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In cardiovascular diseases increased fibrinogen concentration is usually observed. Fibrinogen is involved in platelet aggregation, affects blood coagulation and has direct on the vascular wall. Epidemiological studies identify fibrinogen as a major independent risk factor for ischemic heart disease.

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The degradation of main membrane proteins, spectrin and band 3 protein, was studied in erythrocyte membranes of elderly diabetic patients and of healthy donors of various ages. In general, the rates of proteolysis were higher in diabetics. The degradation intensity depended on the sex of the diabetic patients and on the age of healthy donors.

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Reactive thrombocytosis is an elevation of platelet count occurring in association with certain underlying diseases such as various infections, inflammatory, neoplastic and asplenic states. Essential thrombocythemia is a myeloproliferative syndrome affecting megakaryocytes, which leads to increased numbers of circulating platelets. This disorder is characterized by splenomegaly and a clinical course punctuated by hemorrhagic and/or thrombotic episodes.

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Glanzmann's thrombasthenia, known also as Glanzmann's disease, is an autosomally inherited hemorrhagic disease with unique abnormalities of platelet functions. Authors present a large family in which Glanzmann's disease was diagnosed in the father and two sons. An analysis of platelet membranes enabled diagnosis of Glanzmann's thrombasthenia type II. A decrease in clot contractibility, fibrinogen binding to blood platelets, and decreased glycoprotein IIb and IIIa levels with marked impairment of GP IIb and IIIa complexes formation were characteristic for affected family members. One daughter died 8 days after birth with the symptoms of hemorrhagic diathesis. Mother and remaining three sons are healthy without the signs of Glanzmann's disease.

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Among 56 persons studied, 6 were heterozygous with respect to the elongated variant of the Band 3 protein (anion transporting protein) of the erythrocyte membranes. Erythrocytes containing the variant Band 3 protein did not exhibit morphologic abnormalities, alterations in electron spin resonance spectra of maleimide-spin labeled membranes. In the rate of membrane 'self-digestion' or in chloride permeability. They did however show an increased membrane binding of hemoglobin and aldolase.

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Ninety-four patients with deep vein thrombosis of inferior limbs were randomly allocated to receive sodium heparin either by subcutaneous injections or by continuous intravenous infusion for six days. No significant difference was observed in the therapeutic efficiency as judged by phlebographic examinations and in rate of symptomatic pulmonary embolism between the two groups. There was one instance of major bleeding in the subcutaneous group. Minor bleedings occurred in 10 of the 48 patients treated with subcutaneous heparin and in 13 of the 46 patients receiving intravenous heparin. The results showed that subcutaneous injections of sodium heparin are as effective and safe as continuous intravenous infusion of this drug in the treatment of deep vein thrombosis.

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Patients with artificial valve prostheses require lifelong anticoagulation treatment. The risk of thrombotic complications increases greatly in pregnancy. Anticoagulant treatment in pregnant women with artificial heart valve prostheses in one of the most controversial problems in medical practice as anticoagulants which are beneficial and safe for the mother may by hazardous for the fetus. Recommended procedure is to administer heparin subcutaneously at last during the first 14 weeks and the last 2 weeks of gestation and coumarin derivates throughout the second and third trimesters. In asymptomatic or mildly symptomatic women who are willing to follow a strict regimen of antithrombotic prophylaxis in pregnancy the risk is not associated with an increased morbidity or mortality in the mother or fetus. Hence, recommendations against pregnancy in women with artificial heart valves are not always justified.

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A modified osmotic fragility test, based on measurement of hemolysis in four hypotonic NaCl solutions and logarithmic linearization of osmotic fragility curve is, like the "Pink test," a specific and sensitive test for the laboratory diagnosis of hereditary spherocytosis.

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The study of 411 healthy persons indicates that erythrocyte susceptibility to centrifugal packing at 200 g increases with age, evidencing an age-related decrease in red cell deformability. Positive correlations between donor age and blood plasma fibrinogen concentration and erythrocyte sedimentation rate were confirmed. The impairment of red cell deformability may affect the circulatory efficiency in the aged.

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Electron spin resonance (ESR) spectra of erythrocyte membranes of patients with hereditary spherocytosis (HS) and of healthy controls labeled with a maleimide spin label did not differ significantly both before and after prolonged incubation at 37 degrees C. It suggests that the different behavior of spin-labeled HS erythrocyte membranes upon incubation at a higher temperature reported previously is due indeed to structural abnormalities of HS red cell membranes and not to alterations in their proteolytic activity. Measurements of the rotational correlation time of Tempamine spin probe demonstrated a significant elevation of internal microviscosity of erythrocytes in HS, more pronounced in non-splenectomized patients.

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The degradation rate of erythrocyte membrane proteins by membrane-bound proteases was compared in healthy controls and in patients with hereditary spherocytosis (HS). An increased degradation rate of spectrin and a decreased digestion rate of Band 3 were found in HS patients. These differences may be due to altered accessibilities of membrane proteins to proteases and/or to changes in the pattern of membrane-associated proteases and may be connected with the decrease in the spectrin: Band 3 ratio reported for erythrocyte membranes in HS.

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The high specificity of the "pink test" for the detection of hereditary spherocytosis has been confirmed. A modification of the test is proposed that requires only 10 microliter of blood taken without anticoagulant (a "direct pink test"), thus eliminating the necessity of venipuncture, especially cumbersome in newborns and infants.

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