| In the October edition of the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, researchers hypothesized that an electronic nose can discriminate between the exhaled air of patients with asthma from healthy controls, and between patients with different disease severities. Exhaled breath contains thousands of volatile organic compounds that could serve as biomarkers of lung disease – electronic noses can distinguish these compounds. The researchers studied a small group of patients with mild asthma and their controls and a group of patients with severe asthma and their controls and used an electronic nose to analyze their exhaled breath. Results showed that patients with mild asthma were distinguished from their controls and that patients with severe asthma were also distinguished from their controls. Patients with mild and severe asthma were less well discriminated from each other. The authors concluded that an electronic nose can discriminate exhaled breath of patients with asthma from controls but is less accurate in distinguishing asthma severities. To view the abstract of this study, visit http://www.jacionline.org/article/PIIS009167490701038X/abstract. |
Printer Friendly 
