TABLE 2.

Results of caspase 3 biochemical assays

Treatment group	Caspase 3 activity (fluorescence intensity/mg protein)
	Relative value	Absolute value
4 h ischemia, 24 h reperfusion (n=6 hearts)	0.77 ± 0.80	32.45 ± 29.16
24 h ischemia (n=6 hearts)	1.06 ± 0.80	35.61 ± 26.72
Controls without ischemia (n=7 hearts)	1.00 ± 0.89	33.50 ± 29.76
Thymuses from mice given dexamethasone (n=6)	9.04 ± 3.32*	1071 ± 393*
Thymuses from mice given saline (n=6)	1.0 ± 0.46	118.50 ± 54.33

Results are means ± sd of ratios of intensity of fluorescence relative to that in normal hearts or to that in thymuses from mice given saline. Absolute values are shown as well. 

^*P = 0.0040 compared with results in thymuses from mice given saline.