Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: UMLS:C0021051 (immunodeficiency)
 71,517 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Twenty patients with chronic purulent rhinosinusitis were treated with TP-1 (Serono; 1 mg/kg body weight), in a double-blind cross-over trial. TP-1 was administered by daily i.m. injections for the first 14 days followed by two injections/week for 6 further weeks. The patients were immunologically special in that they had defects in their cell-mediated immune system. Fourteen showed a decreased chemotactic responsiveness of their peripheral blood monocytes as measured in the polarization assay. This defective function can probably be ascribed to the presence in serum of low molecular weight factors (LMWFs; less than 25 kD). As reported earlier, this factor shows a structural homology to the envelope protein of murine and feline leukaemia virus (P15E). Thirteen patients showed a defective delayed-type hypersensitivity (DTH) skin test reactivity towards candidin and/or streptokinase-streptodornase (Sk/Sd) antigen, 14 had a defective MIF production from their peripheral blood lymphocytes towards candidin, Sk/Sd and/or Haemophilus influenzae antigen. Eighteen patients completed the TP-1 trial and showed clinical improvements: 12 out of 15 were feeling better during TP-1 therapy and the nasal mucosa showed on inspection absent mucopurulent secretion in 13 patients. Positive bacterial culture rates for the nose decreased from 14 out of 16 to five out of 15. Placebo treatment had no significant effects. The clinical improvements were accompanied by a better performance of the cell-mediated immune system; the most significant effects were recorded in the monocyte polarization assay. The suppressive P15E-like LMWFs in serum clearly decreased during TP-1 treatment. In vitro TP-1 neutralized the immunosuppressive effect of the LMWFs. The restoring effects of TP-1 on monocyte polarization and its neutralizing activity of P15E-like LMWFs could explain the beneficial effects of thymic hormone treatment reported in adults with clinical signs of immunodeficiency in the presence of a full T cell repertoire.
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PMID:Beneficial effects of the thymic hormone preparation thymostimulin in patients with defects in cell-mediated immunity and chronic purulent rhinosinusitis. A double-blind cross-over trial on improvements in monocyte polarization and clinical effects. 219 46

Forty samples of cord blood lymphocytes were isolated from 40 normal healthy full-term newborns. The initial 20 samples were used to determine the dose-response curve of three different thymic extracts (TP-1, bovine thymic extract; TG-15-I and TG-15-II, both porcine thymic extracts) and one of renal origin (KG-1) as a control of non-lymphoid organ extract, by measuring the E-rosette T cells. Results showed that E-rosette T cells increased significantly when the thymic extract concentration was increased to 12.5 micrograms/ml. However, there was no statistical difference between TP-1, TG-15-I and TG-15-II in the increase of E-rosette-forming cells. The remaining 20 samples were preincubated with 0, 12.5, 25 or 50 micrograms/ml of thymic extracts. It was observed that the lymphoproliferation, interleukin-2 (IL-2), gamma-interferon (IFN-gamma) and tumor necrotic factor (TNF) production were all significantly increased after thymic extract treatment. No statistical difference between these three thymic preparations in the stimulation of lymphoproliferative response was found. However, among the three thymic extracts, TP-1 appears to induce the highest amounts of IL-2, IFN-gamma and TNF. Of the TG-15-I and TG-15-II, the former stimulates higher IL-2 production whereas the latter enhances IFN-gamma and TNF production. The different immunostimulating effects and potencies that these three thymic extracts showed may reflect not only the species difference but also the difference in preparation procedures. Different components in these thymic extracts may be responsible for different biological activities. Results from these comparative studies may provide useful information in future clinical trials for the treatment of the primary immunodeficiency diseases according to their pathogenesis and may also indicate a possible beneficial effect of the combination of chemotherapy and thymic extracts.
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PMID:A comparative study on the immunological effects of bovine and porcine thymic extracts: induction of lymphoproliferative response and enhancement of interleukin-2, gamma-interferon and tumor necrotic factor production in vitro on cord blood lymphocytes. 250 81

A 14-day-old Chinese male baby was admitted with extensive skin lesions. A wound culture grew Staphylococcus aureus, Acinetobacter anitratus, Enterobacter cloacae, and Candida albicans and a blood culture grew group A beta-Streptococcus hemolyticus. The patient's lymphocyte counts were low and his lymphocytes were unable to produce IgG and IgA in vitro. The immunoglobulin-bearing cell studies also failed to demonstrate IgG and IgA bearing cells. Active Tac+ T cells, total T cells, and T cell subsets were at very low levels. Lymphoproliferative response to mitogens was also poor. Migration inhibitory factor production to Candida antigen was also decreased. The initial lymph node biopsy demonstrated no follicular formation and extensive depletion of lymphocytes in both thymic-dependent and thymic-independent areas. After Thymostimulin (a specific bovine thymic extract, TP-1) treatment, the second lymph node biopsy demonstrated germinal centers containing IgA-bearing cells and IgM-bearing cells and, subsequently, cortical and medullary differentiation. Serum IgG, IgA, and IgM became detectable at low levels and IgG-, IgA-, and IgM-bearing lymphocytes appeared in the peripheral blood. This also correlated with in vitro immunoglobulin synthesis. Active Tac+ T cells, total T cells, T cell subsets and lymphoproliferative response to mitogens increased gradually after thymostimulin therapy. This investigation demonstrated the therapeutic effectiveness of Thymostimulin in combined immunodeficiency both histologically and immunologically and the successful reconstitution of B cell function that did not require continued therapy.
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PMID:Treatment of combined immunodeficiency with thymic extract (Thymostimulin). 357 32

Non-specific immunostimulants such as plant extracts and natural and synthetic thymic preparations are widely used for enhancing the reactivity of the human defence system in chronic infections, immunodeficiency, autoimmunity and neoplastic diseases. Considering the high prevalence of latent infections by Lymphotropic herpesviruses and their frequent spontaneous reactivation, one wonders whether the stimulation of lymphoid cells by such immunostimulants may further support virus reactivation. We have performed tissue culture experiments using the well defined infectious system of human herpesvirus-6 (HHV-6) and the immature T cell HSB2 to test the effects of echinacin, isoprinosine and thymus factors on the frequency and extent of virus antigen expression in infected cells. The results show that various viral antigens related to virus replication and to the synthesis of structural components appear earlier in cells stimulated with such substances as echinacin, timunox and TP-1, but not following the stimulation with isoprinosine. Similarly, virus genome containing cells as determined by in situ hybridization techniques increased after stimulation with thymic preparations (thymostimulin and thymopentin), but not with echinacin and isoprinosine. The data suggest that the synthesis of proteins or DNA of lymphotropic viruses may be transiently enhanced when lymphoid cells are stimulated by certain non-specific immunostimulants. There was no evidence, however, of increased virus replication. Since the data presented here are rather preliminary results from tissue culture studies, the use of such substances in patients should include a critical monitoring of the activity of lymphotropic viruses to exclude untoward effects through persistent viral activity and/or autoimmune dysregulations (e.g. secondary to selective expression of viral antigens). More detailed studies are needed to this effect including long-term controls in patients treated by these substances.
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PMID:Effects of non-specific immunostimulants (echinacin, isoprinosine and thymus factors) on the infection and antigen expression in herpesvirus-6 exposed human lymphoid cells. 753 93