The Thymus from Antiquity to the Present Day: the History of a Mysterious Gland

Lavini, Corrado

doi:10.1007/978-88-470-0828-1_1

Cited by 6 publications

(16 citation statements)

References 21 publications

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“…During the early years of life, the thymus is prominent but with increasing age a loss of tissue mass and structure takes place, a process called involution (Shanley et al, ). The ancient Greeks knew about the thymus − the name is believed to derive either from the Greek word thumos, meaning spirit, soul, and courage, or from the plant Thymus vulgaris, possibly due to a vague resemblance of the thymus to the leaf of the common thyme (Lavini, ). However, the function of the thymus remained elusive for centuries.…”

Section: The Place and Cell Of Originmentioning

confidence: 99%

Pediatric T‐cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia

Karrman

Johansson

2016

Genes Chromosomes & Cancer

107

111

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The most common pediatric malignancy is acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), of which T‐cell ALL (T‐ALL) comprises 10–15% of cases. T‐ALL arises in the thymus from an immature thymocyte as a consequence of a stepwise accumulation of genetic and epigenetic aberrations. Crucial biological processes, such as differentiation, self‐renewal capacity, proliferation, and apoptosis, are targeted and deranged by several types of neoplasia‐associated genetic alteration, for example, translocations, deletions, and mutations of genes that code for proteins involved in signaling transduction, epigenetic regulation, and transcription. Epigenetically, T‐ALL is characterized by gene expression changes caused by hypermethylation of tumor suppressor genes, histone modifications, and miRNA and lncRNA abnormalities. Although some genetic and gene expression patterns have been associated with certain clinical features, such as immunophenotypic subtype and outcome, none has of yet generally been implemented in clinical routine for treatment decisions. The recent advent of massive parallel sequencing technologies has dramatically increased our knowledge of the genetic blueprint of T‐ALL, revealing numerous fusion genes as well as novel gene mutations. The challenges now are to integrate all genetic and epigenetic data into a coherent understanding of the pathogenesis of T‐ALL and to translate the wealth of information gained in the last few years into clinical use in the form of improved risk stratification and targeted therapies. Here, we provide an overview of pediatric T‐ALL with an emphasis on the acquired genetic alterations that result in this disease. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

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Section: The Place and Cell Of Originmentioning

confidence: 99%

Pediatric T‐cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia

Karrman

Johansson

2016

Genes Chromosomes & Cancer

107

111

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“…Through history, the thymus has been considered as a mysterious organ with no obvious function or purpose until 1961 [42,43]. In the late 1800 and early 1900, scientists searching for the cause of unexplained sudden death of healthy babies and children labeled the thymus as the villain [44].…”

Section: Acute Thymic Atrophymentioning

confidence: 99%

Thymic Rejuvenation: Are We There Yet?

Abusarah¹,

Khodayarian²,

Cui³

et al. 2018

Gerontology

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Vaccination is an appealing form of immunotherapy for frail senior patients. However, several studies have shown that in contrast to younger adults, older patients do not effectively respond to vaccines. This phenomenon is greatly attributed to immunosenescence, a hallmark of aging defined by a general decline in immunity caused by thymic involution. Historically, the study of thymic involution brought to attention several factors and components involved in thymopoiesis, as contributors to the phenomena. Depicting the underlying cause(s) of the dramatic changes in the production and properties of the naïve T-cell pool in the event of acute thymic injury or due to inovulation can therefore, help focus the efforts on the best strategy to reverse or overcome these hurdles. Here, we discuss some of the well-studied approaches for rejuvenating the thymus, and introduce interleukin-(IL) 21 as the most recent thymo-stimulatory agent in the field.

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“…Ever since its first description in the 1800s, the gland positioned next to the heart earned a special and somewhat mystical role as the seat of the soul, an attribute given to the thymus by the Greeks (1). After the first partial thymectomy in 1896 by Ludwig Rehn and with Sauerbruch performing the first transcervical total thymectomy in 1911, management of thymic disorders gradually infiltrated the general and thoracic surgery practice.…”

Section: Thymus and Myasthenia Gravis (Mg)mentioning

confidence: 99%

Do we even need to relax? Evolution of non-intubated video assisted thoracic surgery thymectomy for myasthenia gravis—a narrative review

Rieth¹,

Lázár²,

Kovács³

et al. 2022

AME Surg J

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Objective: Traditional approaches to thymectomy for myasthenia gravis (MG) formerly included open sternotomy and later video-assisted-(VATS) and robot-assisted thoracic surgery (RATS) through traditional double-lumen intubation anaesthesia. The aim of the review was to describe current role of non-intubated (NI) minimally invasive techniques in thoracic surgery with emphasis on NI-VATS thymectomy and point out advantages and disadvantages of the method from both the surgical-and anaesthesiological point of view.Background: With the introduction of non-intubated thoracic surgery (NITS) pioneer surgeons and anaesthesiologists have managed to carry out various thoracic surgery procedures from major lung resections to thymectomy without having to deal with the disadvantages of traditional intratracheal tube placement and reduce adverse effects of intubation, such as tracheal injury, lung infections, or hoarseness. Without the need of muscle relaxants, faster overall recovery can be achieved, granting improved postoperative patient outcomes, especially in cases of MG.Methods: Evolution of the NI technique and important results are presented through literature data and references. Only published manuscripts written in English language were considered including case reports, retrospective-, and prospective cohorts, meta-analysis, systematic reviews and randomized controlled trials.Conclusions: Although NI-VATS thymectomy remains a promising novel approach with numerous apparent benefits, further data evaluation and larger scale of patient outcome analysis is needed to determine exact indications and feasibility of the technique.

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The Thymus from Antiquity to the Present Day: the History of a Mysterious Gland

Cited by 6 publications

References 21 publications

Pediatric T‐cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia

Pediatric T‐cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia

Thymic Rejuvenation: Are We There Yet?

Do we even need to relax? Evolution of non-intubated video assisted thoracic surgery thymectomy for myasthenia gravis—a narrative review

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