Fig. 4

Association of peripheral blood osteoclast progenitor (OCP) frequency and proportions of subsets expressing chemokine receptors with chemokine levels and indicators of disease activity. a Association of peripheral blood OCP frequency (CD3⁻CD19⁻CD56⁻CD11b⁺CD14⁺) with plasma concentration of CC chemokine ligands (CCL2, CCL5) in control subjects (CTRL) and patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). b Association of CXC chemokine receptor 4 (CXCR4) expression in OCPs with arthritis duration, plasma levels of tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), carboxy-terminal telopeptide of type I collagen (CTX), and rheumatoid factor (RF). c Proportions of CXCR4⁺ OCPs in patients with or without treatment with disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs). Association was established using rank correlation, and Spearman’s coefficient ρ and p values are shown for total data, including both CTRL and RA, whereas group trend lines are shown separately as dashed lines for CTRL and solid lines for RA. Group-to-group comparisons were performed using a nonparametric Mann-Whitney U test, and p values <0.05 are shown. Values are presented as medians (middle lines), with boxes representing IQR, whiskers representing 1.5 times the IQR, and squares or circles representing outliers