Table 6.

Cross-week changes of cellular and humoral parameters of sputum samples, comparison of study groups (median; min–max)

	Time	Reference (n = 12/22a)	Moderately exposed (n = 8/17a)	Highly exposed (n = 14/22a)
Total cell count (× 104)	Monday	14.9; 5.3–43.5	13.7; 4.3–73.0	7.9; 2.3–61.1
	Thursday	25.3; 3.1–51.4	8.4; 2.1–19.4	7.3; 2.1–40.4
Neutrophils (× 103)	Monday	13.5; 0.5–35.5	26.5; 3.5–52.5	4.8; 0.5–71.5
	Thursday	3.5; 0.5–35	6.5; 0.5–41.5	5.3; 1.5–12
Epithelial cells (× 103)	Monday	93.8; 55.5–100	94; 43.5–100	97.5; 22.5–100
	Thursday	94.5; 33.5–100	95.8; 53.5–10	99.3; 76–1006
Total protein (µg/mL)	Monday	201.5; 69–465	144; 52–1035	136; 13–1533
	Thursday	262.5; 121–477	128.5; 35–354	140.5; 15–701
IL-8 (pg/mL)	Monday	671; 16–9379	567; 26–35,270	518; 11–49,795
	Thursday	1083; 276–8414	576; 22–2.856	355; 16–16,847
MMP-9 (ng/mL)	Monday	184; 0.2–796	42; 0.9–2.336	104; 0.4–2.296
	Thursday	237; 0.2–1193	106; 9.0–285	26; 0.7–1.695
TIMP-1 (ng/mL)	Monday	18.8; 1.5–38.9	11.4; 0.4–169	15.1; 0.03–184
	Thursday	20.1; 6.4–87.4	9.1; 0.03–27.5	7.9; 0.03–102
LTB4 (pg/mL)	Monday	465; 52–2698	292; 42–2790	528; 54–5063
	Thursday	766; 91–1856	189; 42–1295	423; 35–3850
8-Iso-prostane (pg/mL)	Monday	318; 6–5897	166; 19–1456	452; 19–3138
	Thursday	221; 6–3411	128; 101–1862	308; 16–3385
Substance P (pg/mL)	Monday	45.6; 9.8–169.1	34.6; 9.8–88.6	45.3; 9.8–163.0
	Thursday	28.6; 9.8–234	46.4; 33.9–145	52.1; 9.8–228

^aMissing values were below limit of quantification (LOQ)