Bivalirudin Bivalirudin Bivalirudin (Angiomax or Angiox, manufactured by The Medicines Company) is a direct thrombin inhibitor (DTI). Chemically, it is a synthetic congener of the naturally occurring drug hirudin (found in the saliva of the medicinal leech "Hirudo medicinalis"). Bivalirudin is a DTI that overcomes many limitations seen with indirect thrombin inhibitors, such as heparin. Bivalirudin is a short, synthetic peptide. It is a potent and highly specific inhibitor of thrombin. It inhibits both circulating and clot-bound thrombin, while also inhibiting thrombin-mediated platelet activation and aggregation. Bivalirudin has a quick onset of action and a short half-life. It does not bind
Ciaccio's glands Ciaccio's glands Ciaccio's glands or Wolfring's glands are small tubular accessory lacrimal glands ("glandulae lacrimales accessoriae") found in the lacrimal caruncle of the eyelid. They are located in the upper border of the tarsus, approximately in the middle between the extremities of the tarsal glands. Sometimes they are situated slightly above the tarsus. There are usually 2 to 5 of these glands in the upper eyelid, and their function is to produce tears which are secreted onto the surface of the conjunctiva. They are named after Italian anatomist Giuseppe Vincenzo Ciaccio (1824–1901), who described these glands in 1874. They are