BACKGROUND Clinical use of cyclosporine (CsA) was suggested to be associated with an increased risk of thromboembolic complications. The molecular mechanisms underlying these effects remain unresolved. METHODS We tested the hypothesis that CsA may produce platelet procoagulant activity due to its interaction with the platelet plasma membrane. To verify this hypothesis the possible relationshi...

High mol wt kininogen (HMWK), the major cofactorsubstrate of the contact phase of coagulation, is contained within and secreted by platelets. Studies have been performed to localize platelet HMWK in both the unstimulated and activated platelet and to ascertain the effect of platelet enzymes on HMWK itself. On platelet subcellular fractionation, platelet HMWK was localized to a-granules, and pla...

Background: Chronic osteomyelitis is a serious and difficult complication in open fractures, occurring in about 20% of cases. Treatment approach must be multidisciplinary with surgical basis. At the end of the classical eradication of the infection, there is often a large bone defect. Guided tissue regeneration (GTR) with allogeneic platelet gel, autologous cancellous bone graft and resorptive ...

Blood and dialyzer membrane interaction can cause significant thrombocytopenia through the activation of complement system. The extent of this interaction determines the biocompatibility of the membrane. Although the newer synthetic membranes have been shown to have better biocompatibility profile than the cellulose-based membranes, little is known about the difference in biocompatibility betwe...

The roles of most cytoskeletal proteins in platelet formation and function remain largely undefined. We earlier detected megakaryocyte membrane blebbing and a unique antigenic determinant associated with a missense mutation in the cytoskeletal protein, talin, in an animal model of hereditary macrothrombocytopenia, the Wistar Furth (WF) rat, which led us to examine the distribution of talin and ...

1 Feusner JH, Slichter SJ, Harker LA. Mechanisms of thrombocytopenia in varicella. Am J Hematol 1979;7: 255-64. 2 Espinoza G, Kuhn C, Viral infection of megakaryocytes in varicella with purpura. Am J Clin Pathol 1974;61:203-8. 3 Winiarski J. IgG and IgM antibodies to platelet membrane glycoprotein antigens in acute childhood idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura. BrJ Haematol 1989;73:88-92. 4 Win...

Dynamic connections between actin filaments and the plasma membrane are crucial for the regulation of blood platelet functions. Protein complexes associated with alphaIIbbeta3 integrin-based cytoskeleton structures are known to play a role in these processes. However, mechanisms involving lateral organizations of the plasma membrane remain to be investigated. Here, we demonstrate that a large f...