Primary classic Kaposi''s sarcoma of the penis: report of a case and review

Kaposi's sarcoma is a vascular tumour of multifocal origin occurring primarily on the extremities. The case of a 45-year-old HIV negative and HHV-8 positive man with an asymptomatic reddish macular lesion on the inner layer of the prepuce is described. Although primary penile Kaposi's sarcoma is a relatively uncommon disorder in HIV negative men, dermatologists and venereologists should consider this possibility when treating non-specific penile lesions. A minimal penile lesion with non-distinctive clinical features may sometimes be the exclusive manifestation of Kaposi's sarcoma, making histologic evaluation necessary to establish the diagnosis.     

Identification of Bakb, a new platelet-specific antigen associated with posttransfusion purpura

Baka is a platelet alloantigen whose putative allele, Bakb, has not been identified previously. By using a serum, "Har," obtained from a patient with posttransfusion purpura, we describe the platelet alloantigen Bakb. The Har serum reacted with an NP-40-extractable platelet membrane protein of 142 kd with mobility similar to platelet glycoprotein IIb alpha. We found that the antigen recognized by the Har serum is inherited in an autosomal dominant mode with an apparent gene frequency of .39. Chi-square analysis of observed and expected phenotype frequencies indicated that serum Har recognizes Bakb, the anticipated allele of Baka. Our findings provide new evidence for polymorphism of glycoprotein IIb and for the association of posttransfusion purpura with alloimmunization to determinants on this glycoprotein.     

Human platelet fibrinogen: purification and hemostatic properties

Conditions were developed in which 80% to 90% of platelet fibrinogen could be routinely purified in nondegraded form from the fluid phase of platelet suspensions stimulated with the calcium ionophore, A23187, in the presence of calcium, leupeptin, and prostaglandin E1. Fibrinogen was separated from other released proteins by chromatography on diethylaminoethanol (DEAE)-cellulose using a continuous pH and ionic strength gradient. Purified platelet fibrinogen, greater than 98% homogeneous by immunoelectrophoresis and sodium-dodecyl sulfate- polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE), consisted of intact A alpha, B beta and gamma A chains, but not gamma' chains, and was 95% to 96% clottable. Platelet fibrinogen was shown to compete for the binding of radiolabeled plasma fibrinogen to ADP-activated platelets in a manner identical to that of unlabeled plasma fibrinogen itself. Also, at equivalent protein concentrations, platelet and plasma fibrinogens supported platelet aggregation to an equivalent extent. Based upon these results, we conclude that there is no significant difference between platelet and plasma fibrinogen with respect to their size, their clottability, their affinity for the activated platelet fibrinogen receptor, or their capacity to support subsequent platelet aggregation.     

Molecular cloning, chromosomal location, and tissue-specific expression of the murine cathepsin G gene

We previously have characterized a cluster of genes encoding cathepsin G (CG) and two other CG-like hematopoietic serine proteases, CGL-1 and CGL-2, on human chromosome 14. In this report, we clone and characterize a novel, related murine hematopoietic serine protease gene using human CG (hCG) cDNA as the probe. This murine gene spans approximately 2.5 kb of genomic DNA, is organized into five exons and four introns, and bears a high degree of homology to hCG at both nucleic acid (73%) and deduced amino acid (66%) levels. The predicted cDNA contains an open reading frame of 783 nucleotides that encodes a nascent protein of 261 amino acids. Processing of a putative signal (pre) peptide of 18 residues and an activation (pro) dipeptide would generate a mature enzyme of approximately 27 Kd that has an estimated pI of 12.0. Conserved residues at His44, Asp88, and Ser181 form the characteristic catalytic triad of the serine protease superfamily. The gene is tightly linked to the CTLA-1 locus on murine chromosome 14, where the serine protease genes mCCP1-4 are clustered. Expression of this gene is detected only in the bone marrow and is restricted to a small population of early myeloid cells. These findings are consistent with the identification of the gene encoding murine CG.     

Therapeutic efficacy of recombinant human leukemia inhibitory factor in a primate model of radiation-induced marrow aplasia

The therapeutic efficacy of recombinant human leukemia inhibitory factor (LIF) was examined in a nonhuman primate model of radiation- induced marrow aplasia. Rhesus monkeys received 450 cGy of total-body, 1:1 mixed neutron:gamma radiation. For 23 days thereafter, each monkey received a daily subcutaneous injection of LIF or human serum albumin (HSA) at a dose of 15 micrograms/kg body weight. Complete blood counts and white blood cell differentials were monitored for 60 days postirradiation. Administration of LIF significantly decreased (P < or = .05) the duration of thrombocytopenia (platelet count < 30,000 or 20,000/microL), ie, 9.3 days or 6.3 days, respectively, versus the HSA- treated control monkeys, 12.2 days or 10.2 days, respectively. Treatment with LIF did not alter the duration of neutropenia (absolute neutrophil count < 1,000/microL) as compared with the HSA-treated control monkeys. Cytokine administration did not exacerbate the radiation-induced anemia observed in the HSA-treated control monkeys.