胸腺增生

hyc3140

胸腺在 T 细胞分化中的作用是在几十年前发现的，在 1960 年代之前它被认为是退化的。胸腺虽然在很大程度上被称为淋巴器官并因其在 T 细胞分化中的作用而闻名，但它也具有内分泌作用，包括制造调节 T 细胞分化的胸腺素和调节细胞生长、成熟和指导矿化过程的其他体液因子。胸腺是 T 细胞淋巴细胞生成的主要部位。功能性 T 细胞的产生是由胸腺上皮细胞设计的，这些细胞指导它们增殖、成熟和存活。胸腺上皮细胞分为两个主要群体髓质胸腺上皮细胞和皮质胸腺上皮细胞。这些种群被进一步分为具有特定分子和功能作用的不同亚群。

胸腺增生暗示由于细胞数量的增加胸腺的大小增加。胸腺在青春期左右达到最大大小，然后慢慢萎缩。胸腺增生并不总是病理性的，但胸腺的生长达到了患者年龄所无法预料的程度，这引起了警觉，应该引起进一步的调查。

The thymus got its role in T-cell differentiation discovered a few decades ago before the 1960s it was considered vestigial. Though largely known as a lymphoid organ and for its role in T-cell differentiation, thymus also has an endocrine role that includes manufacturing thymosin that regulates T-cell differentiation and other humoral factors that regulate cell growth, maturation and guide the process of mineralization. The thymus is the principal location for T-cell lymphopoiesis. The production of functional T-cell is choreographed by thymic epithelial cells that guide them in proliferation, maturation, and survival. The thymic epithelial cells are compartmentalized into two main populations medullary thymic epithelial cells and cortical thymic epithelial cells. These populations are further segregated into distinct subpopulations having specific molecular and functional roles.

Thymic hyperplasia alludes to an increase in the size of thymus due to an increase in the number of cells. Thymus achieves its peak size around puberty and then atrophies slowly. Thymic hyperplasia is not always pathological, but the growth of the thymus to a certain degree not anticipated for a patient’s age raises the alarm and should lead to further investigation.

Khan MA, Anjum F. Thymic Hyperplasia. 2021 Dec 8. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2022 Jan–. PMID: 32809393.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK560558/