A greater knowledge of the basic molecular mechanisms which regulate platelet function, coagulation, the fibrinolytic system and their interaction with the vessel wall has allowed a better understanding of the numerous aspects involved in the pathogenesis of thrombosis and the regulation of hemostasis. Thrombosis represents today one of the causes of death in the Western hemisphere. Arterial thrombosis may lead to myocardial infarction, cerebral and peripheral vascular diseases. Venous thrombosis, on the other hand, is a complication of heart disease, surgery, extensive trauma, several obstetric pathologies, and may, at times, develop in apparently healthy subjects. These complex problems are dealt with within the content of "Advances in Hemostasis and Thrombosis." The present papers contain up-to-date information on hemostasis, the role of prostaglandins, fibrinolytic coagulation, rheology, and modern therapeutic approaches along with their clinical application. This book, therefore, offers the reader the opportunity to profit from a rare encounter, an interdisciplinary cooperation, with scientific contributions from numerous countries.

Inhalt

Hemostasis: A Review.- Platelets, Endothelium and Vessel Injury.- Roles of Thrombospondin and Fibronectin in Vascular Injury.- The Interaction of Fibronectin, Endothelium, and Subendothelium.- Platelets and the Platelet-Derived Growth Factor in the Pathogenesis of Atherosclerosis.- Monoclonal Antibodies to Human von Willebrand Factor Study of its Structure-Function Relationship.- The Membrane Glycoproteins: Adhesion and Aggregation of Platelets.- The Changes in Arachidonic Acid Metabolism in Ischemic Heart Disease - Their Pathophysiological Consequences.- Hemorheology and Thrombosis.- Blood Cells and Thrombosis: the Rheology and Activation of the Coagulative Process.- Procoagulant Activity of Platelets, Leukocytes, and Cancer Cells. Possible Role in Hemostasis and Thrombosis.- Antithrombin III and Other Natural Inhibitors of Coagulation.- On the Evaluation of the Thrombotic Risk.- The Correlation between Fatty Acids and Platelet Function.- Protein C - an Inhibitor of Blood Coagulation: Biochemistry, Physiology, Clinical Aspects.- Immune Complexes and Thrombosis.- Hemostatic Parameters and Ischemic Heart Disease.- Critical Review of Myocardial Infarction Prevention with Antiaggregants.- Hemostatic Alterations in Diabetes Mellitus.- Hemostatic Alterations in Peripheral Arteriopathies.- Hemostatic Alterations in Cerebrovascular Insufficiency.- Minor Fibrinolytics and Thrombolytics in Clinic.- Thrombolytic Properties of Human Tissue-Type Plasminogen Activator.- The Anticoagulant Properties of Fractionated and Depolymerized Heparins.- Clinical and Biological Aspects of Essential Thrombocythemia.- The Fibrinolytic Activity of Malignant Cells.- Oral Anticoagulants in the Prevention and Treatment of Vascular Disorders.- Prevention of Postoperative Venous Thromboembolism by a New Low Molecular Weight Heparin Fraction.- Disseminated Intravascular Coagulation.- ?-TG and PF4 in the Diagnosis of Thrombosis.- Is Platelet Survival a Predictive Test for Thrombosis?.- Contributors.