Table 5. Associations between respiratory health among pupils (N = 462) from junior high schools in Johor Bahru, Malaysia and concentration of chemical microbial markers in vacuumed dust from the classroom.
| Type of exposures | Wheeze | Daytime attacks of breathlessness | Nocturnal attacks of breathlessness | A history of atopy | Respiratoryinfectionslast 3 months | Doctor’s diagnosed asthma |
| C10 3-OH FA | 0.54 (0.35–0.82) ** | 0.94 (0.71–1.24) | 0.80 (0.54–1.17) | 0.93 (0.74–1.18) | 0.73 (0.38–1.41) | 1.20 (0.92–1.58) |
| C12 3-OH FA | 0.98 (0.86–1.12) | 0.94 (0.87–1.01) | 0.91 (0.80–1.03) | 0.97 (0.90–1.04) | 1.21 (1.02–1.45) * | 1.01 (0.93–1.09) |
| C14 3-OH FA | 0.90 (0.60–1.36) | 0.82 (0.65–1.04) | 0.78 (0.55–1.11) | 1.05 (0.86–1.30) | 2.07 (1.22–3.51) ** | 1.17 (0.92–1.48) |
| C16 3-OH FA | 0.85 (0.62–1.15) | 0.78 (0.64–0.94) ** | 0.71 (0.53–0.94) * | 0.96 (0.81–1.13) | 0.92 (0.56–1.53) | 0.89 (0.73–1.08) |
| C18 3-OH FA | 0.93 (0.59–1.46) | 0.85 (0.65–1.10) | 0.78 (0.53–1.14) | 1.06 (0.84–1.34) | 1.69 (0.90–3.16) | 1.00 (0.76–1.32) |
| LPS | 0.82 (0.49–1.36) | 0.72 (0.53–0.97) * | 0.64 (0.41–0.98) * | 1.00 (0.76–1.31) | 1.72 (0.82–3.62) | 1.00 (0.72–1.38) |
| MuA | 0.69 (0.42–1.12) | 0.83 (0.63–1.08) | 0.77 (0.50–1.18) | 1.14 (0.91–1.43) | 0.88 (0.45–1.72) | 1.07 (0.83–1.38) |
| Ergosterol | 0.94 (0.73–1.20) | 0.96 (0.84–1.10) | 0.90 (0.71–1.14) | 0.95 (0.84–1.08) | 1.03 (0.76–1.41) | 1.10 (0.98–1.23) |
| Amount of fine dust on filters | 0.70 (0.25–1.95) | 1.43 (0.79–2.58) | 1.10 (0.45–2.69) | 1.30 (0.71–2.39) | 0.12 (0.04–0.41) *** | 1.08 (0.64–1.82) |
AM = arithmetic mean, GM = Geometric Mean, GSD = Geometric standard deviation.
3-OH FA: 3-hydroxy fatty acids; LPS: Lipopolysaccharide (endotoxin); MuA: Muramic Acid.
Reported data are Odds Ratio (OR) with 95% Confidence Interval (CI) by a 2-level hierarchic logistic regression model adjusted for gender, race, tobacco smoking and heredity:
(OR calculated for 10 nmol/g dust increase in C10 3-OH FA).
(OR calculated for 10 nmol/g dust increase in C12 3-OH FA).
(OR calculated for 100 nmol/g dust increase in C14 3-OH FA).
(OR calculated for 100 nmol/g dust increase in C16 3-OH FA).
(OR calculated for 100 nmol/g dust increase in C18 3-OH FA).
(OR calculated for 100 nmol/g dust increase in LPS).
(OR calculated for 10 µg/g dust increase in MuA).
(OR calculated for 1 µg/g dust increase in ergosterol).
(OR calculated for 1000 mg increase in fine dust).
*p<0.05:
**p<0.01;
***p<0.001.