T LYMPHOCYTE SUB POPULATIONS, CYTOKINES AND PREGNANCY SPECIFIC BETA-1

A comparative cross-sectional study of eclampticand normal healthy pregnant womenconductedin Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital (ABUTH),Shika Zaria to determine Tcell subpopulations (CD3+, CD4+ and CD8+T lymphocytes); cytokines (Tumor necrosis factor[TNF]-¿, Interleukin [IL]-2, IL-4, and IL-10) and Pregnancy Specific beta-1 Glycoprotein (PSG-1) levels in the peripheral blood ofthird trimester women with eclampsia (EC; N=38), normal healthy pregnant and non pregnant women controls(PC; N=38 and NPC; N=38 respectively), age and parity matched, attending labour rooms/wards and Antenatal Clinics (ANC) of Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital Shika,Zaria and four other Hospitals in Kaduna state, Nigeria. Participants with smear positive malaria, seropositive for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) or any other known clinical infection were excluded from this study. Complete Blood Count (CBC) and T lymphocytesubpopulationswere determined by Sysmex, Auto blood analyzer and Becton Dickinson (BD) FACScount machine using monoclonal anti-T lymphocyte antibody (FITC-Fluorescein isothiocynate labelled) respectively. Cytokines and PSG-1 levels were estimated using Quantikine ELISA kits.