Publications by authors named "Karen Chetwin"
Background: To see if the higher levels of nitric oxide expired by asthmatics compared to healthy subjects might be of significance to airway function, the effect of nitric oxide and its second messenger, guanosine 3', 5'- cyclic monophosphate (cGMP), on the permeability of human nasal epithelial cells was studied.
Material/methods: Cells from healthy and asthmatic donors, collected by swab biopsy, were plated on agar gel before being impaled with a microelectrode to measure their intracellular potential and membrane resistance.
Results: Exposure of cells to 300 mM sodium nitroprusside, a nitric oxide donor, caused a profound fall in both parameters in cells from non-asthmatics but no change in cells from asthmatic subjects.