Figure 4.

High glucose levels reduce circulating EPCs numbers.

The patients were divided into three subgroups according to elevated serum glucose levels at one day after traumatic brain injury and compared with normal control subjects by receiver operating characteristic curve analysis. Increased glucose of < 0.92 mM is the lower glucose group; increased glucose of between 0.92 mM and 4.06 mM is the medium glucose group; increased glucose of > 4.06 mM is the higher glucose group. The number of circulating EPCs for the first 4 days after traumatic brain injury was not obviously different among the three groups. The number of circulating EPCs was significantly decreased in higher serum glucose patients (n = 20) compared with lower (n = 29) or medium (n = 35) serum glucose patients. #P < 0.05, ##P < 0.01, vs. higher glucose group. Data are expressed as the mean ± SEM (one-way analysis of variance followed by the Student-Newman-Keuls post hoc test). EPC: Endothelial progenitor cell.