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Fig. 3 | BMC Immunology

Fig. 3

From: Applied immuno-epidemiological research: an approach for integrating existing knowledge into the statistical analysis of multiple immune markers

Fig. 3

Conceptual model incorporating three inter-related immunological mechanisms (Th1-response, Th2-response, T-regulatory response) quantified by a battery of hierarchically clustered immune markers (multiple measurements of different cytokines). For each cytokine concentrations were determined from different cell cultures (ASC: A. lumbricoides specific response, BLOM: B. tropicalis specific response, DERM: D. pteronyssinus specific response, MITO: pokeweed mitogen response, NC: unstimulated spontaneous response). The model incorporates a-priori knowledge about which cytokine relates to which specific mechanism, e.g. to use IFN-y as a marker for the Th1 response or to use IL-5 as a marker for the Th2 response. Further knowledge excludes the ASC measure assumed to reflect a more complex difficult to interpret immune response. The numbered bullets (2-5) correspond to the analytical steps illustrated in Fig. 2 (step 1 not shown) the legend to the bullet briefly summarizes the analytical step

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