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Thymic Hormones and Rheumatoid Arthritis

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Abstract

T-cell differentiation proceeds under the command of several signals, among which thymic hormones (TH) play a central role. A number of T-cell abnormalities have been described in rheumatoid arthritis (RA), both by marker and functional studies. One may raise the question of thymic hormone production in RA and in related immunologic diseases such as systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Additionally, since thymic hormones can modulate T-cell functions, one may attempt to improve the clinical status of RA patients by using pharmacological doses of the hormones independently of a preexisting abnormality of thymic hormone production.

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Bach, J.F., Dardenne, M. (1985). Thymic Hormones and Rheumatoid Arthritis. In: Gupta, S., Talal, N. (eds) Immunology of Rheumatic Diseases. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4613-2493-5_27

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4613-2493-5_27

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Boston, MA

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