title: Quantification of neutrophil migration into the lungs of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To quantify neutrophil migration into the lungs of patients with chronic pulmonary obstructive disease (COPD).
  
  
  METHODS
  Neutrophil loss via airways was assessed by dedicated whole-body counting 45 min, 24 h and 2, 4, 7 and 10 days after injection of very small activities of (111)In-labelled neutrophils in 12 healthy nonsmokers, 5 healthy smokers, 16 patients with COPD (of whom 7 were ex-smokers) and 10 patients with bronchiectasis. Lung accumulation of (99m)Tc-labelled neutrophils was assessed by sequential SPECT and Patlak analysis in six COPD patients and three healthy nonsmoking subjects.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Whole body (111)In counts, expressed as percentages of 24 h counts, decreased in all subjects. Losses at 7 days (mean ± SD) were similar in healthy nonsmoking subjects (5.5 ± 1.5%), smoking subjects (6.5 ± 4.4%) and ex-smoking COPD patients (5.8 ± 1.5%). In contrast, currently smoking COPD patients showed higher losses (8.0 ± 3.0%) than healthy nonsmokers (p = 0.03). Two bronchiectatic patients lost 25% and 26%, indicating active disease; mean loss in the remaining eight was 6.9 ± 2.5%. The rate of accumulation of (99m)Tc-neutrophils in the lungs, determined by sequential SPECT, was increased in COPD patients (0.030-0.073 min(-1)) compared with healthy nonsmokers (0-0.002 min(-1); p = 0.02).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In patients with COPD, sequential SPECT showed increased lung accumulation of (99m)Tc-labelled neutrophils, while whole-body counting demonstrated subsequent higher losses of (111)In-labelled neutrophils in patients who continued to smoke. Sequential SPECT as a means of quantifying neutrophil migration deserves further evaluation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Respiratory Medicine, University of Cambridge School of Clinical Medicine, Cambridge, UK.
authors.forename: Prina
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Ruparelia
authors.forename: Katherine R
authors.initials: KR
authors.lastname: Szczepura
authors.forename: Charlotte
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Summers
authors.forename: Chandra K
authors.initials: CK
authors.lastname: Solanki
authors.forename: Kottekkattu
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Balan
authors.forename: Paul
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Newbold
authors.forename: Diana
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Bilton
authors.forename: A Michael
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Peters
authors.forename: Edwin R
authors.initials: ER
authors.lastname: Chilvers
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001692:Biological Transport; D002452:Cell Count; D002465:Cell Movement; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007205:Indium Radioisotopes / Q000378:metabolism; D008168:Lung / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D020556:Neutrophil Infiltration; D009504:Neutrophils / Q000166:cytology* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000276:immunology*; D015609:Organotechnetium Compounds / Q000378:metabolism; D029424:Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism; D013183:Sputum / Q000276:immunology; D015899:Tomography, Emission-Computed, Single-Photon
chemical_list: D007205:Indium Radioisotopes; D015609:Organotechnetium Compounds