MUCIN GENE EXPRESSION AND MEDIATORS OF INFLAMMATION IN CLINICAL SPECIMENS

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Excessive respiratory secretions are associated with a variety of inflammatory airway diseases. The purpose of this project is to characterize the gene expression in airway epithelial cells and in inflammatory cells in the airway in normal subjects and in subjects with asthma or chronic bronchitis. Subjects are studied with a history and physical examination, chest X-ray, and pulmonary function tests. This screening evaluation if followed by a bronchoscopic examination in which bronchial lavage and mucosal biopsies are taken. To date, seven subjects have been studied. These include 4 normal subjects and 3 asthmatic subjects. Subject accrual is currently ongoing. It is hoped that this study will contribute to the understanding of the nature of airway inflammation in asthma and chronic bronchitis and to the understanding of the airway epithelial cell response to inflammatory stimuli and to the understanding of airway epithelial cell modulation of the inflammatory response. These studies should allow for increased understanding of epithelial cell responses to airway inflammation.