Table 3. Results of subgroup analysis evaluating the difference in NK cells between CHB patients and healthy controls.
| NK cells in PBMC, % | Subsgroup | CHB/HC, n | Study no. | SMD | I2 | 95% CI | P |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total | 616/328 | 14 | –0.66 | 86.8% | –1.07 to –0.25 | 0.002 | |
| ALT, IU/L | <80 | 174/158 | 5 | 0.15 | 44.2% | –0.16 to 0.46 | 0.355 |
| 80–300 | 298/143 | 5 | –1.46 | 88.7% | –2.30 to –0.62 | 0.001 | |
| >300 | 191/74 | 4 | –0.76 | 0.0% | –1.04 to –0.47 | 0.000 | |
| Immune state | Immune tolerant | 76/54 | 3 | –0.53 | 72.4% | –1.25 to 0.20 | 0.153 |
| Immune active | 253/96 | 5 | –0.97 | 85.5% | –1.23 to –0.72 | 0.000 | |
| NK subsets | CD56 dim | 117/130 | 4 | 0.08 | 0.0% | –0.17 to 0.33 | 0.534 |
| CD56 bright | 119/95 | 4 | 0.33 | 48.4% | 0.05 to 0.61 | 0.021 |