Figure 3.

Reticular basement membrane (RBM) thickness measurements. The representative photomicrograph of hematoxylin and eosin-stained bronchial mucosa specimen from (a) a control individual and (b) an asthma patient—the picture depicts typical asthma remodeling changes, including mucus cell hyperplasia and RBM thickening; abbreviations: Epi—epithelial cells, RBM—reticular basement membrane, Sub—submucosa; (c) RBM measurements in all three analyzed groups; n = 35 non-persistent airflow limitation patients, n = 36 persistent airway obstruction patients, and n = 24 control. Statistics: one-way covariance analysis (ANCOVA) adjusted for age, sex, and body mass index.