Comparison of cell counts and soluble mediators in induced sputum at 6 h following exposure to air and diesel exhaust
| Air | Diesel exhaust | p-value | |
| Total cell counts, ×106·mL−1 | 3.60 (2.37–4.28) | 3.52 (2.09–5.19) | ns |
| Neutrophils, % | 41.3 (13.0–51.2) | 36.3 (18.8–62.6) | ns |
| Macrophages, % | 49.8 (41.1–71.6) | 53.6 (32.6–71.1) | ns |
| Lymphocytes, % | 3.0 (1.8–4.2) | 2.4 (1.7–3.0) | ns |
| Eosinophils, % | 1.3 (0.6–2.0) | 0.8 (0.2–2.6) | ns |
| Ciliated Epithelial cells, % | 3.0 (1.9–5.3) | 2.8 (1.1–6.1) | ns |
| Methy1-histamine, µg·L−1 | 0.14 (0.07–0.23) | 0.08 (0.07–0.14) | ns |
| ECP, µg·L−1 | 31.6 (9.0–63.6) | 22.1 (9.7–51.1) | ns |
| MPO, µg·L−1 | 119.0 (62.7–367.7) | 84.2 (65.7–275.3) | ns |
| IL-8, pg·mL−1 | 35.0 (0.0–131.2) | 35 (0.0–108.8) | ns |
| IL-6, pg·mL−1 | 8.0 (5.2–13.8) | 12.8 (7.4–14.9) | 0.048 |
Results are expressed as median (interquartile range)
ns: non significant
ECP: eosinophil cationic protein
MPO: myeloperoxidase
IL: interleukin