Franny Jongbloed

155 6 MORBID OBESITY, BARIATRIC SURGERY AND T-CELL AGING Total T=0 Total T=3 Total T=6 Total T=12 0 10 20 30 40 * * CD4 + Time after bariatric surgery (months) Relative telomere length (%) of CD4 + T cells Total T=0 Total T=3 Total T=6 Total T=12 0 10 20 30 40 CD8 + Time after bariatric surgery (months) Relative telomere length (%) of CD8 + T cells T=0 T=3 T=6 T=12 0 10 20 30 40 No MetS Time after bariatric surgery (months) Relative telomere length (%) of CD4 + T cells T=0 T=3 T=6 T=12 0 10 20 30 40 No MetS Time after bariatric surgery (months) Relative telomere length (%) of CD8 + T cells T=0 T=3 T=6 T=12 0 10 20 30 40 MetS Time after bariatric surgery (months) Relative telomere length (%) of CD4 + T cells T=0 T=3 T=6 T=12 0 10 20 30 40 MetS Time after bariatric surgery (months) Relative telomere length (%) of CD8 + T cells A D B E C F Figure 2. Relative telomere length (RTL) after bariatric surgery. (A) CD4 + RTL of the total obesity group significantly increased up to six months postoperatively, after which RTL significantly declined again. (B) No CD4 + RTL differences were seen in the group without MetS, or (C) in the group with MetS. (D) No changes were seen in the CD8 + RTL due to obesity, or (E) in the group without MetS or (F) with MetS. A paired samples test was used; missing values were excluded from the analysis. MetS = metabolic syndrome. * = P< 0.05.