Table 1.
Demographics and Biologic Samples
| Parameter | Nonsmokers | Waterpipe Smokers | P Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Number of patients | 19 | 21 | |
| Sex, male/female, n | 9/10 | 13/8 | >0.3 |
| Age, yr | 33 ± 9 | 25 ± 4 | <10−3 |
| Ethnicity, black/white/other, n | 6/5/8 | 8/2/11 | >0.3 |
| BMI, kg/m2 | 25 ± 5 | 25 ± 4 | >0.7 |
| Alpha-1 antitrypsin, mg/dl | 152 ± 27 | 137 ± 39 | >0.1 |
| HIV status | Negative | Negative | NA |
| IgE, IU/ml | 228 ± 526 | 119 ± 104 | >0.3 |
| Blood pressure, systolic/diastolic, mm Hg | 115 ± 8/71 ± 12 | 115 ± 9/65 ± 8 | >0.8/>0.1 |
| Heart rate, beats/min | 70 ± 11 | 70 ± 10 | >0.9 |
| Smoking history | |||
| Age of initiation, yr | NA | 21 ± 5 | NA |
| Duration of smoking, yr | NA | 4.1 ± 2.5 | NA |
| Sessions/wk | NA | 3.5 ± 2.5 | NA |
| Urinary nicotine,* ng/ml | 0 | 67 ± 193 | NA |
| Urinary cotinine,* ng/ml | 0 | 99 ± 205 | NA |
| Carboxyhemoglobin, % | 0 ± 0.7 | 2.1 ± 1.7 | <0.02 |
| Cough score† | 0.5 ± 0.6 | 1.3 ± 1.1 | <0.008 |
| Sputum score† | 0.4 ± 0.5 | 1.2 ± 1.1 | <0.007 |
| Pulmonary function parameters‡ | |||
| FVC, % predicted | 106 ± 12 | 98 ± 15 | >0.06 |
| FEV1, % predicted | 105 ± 11 | 98 ± 13 | >0.1 |
| FEV1/FVC, % observed | 84 ± 3 | 86 ± 5 | >0.06 |
| FEF25–75%, % predicted | 93 ± 16 | 97 ± 15 | >0.4 |
| PEF, % predicted | 101 ± 15 | 103 ± 15 | >0.6 |
| TLC, % predicted | 95 ± 15 | 94 ± 14 | >0.8 |
| DlCO, % predicted | 90 ± 10 | 82 ± 14 | <0.04 |
| Percentage of emphysema, −950 HU | 1.5 ± 1.8 | 0.6 ± 0.6 | >0.07 |
| Small airway epithelium | |||
| Number of cells recovered, ×106 | 4.3 ± 2.2 | 4.8 ± 4.3 | >0.6 |
| Percentage of inflammatory cells | 1.0 ± 0.7 | 1.0 ± 1.0 | >0.6 |
| Percentage of epithelial cells§ | 98.9 ± 0.8 | 99.1 ± 0.8 | >0.9 |
| Percentage of ciliated cells | 70.8 ± 4.6 | 62.6 ± 8.9 | <0.005 |
| Percentage of secretory cells | 9.6 ± 4.6 | 14.5 ± 5.6 | <0.005 |
| Percentage of basal cells | 11.2 ± 7.5 | 4.5 ± 4.1 | <0.002 |
| Percentage of intermediate cells | 8.6 ± 4.4 | 17.9 ± 6.3 | <10−5 |
| BAL cells‖ | |||
| Number of cells recovered, ×106 | 12.6 ± 7.5 | 8.6 ± 5.2 | >0.08 |
| Percentage of macrophages | 85.9 ± 10.4 | 91.8 ± 10.0 | >0.05 |
| Percentage of neutrophils | 2.7 ± 2.4 | 1.4 ± 2.3 | >0.08 |
| Percentage of lymphocytes | 8.9 ± 8.1 | 5.7 ± 8.1 | >0.2 |
| Percentage of eosinophils | 0.5 ± 0.7 | 0.8 ± 1.7 | >0.6 |
Definition of abbreviations: BAL = cells removed by bronchoalveolar lavage; BMI = body mass index; DlCO = diffusing capacity of the lung for carbon monoxide; FEF = forced expiratory flow; FEF25–75% = forced expiratory flow, midexpiratory phase; HU = Hounsfield units; NA = not applicable; PEF = peak expiratory flow; TLC = total lung capacity.
Data are presented as average ± SD. P values of numeric parameters were calculated using a two-tailed Student’s t test. P values of categorical parameters were calculated using a χ2 test. Values represent prebronchodilator measurements.
Undetectable urine nicotine was defined as less than 2 ng/ml, undetectable cotinine as less than 5 ng/ml.
Cough and sputum scores were each evaluated on a scale of 0–4, where 0 = not at all; 1 = only with chest infections; 2 = a few days per month; 3 = several days per week; and 4 = most days of the week (23).
Pulmonary function testing parameters are given as percentage of predicted value, with the exception of FEV1/FVC, which is reported as percentage observed.
As a percentage of small airway epithelium recovered.
Alveolar macrophages were purified by adherence before transcriptome analysis (see Methods section in the online supplement).