Figure 1

Quantification of KRECs and TRECs. (A) Number of KREC⁺ lymphocytes in 36 HIV-1⁺ patients that initiated cART and were thereafter followed up for 72 months (group I, from T0 to T72), in 22 HIV-1⁺ patients that did not need therapy (group II), and in 72 age and gender-matched uninfected subjects (group III). (B) Number of TREC⁺ lymphocytes in group I, II and III. Values in individual patients are shown as clear circles, and dashed significance lines indicate the results of the longitudinal analysis. (C) KRECs and (D) TRECs and CD4⁺ cell modulation during the follow-up in HIV-1⁺ patients of group I divided according to their CD4⁺ cell number before therapy start (< 200/μL: clear symbols, dashed lines; and ≥ 200/μL: filled symbols, solid lines). The lines (in gray for CD4⁺ cells) connect the means (indicated either by circles, as in the case of KRECs and TRECs, or by triangles, as in the case of CD4⁺ cells); error bars indicate the 95% confidence intervals.