Medical hypotheses
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A high plasma fibrin(ogen) concentration is a known risk for thrombosis and cardiovascular disease. Because fibrin(ogen) binds alpha-thrombin with high affinity, it has potential to modulate the interactions of the enzyme with its inhibitors and other substrates in plasma. ⋯ A push-pull hypothesis is proposed for bioregulation of coagulation by fibrin(ogen). The experimental work which led to the formulation of this hypothesis is outlined.