ABSTRACT
A rare complication of infectious mononucleosis is immune thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP). The majority of people affected by Epstein-Barr Virus (EBV) are below the age of 30, while ITP is usually seen with peaks of incidence in the elderly and children. The unique case of an otherwise healthy 22-year-old female will be discussed, with an initial presentation of ecchymosis, rash, and epistaxis, and was subsequently found to have severe thrombocytopenia. The diagnosis of primary EBV infection due to EBV was eventually made, responsive to intravenous (IV) Methylprednisolone. It is important to consider primary EBV infection in the differential diagnosis of a patient who presents with acute thrombocytopenia.
ABSTRACT
To study the molecular mechanism of the disintegrin eristostatin, cellular functional studies were performed using ten recombinant alanine mutants. ADP-induced platelet aggregation revealed critical contributions of seven residues within the 'RGD loop' (R24, R27, G28, N31) and C-terminus (W47, N48, G49) of this disintegrin. Using an in vitro scratch wound healing assay, four human melanoma cell lines yielded similar results when exposed to wildtype eristostatin. All eristostatin-treated cells healed less of the wounded area than control conditions. This phenomenon was reproduced when using fibronectin as the matrix. C8161 cells showed significant delay in wound closure with the N-terminal mutant P4A but not with R24A or G28A. Evidence from our laboratory and others suggests neither alpha IIb, alpha 4 nor alpha 5 integrins are directly involved in eristostatin's interactions. Eristostatin did not affect the number of melanoma cells in culture after 24 h or the development of apoptosis. However, phosphorylation studies performed after these melanoma cells were exposed to eristostatin revealed changes in several tyrosine phosphorylated molecules.