{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,20]],"date-time":"2026-07-20T10:02:07Z","timestamp":1784541727459,"version":"3.55.0"},"reference-count":33,"publisher":"Frontiers Media SA","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,20]],"date-time":"2026-07-20T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1784505600000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["frontiersin.org"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Front. Neurol."],"abstract":"<jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Background<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic immune-mediated disorder involving complex interactions among adaptive and innate immune pathways. The relationship between peripheral blood T cell subsets and clinical disability remains inadequately characterized. This study investigated associations between T cell subsets (CD4+, CD8+, CD4+\/CD8\u202f+\u202fratio) and Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) scores in MS patients.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Methods<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>We conducted a cross-sectional study of 48 MS patients who underwent EDSS scoring and flow cytometric analysis of peripheral blood T cell subsets. Clinical and treatment-related characteristics were also collected. Correlations between T cell parameters and EDSS scores were analyzed using Spearman correlation and multivariable linear regression. Exploratory sensitivity analyses were performed to evaluate the potential influence of disease-modifying therapy (DMT) exposure on the association between CD4+\/CD8\u202f+\u202fratio and EDSS.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Results<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>\n                      Forty-eight MS patients (mean age 35.1\u202f\u00b1\u202f5.8\u202fyears, 72.9% female) with mean EDSS score of 3.20\u202f\u00b1\u202f1.50 were included. Mean CD4+\/CD8\u202f+\u202fratio was 2.76\u202f\u00b1\u202f1.08 and correlated negatively with EDSS scores (\n                      <jats:italic>r<\/jats:italic>\n                      \u202f=\u202f\u22120.345,\n                      <jats:italic>p<\/jats:italic>\n                      \u202f=\u202f0.016). Stratified analysis showed progressive decline across disability groups: mild (EDSS 0\u20132.5): 3.19\u202f\u00b1\u202f1.37; moderate (EDSS 3.0\u20134.5): 2.64\u202f\u00b1\u202f0.81; severe (EDSS \u2265 5.0): 2.13\u202f\u00b1\u202f0.56 (\n                      <jats:italic>p<\/jats:italic>\n                      \u202f=\u202f0.050). In the selected covariate-adjusted multivariable model, the association between CD4+\/CD8\u202f+\u202fratio and EDSS was attenuated (\n                      <jats:italic>\u03b2<\/jats:italic>\n                      =\u202f\u22120.350,\n                      <jats:italic>p<\/jats:italic>\n                      =\u202f0.084). Exploratory treatment-related sensitivity analyses further suggested that this association may be influenced by DMT exposure.\n                    <\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Conclusion<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>CD4+\/CD8\u202f+\u202fratio was negatively associated with clinical disability in this cross-sectional MS cohort, and stratified analysis showed a progressive decline across disability severity groups. These findings suggest that CD4+\/CD8\u202f+\u202fratio may represent an exploratory peripheral immune indicator associated with disability status in MS.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.3389\/fneur.2026.1843351","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,20]],"date-time":"2026-07-20T09:06:11Z","timestamp":1784538371000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/crossmark-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Association between peripheral blood T cell subsets and clinical disability in multiple sclerosis patients"],"prefix":"10.3389","volume":"17","author":[{"given":"Penju","family":"Liu","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Neurology, Beijing Anzhen Hospital, Capital Medical University","place":["Beijing, China"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Wei","family":"Liu","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Neurology, The Second Hospital & Clinical Medical School, Lanzhou University","place":["Lanzhou, Gansu Province, China"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Xiaoting","family":"Zhang","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Neurology, Hospital of University of Jinan","place":["Jinan, Shandong Province, China"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Peng","family":"Yuan","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Neurology, Beijing Anzhen Hospital, Capital Medical University","place":["Beijing, China"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1965","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,20]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1816","DOI":"10.1177\/1352458520970841","article-title":"Rising prevalence of multiple sclerosis worldwide: insights from the atlas of MS, third edition","volume":"26","author":"Walton","year":"2020","journal-title":"Mult 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