Objective: This study aimed to statistically analyze the behavior of time-frequency features in digital recordings of wheeze sounds obtained from patients with various levels of asthma severity (mild, moderate, and severe), and this analysis was based on the auscultation location and/or breath phase. Method: Segmented and validated wheeze sounds were collected from the trachea and lower lung base (LLB) of 55 asthmatic patients during tidal breathing maneuvers and grouped into nine different datasets. The quartile frequencies F25, F50, F75, F90 and F99, mean frequency (MF) and average power (AP) were computed as features, and a univariate statistical analysis was then performed to analyze the behavior of the time-frequency features. Results: All features generally showed statistical significance in most of the datasets for all severity levels [χ2 = 6.021-71.65, p trachea-related datasets [χ2 = 13.54-55.32, p
Aerosol-based cell therapy has emerged as a novel and promising therapeutic strategy for treating lung diseases. The goal of this study was to determine the safety and efficacy of aerosol-based airway epithelial cell (AEC) delivery in the setting of acute lung injury induced by tracheal brushing in rabbit. Twenty-four hours following injury, exogenous rabbit AECs were labelled with bromodeoxyuridine and aerosolized using the MicroSprayer® Aerosolizer into the injured airway. Histopathological assessments of the injury in the trachea and lungs were quantitatively scored (1 and 5 days after cell delivery). The aerosol-based AEC delivery appeared to be a safe procedure, as cellular rejection and complications in the liver and spleen were not detected. Airway injury initiated by tracheal brushing resulted in disruption of the tracheal epithelium as well as morphological damage in the lungs that is consistent with acute lung injury. Lung injury scores were reduced following 5 days after AEC delivery (AEC-treated, 0.25 ± 0.06 vs. untreated, 0.53 ± 0.05, P trachea, AEC delivery led to an upsurge in epithelium regeneration and repair. Re-epithelialization was significantly increased 5 days after treatment (AEC-treated, 91.07 ± 2.37% vs. untreated, 62.99 ± 7.39%, P