Procoagulant State of Sleep Apnea Depends on Systemic Inflammation and Endothelial Damage / El estado procoagulante de la apnea del sueño depende de la inflamación sistémica y el daño endotelial

Introduction. Growing evidence shows a hypercoagulable state in obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) that could be a risk factor for thromboembolic disease. Objectives We aimed to elucidate mechanisms involved in the procoagulant profile observed in patients with OSA and to investigate the potential utility of global tests in its characterization. Methods Thirty-eight patients with severe OSA without previous history of thrombosis and nineteen healthy age- and sex-matched controls were included. Kinetic of clot formation was determined using rotational thromboelastometry. Haemostatic capacity of plasma and microparticles was determined by Calibrated Automated Thrombinography. Platelet surface receptors, activation markers and formation of platelet/leukocytes aggregates were analyzed by flow cytometry. Results Thromboelastometry showed a procoagulant state in patients with OSA that did not seem to be related to a basal activation of platelets but by the increased existence of platelet/leukocyte aggregates. Patients with OSA presented many signs of endothelial damage such as increased plasma levels of E-selectin and cfDNA and enhanced thrombin generation due to the presence of microparticles rich in tissue-factor, which is related to OSA severity. Conclusions OSA induces an enhancement in the dynamics of clot formation which appears to be caused by at least two pathological mechanisms. First, a greater formation of platelet-leukocyte aggregates; secondly, endothelial damage which provokes a greater procoagulant potential due to the increase in tissue factor-rich microparticles. Moreover, this study has identified thromboelastometry and thrombin generation assay as useful tools to evaluate the prothrombotic state in these patients.

Introducción Existen pruebas crecientes que muestran un estado de hipercoagulabilidad en la apnea obstructiva del sueño (AOS) que podría ser un factor de riesgo de desarrollar enfermedad tromboembólica. Objetivos Nuestro objetivo fue dilucidar los mecanismos involucrados en el perfil procoagulante que se ha observado en los pacientes con AOS e investigar la posible utilidad de las pruebas globales en su caracterización. Métodos Se incluyeron 38 pacientes con AOS grave sin antecedentes de trombosis y 19 controles sanos emparejados por edad y sexo. La cinética de la formación del coágulo se determinó mediante tromboelastometría rotacional. La capacidad hemostática del plasma y las micropartículas se determinó mediante trombinografía automatizada calibrada. Los receptores de la membrana plaquetaria, los marcadores de activación plaquetaria y la formación de agregados de plaquetas-leucocitos se analizaron mediante citometría de flujo. Resultados La tromboelastometría mostró un estado procoagulante en pacientes con AOS que no parecía estar relacionado con una activación basal de las plaquetas, sino por el aumento de agregados de plaquetas-leucocitos. Los pacientes con AOS presentaban muchos signos de daño endotelial, como un aumento de los niveles plasmáticos de E-selectina y ADNcf y una mayor generación de trombina debido a la presencia de micropartículas ricas en factor tisular, que se relaciona con la gravedad de la AOS. Conclusiones La AOS induce un aumento de la dinámica de la formación de coágulos que parece estar causada por al menos 2 mecanismos patológicos. Primero, una mayor formación de agregados plaquetas-leucocitos; segundo, el daño endotelial que provoca un mayor potencial procoagulante debido al aumento de micropartículas ricas en factor tisular. Además, este estudio ha identificado la tromboelastometría y el ensayo de generación de trombina como herramientas útiles para evaluar el estado protrombótico en estos pacientes.

Procoagulant State of Sleep Apnea Depends on Systemic Inflammation and Endothelial Damage.

INTRODUCTION: Growing evidence shows a hypercoagulable state in obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) that could be a risk factor for thromboembolic disease. OBJECTIVES: We aimed to elucidate mechanisms involved in the procoagulant profile observed in patients with OSA and to investigate the potential utility of global tests in its characterization. METHODS: Thirty-eight patients with severe OSA without previous history of thrombosis and nineteen healthy age- and sex-matched controls were included. Kinetic of clot formation was determined using rotational thromboelastometry. Haemostatic capacity of plasma and microparticles was determined by Calibrated Automated Thrombinography. Platelet surface receptors, activation markers and formation of platelet/leukocytes aggregates were analyzed by flow cytometry. RESULTS: Thromboelastometry showed a procoagulant state in patients with OSA that did not seem to be related to a basal activation of platelets but by the increased existence of platelet/leukocyte aggregates. Patients with OSA presented many signs of endothelial damage such as increased plasma levels of E-selectin and cfDNA and enhanced thrombin generation due to the presence of microparticles rich in tissue-factor, which is related to OSA severity. CONCLUSIONS: OSA induces an enhancement in the dynamics of clot formation which appears to be caused by at least two pathological mechanisms. First, a greater formation of platelet-leukocyte aggregates; secondly, endothelial damage which provokes a greater procoagulant potential due to the increase in tissue factor-rich microparticles. Moreover, this study has identified thromboelastometry and thrombin generation assay as useful tools to evaluate the prothrombotic state in these patients.

[Biomolecular markers in cancer-associated thromboembolism]. / Marcadores biomoleculares en la tromboembolia asociada al cáncer.

Patients with cancer have an increased risk of developing thromboembolism, which is associated with increased morbidity and mortality and hinders its clinical management. Cancer generates a hypercoagulable state that increases the generation of thrombin. This coagulation activation, along with the inflammatory changes fostered by the neoplastic cells, favors tumor progression at the local and distal level. In this review, we present the most salient aspects of the pathophysiology of hypercoagulability in cancer and list the hemostatic biomarkers that reflect this biological situation of hypercoagulability. These parameters can be used as risk factors to predict the probability of developing thrombosis, which help identify patients who can benefit from antithrombotic prophylaxis.

Efecto de los anticuerpos antifosfolipídicos en la formación y degradación de la malla de fibrina en pacientes con aborto recurrente / Effect of antiphospholipid antibodies on the formation and lysis of fibrin network in patients with recurrent miscarriage

En el presente trabajo se estudió el proceso de formación y disolución de la malla de fibrina y la generación de plasmina en un grupo de pacientes con aborto recurrente (AR) debido a la presencia de anticuerpos antifosfolipídicos (N= 10), mujeres con AR sin el síndrome antifosfolipídico (SAF) (N= 6) y se comparó con un grupo de mujeres sanas (N= 8). Del grupo de pacientes estudiadas con SAF, nueve fueron positivas para anticuerpos anticardiolipina (aCL), cinco para la anti-b2-glicoproteína I (anti-b2GPI), cuatro para ambos anticuerpos, una para anticuerpos antiprotrombina (aPT) y anticoagulante lúpico (AL). El proceso de formación de la fibrina y su disolución fue estudiado por turbidimetría y la generación de plasmina mediante sustrato cromogénico S2251. Las curvas de polimerización de la(s) paciente(s) con AR sin SAF y AL presentaron un incremento en la pendiente y turbidez final, comparado con las del grupo control de mujeres sanas. La velocidad de disolución del coágulo fue mayor en la paciente con AL (21 ± 0) 10-4 DDO/seg y en las AR sin SAF (19,6 ± 5,7) 10-4 DDO/seg, comparado con el grupo control (14,5 ± 2,8) 10-4 DDO/seg. La generación de plasmina estuvo incrementada solamente en las AR sin SAF (85 ± 24%) comparado con 52 ± 3% en el grupo control, p= 0,005. Los cambios observados en el proceso de polimerización y fibrinólisis de la(s) paciente(s) con AR sin SAF y AL pudieran estar relacionados con el incremento en los niveles de fibrinógeno, mientras que los de la generación de plasmina con la entidad mórbida.

The present work was intended to study the process of fibrin formation and lysis and plasmin generation in a group of patients with recurrent miscarriage (RM), due to the presence of antiphospholipid antibodies (N= 10); as well as in women with RM without the antiphospholipid syndrome (APS) (N= 6), compared with those of a group of healthy women (N= 8). In the group of patients with APS, nine were positive for antibodies against cardiolipin (aCL), five for anti-b2-glycoprotein I (anti-b2GPI), four for both antibodies, and one for antibodies against prothrombin (aPT) and lupus anticoagulant (LA). Fibrin formation and lysis was followed by turbidity and plasmin generation using chromogenic substrate S2251. The polymerization curves from RM patients without APS and the LA patient showed an increased slope and maximum turbidity compared to those of the control group. The speed of lysis was higher in the LA patient (21 ± 0) 10-4 DOD/seg and the RM patients without APS (19.6 ± 5.7) 10-4 DDO/seg, compared to that of the control group (14.5 ± 2.8) 10-4 DDO/seg. Plasmin generation increased only in RM patients without APS (85 ± 24%) against the control group (52 ± 3%), p= 0.005. The changes observed in the fibrin polymerization and lysis process of women with RM without APS and LA seem to be related to their higher fibrinogen levels, while the increased plasmin generation was related to the patients´ morbidity.