Evidence map›Paper›PMID 9888464›Full record

ArticleBritish journal of cancer1999

Role of zinc and alpha2 macroglobulin on thymic endocrine activity and on peripheral immune efficiency (natural killer activity and interleukin 2) in cervical carcinoma.

E Mocchegiani, A Ciavattini, L Santarelli, A Tibaldi, M Muzzioli, P Bonazzi, R Giacconi, N Fabris, G G Garzetti

Open access · hybridAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in British journal of cancer, 1999. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 6 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
6citing papers in PubMed
3.0field-weighted citation impact, top 9% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

6 citing papers in PubMed, 39 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Article
  2. Review
  3. Review
  4. Article
  5. Zinc: a promising agent in dietary chemoprevention of cancer.The Indian journal of medical research · 2010
    Review
  6. Zinc, infections and immunosenescence.Mechanisms of ageing and development · 2000
    Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

9 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.

E MocchegianiImmunology Centre, Research Department, Institute National Research Centres on Aging, Ancona, Italy.
A Ciavattini
L Santarelli
A Tibaldi
M Muzzioli
P Bonazzi
R Giacconi
N Fabris
G G Garzetti
Istituto Nazionale di Riposo e Cura per Anziani · ITOspedali Riuniti di Ancona · IT

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Decreased natural killer (NK) activity as well as interleukin 2 (IL-2) are risk factors for the progression of cervical carcinoma. NK activity and IL-2 may be thymus controlled. Plasma levels of active thymulin, a zinc-dependent thymic hormone (ZnFTS), are reduced in cancer because of the low peripheral zinc bioavailability. Zinc and thymulin are relevant for normal immune functions. Alpha2-macroglobulin is an inhibitor of matrix metalloproteases (MMPs) against invasive tumour proliferation. Because alpha2-macroglobulin has a binding affinity (Kd) for zinc that is higher than does thymulin, it may play a key role in immune efficiency in cancer. Plasma samples of 22 patients (age range 35-60 years) with locally advanced squamous cervical carcinoma and with FIGO stage Ib2-IIb were examined. They showed reduced active thymulin, decreased NK activity and IL-2 production, increased soluble IL-2 receptor (sIL-2R) and augmented alpha2-macroglobulin in the circulation, whereas plasma zinc levels were within the normal range for age. Significant positive correlations were found between zinc or active thymulin and alpha2-macroglobulin (r = 0.75, P < 0.01, r = 0.78, P < 0.01, respectively) in cancer patients. In vitro zinc increases IL-2 production from peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) of cancer patients. These data suggest that an increase in alpha2-macroglobulin, which competes with thymulin for zinc binding, may be involved in causing a thymulin deficit with a consequent decrease of IL-2 and NK cytotoxicity. Thus, physiological zinc treatment in cervical carcinoma maybe restores impaired central and peripheral immune efficiency.

Indexed as

Adultalpha-MacroglobulinsCarcinoma, Squamous CellCase-Control StudiesFemaleHumansImmunity, CellularInterleukin-2Killer Cells, NaturalLeukocytes, MononuclearMiddle AgedReceptors, Interleukin-2Thymic Factor, CirculatingUterine Cervical NeoplasmsZincalpha-MacroglobulinsInterleukin-2Receptors, Interleukin-2Thymic Factor, CirculatingZinc

Identifiers

PMID9888464
PMCPMC2362212
OpenAlexW2001199123

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY
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Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.