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Introduction: Dabigatran is an oral intake thrombin inhibitor for preventive administration against stroke accompanied by atrial fibrillation. Although dabigatran causes prolonged activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT), the effect of dabigatran on each coagulation factor and coagulation factor inhibitor remains to be investigated. Our aim was to analyze the influence of dabigatran on coagulation factors and coagulation factor inhibitors. Methods: We administered dabigatran to 40 patients. In 26 of these 40, we analyzed the activity of several coagulation factors and their inhibitors. We used Fisher's exact test to determine statistical significance. Results: The activities of many coagulation factors changed during the dabigatran therapy. Factor II levels decreased in all patients showing prolongation of partial thromboplastin (PT) and APTT. The antifactor VIII inhibitor was positive in the majority of patients with prolonged PT and APTT, while activities of protein C, protein S, and antifactor IX inhibitor were not associated with PT and APTT prolongation. Conclusion: Dabigatran affects the activities of many coagulation factors, including factors II, V, VIII, and IX, as well as the antifactor VIII inhibitor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction Cord blood ( CB) is being increasingly used as a source of hematopoietic stem cells for transplantation to treat diseases of the blood and immune systems, and there is an urgent need to expand CB banking worldwide. CB processing requires costly machinery or a clean room that hampers wider application of CBT particularly in the developing countries. Methods We developed a novel filtration system using a nonchemical-coated and nonwoven polyester fabric filter, which traps cells through affinity and does not require centrifugation or potentially toxic chemicals. Results Cell processing with the device resulted in minimum cell loss of total cells and CD34+ cells, without impairing the ability of CD34+ cells to engraft and differentiate both in vivo and in vitro. Conclusion CB processing with this device is simple, cost-effective, and nontoxic without requiring costly equipment will thus facilitate international CB banking, which helps in meeting the increasing worldwide demand for CB for allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]