Jonathan Liu
May 19th, 2014
Published: May 18th, 2014
URL: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/05/140518164105.htm
Summary: Researches from California and Canada have conducted a study that shows that a urine test can indicate whether the patient has a venous thromboembolism. A venous thromboembolism is a blood clot that has broken free from where it originated, where it travels through the bloodstream and eventually ends up in some vein. The test indicates the levels of fibrinopeptide B, which is a small peptide that is released when a thrombosis forms. It is able to test this because the peptide is removed from the body through urine. The study lead author claimed that this urine test is better for determining risk of clots because it doesn't require the removal of blood and it can proved more accurate results than the D-dimer test (which is the blood test). The researchers say that this test could be useful to be used with other tests to produce very accurate results. For example, the urine test can be used with the D-dimer blood test to provide accuracy.
Connection: In the second unit of the term, we studied the cardiovascular system and also how the body removes waste. When we studied the cardiovascular system we talked about blood clots. This article relates to how the body gets rid of waste and it relates to blood clots. It also relates to the homeostatic imbalance of risk of blood clots, such as a stroke. It relates to waste by telling us that the peptide used for clots is removed as waste through urine.
How does the formation of a thrombosis lead to the release of fibrinopeptide B?
ReplyDeleteFibrinopeptide B is one of the proteins that are used to form blood clots. Thus when the blood clot from thrombosis is traveling through the bloodstream, the proteins end up circulating the bloodstream as well.
DeleteWhat instruments or procedures allow scientists/ doctors to detect the peptide in the urine? Also, is this process the most efficient for detecting a blood clot?
ReplyDeleteThey don't specifically say the instruments, however they did say they took urine samples and measured the FPB concentration within it and evaluated the sensitivity and specificity of the test at various cut-off points in relation to its ability to predict the presence of venous thromboembolism.
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