Fig. 2

Proinflammatory cytokine levels and their correlation with lumican levels in human subjects. BALF levels of IL-6 (A), IL-8 (B), and TNF-α (C) were measured in patients with ARDS and control subjects. BALF lumican levels were positively correlated with BALF levels of (D) IL-6, (E) IL-8, and (F) TNF-α. Values are expressed as medians with interquartile ranges. The significance of between-group differences was examined using the Kruskal–Wallis test. p < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Correlations were investigated using Spearman’s correlation analysis (r indicates the correlation coefficient). ARDS acute respiratory distress syndrome, BALF bronchoalveolar lavage fluid, IL interleukin, TNF-α tumour necrosis factor-alpha