The ampicillin levels in sputum, serum, and saliva from 40 patients receiving a dose of 250 mg., 26 patients receiving a dose of 500 mg., and 11 patients receiving a dose of I g. were estimated. The ampicillin was given orally four times daily. The 1-2 hour and 2-3 hour sputum levels were similar in individual patients. There was no difference in the range or mean sputum or saliva levels betwee...

BACKGROUND Polymorphonuclear neutrophil (PMN)-dominated inflammation is prominent in the airways of subjects with cystic fibrosis (CF) and chronic bronchitis (CB). Interleukin (IL)-8, myeloperoxidase (MPO), and DNA are markers of neutrophilic inflammation. We hypothesized that sputum MPO, DNA, and IL-8 concentrations would negatively correlate with pulmonary function and sputum transportability...

Abstract Background When Candida species is found in a sputum culture, clinicians generally dismiss it as contaminant. We sought to identify cases of community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) which might play contributory etiologic role. Methods In convenience sample patients hospitalized for CAP, we screened “high-quality sputum” by Gram stain (> 20 WBC/epithelial cell) and performed quantitative ...

BACKGROUND The prognostic role of low sputum eosinophils in steroid-naïve, symptomatic asthmatic patients is controversial. AIM To verify whether low sputum eosinophils predict poor response to treatment with inhaled corticosteroids. METHODS Sixty-seven symptomatic asthmatic patients with moderate asthma were examined before and after 2 weeks and 4 weeks of treatment with beclomethasone dip...

BACKGROUND Periostin levels are associated with airway eosinophilia and are suppressed by corticosteroid treatment in asthma. This study sought to determine the relationship between serum and sputum periostin, airway inflammatory phenotype and asthma control. METHODS Adults with poorly-controlled asthma (n = 83) underwent a clinical assessment, sputum induction and blood sampling. Dispersed s...

Mucus obstruction of the airway in patients with cystic fibrosis (CF) reduces lung function, invites infection, and limits delivery of inhaled drugs including gene therapy vectors to target cells. Not all patients respond to presently available mucolytics, and new approaches are needed. Our objectives were to investigate the in vitro effects of unfractionated heparin (UFH) on the morphology and...

It is unclear how cellular and soluble inflammatory markers in induced sputum relate to markers in lavage fluid and biopsies in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). This was investigated and also the possible differences between subjects with COPD and healthy controls assessed. Eighteen nonatopic subjects with COPD and 11 healthy controls were studied. Sputum was induced by inhalation ...

BACKGROUND For the detection of respiratory pathogens, the sampling strategy may influence the diagnostic yield. Ideally, samples from the lower respiratory tract are collected, but they are difficult to obtain. OBJECTIVES In this study, we compared the diagnostic yield in sputum and oropharyngeal samples (OPS) for the detection of respiratory pathogens in patients with community-acquired pne...

Early-bactericidal-activity (EBA) studies measure the change in mycobacterial load in sputum over time to evaluate antituberculosis drugs. We investigated whether a delay in sputum processing influences the quantitative results of sputum mycobacterial culture. We identified pretreatment smear-positive sputum samples collected overnight and processed at a single laboratory. Sputum volume, time f...

BACKGROUND Patients with seasonal allergic rhinitis may develop bronchial hyperresponsiveness during the active disease period. Eosinophil activation may occur in the bronchial mucosa and may be reflected by increased sputum levels of eosinophil cationic protein (ECP), especially when ECP binding proteins such as alpha 2-macroglobulin pass through the lamina propria and across the epithelium in...