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ABSTRACT
SUMMARY Sputum induction in asthma is a non-invasive, well tolerated method to obtain repeated samples of lower airway secretions. It is an important tool with clinical applications and research possibilities since measurement of cellular and molecular indices in sputum represents the only practical and direct way to assess airway inflammation serially and in large numbers of patients. This also increases our understanding of the complex relationships between inflammatory cells, mediator and cytokine mechanisms in asthma. Pneumon 2000, 13 (3): 209-212