Fig. 5.

Markers of lung epithelial damage induced after inhalation exposure were quantified. Levels of (A) total proteins and (B) albumin in the BAL of exposed-mice infected with NTHI for 0, 4, and 12 h were quantified as described in the Materials and Methods section. Difference between groups is considered significant at p < 0.05 using the Kruskal-Wallis test corrected for multiple comparisons by controlling the False Discovery Rate using Two-stage linear step-up procedure of Benjamini, Krieger and Yekuieli post-test. Desired FDR was adjusted at Q = 0.1. * Statistically significant difference from continued exposure to cigarettes (blue). # Statistically significant difference from cessation (green). * Statistically significant difference from continued exposure to cigarettes (blue). # Statistically significant difference from cessation (green). Numbers of mice used for: continued exposure to CS group (n = 8 mice at 0, n = 11 mice at 4 h and n = 8 mice at 12 h timepoint); for switching to HTP group (n = 12 mice at each 0, 4 and 12 h timepoints), and for cessation group (n = 10 mice at 0 h, n = 12 mice at 4 h and n = 8 mice at 12 h timepoint). Results are depicted as mean ± SE