2.1 Human volunteers
Healthy donors were recruited among staff members of the Fondazione
Mario Negri Sud. All signed an informed consent form. Individuals with
CF (demographic characteristics are reported in Table 1) were recruited
at the Cystic Fibrosis Center of the Atri Hospital (TE, Italy) on an
outpatient basis. Patients and their parents were informed about the
rationale and objectives of the study and asked to sign the relative
form. The experimental protocol was communicated to the Ethic Committee
of the Institution, according to the national guidelines (G.U. n. 76 del
31-03-2008). Inclusion criteria: no antibiotics or steroids for at the
least two weeks before blood collection. Blood (15 ml) was collected in
the occasion of a scheduled routine control. Pulmonary function was
evaluated after a suspension of at least 12 hours of bronchodilator or
leukotriene receptor antagonist administration.