Elevated Tim-3 expression on circulating CD4 and CD8 T cells in HBV-infected individuals . (A) <t>PBMCs</t> from normal controls, AHB patients (early phase), MCHB and SCHB patients were stained with antibodies against CD3, CD4/CD8, and Tim-3. An isotype-matched antibody was used as a negative control. (B) The percentage of Tim-3 cells within CD4+ and CD8+ T cell populations are increased in AHB and CHB patients and further enhanced in the severe stage of CHB. Each dot represents an individual data point and the horizontal lines represent the mean. The Mann-Whitney U test was used to compare differences among groups. (C) There is a significantly positive correlation between the frequency of Tim-3-expressing CD4 + and CD8 + T cells in the studied subjects. Spearman test was performed for correlation analysis.