Table 5.
Concentrations of EBC metabolites responsible for classification between group A (vitamin E plus azithromycin) and group B (vitamin E alone) CF patients 2 weeks after treatment withdrawal (run-out phase, visit 4)∗.
| Group A (vitamin E plus azithromycin) | Group B (vitamin E) | P-value | |
|---|---|---|---|
| (n = 10) | (n = 6) | ||
| EBC metabolite (μM) | |||
| Acetate | 9.78 ± 2.99 | 6.65 ± 2.07 | 0.023 |
| Acetoin/acetone | 13.48 ± 4.77 | 19.31 ± 6.43 | 0.042 |
| Ethanol | 10.23 ± 3.92 | 15.60 ± 5.29 | 0.015 |
| Methanol | 4.89 ± 2.10 | 2.17 ± 0.91 | 0.010 |
| Saturated fatty acids | 17.71 ± 6.83 | 10.91 ± 3.28 | 0.041 |
∗NMR signals were integrated and referred to the internal TSP signal of known concentration (100 μM). EBC metabolite concentrations are expressed as mean ± SD. P < 0.05 is considered statistically significant. CF, cystic fibrosis; EBC, exhaled breath condensate; NMR, nuclear magnetic resonance; TSP, sodium trimethylsilylpropionate.