Serum Thymosin β4 Concentrations in Obstructive Sleep Apnea Syndrome Patients.

Objective: Inflammation is a potential mechanism of obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS). Thymosin beta 4, a member of thymic protein family, exhibits an anti-inflammatory effect. We determine to investigate whether serum thymosin beta 4 concentrations is correlated with the occurrence and disease severity of OSAS. Methods: Serum thymosin beta 4 concentrations were examined in a cross-sectional population including beta 8 patients with OSAS and 94 healthy subjects. Results: Elevated serum thymosin 134 concentrations were found in OSAS patients than the controls. Multi variable logistic regression analysis indicated a significant association between serum thymosin beta 4 concentrations and OSAS development. Severe OSAS patients showed increasd serum thymosin beta 4 concentrations compared with mild and moderate patients. Spearman correlation analysis suggested that serum thymosin beta 4 concentrations were correlated with the severity of OSAS. Simple linear regression analyses showed that serum thymosin beta 4 in OSAS patients was correlated with homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance, apnea hypopnea index, disease severity, and osteoarthritis development. Then multiple stepwise regression analysis showed that only disease severity remained to be associated with serum thymosin beta 4. Conclusions: Serum thymosin beta 4 concentrations were correlated with the occurrence and severity of OSAS. J. Clin. Lab. Anal. 30:736-740, 2016. (C) 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. tients showed increased serum thymosin