The aim of this study is to evaluate the therapeutic potential of the immunostimulating adjuvant in patients with HCCs¬¬¬.46 patients with HCCs were divided into 2 groups: group I (30pts) treated by Transcatheter Oily Chemoembolization (TOCE alone), group II resulted in a better clinical improvement, decreased AFP and tumor size, and a longer mean survival time versus group I. Combined treatment demonstrated a significant increase in lymphocytes expressing CD 16-CD 56 with NK activity and followed by a rise in lymphocyte with morphological feature of cytotoxic lymphocyte ( CD8 positive) was observed
Liver Neoplasms ; Thymosin ; Therapeutics

The aim of this study is to evaluate the therapeutic potential of the immunostimulating adjuvant in patients with HCCs¬¬¬.46 patients with HCCs were divided into 2 groups: group I (30pts) treated by Transcatheter Oily Chemoembolization (TOCE alone), group II resulted in a better clinical improvement, decreased AFP and tumor size, and a longer mean survival time versus group I. Combined treatment demonstrated a significant increase in lymphocytes expressing CD 16-CD 56 with NK activity and followed by a rise in lymphocyte with morphological feature of cytotoxic lymphocyte ( CD8 positive) was observed
Liver Neoplasms ; Thymosin ; Therapeutics

OBJECTIVETo investigate the expression of thymosin beta10 (Tbeta10) and related changes of actin filament organization in human tumor cell lines with different metastatic potential.

METHODSFour groups of nine human tumor cell lines with different metastatic potential were analyzed for the expression of Tbeta10 mRNA detected by northern-blot and its peptide by immunohistochemical staining. The filamentous actin (F-actin) was stained with TRITC-phalloidin to detect changes in actin organization.

RESULTSIn comparison with the non and/or weakly metastatic counterparts, Tbeta10 was upregulated in highly metastatic human lung cancer, malignant melanoma and breast cancer cell lines. TRITC-phalloidin staining revealed less actin bundles and a fuzzy network of shorter filaments in the highly metastatic tumor cells, while in the non and/or weakly metastatic cancer cell lines, there were thick and orderly arranged actin filaments.

CONCLUSIONSTbeta10 levels correlate positively with the metastatic phenotype in human tumors currently examined. The increased metastatic potential of tumor cells is accompanied by the loss of F-actin and poorly organized actin skeleton. There is a consistent correlation between the elevated Tbeta10 expression and the disrupted actin skeleton.

Actins ; analysis ; Blotting, Northern ; Cell Line, Tumor ; Humans ; Immunohistochemistry ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Thymosin ; analysis

BACKGROUND: Thymosin β₄ is a multi-functional hormone-like polypeptide, being involved in cell migration, angiogenesis, and tumor metastasis. This study was undertaken to clarify the clinicopathologic implications of thymosin β₄ expression in human colorectal cancers (CRCs). METHODS: We investigated tissue sections from 143 patients with CRC by immunohistochemistry. In addition, we evaluated the expression patterns and the clinico-pathological significance of thymosin β₄ expression in association with hypoxia inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α) expression in the CRC series. RESULTS: High expression of thymosin β₄ was significantly correlated with lymphovascular invasion, invasion depth, regional lymph node metastasis, distant metastasis, and TNM stage. Patients with high expression of thymosin β₄ showed poor recurrence-free survival (p = .001) and poor overall survival (p = .005) on multivariate analysis. We also found that thymosin β4 and HIF-1α were overexpressed and that thymosin β₄ expression increased in parallel with HIF-1α expression in CRC. CONCLUSIONS: A high expression level of thymosin β₄ indicates poor clinical outcomes and may be a useful prognostic factor in CRC. Thymosin β₄ is functionally related with HIF-1α and may be a potentially valuable biomarker and possible therapeutic target for CRC.
Anoxia* ; Cell Movement ; Colorectal Neoplasms* ; Humans* ; Immunohistochemistry ; Lymph Nodes ; Multivariate Analysis ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Thymosin*

Combination therapy with inteferon-alpha and ribavirin is an approved therapy for patients with chronic hepatitis C. However, even with the use of pegylated interferon, response rates are still poor in many difficult-to-treat groups, especially with genotype 1 and high viral loads. Retreatment of these patients remains challenging. Newer combinations are being investigated to optimize chances of attaining a sustained response in these groups. Thymosin alpha 1 is a polypeptide with immunomodulatory properties that has been suggested to increase response rates in patients with chronic hepatitis C. Herein, we describe two cases of retreatment patients with chronic hepatitis C who have failed prior pegylated interferon and ribavirin therapy. They received triple combination therapies of thymosin alpha 1, pegylated interferon and ribavirin and achieved sustained virological responses. These cases support that thymosin-alpha 1 may increase the efficacy of pegylated interferon plus ribavirin in the treatment of non-responders to previous combination therapy.
Data Collection ; Genotype ; Hepatitis C, Chronic* ; Hepatitis, Chronic* ; Humans ; Interferons* ; Retreatment ; Ribavirin* ; Thymosin* ; Viral Load

With the aging of population and the development of social economy, the incidence of chronic wounds is increasing day by day, while the incidence of burns and trauma remains at a high level, making wound repair an increasingly concerned area in clinical practice. Thymosin β4 is a naturally occurring small molecule protein in vivo, which is widely distributed in a variety of body fluids and cells, especially in platelets. Thymosin β4 has biological activities of promoting angiogenesis, anti-inflammation, anti-apoptosis, and anti-fibrosis, and has many important functions in wound repair. Thymosin β4 has been observed to promote the healing of various wounds, such as burns, diabetic ulcers, pressure ulcers. This paper will review the molecular structure, mechanism of wound healing promotion, pharmacokinetics, and clinical application of thymosin β4, aiming to introduce its potential in wound treatment and the shortcomings of current researches.
Burns/drug therapy* ; Humans ; Pressure Ulcer ; Thymosin/therapeutic use* ; Wound Healing/physiology*

OBJECTIVETo study the effect of acupuncture on the immune function of sepsis patients.

METHODSNinety sepsis patients were assigned to the control group, the thymosin a1 group, and the acupuncture treatment group according to random digit table, 30 patients in each group. Patients in the control group were treated according to the guideline of Surviving Sepsis Campaign (SSC). Patients in the control group received routine treatment. Those in the thymosin alpha1 group additionally received subdermal injection of thymosin alpha1 (1.6 mg), once per day for 6 successive days. Needling at related points such as Zusanli (ST36), Yanglingquan (GB34), Neiguan (PC6), Guanyuan (RN4), and so on, was performed in patients of the acupuncture treatment group, once per day for 6 successive days. T cell subgroups (CD3+, CD4+, CD8+, CD4+ /CD8+) and immunoglobulin levels (IgG, IgA, IgM) were detected. The length of ICU hospital stay, hospital readmission rate, and 28-day mortality were compared among the three groups.

RESULTSAfter six days of treatment, CD3+, CD4+, CD8+, IgG, IgA, IgM, and CD4+ /CD8+ ratio of three groups were all significantly increased (P < 0.01). Of them, CD3+, CD4+, CD8+, IgG, IgA, and IgM increased more significantly in the thymosin alpha1 group and the acupuncture treatment group (P < 0.01). Compared with the control group, the ICU hospitalization length was significantly shortened, the hospital readmission rate and the 28-day mortality were lower in the thymosin alpha1 group and the acupuncture treatment group (P < 0.05, P < 0.01). There was no statistical difference in each index between the thymosin alpha1 group and the acupuncture treatment group (P > 0.05).

CONCLUSIONAcupuncture could adjust the immune function of sepsis patients, improve their immunological indicators and prognoses.

Acupuncture Therapy ; CD4-CD8 Ratio ; Humans ; Length of Stay ; Prognosis ; Sepsis ; diagnosis ; immunology ; therapy ; T-Lymphocyte Subsets ; Thymosin ; analogs & derivatives

Engineering E. coli strain, BL21 (DE3)/pGEX-4T-human Thymosin alpha 1, was constructed by oligonucleotide annealing and PCR amplifying the target gene, then ligating it with pGEX-4T-3 vector and transferring into BL21 host. The yield of fusion protein of GST-Thymosin alpha 1 expressed from BL21 (DE3)/pGEX-4T-thymosin alpha 1 is about 35%-40% of total protein after fermentation. Following the simple cut of thrombin or CNBr, about 0.2 g/L thymosin alpha 1 can be harvested. The product is checked by MS and activity test, which indicates that the recombinant product has full biological activity of native thymosin alpha 1.
Escherichia coli ; genetics ; Genetic Engineering ; Humans ; Recombinant Fusion Proteins ; biosynthesis ; isolation & purification ; Thymosin ; analogs & derivatives ; biosynthesis ; genetics ; isolation & purification

Adolescent ; Child ; Female ; Hepatitis B Antibodies ; blood ; Hepatitis B Vaccines ; immunology ; Humans ; Male ; Thymosin ; therapeutic use ; Vaccination ; Vaccines, Synthetic ; immunology

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to compare the expression of annexin I and thymosin beta4 in invasive cervical cancer including normal cervix and CIN. METHODS: In Ewha Womans University Mokdong Hospital, normal cervical tissues were obtained from healthy women (n=10), from patients with cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN, n=10) and from patients with cervical cancer (n=33). The expressions of annexin I and thymosin beta4 mRNA and protein were examined by quantitative competitive-PCR and by western blot analysis. The expressions of annexin I and thymosin beta4 protein were measured by western blot analysis with thymosin beta4 peptides non treated and treated SiHa cells. RESULTS: The expression of thymosin beta4 mRNA and protein in cervical cancer were higher than that in normal cervix (p<0.05). The expression of annexin I mRNA and protein were higher than that in normal cervix and CIN (p<0.05). Thymosin beta4 and annexin I mRNA expressions were not significantly correlated with cervical cancer stage, or size of the tumor (p>0.05). But thymosin beta4 and annexin I protein expressions were increased according to the cancer stage. The expression of annexin I was slightly higher in thymosin beta4 treated SiHa cells than that in nontreated SiHa cells. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that overexpression of thymosin beta4 and annexin I may play roles in progression of invasive cervical cancer. Thymosin beta4 upregulates expression of annexin I in invasive cervical cancer. Therefore, thymosin beta4 and annexin I may be biological markers in detecting the progression of invasive cervical cancer, and their interaction is important in invasive cervical cancer.
Annexin A1 ; Biomarkers ; Blotting, Western ; Cervical Intraepithelial Neoplasia ; Cervix Uteri ; Female ; Humans ; Peptides ; RNA, Messenger ; Thymosin ; Uterine Cervical Neoplasms