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Background: Immunophenotyping of blood lymphocytes is an essential tool to evaluate the immune function of patients with immunodeficiency or autoimmunity. Predominately identified CD4+T cell subsets, Th1, Th2, Th17, as well as regulatory T (Treg) cells, play crucial roles in several immunological and pathological conditions. Considering the variations in cell counts among populations and ethnicities, specific CD4+T cell subset reference values need to be locally established to enable meaningful comparisons and accurate data interpretation in clinical and research settings. Therefore, the aim of this study was to establish distributions and reference ranges for blood CD4+T cell subpopulations in age- and sex-balanced healthy adults of a Han Chinese population in Shanxi Province, North China. Methods: Peripheral blood CD4+T cell subsets were examined in 150 healthy volunteers (75 males, 75 females) aged 20–70 years with a four-color FACSCalibur flow cytometer. Results: Reference value percentages (absolute counts, cells/μl) were defined as 95% of the population for cell types as follows: CD4+T, 23.78–51.07 (360–1127); Th1, 0.43–39.62 (2.64–276.21); Th2, 0.27–3.57 (1.80–27.14); Th17, 0.22–2.62 (1.10–19.54); and Treg, 2.17–7.94 (13.47–64.58). The ranges for the Th1:Th2 and Th17:Treg ratios were 0.59–52.37 and 0.04–0.76, respectively. Notably, a significant increase was observed in the values of Treg cells in older individuals, and the numbers of Treg cells in females also tended to decrease when compared to those in males. Therefore, we established the distribution and reference range of CD4+T cell subsets based on age and sex, demonstrating the lowest values of Treg cells in younger females. Conclusions: Collectively, our data provide population-, age-, and sex-specific distributions and reference ranges of circulating CD4+T cell subpopulations, which can be adopted to guide clinical decisions and interpretation of immunophenotyping data in the Han Chinese population in Taiyuan, Shanxi Province, China. In addition, the low expression of peripheral Treg cells in younger females may be associated with the predisposition of females to autoimmune diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Evaluating whether the quartz Electron Spin Resonance (ESR) signals were completely bleached at the time of deposition is critical to sediment ESR dating. Datong volcanic group is located in Datong City, Shanxi Province, which is one of the most famous volcanic groups in China. The eruption of the Datong volcanoes during the geological period produced a large amount of high-temperature lava flow, which directly covered the Quaternary lacustrine deposits and caused high-temperature baking on the underlying lacustrine layer. Therefore, by investigating the field profile in the Yujiazhai area, located to the southeast of the Datong Volcanic Group, we propose a new pattern to evaluate the signal bleaching degree of ESR centers by comparing the ages of the baked and unbaked sediment layers by lava flow. The result showed that the quartz Al and Ti-Li centers in the lacustrine sediments can be adequately bleached during transportation and bleaching in natural conditions in our study area. In addition, the chronology of volcanic eruption in the Yujiazhai area is about 350 ka. The determination of the eruption age will help us to better understand the detailed eruption history of the Datong volcanic group. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]