TABLE 1.
CHARACTERISTICS OF STUDY POPULATION USED FOR IN VIVO BRUSHED LARGE AIRWAY EPITHELIAL SAMPLES*
| Parameter | Healthy Nonsmokers |
|---|---|
| n | 12 |
| Sex (male/female) | 7/5 |
| Age (years) | 42 ± 7 |
| Race (black/white/other) | 3/5/4 |
| Smoking history (pack-years) | 0 |
| Venous carboxyhemoglobin (%)† | 0.38 ± 0.59 |
| Urine nicotine | Undetectable |
| Urine cotinine | Undetectable |
| Pulmonary function parameters‡ | |
| FVC | 104 ± 13 |
| FEV1 | 97 ± 32 |
| FEV1/FVC | 82 ± 4 |
| TLC | 99 ± 13 |
| DLCO | 97 ± 10 |
| Number of large airway epithelial cells recovered x 106 | 7.6 ± 3.0 |
| Percent epithelial cells | 99 ± 1 |
| Percent inflammatory cells | 1.0 ± 0.3 |
Definition of abbreviations: FVC, forced vital capacity; FEV1, forced expiratory volume in 1 second; TLC, total lung capacity; DLCO, diffusing capacity.
*
Data are presented as mean ± SD.
†
Venous carboxyhemoglobin is a secondary marker of current smoking; nonsmokers, normal value < 1.5%.
‡
Pulmonary function testing parameters are given as percentages of predicted value, with the exception of FEV1/FVC, which is reported as percent observed.