title: Treatment with lamivudine versus lamivudine and thymosin alpha-1 for e antigen-positive chronic hepatitis B patients: a meta-analysis.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Currently, there is no evidence on the combination of lamivudine and thymosin alpha-1 on chronic hepatitis B patients. The aim of this study was to compare the effect of lamivudine monotherapy with that of lamivudine and thymosin alpha-1 combination therapy for the treatment of hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg)-positive hepatitis B patients.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We searched PUBMED (from 1966 onwards), EMBASE (from 1966), CBMdisk (Chinese Biomedical Database, from 1978), CNKI (National Knowledge Infrastructure, from 1980), the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials and the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. Eight trials (583 patients in total) were identified. The lamivudine and thymosin alpha-1 combination treatment was significantly superior to lamivudine treatment in terms of ALT normalization rate (80.2% vs. 68.8%, P = 0.01), virological response rate (84.7% vs. 74.9%, P = 0.002), and HBeAg seroconversion rate (45.1% vs. 15.2%, P < 0.00001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Among HBeAg-positive patients, thymosin alpha-1 and lamivudine combination therapy may be more effective than lamivudine monotherapy, providing superior rates of biochemical response, virological response, and HBeAg seroconversion.
authors.affiliation: Center of Infectious Diseases, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041, Sichuan Province, PR China. zyycd@126.com
authors.forename: Yuan-Yuan
authors.initials: YY
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: En-Qiang
authors.initials: EQ
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Jin
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: Yu-Rong
authors.initials: YR
authors.lastname: Duan
authors.forename: Hong
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Tang
mesh_terms: D000998:Antiviral Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination; D006513:Hepatitis B e Antigens / Q000097:blood*; D019694:Hepatitis B, Chronic / Q000188:drug therapy*; D006801:Humans; D019259:Lamivudine / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000077596:Thymalfasin; D013947:Thymosin / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D000998:Antiviral Agents; D006513:Hepatitis B e Antigens; D019259:Lamivudine; D013947:Thymosin; D000077596:Thymalfasin