Miao D, et al. - In patients with antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody (ANCA)-associated vasculitis (AAV), researchers investigated the mechanism of platelet activation as well as the activation of the alternative complement pathway by platelets. Findings demonstrated that AAV patients had activated platelets, and the thrombin-protease-activated receptors (PARs) pathway was held responsible, at least partially, for such activation. Furthermore, in AAV, alternative complement pathway was triggered by activated platelets.