Under normal, healthy circulatory conditions, the von Willebrand Factor (vWF) keeps to itself. The large and mysterious glycoprotein moves through the blood, balled up tightly, its reaction sites unexposed. But when significant ...
Apr 28, 2021
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The antidepression drug duloxetine could be beneficial to patients with both depression and cardiovascular disease, according to new studies performed in human blood and in mice. Globally, more than 300 million people have ...
Apr 27, 2021
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The impact on lung cells of Heat not Burn products—a hybrid between traditional cigarettes and electronic vaping devices—may be no less harmful than that of conventional cigarettes, suggest the findings of a small comparative ...
Apr 19, 2021
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New research offers insight into why regular, long-term use of low-dose aspirin may reduce the risk of death from colon and rectal cancers.
Mar 31, 2021
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Tumor targeting and intratumoral penetration are longstanding issues for cancer therapeutics.
Mar 26, 2021
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Despite continued improvements in antibiotics and hospital intensive care, staph sepsis—a bloodstream infection caused by Staphylococcus aureus bacteria—still causes severe illness or death in 20 to 30 percent of patients ...
Mar 24, 2021
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New portable technology that visualizes clots forming in flowing blood in a 3-D holographic livestream promises to dramatically improve screening and treatment of stroke, heart attack and coronavirus-induced lung failure.
Feb 25, 2021
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Platelets may play a key role in the development of lupus, according to a study published today by researchers at Université Laval and CHU de Québec-Université Laval Research Center. Extracellular DNA circulating in the ...
Feb 17, 2021
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The abundant presence of an enzyme known as low molecular weight protein tyrosine phosphatase (LMWPTP) in tumor cells has long been considered an indicator of cancer aggressiveness and metastatic potential. It is also known ...
Jan 12, 2021
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Yale researchers have helped identify the mechanisms behind a major cause of morbidity and mortality in COVID-19 patients. Extensive blood clots in both large and small blood vessels in the lungs and throughout many major ...
Nov 20, 2020
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Platelets, or thrombocytes (from Greek θρόμβος, "clot" and κύτος, "cell"), are small, irregularly shaped clear cell fragments (i.e. cells that do not have a nucleus containing DNA), 2–3 µm in diameter, which are derived from fragmentation of precursor megakaryocytes. The average lifespan of a platelet is normally just 5 to 9 days. Platelets are a natural source of growth factors. They circulate in the blood of mammals and are involved in hemostasis, leading to the formation of blood clots.
If the number of platelets is too low, excessive bleeding can occur. However, if the number of platelets is too high, blood clots can form (thrombosis), which may obstruct blood vessels and result in such events as a stroke, myocardial infarction, pulmonary embolism or the blockage of blood vessels to other parts of the body, such as the extremities of the arms or legs. An abnormality or disease of the platelets is called a thrombocytopathy, which could be either a low number of platelets (thrombocytopenia), a decrease in function of platelets (thrombasthenia), or an increase in the number of platelets (thrombocytosis). There are disorders that reduce the number of platelets, such as heparin-induced thrombocytopenia (HIT) or thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (TTP) that typically cause thromboses, or clots, instead of bleeding.
Platelets release a multitude of growth factors including Platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF), a potent chemotactic agent, and TGF beta, which stimulates the deposition of extracellular matrix. Both of these growth factors have been shown to play a significant role in the repair and regeneration of connective tissues. Other healing-associated growth factors produced by platelets include basic fibroblast growth factor, insulin-like growth factor 1, platelet-derived epidermal growth factor, and vascular endothelial growth factor. Local application of these factors in increased concentrations through Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) has been used as an adjunct to wound healing for several decades.
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