Figure 1

Accumulation of CD8⁺ CD28^- cells in peripheral blood mononuclear cells of 95 patients with ankylosing spondylitis (AS) (●) and 53 age-matched healthy controls (○). Cells were stained with fluorescence-marked antibodies directed against CD3, CD8 and CD28 and flow cytometry was used to count CD3⁺, CD8⁺, CD28⁺ and CD28^-cells. The Mann–Whitney test was used to determine the statistical difference between patients and the healthy control group. ^*P < 0.001.