TABLE 2.

MUCIN STORES, GOBLET CELL CHARACTERISTICS, AND MUCIN PROTEIN IMMUNOHISTOCHEMISTRY IN THE AIRWAY EPITHELIUM AND SUBMUCOSAL GLANDS OF HEALTHY SUBJECTS AND SUBJECTS WITH CYSTIC FIBROSIS

Outcome	Healthy, Mean (n = 15)	CF, Mean (n = 7)	Difference	95% CI	p Value
Epithelial height, μm	31.66	40.46	8.80	4.607 to 12.99	0.0003*
Volume of epithelial mucin per surface area of basal lamina, μm3/μm2	2.778	3.327	0.549	−0.890 to 1.987	0.436
Mean goblet cell volume, μm3	2,239	3,312	1073	379.6 to 1767	0.004*
Number of goblet cells per surface area of basal lamina, no./mm2	1,469	1,108	−360.8	−1,239 to 517	0.402
Volume of submucosal gland per volume of submucosa, mm3/mm3	0.039	0.108	0.069	0.005 to 0.133	0.036*
Volume of serous cell acini per volume of gland, mm3/mm3	0.376	0.412	0.060	−0.178 to 0.249	0.733
Volume of mucous cell acini per volume of gland, mm3/mm3	0.642	0.631	−0.012	−0.211 to 0.188	0.905
Volume of neutrophil elastase per volume of submucosa, mm3/mm3	0.027	0.021	−0.007	−0.025 to 0.011	0.414
Volume of neutrophil elastase per volume of epithelium, mm3/mm3	0.017	0.057	0.040	0.022 to 0.058	0.0002*
Volume of epithelial TGF-α per surface area of basal lamina, μm3/μm2	3.671	7.023	3.351	−1.100 to 7.803	0.132
Volume of submucosal TGF-α per surface area of basal lamina, μm3/μm2	0.438	1.282	0.844	0.201 to 1.487	0.013*

Definition of abbreviations: CI = confidence interval; CF = cystic fibrosis; TGF-α = transforming growth factor α.

^*p < 0.05 versus healthy control subjects by t-test.