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Circulating lymphocyte subsets and regulatory T cells in patients with postpartum thyroiditis during the first postpartum year

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Abstract

The lymphocyte subsets and the percentages of activated T cells or regulatory T cells were observed during the course of postpartum thyroiditis (PPT). Heparin anticoagulant vein bloods were collected at 3, 6, 9 and 12 months postpartum consequently from 27 PPT patients and 23 normal postpartum subjects. Lymphocyte surface antigen CD3, CD4, CD8, HLA-DR and CD25 were stained in appropriate combination and detected with flurorescence-activated cell sorter analysis. The percentage of CD4 was significantly lower in both PPT groups with biphasic diseases and isolated hypothyroidism at 3 months postpartum as compared to control postpartum women separately (both P < 0.05). Then, decreased CD4/CD8 ratios were also appeared in these groups. Patients with both positive TPOAb and TgAb had higher percentage of activated T (HLA-DR+CD3+) cells compared to control postpartum women at 3 months postpartum (P < 0.05). The percentage of activated T cells correlated with a raised percentage of CD8+ T cell subset (P < 0.001) and a decreased percentage of regulatory T (CD25+CD4+) cells (P < 0.01). The percentages of regulatory T cells were significantly higher in control postpartum women at 3, 6 and 9 months postpartum compared with non-postpartum women (P < 0.05). However, it was lower in PPT patients at 3 months compared to itself at 6 and 9 months postpartum (P < 0.05). In the early postpartum period of PPT patients, a reduced helper/inducer T cell subset, an increased percentage of activated T cells and a reduced percentage of regulatory T cells were reported, indicating that T cells may play a key role in the pathogenesis of PPT.

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Acknowledgments

The present study was supported by grants from China Medical Board (Grant # CMB98-688) and National Natural Science Foundation (Grant #30240013). We thank doctors in the Departments of Obstetrics & Gynecology, Shenyang No.5, 8 and 9 People’s Hospital for their assistance in case collection.

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest related to the publication of this manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Endocrine Department and Institute of Endocrinology, The First Affiliated Hospital of China Medical University, 110001, Shenyang, China

    Xiaoguang Shi, Yushu Li, Haixia Guan, Chenling Fan, Zhongyan Shan & Weiping Teng

  2. Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Shenyang No.5 People’s Hospital, 110015, Shenyang, China

    Chenyang Li, Ying Teng & Yuhong Ouyang

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  1. Xiaoguang Shi
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  2. Chenyang Li
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  3. Yushu Li
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  4. Haixia Guan
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  5. Chenling Fan
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  6. Ying Teng
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  7. Yuhong Ouyang
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  8. Zhongyan Shan
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  9. Weiping Teng
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Correspondence to Weiping Teng.

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X. Shi and C. Li have contributed equally to this manuscript.

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Shi, X., Li, C., Li, Y. et al. Circulating lymphocyte subsets and regulatory T cells in patients with postpartum thyroiditis during the first postpartum year. Clin Exp Med 9, 263–267 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10238-009-0046-0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10238-009-0046-0

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