Figure 3
Influence of inhaled corticosteroid treatment on the phagocytic capacity of neutrophils via pattern-recognition receptors in children with mild, moderate and severe persistent asthma before and during the 3rdand 6thmonths of treatment compared to healthy controls using non-sensitized Saccharomyces cerevisiae . The data are expressed as the median, quartile and extreme values. The outlier data are indicated. Top: average number of S. cerevisiae yeast cells ingested by phagocytosing neutrophils (A, D, G); Middle: percentage of neutrophils engaged in phagocytosis (B, E, H); Bottom: neutrophil phagocytic index (C, F, I). The statistical differences are marked in the graphics and in text.