Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
Pivot Concepts:   Target Concepts:
Query: UMLS:C0851184 (thinning)
 11,252 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Clinical complications of atherosclerosis are often triggered by the rupture of unstable plaques, while thinning of the atherosclerotic vessel wall owing to elastin and collagen degradation and media necrosis may result in aneurysm formation and bleeding. Proteolysis, mediated via the plasminogen/plasmin and/or matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) systems may contribute to neovascularization and rupture of plaques, or to ulceration and rupture of aneurysms. In an in vivo model of atherosclerosis, using mice that had a combined deficiency of apolipoprotein E (ApoE) and urokinase-type plasminogen activator (u-PA) and that were maintained on a cholesterol-rich diet, it was observed that u-PA deficiency protects against aneurysm formation. This was explained by the findings that plasmin, generated from plasminogen by u-PA, activates several macrophage-secreted proMMPs (e.g. proMMP-3, -9, -12 and -13), which in turn cause extracellular matrix degradation. A potential role for MMP-3 (stromelysin-1) was confirmed in a subsequent study using mice with a combined deficiency of ApoE and MMP-3, that were kept on a cholesterol-rich diet. The results suggest that MMP-3 contributes to plaque destabilization, possibly by degrading extracellular matrix components, but also promotes aneurysm formation by degrading the elastic lamina. These effects may be mediated by MMP-3 directly or by activation of other proMMPs or other (proteolytic) systems. A functional role of MMPs is further supported by the finding that deficiency in TIMP-1 (tissue inhibitor of MMPs type 1) reduces atherosclerotic plaque size but enhances aneurysm formation. Taken together, these results suggest that u-PA has an important role in the structural integrity of the atherosclerotic vessel wall, which is likely to involve triggering the activation of MMPs and, furthermore, they suggest that increased u-PA levels are a risk factor for aneurysm formation.
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PMID:Extracellular proteolysis in the development and progression of atherosclerosis. 1202 44

Transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt (TIPS) insertion is commonly performed for refractory ascites or variceal bleeding. However, TIPS dysfunction can be seen in both early and late settings, with shunt thrombosis a particular problem. Treatment of shunt dysfunction commonly involves angioplasty and re-lining, with or without embolectomy, mechanical thrombectomy, or thrombolysis. Ultrasound-assisted thrombolysis has been shown to be successful for treatment of pulmonary embolism, deep vein thrombosis, and peripheral arterial thromboembolism, but has not been described before for TIPS occlusion. Ultrasound is theorized to lead to a shortened duration of thrombolysis due to thinning of the fibrin clot and exposing plasminogen receptor sites. In this technical report, we describe the first published use of ultrasound-assisted thrombolysis in the declotting of an occluded TIPS. We found that the use of ultrasound-assisted thrombolysis allowed a relatively short duration of thrombolytic therapy, with removal of thrombus extending into the portal vein, facilitating stent re-lining. No complications were observed, in particular no bleeding complications. The TIPS remains patent at 8 months postprocedure.
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PMID:Ultrasound-assisted thrombolysis of an occluded transjugular portosystemic shunt. 2849 7