Anticoagulation for cardiopulmonary bypass in the infrequent clinical setting of thrombocytopenia associated with the use of unfractionated heparin is a very serious problem. We describe a case in ...which a low-molecular-weight heparin (tedelparin) was selected for this purpose based on a platelet aggregation test, permitting adequate anticoagulation during cardiopulmonary bypass for valve replacement. This case report might help establish an adequate anticoagulation protocol when faced with a patient suffering from this condition.
The present research explores the levels and patterns of accumulation of a wide range of persistent
organic pollutants (POPs) in the human population. It assesses two major families of POPs, namely
...organochlorine compounds (OCs) and polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), and focuses on the
population of Catalonia, a Mediterranean country in South-West Europe with active agricultural and
industrial sectors. The research described in this study is based on a public health survey conducted
by the Government of Catalonia in 2002, which included a health exam and a blood testing for 919
individuals. Gas chromatography and mass spectrometry techniques have been used to determine the
concentrations of these pollutants in the serum samples.
This research has customised a methodology to better detect organochlorine compounds in human
serum samples. It has also contrasted the POP concentrations with a set of socio-demographic factors,
with a special focus on age, sex and body mass index (BMI). And nally, it provides complementary
assessments on POPs in other locations of Catalonia, including the Flix township that hosts a chemical
factory; and on mercury, which is a non-organic persistent pollutant, in the infant population of the
Menorca island. In essence, this research navigates in a diversity of pollutants, research methodologies
and geographic conditions to explore the linkages between environmental pollution and human health.
Aquest estudi avalua els nivells i els patrons d'acumulació d'un ampli ventall de contaminants orgànics
persistents (COPs) en la població humana. Comprèn dues classes de COPs, específicament els compos-
tos organoclorats (OCs) i els polibromodifenil eters (PBDEs), i se centra en la població de Catalunya,
un país mediterrani del sud-oest d'Europa amb uns sectors agrícola i industrial actius. La recerca
descrita en aquest estudi es basa en una enquesta de salut pública duta a terme per la Generalitat
de Catalunya el 2002, que va incloure en examen de salut i l'extracció d'una mostra de sang per a 919 persones. Les concentracions d'aquests contaminants en les mostres de s erum es van determinat
mitjan cant t ecniques de cromatogra a de gasos i espectrometria de masses.
En aquesta recerca s'ha dissenyat una metodologia específica per tal de millorar la detecció dels
compostos organoclorats en mostres de sèrum humà. A més, les concentracions de COPs s'han contrastat amb una sèrie de factors sòcio-demogràfics, amb una especial atenció al sexe, l'edat i l' índex de
massa corporal (IMC). Finalment, l'estudi proporciona avaluacions complementàries sobre els COPs
en altres llocs de Catalunya, incloent el municipi de Flix, que acull una fàabrica de productes químics;
i sobre el mercuri, un contaminant persistent inorgànic, a la població infantil de l'illa de Menorca. En
resum, aquesta recerca combina una diversitat de contaminants, mètodes analítics i àrees geogrà ques
per tal d'explorar l'associació entre la contaminació medioambiental i la salut humana.
We studied the effect of purified immunoglobulins (Ig) from 21 patients with antiphospholipid antibodies (aPL) on factor Va degradation by activated protein C (aPC) on cultured human umbilical vein ...endothelial cells (HUVEC). Sera from patients were tested on an ELISA aPL assay to determine the isotype with aPL activity. HUVEC were incubated with purified IgG or IgM fraction from controls or patients. Activated PC and factor Va were then added and factor Va degradation was measured after several reaction times. 13 of 14 IgM and 8 of 10 IgG from patients showed an inhibitory effect on factor Va degradation by aPC when compared with control Ig. We also observed the same inhibitory effect with patients' Ig on studying the degradation of factor Va by aPC in a purified system containing aPC, protein S and phospholipids. These results suggest that aPL antibodies disturb the anticoagulant activity of aPC, which may contribute to the thrombotic tendency of these patients.
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