Table 2.
Studied cell subsets in all three age groups of healthy subjects analysed by flow cytometry (∗ P < 0.05; ∗∗ P < 0.01; ∗∗∗ P < 0.001; ∗∗∗∗ P < 0.0001).
| ChildrenA | AdolescentsB | AdultsC | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| N | Mean ± SD | N | Mean ± SD | N | Mean ± SD | |
| Mean age | 20 | 4.17 ± 3.22 | 20 | 17.24 ± 1.93 | 20 | 51.17 ± 6.32 |
| NK (% of ly) | 20 | 11.13 ± 4.66 | 20 | 16.25 ± 8.12 | 20 | 16.35 ± 5.79AC∗ |
| B ly (% of ly) | 20 | 20.73 ± 6.84 | 20 | 10.85 ± 3.77AB∗∗∗∗ | 20 | 9.44 ± 4.60AC∗∗∗∗ |
| T ly (% of ly) | 20 | 59.97 ± 7.39 | 20 | 68.19 ± 8.61AB∗ | 20 | 69.28 ± 7.96AC∗∗ |
| Th (% of T ly) | 20 | 54.40 ± 8.30 | 20 | 58.22 ± 7.06 | 20 | 62.86 ± 10.92AC∗∗ |
| Tc (% of T ly) | 20 | 35.02 ± 6.47 | 20 | 33.41 ± 6.71 | 20 | 31.70 ± 10.38 |
| Th/Tc | 20 | 1.64 ± 0.54 | 20 | 1.84 ± 0.54 | 20 | 2.30 ± 1.11 |
| DNT (% of T ly) | 20 | 10.08 ± 4.57 | 20 | 7.80 ± 2.57 | 20 | 4.39 ± 3.11AC∗∗∗∗,BC∗∗ |
| HLA-DR (% of T ly) | 19 | 13.90 ± 8.02 | 20 | 15.66 ± 8.96 | 20 | 18.41 ± 7.67 |
| Th1 (% of Th ly) | 20 | 10.57 ± 3.00 | 20 | 15.79 ± 4.28AB∗∗ | 20 | 19.20 ± 5.82AC∗∗∗∗ |
| Th2 (% of Th ly) | 20 | 3.43 ± 1.86 | 20 | 3.50 ± 1.26 | 20 | 5.62 ± 2.99AC∗,BC∗ |
| Th1/Th2 | 20 | 3.82 ± 1.81 | 20 | 5.16 ± 2.58 | 20 | 4.06 ± 1.73 |
| Th1Th17 (% of Th ly) | 20 | 3.51 ± 2.46 | 20 | 9.12 ± 3.70AB∗∗∗ | 20 | 11.47 ± 5.93AC∗∗∗∗ |
| Th17CD161+ (% of Th ly) | 20 | 1.20 ± 0.65 | 20 | 1.23 ± 0.75 | 20 | 2.01 ± 1.08AC∗ |
| Th17CD161− (% of Th ly) | 20 | 1.83 ± 1.07 | 20 | 2.74 ± 1.40 | 20 | 3.58 ± 1.38AC∗∗∗ |
| Th17 total (% of Th ly) | 20 | 3.03 ± 1.58 | 20 | 3.96 ± 1.92 | 20 | 5.59 ± 2.27AC∗∗∗,BC∗ |
| aTreg (% of Th ly) | 20 | 1.41 ± 0.72 | 20 | 1.99 ± 0.72 | 20 | 3.00 ± 1.10AC∗∗∗∗,BC∗ |
| rTreg (% of Th ly) | 20 | 5.28 ± 3.17 | 20 | 1.68 ± 0.93AB∗∗ | 20 | 0.85 ± 0.55AC∗∗∗∗,BC∗ |
| FoxP3+non-Treg (% of Th ly) | 20 | 2.95 ± 1.12 | 20 | 3.04 ± 1.12 | 20 | 3.23 ± 0.93 |
| Treg total (% of Th ly) | 20 | 6.69 ± 3.41 | 20 | 3.67 ± 1.11AB∗∗ | 20 | 3.85 ± 1.24AC∗∗ |
| Teff (% of Th ly) | 18 | 26.69 ± 9.80 | 19 | 41.30 ± 11.47AB∗ | 20 | 58.13 ± 16.03AC∗∗∗∗,BC∗ |
| Teff/Treg | 18 | 4.25 ± 2.34 | 19 | 11.66 ± 4.09AB∗∗∗ | 20 | 16.66 ± 7.80AC∗∗∗∗ |
| CD25−FoxP3+ (% of Th ly) | 20 | 5.16 ± 3.74 | 20 | 1.03 ± 0.67AB∗∗∗∗ | 20 | 1.27 ± 1.18AC∗∗∗∗ |
|
| ||||||
| STAT5 (ΔMFI) | 12 | 21.8 ± 29.7 | 12 | 16.10 ± 10.00 | 17 | 27.6 ± 36.9 |
| pSTAT5 (ΔMFI) | 20 | 240.4 ± 214.8 | 20 | 174.9 ± 107.5 | 20 | 228.4 ± 97.4 |
| STAT1 (ΔMFI) | 20 | 422.6 ± 372.5 | 20 | 186.7 ± 202.4AB∗∗ | 20 | 200.0 ± 62.3 |
| pSTAT1 (ΔMFI) | 7 | 13.4 ± 17.3 | 7 | 5.9 ± 5.3 | 14 | 32.4 ± 47.8 |
|
| ||||||
| WB (×109 mL−1) | 20 | 7.56 ± 3.14 | 20 | 6.65 ± 1.50 | 20 | 6.90 ± 1.34 |
| ly (×109 mL−1) | 20 | 2.79 ± 1.94 | 20 | 1.57 ± 0.48 | 20 | 1.80 ± 0.53 |
| NK (×109 mL−1) | 20 | 0.33 ± 0.32 | 20 | 0.26 ± 0.18 | 20 | 0.30 ± 0.16 |
| B ly (×109 mL−1) | 20 | 0.60 ± 0.47 | 20 | 0.17 ± 0.07AB∗∗ | 20 | 0.17 ± 0.10AC∗∗∗ |
| T ly (×109 mL−1) | 20 | 1.63 ± 1.11 | 20 | 1.07 ± 0.34 | 20 | 1.25 ± 0.38 |
A, B and C in the table are referring to our three different age groups (as it is indicated in the first row of the table A = children, B = adolescents, C = adults). Abbreviations AB, AC an BC are therefore used to highlight statistically significant differences between compared groups (AB = comparing children to adolescents, AC = comparing children to adults, BC = comparing adolescents to adults).