Table 3.
Impact on delayed cytobrush processing on cervical T cell responses to PMA/Ionomycin.
| T cell subset | Transport conditions | Na | Number of failuresb/N | Percentage | Odds ratio of positive response with delayed processing [OR (95% CI)] |
p-valuec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CD8 | Ex vivo | 67/98 | 22/67 | 32.8 | – | – |
| 37 °C | 18/24d | 4/18 | 22.2 | 1.59 (0.4637–5.444 | 0.46 | |
| 4 °C | 3/5 | 1/3 | 33.3 | 0.98 (0.8399–11.38) | 0.99 | |
| Room temp | 20/22d | 5/20 | 25.0 | 1.47(0.4721–4.557) | 0.51 | |
| CD4 | Ex vivo | 67/98 | 20/67 | 29.9 | – | – |
| 37 °C | 18/24d | 7/18 | 38.9 | 0.61 (0.2026–1.824) | 0.37 | |
| 4 °C | 3/5 | 1/3 | 33.3 | 0.85 (0.07290–9.936) | 0.90 | |
| Room temp | 20/22d | 8/20 | 40.0 | 0.64 (0.2264–1.800) | 0.39 |
a
Number of samples with event counts > 100.
b
Cervical samples failing to respond (> 1.5% IFN-γ responsive cells) to the positive control (PMA/Ionomycin stimulation) were not suitable for further analysis.
c
Chi-squared analysis was used to compare groups to ex vivo. P-values < 0.05 were considered significant.
d
Where mucous contamination prevented accurate ICS analysis in 3/27 samples kept at 37 °C and in 3/25 samples kept at room temperature.