TABLE 2.
Estimated median values of IL-10, IL-12, IgG, and IgA for cervical secretions extracted from different ophthalmic spongesa
| Sponge(s) and biomarkerb | Weck-Cel | Ultracell | Merocel | Pc |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| First | ||||
| IL-10 (pg/ml) | 29.2 | 87.2 | 164.1 | 0.09 |
| IL-12 (pg/ml) | 278.9 | 397.5 | 298.3 | 0.7 |
| IgG (μg/ml) | 2,221.2 | 2,592.6 | 2,549.6 | 0.5 |
| IgA (μg/ml) | 325.3 | 591.6 | 590.2 | 0.09 |
| Second | ||||
| IL-10 (pg/ml) | 96.4 | 139.3 | 73.1 | 0.7 |
| IL-12 (pg/ml) | 583.6 | 616.3 | 494.7 | 0.7 |
| IgG (μg/ml) | 2,479.3 | 3,371.8 | 2,056.5 | 0.2 |
| IgA (μg/ml) | 858.5 | 995.1 | 363.3 | 0.005 |
| Combined | ||||
| IL-10 (pg/ml) | 84.7 | 105.7 | 123.9 | 0.5 |
| IL-12 (pg/ml) | 404.5 | 471.1 | 451.9 | 0.6 |
| IgG (μg/ml) | 2,382.6 | 3,054.6 | 2,254.9 | 0.4 |
| IgA (μg/ml) | 694.3 | 798.9 | 518.5 | 0.2 |
The value was estimated by correcting for the dilution resulting from the extraction from the ophthalmic sponge (see Materials and Methods).
“First” and “second” sponge refers to the sequence in which the specimen was collected in the paired collection. The numbers of first sponges are as follows: for Weck-Cel, n = 30; for Ultracell, n = 30; and for Merocel, n = 28. The numbers of second sponges are as follows: for Weck-Cel, n = 29; for Ultracell, n = 29; and for Merocel, n = 30. The number of combined sponges in each case is the sum of the numbers of first and second sponges: for Weck-Cel, n = 59; for Ultracell, n = 59; and for Merocel, n = 58.
Differences in recovery from the sponges were evaluated by the Kruskal-Wallis test, a nonparametric analysis of variance statistic, and statistical significance is highlighted in bold print.