SARS-CoV-2 Infection Inducing Immune Thrombocytopenic Purpura: Case Series.

Immune thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP) refers to immune-mediated destruction of platelets. Viral infections have been proposed as an etiology of ITP; antibodies developed in response to infection may cross-react with normal platelets and result in their destruction. We report 2 cases in which coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) likely induced severe ITP.

M-subtype muscarinic receptor activation stimulates intracellular calcium oscillations and aldosterone production in human adrenocortical HAC15 cells.

A previous body of work in bovine and rodent models shows that cholinergic agonists modulate the secretion of steroid hormones from the adrenal cortex. In this study we used live-cell Ca imaging to investigate cholinergic activity in the HAC15 human adrenocortical carcinoma cell line. The cholinergic agonists carbachol and acetylcholine triggered heterogeneous Ca oscillations that were strongly inhibited by antagonists with high affinity for the M muscarinic receptor subtype, while preferential block of M or M receptors was less effective.