Table 1.
The baseline Characteristics of Study Patients and Normal Controls
| Variables | Study patients (n = 78) | Normal control (n = 25) | p value* |
|---|---|---|---|
| Age (yrs) |
54.8 ± 13.7 |
54.1 ± 10.5 |
0.927 |
| Male gender |
71.8 % (56) |
68.0 % (17) |
0.716 |
| EPC surface markers† | |||
| CD31/CD34 (%)‡ |
1.01 ± 0.57 |
1.37 ± 0.49 |
0.005 |
| KDR/CD34 (%)‡ |
1.08 ± 0.63 |
1.37 ± 0.65 |
0.035 |
| CXCR4/CD34 (%)‡ |
1.13 ± 0.66 |
1.54 ± 0.64 |
0.001 |
| WBC count (x 103/dl) |
8.5 ± 11.9 |
6.0 ± 1.5 |
0.575 |
| Hemoglobin (g/dl) |
10.9 ± 2.4 |
14.9 ± 1.3 |
<0.0001 |
| Platelet count (x 104/dl) |
10.8 ± 6.3 |
22.4 ± 5.5 |
<0.0001 |
| Creatinine (mg/dl) |
1.00 ± 0.60 |
0.91 ± 0.20 |
0.806 |
| Albumin (g/dl) |
3.0 ± 0.6 |
4.5 ± 0.3 |
<0.0001 |
| AST (U/L) |
97.8 ± 107.1 |
24.6 ± 6.4 |
<0.0001 |
| ALT (U/L) |
68.1 ± 123.0 |
29.3 ± 17.4 |
0.005 |
| VEGF (pg/ml) |
55.4 ± 58.0 |
49.9 ± 27.8 |
0.286 |
| SDF-1α (pg/ml) |
2256.3 ± 705.8 |
1502.4 ± 370.7 |
<0.0001 |
| Early apoptosis (%) |
18.01 ± 11.66 |
6.16 ± 2.83 |
<0.0001 |
| Late apoptosis (%) | 3.28 ± 3.86 | 1.19 ± 0.99 | 0.0008 |
Data expressed as mean ± SD or % (No).
ALT = alanine aminotransferase; AST = aspartate aminotransferase; EPC = endothelial progenitor cell; SDF = stromal cell-derived factor; VEGF = vascular endothelial cell growth factor; WBC = white blood cell.
* by Wilcoxon rank sum test.
† indicates EPC surface markers with double stains.
‡ The expected 0.7 % was based on our previous study [18] on EPC surface markers (CD31/CD34). The expected difference (i.e., 0.7 %) has not been reached for CD31/CD34 (or KDR/CD34, CXCR4/CD34) in Table 1.