Blood samples were collected into EDTA Vacutainers (BD Biosciences, San Jose, CA, USA) for a complete blood cell count (CBC) using an automated analyzer (Bayer ADVIA 120; Bayer Diagnostics, Tarrytown, NY, USA). Serum was isolated from whole blood collected without an anticoagulant, centrifuged (1000g for 10 min) and submitted for a full biochemical profile (Cobas c501; Roche Diagnostics International, Risch, Switzerland, http://www.roche-diagnostics.ch). Lymphocytes were phenotyped (CD4, CD8, CD21) exactly as previously described [22 (link), 23 (link)].
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