02248nas a2200373   4500000000100000008004100001260000900042653002700051653001000078653002900088653002000117653001100137653001100148653002400159653002300183653001200206653000900218653001600227653002200243653002200265653001600287653001800303653002000321100001500341700001500356700001400371700001300385700001200398245008700410300000900497490001400506520134000520022001401860       1985                            d  c198510aAdjuvants, Immunologic10aAdult10aClinical Trials as Topic10aDrug Resistance10aFemale10aHumans10aIn Vitro Techniques10aLeprostatic Agents10aleprosy10aMale10aMiddle Aged10aPeptide Fragments10aRosette Formation10aThymopentin10aThymopoietins10aThymus Hormones1 aCastells A1 aTERENCIO J1 aRamirez A1 aSundal E1 aBolla K00aThymopentin treatment in patients with chemotherapy-resistant lepromatous leprosy.  a63-90 v4 Suppl 13 a<p>Leprosy is a chronic infectious disease caused by Mycobacterium leprae; it is chiefly involving the skin and peripheral nerves. In lepromatous leprosy there are widespread loose infiltrates with M. leprae multiplying extensively in the skin macrophages and Schwann cells of peripheral nerves. Such patients reveal a decrease of circulating T helper cells, which is still more pronounced in the cutaneous lesions. Due to the ever increasing bacterial resistance to classical dapsone and combined chemotherapy as well, an immunomodulatory approach seemed reasonable: Eight patients with long-lasting (5-40 years) disease who had become resistant to combined chemotherapy were treated with thymopentin, 50 mg s.c., 3 times weekly for 5 weeks and thereafter combined with dapsone and clofazimine for 5 months. During the trial a statistically significant increase in E-rosette-forming cells (p less than 0.05) was observed, along with a steady improvement of the bacterial status of the nasal mucus. Although the skin lesions did not disappear within the observation period of the study, it is important to realize that long-term improvement of such lesions is always initiated by clearance of bacilli from the nasal mucus, hence, thymopentin treatment appears to be a promising approach to chemotherapy-resistant lepromatous lepra.</p>  a0252-9564