmol/L), and increased markedly when exposed to AGEP-BSA 200 mg/L (glycosylated with glucose 50 mmol/L), but decreased slightly when exposed to AGEP-BSA 200 mg/L (glycosylated with glucose 80 mmol/L). Expression of MCP-1 mRNA was undetectable in freshly isolated monocytes, but was induced at 12 h and reached a maximal level at 24 h and was almost undetectable at 36 h after the monocytes were incubated with AGEP-BSA 200 mg/L (P < 0.01). CONCLUSION: AGEP enhanced MCP-1 mRNA expression in human PBMC.

Efficacy trial of Vi polysaccharide vaccine against typhoid fever in south-western China.

OBJECTIVE: To test the efficacy of locally produced Vi vaccine over a time period of longer than one year. METHODS: A double-blinded, randomized field trial was performed in Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region in south-western China, using 30 micrograms doses of locally produced Vi. Enrolled subjects were 3-50 years of age, although the majority (92%) were school-aged children, who have the highest rate of typhoid fever in this setting. A total of 131,271 people were systematically allocated a single dose of 30 micrograms of Vi polysaccharide or saline placebo. The study population was followed for 19 months, with passive surveillance conducted in the Ministry of Health and the Regional Health and Anti-epidemic Centre (HAEC). Clinically suspected cases of typhoid fever were confirmed by blood culture, or by serological reaction with O-antigen (Widal tests). FINDINGS: After 19 months, there were 23 culture-confirmed cases of typhoid fever in the placebo group versus 7 cases in the Vi group (Protective efficacy (PE) = 69%; 95% CI = 28%, 87%). Most of the isolates were from school-aged children: 22 cases in the placebo group versus 6 in the Vi group (PE = 72%; 95% CI = 32%, 82%). No serious post-injection reactions were observed. The locally produced Vi polysaccharide vaccine showed levels of protective efficacy similar to those for Vi vaccine produced in industrial countries. CONCLUSION: The slightly higher dose of vaccine did not seem to alter efficacy significantly in China.

Activity of p44/42 MAP kinase in the caudal subnucleus of trigeminal spinal nucleus is increased following perioral noxious stimulation in the mouse.

The extracellular signal-regulated protein kinase-1 and -2 (ERK1 and ERK2), also referred to as the p44/42 mitogen-activated protein kinase (p44/42 MAP kinase), plays an essential role in neuronal signal transduction, but its function involved in nociceptive response has not been deeply studied yet. Here we report immunohistochemical evidence that p44/42 MAPK might be critical in nociceptive response. We found that after formalin was injected into the perioral skin of the upper lip of mice, the number of activated p44/42 MAPK-like immunoreactive neurons was significantly increased in the laminae I and II of the caudal subnucleus of the trigeminal spinal nucleus (Sp5C). The positive neurons and fibers were mostly concentrated in the middle portion of Sp5C dorsoventrally, where the afferent fibers innervating the skin of the upper lip are terminated. The reactive products were localized in perikarya, dendrites, nuclei, and diffusely in the neuropil. The present result suggests that p44/42 MAPK may be important in the transmission and modulation of noxious information in Sp5C.

GABAergic synapses upon neurons expressing substance P receptors in the nucleus of the solitary tract: an immunocytochemical electron microscope study in the rat.

Morphological substrates for interactions between gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) and substance P upon neurons expressing substance P receptor (SPR) in the nucleus of the solitary tract (NST) were investigated by immunocytochemical electron microscopy. In the NST of the rat, many GABA-like immunoreactive axon terminals were in symmetric synaptic contacts with dendritic profiles; they were observed on nearly a half of the SPR-like immunoreactive dendritic profiles in the medial part of the caudal half of the NST.

Characterization of endothelial cell differential attachment to fibrin and fibrinogen and its inhibition by Arg-Gly-Asp-containing peptides.

We investigated the adhesion of human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) to fibrin(ogen) molecule of varying structure for identifying sites that mediate cell attachment. Fibrin was prepared either with ancrod which liberates only FPA from fibrinogen, or with thrombin, which liberates both FPA and FPB. Both fibrin preparations equally supported HUVEC attachment. GRGDS, RGD-containing peptides of snake venoms, and monoclonal antibodies against alpha v beta 3 (23C6 and 7E3) inhibited the attachment of HUVECs to fibrin by 65-75%. In contrast, the attachment of HUVECs to fibrinogen was less effective and was almost completely inhibited by both RGD-containing peptides and by antibodies against integrin alpha v beta 3 (85-95% inhibition). The C-terminal dodecapeptide of fibrinogen gamma chain (residues 400-411) inhibited minimally the attachment of HUVECs to fibrin. Additionally, the binding of RGD-containing snake venom peptides to HUVECs was both RGD- and divalent-cation-dependent. The IC50S for inhibition of HUVEC attachment to fibrin were 0.09 microM (rhodostomin), 1.54 microM (trigramin) and 1.64 microM (halysin). These results indicate that fibrin mediated support of cell attachment is independent of the cleavage of FPB from fibrinogen. HUVEC attachment to fibrinogen was almost completely inhibited by RGD-containing peptides and by antibodies against alpha v beta 3. In contrast, the attachment to fibrin was partially resistant to RGD-containing peptides and to the monoclonal antibodies against integrin alpha v beta 3. However, alpha v beta 3 is the major receptor mediating HUVEC attachment to fibrin.