Figure 1).

Quantitative measurements of bronchial biopsy specimens, according to the sampling site and group of interest. The circles and squares represent the asthmatic subjects and the healthy controls, respectively. Mean values are represented by horizontal bars. A No difference in total surface area of the bronchial biopsy samples from the different sampling sites and group of subjects. B Smaller amounts of smooth muscle (SM) area in bronchial biopsies obtained from healthy controls at the subsegmental level, compared with all other groups. C No statistical difference in the percentage of SM area/total surface for the different sampling sites and group of subjects. D Increased percentage of intact epithelium at the lobar carinae from healthy controls compared with asthmatic subjects. *P<0.05