Platelet satellitism in a trauma patient

Abstract

Platelet satellitism (PS) is a rare phenomenon observed in blood smears obtained from blood anticoagulated with EDTA. It is characterised by platelet rosetting around polymorphonuclear neutrophils and in rare cases around other blood cells. PS is a rare cause of pseudothrombocytopenia. References about the phenomenon of PS in medical literature are few. In this report we describe a case of PS fortunately noticed in one trauma patient. Furthermore, we discuss the possible pathophysiological mechanisms of PS proposed in the literature. To our knowledge this is the fi rst case of PS reported in Croatia.

Plasma Proteomic Signatures in Early Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease

“…In a recent paper, Milevoj et al assessed the relationships of ceruloplasmin and other proteins to both oxidative stress and inflammation and speculate that in their cohort subjects ceruloplasmin concentration was mainly influenced by the presence of systemic inflammation. [55] In conclusion, this work underlines how in the first stages of the disease it is possible to evaluate changes in plasma proteins involved in inflammation, regulation of blood coagulation, lipid metabolism, and oxidative stress, all of which have a strong correlation in terms of known and predicted protein-protein interactions, as revealed by the protein network obtained with STRING. The majority of the proteins identified related to inflammation tend to increase apart from the different behavior of the fibrinogen gamma chain, and a concomitant depletion of proteins with antioxidant properties can be found.…”

Platelet satellitism in infectious disease?

“…In Croatia, only one case of this phenomenon has been described so far, in a trauma patient treated for left femur fracture. Just like our patient, the patient from Trauma Clinic, among other, suffered from a urinary tract infection ( 15 ).…”

“…Pseudothrombocytopenia is a well-known and solvable problem, unlike a rare phenomenon of platelet satellitism which is still fairly unknown among laboratory staff and therefore often not even recognized as a crucial finding. Cases of platelet satellitism due to urinary tract infection have been already reported in the literature ( 2 , 15 ) and observed in patients with vasculitis, lupus ( 12 ) and mantle cell lymphoma ( 13 ), marginal zone B-cell lymphoma ( 9 , 17 ), hepatocelular carcinoma ( 24 ), chronic lymphocytic leukemia ( 25 ), thrombocytopenic purpura ( 26 ), squamous cell carcinoma ( 22 ), cryofibrinogenemia ( 27 ), chronic alcoholism ( 28 ) as well as in healthy individuals ( 5 - 7 ). Cryofibrinogenemia may be primary (essential) or secondary to other underlying disorders, such as carcinoma, infection, vasculitis, collagen disease, or associated with cryoglobulinemia ( 29 ).…”

“…Why PS patients produce these IgG (auto) antibodies and what is the mechanism of their interaction with target molecules on platelet and PMN membranes, is still unclear ( 15 ). …”

“…The working hypothesis of the PS phenomenon is that EDTA, by chelating Ca 2+ ions, changes the platelet membrane and unmasks (crypto) antigenic structures on platelet GPIIb/IIIa and PMN neutrophils, which are then been recognized by IgG enabling a formation of a “bridge” between the two cells. Why PS patients produce these IgG (auto) antibodies and what is the mechanism of their interaction with target molecules on platelet and PMN membranes, is still unclear ( 15 ).…”