Publications [#380500] of Anna C Nelson

Papers Published

1. Kent, A; Leiderman, K; Nelson, AC; Sindi, SS; Stadt, MM; Xiong, L; Zhang, Y, Studying the Effects of Oral Contraceptives on Coagulation Using a Mathematical Modeling Approach, in The IMA Volumes in Mathematics and its Applications (2024), pp. 83-132, Springer Nature Switzerland, ISBN 9783031585159 [doi]
   (last updated on 2025/03/13)

   Abstract:
   AbstractThe use of oral contraceptives (OCs) is known to increase the risk of thrombosis, but the mechanisms underlying this risk and the determinants of the tests that assess this risk are not fully understood. In this study, we used a mathematical model to study the effects of an OC containing levonorgestrel (lev) on blood clotting. Lev is reported to change the plasma levels of blood clotting factors. The mathematical model used in this study simulates coagulation reactions in a small injury under flow, takes clotting factors as inputs, and outputs time courses of the coagulation enzyme thrombin. To study the effects of lev, we created a virtual patient population with factor levels before and after lev use based on published patient data and conducted simulations to predict thrombin response for each individual virtual patient. After analyzing the simulated thrombin, we found that changes in factor levels due to lev increased the amount and speed of thrombin generation for all virtual patients. This suggested that the factor level changes alone can heighten the prothrombotic state of the model system. We extended the model to include generation of the inhibitor activated protein C (APC), so we could test the effects of lev on the systems’ sensitivity to APC. In line with literature reports, the use of lev increased the APC sensitivity, which correlates with increased thrombosis risk.