Trial reportCanadian respiratory journal
Alcohol fixation of induced sputum samples for applications in rural communities.
Trial report in Canadian respiratory journal. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
4 citing papers in PubMed, 6 citations in OpenAlex.
- A novel method to assess airway eosinophilia using sputum plugs.ERJ open research · 2026Article
- The impact of diurnal variation on induced sputum cell counts in healthy adults.Clinical and translational allergy · 2013Article
- Re: Dorman SC, Bussoli MA, Ritz SA. Alcohol fixation of induced sputum samples for applications in rural communities. Can Respir J 2010;17:115-121.Canadian respiratory journalArticle
- Establishing a normal range for induced sputum cell counts in Western Canada.Canadian respiratory journalArticle
Corrections and comments
- Commented on by
Authors and funding
3 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundSputum induction is a tool recommended for the assessment of airway inflammation and disease management. Currently, its use is limited because samples need to be processed within 3 h of induction (ie, while cells are viable); therefore, this procedure is unavailable to most clinicians.
objectiveTo develop a fixation method for induced sputum samples that allows for a delay in processing while maintaining sample integrity and not altering the standard processing method.
methodsSputum samples were collected and split into three portions: a fresh sample processed using the routine method (within 3 h, using dithiothreitol); fixation in alcohol followed by delayed processing using the routine method (within 48 h to 72 h, using dithiothreitol); and fixation in formaldehyde followed by delayed processing using an alternative method (within 48 h to 72 h, using proteolysis). For each method, cytospins were prepared and differential cell counts were performed.
resultsFixation in alcohol provides accurate measures of eosinophils and macrophages, but not neutrophils. Formaldehyde fixation provides accurate measures of neutrophils and macrophages, but not eosinophils. DISCUSSION: Alcohol fixation is a superior method for eosinophil quantification. It requires alteration of standardized methods for sputum sample processing and should be recommended for monitoring eosinophilic airway disease in settings where immediate processing of a sputum sample is not possible.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.