Ninety-five of 322 patients were found to have diminished plasma fibrin stabilizing factor (FSF) activity as measured by a modification of a threshold assay method.
Repeat assays were normal in 85 of these 95 specimens after the addition of cysteine or other sulfhydryl-containing compounds to the plasma, suggesting that FSF was inactive in these instances.
Abnormal specimens obtained from six patients with acute granulocytic leukemia, and three obstetrical patients with hypofibrinogenemia had decreased concentrations of FSF since the repeated assays were normal after 6 hours of incubation but not after the addition of cysteine. One abnormal specimen obtained from a severe cirrhotic in hepatic coma failed to show normal FSF activity after the addition of cysteine, after incubation and after mixing with equal volumes of normal plasma. This suggested the presence of an inhibitor of FSF. No specific correlation could be made between diminished FSF activity and hemorrhagic symptoms.
It is proposed that normal hepatic function is necessary for the activation of FSF or for the removal of an inhibitor.
The ability of a single injection of killed, intact bacteria to effect an increase in the proliferative rate of hemopoietic stem cells was studied. The total numbers of colony forming units in bone marrow, spleen and peripheral blood as well as the proportion of CFU in cycle was assessed. Splenic CFU were observed to rise exponentially due initially to in situ proliferation and later to proliferation in bone marrow with migration via the blood to the spleen. The results are discussed in the light of current concepts of stem cell regulation.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.