Figure 2.
Longitudinal study of CD34+ cell subsets in patients with AMI. Longitudinal study of the number per microliter of CD34+CD33+ cells (A), CD34+CD38+ (B), CD34+CD117+ (C), and CD34+VEGFR-2+ cells (D) in patients with AMI at admission (T0); after 24 hours; and after 7, 15, and 60 days. Patients with stable angina pectoris (SA) and healthy controls (CTRLs) are shown for comparison but not included in the statistical analysis performed by the regression model for repeated measures. All the cell subsets are significantly increased in patients with AMI at T0 with respect to CTRLs. The number per microliter of CD34+CD33+ cells at T0 significantly decreases within 60 days (P < .01; A) becoming comparable to that found in CTRLs. CD34+CD38+ (B), CD34+CD117+ (C), and CD34+VEGFR-2+ cell subsets (D) of patients with AMI, although showing a decreasing trend, on day 60 are not significantly lower than at T0. Solid lines represent the median values. The panels at the right of the figure show the dot plots of peripheral blood cells from one representative patient with AMI stained with FITC–anti-CD34 combined with PE–anti-CD33 (E), PE–anti-CD38 (F), PE–anti-CD117 (G), or PerCp-streptavidin–biotinylated anti–VEGFR-2 (H). Markers were set according to the appropriate isotype controls.