Thesis (doctoral)--Ludwig Maximilians-Universität zu München, 1979.

Essen, Univ., Diss., 2002. / Computerdatei im Fernzugriff.

Essen, Univ., Diss., 2002. / Computerdatei im Fernzugriff.

Thesis (M.S.) --University of Texas Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences at San Antonio, 2005. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (doctoral)--Bayerische Ludwig Maximilians Universität, Munich, 1933.

Resumo: As plaquetas são fragmentos do citoplasma do megacariócito e possuem papel fundamental na manutenção da hemostasia. Ao aderirem umas às outras, ativam-se, mudam de forma e liberam grânulos que contêm fatores de crescimento, proteínas que atuam na divisão celular. Os grânulos α- plaquetários secretam fatores de crescimento que regulam eventos, tais como, síntese de DNA, quimiotaxia e citodiferenciação. A estocagem prolongada das plaquetas a 22ºC é prejudicial à viabilidade e à função, mesmo quando estocadas em condições adequadas nos bancos de sangue. Observa-se diminuição da concentração do glutation intraplaquetário, representando diminuição da proteção contra o stress oxidativo, do qual resulta a perda do grupo sulfidril. As plaquetas desempenham funções com consumo de energia, como exemplo a diapedese, que pode ser recuperada após cinco dias de armazenamento pelo azul de metileno. Durante a divisão celular há necessidade de bloqueio das funções citoplasmáticas com aumento da produção de proteínas de adesão para que ocorra a fixação da célula que vai se dividir. Os resultados mostraram que quando adicionamos azul de metileno, a quantidade de células viáveis diminui com aumento de apoptose e necrose, muito provavelmente devido à liberação de energia / Abstract: Platelets are megakaryocyte cytoplasmic fragments that play a fundamental role in maintaining hemostasis. When they adhere to each other, they become activated, change shape and release granules containing growth factors, proteins involved with cell division. Platelet α-granules secrete growth factors that regulate events such as DNA synthesis, chemotaxis and cytodifferentiation. Long platelet storage at 22ºC is harmful to their viability and function, even when they are stored under proper conditions at blood banks. A reduced concentration of intraplatelet glutathione is observed, representing decreased protection against oxidative stress, from which the loss of the sulfhydryl group results. Platelets perform actions with energy consumption, such as diapedesis, which can be recovered after five storage days by methylene blue. During cell division, cytoplasmic functions must be blocked by increased adhesion protein so that the fixation of the dividing cell can occur. Results showed that when methylene blue is added, the number of viable cells decreases with apoptosis and necrosis increase, which is very likely due to energy release / Orientador: Paulo Eduardo de Abreu Machado / Coorientador: Márjorie de Assis Golim / Banca: Izolete Aparecida Thomazini Santos / Banca: Sueli Gonçalves Saez / Mestre

No description available.

While some rare and severe forms of platelet function disorders are now well characterized, many common types of platelet function disorders are not yet characterized. My hypothesis was that uncharacterized platelet function disorders that impair platelet function in aggregation and/or dense granule ATP release assays are associated with increased bleeding risk. The main goal of the thesis was to study the phenotype and bleeding risks for uncharacterized platelet function disorders, through analysis of the results from clinical laboratory tests of platelet function and for a detailed analysis of their reported bleeding symptoms. First, I assessed if lumi-aggregometry provides useful diagnostic information on platelet function and can be used to help decide if an individual has a bleeding disorder. Two cohorts of individuals were studied that had dense granule ATP release assessed in response to multiple agonists as part of a work-up for a bleeding disorder. Cohort I was comprised of individuals tested between January 2007 and June 2013 and cohort II was comprised of subjects tested at least twice by this assay prior to September 2015. Among subjects tested more than once for dense granule release defects as part of the work up for a bleeding disorder (cohort I; n=133; cohort II; n=17), normal findings with all tested agonists were often confirmed by the second test (cohort I: 83%; cohort II: 100%), but impaired release with multiple agonists was not often confirmed (cohort I: 34%; cohort II: 54%) and even if it was present, the finding was not predictive of a bleeding disorder. Consequentially, it was recommended that lumi-aggregometry should not be used to diagnose platelet function disorders. Next, I studied the bleeding risks associated with uncharacterized platelet function disorders, by evaluating subjects who had abnormal findings by validated assays, namely subjects who had defective aggregation responses to two or more agonists and/or dense granule deficiency. Bleeding history was evaluated using the International Society for Thrombosis and Haemostasis bleeding assessment tool (ISTH BAT) and the likelihood for bleeding symptoms/ problems, was estimated using odds ratios (OR) collected using the clinical history assessment tool - platelet (CHAT-P) for all affected subjects, a subgroup family with a mutation RUNX1, unaffected family v members and general population controls. Individuals with platelet function disorders (n=29) and the affected members of the family with the RUNX1 mutation (n=6) had elevated ISTH BAT scores (median: 9; range:0-18 and median: 8.5, range 4-15, respectively) and an increased risk of abnormal bruising (OR 15-65 and 11-67), nosebleeds (OR 23-40 and 19-121), menorrhagia (OR 6.5-29) and excessive bleeding after trauma or dental/surgical procedures (OR 9.5-44 and 15-77 ) and wound healing problems (OR 13 and 38) compared to general population control (n=60) and unaffected (n=12) family members. Overall, the platelet function disorders in the study present with a significantly increased risk of mild, rather than severe bleeding problems. These findings are important for individuals and healthcare providers to promote evidence-based care of common uncharacterized inherited platelet function disorders for individuals with RUNX1 mutations, dense granule deficiency and/or impaired aggregation responses. / Thesis / Master of Science (MSc) / Platelets are small blood cells that help stop bleeding. People who have platelets that do not work properly are more likely to bleed. Determining who has platelet problems can be challenging as there are limitations to diagnostic tests for these conditions. Additionally, the risks for bleeding in individuals with platelet problems are unknown. We looked at individuals with bleeding problems and found that a recommended test to assess platelet dense granule release, called lumi-aggregometry, wasn’t able to reliably identify persons with bleeding problems. Based on this, we recommend that lumi-aggregometry should not be used to diagnose platelet function disorders. We also found that individuals with uncharacterized platelet function disorders have increased risks for wound healing problems and experiencing bruising, nosebleeds, menorrhagia, and excessive bleeding after dental or surgical procedures. These risks are common among other mild bleeding disorders and will be important to differentiate bleeding risk from other platelet disorders.

Cyclic nucleotides are important inhibitory regulators of platelet function. These second messengers are hydrolysed by cyclic 3' ,5'-nucleotide phosphodiesterases (PDEs). Three PDEs have been detected in human platelets: cGMP-stimulated phosphodiesterase (PDE2), cGMP-inhibited phosphodiesterase (PDE3), and cGMP-binding, cGMP-selective phosphodiesterase (PDE5). This research investigates the contribution of PDE2 to the regulation of platelet cyclic nucleotide concentrations, and the effects that PDE2 activity has on the inhibition by cAMP and cGMP of platelet aggregation in response to thrombin or collagen. Increases in platelet cAMP were initiated by stimulation of adenylyl cyclase with prostacyclin (PGI₂), whereas the accumulation of cGMP was induced by nitroprusside (NP). The contributions of PDE2 to the hydrolysis of these cyclic nucleotides were evaluated using a novel inhibitor of the enzyme, 𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘰-9-(2-hydroxy-3-nonyl)adenine (EHNA). Before EHNA was used in experiments on platelet function, its effects on partially purified preparations of the three platelet PDEs were studied. These investigations demonstrated that EHNA is a selective and potent inhibitor of platelet PDE2, and indicated that this compound is a more effective inhibitor of cAMP hydrolysis in the presence than in the absence of cGMP. To measure changes in cyclic nucleotide concentrations, platelets were preincubated with [³H]adenine and ³H]guanine to label the metabolic nucleotide pools. NP caused large concentration-dependent increases in platelet [³H] cGMP levels, and this was associated with highly significant but much smaller increases in [³H] cAMP accumulation, which were optimal with 10 μM NP. Higher concentrations of NP had much less effect on platelet [³H] cAMP. A previous study had shown that the increases in platelet cAMP caused by NP were attributable to the inhibition of PDE3 by cGMP (Maurice and Haslam, 1990a), but the inhibitory component observed with high concentrations of NP had not been explained. The present research showed that the accumulation of cAMP and cGMP induced by high NP concentrations is enhanced by EHNA, and so provides the first demonstration that PDE2 activity restricts NP-induced cyclic nucleotide accumulation. To assess whether these changes in platelet cyclic nucleotide levels were important, platelet aggregation in response to thrombin and collagen was monitored. In these studies, EHNA markedly increased the inhibitory action of NP on platelet aggregation. All the effects of NP on cyclic nucleotide accumulation and on platelet aggregation were blocked by a guanylyl cyclase inhibitor, 1𝘏-[1,2,4] oxadiazolo [4,3-α] quinoxalin-1-one, confirming that NP acts solely through activation of this enzyme and that the increases in cAMP are secondary to cGMP formation. However, experiments with the adenylyl cyclase inhibitor, 2',5'-dideoxyadenosine, which diminished the accumulation of cAMP but not that of cGMP, indicated that the inhibition of platelet aggregation is more closely correlated with the increases in cAMP than with those in cGMP. In experiments in which platelet PDE3 was selectively blocked by lixazinone, the accumulation of [³H]cAMP was greatly increased and a corresponding inhibition of thrombin-induced platelet aggregation was observed. Both of these effects were greatly diminished when PDE2 was stimulated by NP (or cGMP). This research demonstrates for the first time that activation of PDE2 by cGMP has marked effects on platelet function, restricting the inhibition of platelet aggregation by agents that increase platelet cAMP. To investigate the importance of PDE2 in regulating different platelet cAMP levels, the effects of EHNA were studied in the presence of 1 or 20 nM PGI₂. Whereas no significant increase in cAMP accumulation was caused by EHNA in the presence of 1 nM PGI₂, at the higher PGI₂ concentration a marked increase was detected when PDE2 was inhibited. NP potentiated the increase in cAMP seen with low PGI₂ but inhibited that seen with a high PGI₂ concentration, indicating a shift in the relative importance of PDE3 and PDE2 as platelet cAMP was increased. These studies show that in the presence of a high concentration of cAMP alone, or of regulatory cGMP, PDE2 makes a major contribution to the hydrolysis of platelet cAMP. Moreover, the results suggest that PDE2 inhibitors could be of value in the therapeutic modification of platelet responses. / Thesis / Master of Science (MSc)

Polymers are frequently utilized in blood-contacting biomaterials. Although, these materials exhibit generally favourable mechanical properties, the presence of these artificial surfaces in contact with blood initiates the mechanisms of thrombosis. This occurrence may, in turn, lead to a variety of serious clinical complications. A great deal of work has been done in this laboratory in the past to investigate the interactions of a variety of proteins (particularly coagulation proteins) with artificial surfaces. This interaction is believed to be the initial step in the physiological response to artificial surfaces in contact with blood. A secondary but equally important process is the adhesion and activation of blood platelets to artificial surfaces which may then lead to the formation of thrombi. The work performed here involves the investigation of platelet-surface interactions with a variety of surfaces, primarily a series of sulphonate ion-containing polyurethanes. Similar polymers have been shown by other researchers to exhibit favourable blood-contacting responses while retaining the attractive mechanical properties of polyurethanes in general. To perform the work outlined above, a novel cone and plate device was designed and built which enables the experimenter to investigate platelet-surface interactions under varying shear flow conditions. Collagen and albumin-coated test surfaces were utilized to investigate the platelet adhesion results generated in the device with varying fluid shear rate and time. A typical adhesion time response curve was generated with increasing levels of adhesion noted for increasing shear rate, as expected due to increased platelet transport to the surface. As well, effective platelet diffusion coefficients were calculated from the adhesion data collected using the collagen surface and was found to agree broadly with those found by other researchers. A series of sulphonated polyurethanes were synthesized and both the bulk and surface properties were characterized. A variety of polymer sulphonate concentrations were achieved by use of different constituent molecules (specifically chain extenders and polyols). The polymers, in general, showed high levels of water absorption and increased hydrophilicity in comparison to non-sulphonated analogs. The cone and plate device was used to investigate the platelet adhesion response in a shear flow environment to these surfaces. In general, sulphonate incorporation resulted in a dramatic increase in the level of adhesion to the polyurethane surfaces, indicating that platelets are able to form adhesive interactions with sulphonate functional groups. Platelet adhesion levels to the sulphonated polyurethanes exhibited both time and shear rate dependence. However, differences in adhesion levels between the sulphonated polyurethanes did not appear to be a simple function of the sulphonate concentration. This may indicate that the local environment of the incorporated sulphonate groups in the polyurethane can affect the ability of these groups to interact with the platelet membrane. / Thesis / Master of Engineering (ME)