Evidence map›Paper›PMID 30079894›Full record

ArticleJournal of breath research2018

Iron concentration in exhaled breath condensate decreases in ever-smokers and COPD patients.

Andrew J Ghio, Joleen M Soukup, John McGee, Michael C Madden, Charles R Esther

Open access · greenAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Journal of breath research, 2018. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
4citing papers in PubMed
0.5field-weighted citation impact, top 30% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

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.

2 · The registry

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.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

4 citing papers in PubMed, 5 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Review
  2. Acidosis, Iron Dyshomeostasis and Inflammatory Injury.International journal of molecular sciences · 2026
    Review
  3. The Role of Particle Inhalation in Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis.International journal of molecular sciences · 2025
    Review
  4. Cigarette Smoke Particle-Induced Lung Injury and Iron Homeostasis.International journal of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
    Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.

Andrew J GhioNational Health and Environmental Effects Research Laboratory, Environmental Protection Agency, Chapel Hil, NC 27514, United States of America.ORCID 0000-0003-0502-6448
Joleen M SoukupNational Health and Environmental Effects Research Laboratory, Environmental Protection Agency, Chapel Hil, NC 27514, United States of America.
John McGeeNational Health and Environmental Effects Research Laboratory, Environmental Protection Agency, Chapel Hil, NC 27514, United States of America.
Michael C MaddenNational Health and Environmental Effects Research Laboratory, Environmental Protection Agency, Chapel Hil, NC 27514, United States of America.
Charles R EstherPediatric Pulmonology, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, United States of America.
Environmental Protection Agency · USUniversity of North Carolina at Chapel Hill · US

Funding

Intramural EPA EPA999999
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Investigation employing bronchoalveolar lavage supports both increased and decreased iron concentrations in the epithelial lining fluid (ELF) of smokers. Exhaled breath condensate (EBC) is an alternative approach to sampling the ELF. We evaluated for an association between iron homeostasis and both smoking and a diagnosis of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) by measuring metal concentrations in EBC samples from non-smoker controls, smoker controls, and individuals diagnosed with COPD. The total number of EBC specimens was 194. EBC iron and zinc concentrations (mean ± standard error) in the total study population were 0.610 ± 0.025 and 40.73 ± 1.79 ppb respectively. In linear regressions, total cigarette smoking in pack years showed a significant (negative) relationship with EBC iron concentration but not with EBC zinc concentration. Iron concentrations in EBC from GOLD stage II, III, and IV patients were all significantly decreased relative to those from non-smoker and smoker controls. In contrast to iron, zinc concentrations in EBC were not significantly different than those from non-smoker and smoker controls. It is concluded that smoking decreases EBC iron concentrations and patients diagnosed with COPD have significantly lower EBC iron concentrations. These results likely reflect an increased burden of cigarette smoke particles in the lower respiratory tract of ever-smokers and patients with COPD and the capacity of components in this particle to complex iron.

Indexed as

ExhalationSmokersAgedBreath TestsFemaleHumansIronMaleMiddle AgedPulmonary Disease, Chronic ObstructiveZincIronZinc

Identifiers

PMID30079894
PMCPMC7985833
OpenAlexW2887014143

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

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.