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Figure 4 Nicotine pre-treatment increases endothelial progenitor cell (EPC) number in vitro. 1,1'-dioctadecyl-3,3,3',3'-tetramethylindocarbocyanine-labeled acetylated low-density lipoprotein (DilacLDL) uptake (A and B) of isolated mononuclear cells was determined by fluorescence microscopy. Treatment of the cells with nicotine for 48 h increased the number of adherent DilacLDL+ cells per high-power (HP) field in a dose-dependent fashion (C). For each group, n = 5. *p < 0.01 versus control.