In a study of severe, decompensated liver failure, we tried to find a correlation between hemorrhage and parameters of hemostasis and fibrinolysis. Three groups of patients were studied: alcoholic cirrhosis; nonalcoholic cirrhosis, and acute liver failure without known prior liver disease. The two cirrhotic groups did not differ significantly from each other in coagulation or in fibrinolytic parameters, although liver function was more impaired in nonalcoholic cirrhosis. The levels of clotting factors, antithrombin III, prekallikrein, plasminogen and alpha 2-antiplasmin were significantly lower in the third group. Mean values of fibrinolytic activity (fibrin plate method) were slightly reduced as compared to normal in all three groups. Tissue plasminogen activator-related antigen tended to be elevated especially in alcoholic cirrhosis. The free fast-acting plasminogen activator inhibitor showed extremely high and extremely low levels in some patients among all three groups. Nonvariceal, capillary-type bleeding, including mucosal bleeding, hematomas and bleeding from puncture sites correlated with low thrombotest and normotest levels (p less than 0.01), low fibrinogen concentration (p less than 0.05) and with a high quotient of fibrinolytic activity (square root of lysis area) and normotest (p less than 0.001). The ratio between fibrin formation and dissolution appears to be an important parameter of hemorrhagic tendency in liver disease. Variceal bleeding appeared not to be related to impairment of hemostasis or fibrinolysis.

A disturbed hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal gland axis and alterations at the immune system level have been observed in patients with chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS). Glucocorticoids are known to modulate T cell responses; therefore, purified CD4 T cells from CFS patients were studied to determine whether they have an altered sensitivity to dexamethasone (DEX). CD4 T cells from CFS patients produced less interferon-gamma than did cells from controls; by contrast, interleukin-4 production and cell proliferation were comparable. With CD4 T cells from CFS patients (compared with cells from controls), a 10- to 20-fold lower DEX concentration was needed to achieve 50% inhibition of interleukin-4 production and proliferation, indicating an increased sensitivity to DEX in CFS patients. Surprisingly, interferon-gamma production in patients and controls was equally sensitive to DEX. A differential sensitivity of cytokines or CD4 T cell subsets to glucocorticoids might explain an altered immunologic function in CFS patients.

The nature of the enhanced blood fibrinolytic activity which is known to occur during cardiopulmonary bypass is not understood. We show here that the cause is an increase in extrinsic (tissue-type) plasminogen activator. In six patients, the nature of the enhanced blood fibrinolytic activity that evolved during cardiopulmonary bypass was characterized by differential inhibition using the fibrin plate method and was shown to be C1-inactivator-resistant (extrinsic-activator activity). The C1-inactivator-resistant-activator activity was completely quenched by an antibody against extrinsic (tissue-type) plasminogen activator but not by antiurokinase, proving that the activity was due to the presence of extrinsic (tissue-type) plasminogen activator. The concentration of extrinsic (tissue-type) plasminogen activator increased during cardiopulmonary bypass and disappeared rapidly thereafter. Fibrinogen, plasminogen and alpha 2-antiplasmin were not consumed during cardiopulmonary bypass, while no increase or occasionally a moderate one in fibrinogen degradation products occurred. This is in accord with the property of extrinsic (tissue-type) plasminogen activator which activates plasminogen predominantly at sites where fibrin is present and not in the free circulation.

SummaryHeparin cofactor II (HC II) levels were measured by electroimmunoassay in healthy volunteers, and patients with liver disease, DIC, proteinuria or a history of venous thrombosis. Analysis of the data in 107 healthy volunteers revealed that plasma HC II increases with age (at least between 20 and 50 years). HC II was found to be decreased in most patients with liver disease (mean value: 43%) and only in some patients with DIC. Elevated levels were found in patients with proteinuria (mean value 145%). In 277 patients with a history of unexplained venous thrombosis three patients were identified with a HC II below the lower limit of the normal range (60%). Family studies demonstrated hereditary HC II deficiency in two cases. Among the 9 heterozygotes for HC II deficiency only one patient had a well documented history of unexplained thrombosis. Therefore the question was raised whether heterozygotes for HC II deficiency can also be found among healthy volunteers. When defining a group of individuals suspected of HC II deficiency as those who have a 90% probability that their plasma HC II is below the 95% tolerance limits of the normal distribution in the relevant age group, 2 suspected HC II deficiencies were identified among the healthy volunteers. In one case the hereditary nature of the defect could be established.It is concluded that hereditary HC II deficiency is as prevalent among healthy volunteers as in patients with thrombotic disease. Further it is unlikely that heterozygosity for HC II deficiency in itself is a risk factor for the development of venous thrombosis.