It has been suggested from several animal studies and clinical observations that congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH) with pulmonary hypoplasia is accompanied by a disturbed perinatal ion transport. This could lead to respiratory distress due to slower clearance of fetal lung fluid at birth. The purpose of this study was to ...

Postnatal lung growth and development have primarily been evaluated from a very limited number of autopsied lungs, but it remains unclear whether alveolarization of the lung is complete during infancy and whether the conducting airways grow proportionately. The purpose of this study was to evaluate lung growth and development in ...

Normal lung development follows a series of orchestrated events. Premature birth interrupts normal in utero lung development, which results in significant alterations in lung function and physiology. Increasingly, there are reports documenting the broad range of complications experienced by infants aged 34 to 36 weeks' gestational age (GA). Our objective ...

BACKGROUND: Maternal glucocorticoid (GC) treatment is widely used to prevent lung immaturity in preterm infants. There is growing evidence that GCs may be detrimental to the Central Nervous System (CNS). We investigated whether antenatal GC administration affects CNS function in a dose-dependent manner by measuring urine concentrations of a well-established ...

At birth the transition by the fetal situation to neonatal life occurs. The real mechanism of lung liquid reabsorption and lung aereation at birth, in the past attributed only to the epithelial sodium channel function, has recently been linked to the first important breaths too and to the following changes ...

Preterm birth is associated with altered white matter microstructure, defined by metrics derived from diffusion tensor imaging (DTI). Tract-based spatial statistics (TBSS) is a useful tool for investigating developing white matter using DTI, but standard TBSS protocols have limitations for neonatal studies. We describe an optimised TBSS protocol for neonatal ...

PURPOSE: To quantify distribution of albuterol aerosol generated by a pneumatic nebulizer within the nose and lungs of a model of a 9-month-old child (SAINT) and aerosol loss to the environment, during simulated breathing at increasing tidal volumes (TVs). METHODS: (99m)technetium-labeled albuterol aerosol was generated by an IPI nebulizer with ...

There are limited data assessing the relationship between fraction of exhaled nitric oxide and lung function or exacerbations in infants with recurrent wheezing. In a longitudinal pilot study of children less than 2 years old, we assessed whether baseline fraction of exhaled nitric oxide was associated with lung function, bronchodilator ...

Hyperoxia-induced lung injury is characterized by an influx of inflammatory cells, increased pulmonary permeability, endothelial and epithelial cell death. This review highlights the mechanistic aspects of inflammation, vascular leak and cell death. The focus will be on agents that contribute to hyperoxia-induced lung injury in developmentally appropriate animal models, and ...

BACKGROUND: A proteolytic imbalance has been implicated in the development of "classical" chronic lung disease of prematurity (CLD). However, in "new" CLD this pattern has changed. This study examines the longitudinal relationship between neutrophil proteinases and their inhibitors in ventilated preterm infants and their relationship to microbial colonisation. METHODS: Serial ...

The clinical pathology describing infants with chronic lung disease of infancy (CLDI) has been limited and obtained primarily from infants with severe lung disease, who either died or required lung biopsy. As lung tissue from clinically stable outpatients is not available, physiological measurements offer the potential to increase our understanding ...

Premature newborns frequently require manual ventilation for resuscitation during which lung injury occurs. Although surfactant protein (SP)-D regulates pulmonary inflammation, SP-D levels are low in the preterm lung. Commercial surfactants for treatment of respiratory distress syndrome do not contain SP-D. To determine whether addition of recombinant human SP-D (rhSP-D) to ...

OBJECTIVE: To explore any differences in impaired brainstem function between preterm infants with neonatal chronic lung disease (CLD) and term infants after perinatal asphyxia. METHODS: Brainstem auditory evoked responses (BAERs) collected using maximum length sequence (MLS) technique were compared at term equivalent age between 43 CLD infants and 117 asphyxiated ...

The following review focuses on the normal development of the lung from conception to birth. The defined periods of lung development-Embryonic, Pseudoglandular, Canalicular, Saccular and Alveolar-will be explored in detail in relation to gestational age. Cellular differentiation, formation of the conducting airways and respiratory zone and development of the alveoli ...

The study of respiratory mechanics in infants requires a noninvasive accurate measurement of the lung volume changes (DeltaVL). Optoelectronic plethysmography (OEP) allows the assessment of DeltaVL through the measurement of the chest wall surface motion and it has been proved to be accurate in adults. The aim of this study ...

Chronic lung disease (CLD) remains a major problem in neonatal intensive care units. Persistent inflammation in the lungs is the most likely underlying pathogenesis. Corticosteroids have been used to either prevent or treat CLD because of their potent anti-inflammatory effects. To determine if postnatal corticosteroid treatment is of benefit in ...

The incidence of live preterm birth is increasing and concomitantly the survival of preterm babies has increased over the last 30 years due to advances in neonatal care. Bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) is a chronic respiratory disease that develops as a consequence of perinatal and/or neonatal lung injury following preterm birth ...

Pulmonary alveolar proteinosis (PAP) is a rare disease in infancy, resulting from abnormalities of surfactant production or decreased catabolism of surfactant. The only effective treatment of the congenital form of PAP is bronchoalveolar lavage. A 4-month-old boy with severe PAP received bilateral partial lung lavage on two occasions resulting in ...

OBJECTIVE: To assess whether lung volume and ventilation inhomogeneity in preterm infants at 15-18 months corrected age, and the change in these outcomes from the newborn period to 15-18 months corrected age, depend on gestational age (GA) at birth and the severity of neonatal lung disease. STUDY DESIGN: Preterm (GA ...

To evaluate the potential of different lung measurements using three-dimensional ultrasonography (3D-US) to predict perinatal outcome in isolated congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH). Twenty-one fetuses presenting isolated CDH were prospectively evaluated by 3D-US between January 2002 and November 2003. Observed/expected total, contralateral and ipsilateral fetal lung volume ratios (o/e-TotFLV, o/e-ContFLV and ...

OBJECTIVE: To see whether there was any difference in the effect of antenatal corticosteroids on neonatal outcomes according to different gestational ages at birth. METHODS: This was a prospective cohort study in a geographically defined population (Trent region, UK). All infants admitted for neonatal care, of 23-32 weeks' gestation, born ...

BACKGROUND: Common acute viral respiratory infections (colds) are the most frequent cause of exacerbations in infants with recurrent wheezing (RW). However, there is no quantitative information about the effect of colds on the lung function of infants with RW. This study was undertaken to determine the effect of common cold ...

Although bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) is a common cause of interstitial lung disease in chronically intubated premature neonates, other interstitial lung disease in nonintubated infants is rare. We present a case of pulmonary interstitial glycogenosis that developed in a nonintubated, 31-week gestation infant in whom infectious etiologies had been excluded. The ...

With the rapid somatic growth and development in infants, simultaneous accurate measurements of lung volume and airway function are essential. Raised volume rapid thoracoabdominal compression (RTC) is widely used to generate forced expiration from an airway opening pressure of 30 cmH(2)O (V(30)). The (dynamic) functional residual capacity (FRC(dyn)) remains the ...

Previous studies reported impaired cerebral cortical gray matter (CGM) development and neurodevelopmental impairment after neonatal dexamethasone treatment for chronic lung disease (CLD) in preterm newborns. No long-term effects on neurocognitive outcome have yet been shown for hydrocortisone treatment. A prospective study was performed to evaluate the brain growth at term ...

The pathogenetic cascade of meconium aspiration syndrome (MAS) in newborn infants is complex and still incompletely studied. The variable clinical presentation of MAS is basically connected with variation of the amount and consistency of aspirated meconium and also its distribution within the affected lungs. The contributing role of other factors, ...

OBJECTIVE: To examine whether the intra-amniotic inflammation is a risk factor for the development of atypical chronic lung disease (CLD). STUDY DESIGN: A retrospective cohort study was undertaken in 72 patients who delivered preterm neonates (gestational age: 24-32 weeks) within 5 days of amniocentesis and whose neonates subsequently developed CLD. ...

Selecting the optimal mode of respiratory support remains a daily challenge for the practicing neonatologist. We are faced with a bewildering array of modalities and a paucity of definitive studies to guide our decisions. In this context the choice of therapies must be guided by evidence-based guidelines, supplemented by a ...

In newborn infants, thoraco-abdominal surgery is a serious intervention with respect to gas exchange and lung mechanics. This prospective clinical study compared surgery-induced changes in functional residual capacity (FRC) and ventilation inhomogeneity (VI) indices with changes in conventional monitoring parameters. Of 29 ventilated newborns (mean weight 2,770+/-864 g at surgery), ...

OBJECTIVE: To determine the global and regional changes in lung volume during and after closed endotracheal tube (ETT) suction in high-frequency ventilated preterm infants with respiratory distress syndrome (RDS). DESIGN: Prospective observational clinical study. SETTING: Neonatal intensive care unit. PATIENTS: Eleven non-muscle relaxed preterm infants with RDS ventilated with open ...

BACKGROUND: It is clear that inflammation plays an important role in developing chronic lung disease in preterm infants. The purpose of the present study is to investigate changes of serum soluble tumor necrosis factor receptor-1 levels over time in infants with chronic lung disease. METHODS: The serum levels of soluble ...

Chronic lung disease (CLD), defined as chronic oxygen dependency, is a common outcome of neonatal intensive care. It occurs most frequently in infants born very prematurely, but also in infants born at term who had severe lung disease and those with abnormal antenatal lung growth due particularly to reduction in ...

The lungs of very preterm infants have immature airways and gas exchange structures and are usually surfactant deficient. Antenatal corticosteroids are commonly used to enhance fetal lung maturation in preterm infants, but little is known of their effects on pulmonary blood flow (PBF) before and immediately after birth. Our aim ...

AIM: The aim of the study was to determine whether neonatal respiratory distress is related to changes in water and ion transporter expression in lung epithelium. METHODS: The study included 32 neonates on mechanical ventilation: 6 patients with normal lung X-rays (control group), eight with respiratory distress syndrome (RDS), eight ...

OBJECTIVE: Improvement in survival of extremely premature infants over the past several decades has resulted in an increase in the number of infants with chronic lung disease (CLD). Historical neonatal exposures associated with CLD now less frequently precede the disease. There is now increasing interest in exposures and events before ...

Children born before term often have reduced lung function, but the effects of preterm birth alone are difficult to determine owing to iatrogenic factors such as mechanical ventilation. Our objective was to determine the effects of preterm birth alone on airway resistance, airway reactivity, and ventilatory heterogeneity as an index ...

Congenital lobar emphysema (CLE) characterized by over distension and air-trapping in the affected lobe is one of the causes of infantile respiratory distress requiring surgical resection of affected lobe. At induction, positive pressure ventilation can expand the emphysematous lobe compressing the normal lung resulting in severe cardiovascular compromise. We report ...

Previous studies reported impaired cerebral cortical gray matter development and neurodevelopmental impairment following neonatal dexamethasone treatment for chronic lung disease in preterm newborns. No long-term effects on neurocognitive outcome have yet been shown for hydrocortisone treatment. A prospective study was performed to evaluate brain growth at term in preterm infants ...

OBJECTIVE: Preterm infants have a high incidence of neurodevelopmental impairment associated with diffuse cerebral white matter abnormalities and also a high incidence of serious respiratory disease. However, it is unclear if lung disease and brain injury are related, and previous research has been impeded by confounding effects, including prematurity and ...

PURPOSE: In infants with congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH), somatic growth and pulmonary development are key issues beyond the time of intensive care treatment. The aim of the study was to investigate the somatic growth and pulmonary function after discharge and to compare CDH patients with a group of matched controls. ...

The dynamic functional residual capacity (FRC(dyn)), the lung volume most routinely measured in infants, is an unreliable volume landmark. In addition to the FRC(dyn), we measured the (passive) static FRC (FRC(st)) by inducing a brief post-hyperventilation apnea (PHA) in 33 healthy infants aged 7.4-127.2 weeks. A commercial system for nitrogen ...

Human lung development begins around day 26 postconception and continues throughout early childhood. Many crucial events can affect this delicate tissue as it develops, leading to altered and abnormal growth and development of the lungs, thereby yielding a variety of morbidities and sometimes even mortality. Understanding the pathophysiology of lung ...

Obstructive lung diseases remain as important complications of preterm birth, usually attributed to a combination of lung immaturity, oxygen therapy and ventilator support. This is particularly true for low birth weight infants with severe respiratory neonatal disease; however, preterm infants that did not initially demonstrate significant respiratory neonatal disease also ...

The contribution of Ureaplasma respiratory tract colonization to the pathogenesis of bronchopulmonary dysplasia in preterm infants has been debated for over 20 y. We review the current understanding of the role of inflammation in altered developmental signaling in the preterm lung and the evidence from human studies and experimental models ...

OBJECTIVE: To determine the effect of lung recruitment on pulmonary, systemic, and ductal blood flow in preterm infants treated with primary high-frequency ventilation (HFV). STUDY DESIGN: Thirty-four infants (median gestational age, 28 weeks) were included in this prospective cohort study. Changes in oxygenation in response to stepwise changes in the ...

OBJECTIVE To determine the impact of intrauterine inflammation of maternal (chorioamnionitis) and fetal (umbilical vasculitis) origin and neonatal sepsis on the development of neonatal chronic lung disease in preterm infants. METHODS: This study was conducted at Royal Prince Alfred Hospital in Sydney, Australia. All infants born at <30 weeks' gestation, ...

Little is known about the influence of maternal inflammation on neonatal outcome. Production of IL-1beta in the lungs of newborn infants is associated with bronchopulmonary dysplasia. Using bitransgenic (bi-TG) mice in which human (h) IL-1beta is expressed with a doxycycline-inducible system controlled by the Clara cell secretory protein promoter, we ...

OBJECTIVE: To examine neuronal function of the auditory brainstem in neonatal chronic lung disease (CLD) and detect any differences from perinatal asphyxia. METHODS: Infants with CLD and infants after perinatal asphyxia were studied at term (37-42 weeks postconceptional age). Wave amplitudes of maximum length sequence brainstem auditory evoked response (MLS ...

In a retrospective, single-center cohort study, outcomes of infants and toddlers undergoing lung transplant at St. Louis Children's Hospital between 1990 and 2004 were compared to older children. Patients with cystic fibrosis (exclusively older children) and those who underwent heart-lung, liver-lung, single lung or a second transplantation were excluded from ...

In 1972, Drs Liggins and Howie published a landmark article demonstrating that antenatal corticosteroids significantly reduced the frequency of respiratory distress syndrome and neonatal mortality. A single course of antenatal corticosteroids has become standard of care for pregnant women at risk for preterm birth. Recent studies have suggested weekly courses ...