Statements in which the resource exists as a subject.
PredicateObject
rdf:type
lifeskim:mentions
pubmed:issue
1
pubmed:dateCreated
2001-5-7
pubmed:abstractText
Abnormalities in the immune system and zinc homeostasis in patients with beta-thalassemia major (TM) have been reported. Since zinc ion is essential for the efficiency of the immune system and is required to induce biological activity to thymulin (Zn-FTS), a biochemically defined thymic hormone, we investigated the plasma levels of zinc and both active thymulin (Zn-FTS) and total zinc saturable thymulin (Zn-FTS+FTS) in 18 patients with TM aged between 2 and 31 years and 22 normal controls of the same age. Inhibitory molecules anti-thymulin and the distribution of lymphocyte subsets were also analyzed. Patients with TM presented significantly lowered plasma zinc and thymulin levels when compared to normal subjects. The significant enhancement of the active form of the hormone after zinc addition in vitro suggests that low thymulin values found in TM are due not to a thymic failure in synthesizing and secreting the thymic hormone, but a defect in zinc saturation of the hormone. An impairment of cell subset distribution was also demonstrated. This study shows that zinc and thymulin deficiency contribute to the complex mechanisms underlying immune dysfunction in TM.
pubmed:language
eng
pubmed:journal
pubmed:citationSubset
IM
pubmed:chemical
pubmed:status
MEDLINE
pubmed:issn
0001-5792
pubmed:author
pubmed:copyrightInfo
Copyright 2001 S. Karger AG, Basel
pubmed:issnType
Print
pubmed:volume
105
pubmed:owner
NLM
pubmed:authorsComplete
Y
pubmed:pagination
7-12
pubmed:dateRevised
2004-11-17
pubmed:meshHeading
pubmed-meshheading:11340247-Adolescent, pubmed-meshheading:11340247-Adult, pubmed-meshheading:11340247-Antigens, CD19, pubmed-meshheading:11340247-Antigens, CD3, pubmed-meshheading:11340247-Antigens, CD56, pubmed-meshheading:11340247-Autoantibodies, pubmed-meshheading:11340247-CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes, pubmed-meshheading:11340247-CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes, pubmed-meshheading:11340247-Child, pubmed-meshheading:11340247-Child, Preschool, pubmed-meshheading:11340247-Chlorides, pubmed-meshheading:11340247-Female, pubmed-meshheading:11340247-Humans, pubmed-meshheading:11340247-Lymphocyte Count, pubmed-meshheading:11340247-Lymphocyte Subsets, pubmed-meshheading:11340247-Lymphocytes, pubmed-meshheading:11340247-Male, pubmed-meshheading:11340247-Thymic Factor, Circulating, pubmed-meshheading:11340247-Zinc, pubmed-meshheading:11340247-Zinc Compounds, pubmed-meshheading:11340247-beta-Thalassemia
pubmed:year
2001
pubmed:articleTitle
Immunological evaluation of patients with beta-thalassemia major.
pubmed:affiliation
Dipartimento di Medicina della Procreazione e dell'Età Evolutiva, Istituto di Clinica Pediatrica, Università di Pisa, Via Roma, 67, I-56100 Pisa, Italy. rita.consolini@clp.med.unipi.it
pubmed:publicationType
Journal Article