The gas chromatographic analysis of breath as a means to assess pathology and physiology in individuals with cystic fibrosis and other diseases.

摘要

The chemical content of human breath can be measured to assist in the diagnosis and treatment of patients with certain medical condition. The Rowland-Blake Chemistry Laboratory at the University of California, Irvine, is a group specializes in the simultaneous-determination of dozens of trace chemical species in complex gas mixtures. As a member of this group, I carried out several studies aimed at characterizing the chemical composition of human breath; assessing the ability gas chromatographic system, normally used to measure gases in atmospheric samples, to quantify gases in human breath; identifying chemical biomarkers of inflammation and microbiology in the breath of persons with cystic fibrosis (CF). The results of these studies are described in this dissertation, following a lengthy review of the current clinical applications of breath analysis, and the potential for new applications of breath analysis in CF.