Fig. 1

a Comparison of CD4⁺CD28^null T-cells in IC and PB samples. The frequency of CD4⁺CD28^null T-cells was significantly higher in IC blood (p < 0.001, Wilcoxon signed rank test). b Representative flow cytometry data from PB and IC lymphocytes showing the gating strategy for CD4⁺CD28^null T cell analysis. An initial region was performed in a FSC/SSC diagram to circumscribe the lymphocyte population (not shown) and a second region was defined for CD3⁺CD4⁺ cells. Thereafter identification of CD28⁻ cells was performed