title: Regulatory T cells in the blood: a new marker of surgical stress.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The function of regulatory T cells (Foxp3(+)CD4(+)CD25(+) T cells: Treg) after surgery remains unspecified. We investigated the potential role of Treg as a new stress marker for various operations.
  
  
  METHODS
  Thirty-three patients who underwent various operations at our department were divided into the following three groups based on the invasiveness of their surgery: Group A, those who underwent massively invasive surgery; Group B, those who underwent moderately invasive surgery; and Group C, those who underwent minimally invasive surgery. We measured Treg levels in the peripheral blood by flow cytometry and labeling with anti-CD4, CD25, and Foxp3 antibodies on preoperative day 1 and then on postoperative days (PODs) 1 and 6. Treg subpopulations in each group on the 3 days were compared.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Treg subpopulations were significantly higher on POD 6 than on preoperative day 1 in all patients. In Group B, Treg subpopulations varied according to the operative procedures undertaken. For example, there were marked differences between open and laparoscopic abdominal surgery. In Group A, the Treg subpopulations tended to be increased on POD 6, although those on POD 1 were lower than those on preoperative day 1.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These findings suggest that Treg is an efficient biomarker, indicative of the degree of surgical stress and its impact on immunological status.
authors: Department of Surgery, Institute of Health Biosciences, The University of Tokushima Graduate School, 3-18-15 Kuramoto-cho, Tokushima 770-8503, Japan.
authors: Yu
authors: Y
authors: Saito
authors: Mitsuo
authors: M
authors: Shimada
authors: Tohru
authors: T
authors: Utsunomiya
authors: Yuji
authors: Y
authors: Morine
authors: Satoru
authors: S
authors: Imura
authors: Tetsuya
authors: T
authors: Ikemoto
authors: Hiroki
authors: H
authors: Mori
authors: Jun
authors: J
authors: Hanaoka
authors: Shuichi
authors: S
authors: Iwahashi
authors: Shinichiro
authors: S
authors: Yamada
authors: Michihito
authors: M
authors: Asanoma
mesh_terms: D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D015704:CD4 Antigens; D005434:Flow Cytometry; D051858:Forkhead Transcription Factors; D006801:Humans; D053645:Interleukin-2 Receptor alpha Subunit; D018655:Lymphocyte Count; D011184:Postoperative Period; D013312:Stress, Physiological / Q000276:immunology*; D013514:Surgical Procedures, Operative / Q000009:adverse effects*; D018746:Systemic Inflammatory Response Syndrome / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000209:etiology* / Q000276:immunology; D050378:T-Lymphocytes, Regulatory / Q000502:physiology*; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D015704:CD4 Antigens; C418974:FOXP3 protein, human; D051858:Forkhead Transcription Factors; C508017:IL2RA protein, human; D053645:Interleukin-2 Receptor alpha Subunit