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Standardization of the collection of exhaled breath condensate and exhaled breath aerosol using a feedback regulated sampling device
Citation:
Winters, B., J. Pleil, M. Angrish, M. Stiegel, T. Risby, AND M. Madden. Standardization of the collection of exhaled breath condensate and exhaled breath aerosol using a feedback regulated sampling device. Journal of Breath Research. Institute of Physics Publishing, Bristol, Uk, 11(4):1, (2017). https://doi.org/10.1088/1752-7163/aa8bbc
Impact/Purpose:
This manuscript describes improved methodology for invasive sampling of volunteers by breath collection. This new method decreases intra- and inter- sample volume variability, and thereby allows collection of exhaled breath condensate in a reproducible fashion within a day and across multiple days. The methodology is applicable for use in field and controlled exposure studies with human volunteers to assist in finding biological responses assayed by biomarkers of effects in the condensate. The condensate would also offer a compartment to measure markers of exposure as well.
Description:
Exhaled breath condensate (EBC) and associated exhaled breath aerosols (EBA) are valuable non-invasive biological media used for the quantification of biomarkers. EBC contains exhaled water vapor, soluble gas-phase (polar) organic compounds, ionic species, plus other species including semi- and non-volatile organic compounds, proteins, cell fragments, DNA, dissolved inorganic compounds, ions, and micro-biota (bacteria and viruses) dissolved in the co-collected EBA. EBC is collected from subjects who breathe “normally” through a chilled tube assembly for approximately 10 minutes and is then harvested into small vials for analysis. Aerosol filters without the chilled tube assembly are also used to separately collect EBA. Unlike typical gas-phase breath samples used for environmental and clinical applications, the constituents of EBC and EBA are not easily characterized by total volume or carbon dioxide (CO2) concentration, because the gas-phase is vented. Furthermore, EBC and associated EBA are greatly affected by breathing protocol, more specifically, depth of inhalation and expelled breath velocity. We have tested a new instrument developed by Loccioni Gruppa Humancare (Angeli di Rosora, Italy) for implementation of EBC collection from human subjects to assess EBC collection parameters. The instrument is the first EBC collection device that provides instantaneous visual feedback to the subjects to control breathing patterns. In this report we describe the operation of the instrument, and present an overview of performance and analytical applications.
URLs/Downloads:
DOI: Standardization of the collection of exhaled breath condensate and exhaled breath aerosol using a feedback regulated sampling device