We hypothesized that fetal lung contains and releases immunoreactive (ir) adrenocorticotropin (ACTH). Fetal sheep lung (89-145 days gestation, n = 13) irACTH content was 4,100 +/- 672 (SE) pg/g lung wet wt compared with 5,425 +/- 1,403 (SE) pg/g in adults (n = 5) when measured by radioimmunoassay (RIA). irACTH ...

Previous studies have shown that the increase of the enzymatic antioxidant defense that takes place in the fetal rat lung at the end of gestation can be accelerated by the synthetic glucocorticoid dexamethasone and diminished by metyrapone, a blocker of glucocorticoid synthesis. Since it is known that the fetal adrenal ...

Two molecular species of nonspecific cross-reacting antigens, NCA-90 and NCA-50 with mol. wts. of 90,000 and 50,000, respectively, were effectively extracted with phosphatidylinositol-specific phospholipase C (PI-PLC) from human lung tissues, followed by extraction with perchloric acid, immunoaffinity chromatography with anti-NCA adsorbent, and gel filtration on a TSK G3000SW column. The ...

Fetal breathing movements (FBM) are considered necessary for normal growth and structural maturation of the fetal lung, but the underlying mechanisms are unclear. The small fluctuations in lung dimensions caused by FBM have been proposed as a stimulus to lung growth, but it is equally possible that FBM act by ...

Corticostatin-I (CSI) is the most potent of the corticostatic peptides isolated from rabbit lungs and neutrophils. CSI was localized in cells by immunohistochemistry using highly specific polyclonal antisera raised against the synthetic peptide. Western blot showed a single 4-kilodalton band, indicating that the antibody employed was specific for CSI in ...

We reviewed our experience with fetal therapy for congenital cystic adenomatoid malformation of the lung (CCAM) at the University of California, San Francisco Fetal Treatment Center. Fetuses with life-threatening CCAM were selected for prenatal treatment according to predetermined guidelines, including the gestational age of the fetus, the size of the ...

The case history of a 27 year old male ex-intravenous drug user who presented with haemoptysis and indistinct lung shadowing is reviewed. During a 3 week period of investigation his lung shadowing increased dramatically and it became apparent that he had metastases from chorionic gonadotropin-producing testis cancer which had undergone ...

The aim of the present study was to establish whether ascorbic acid supplementation (1 mg/kg/body mass/day) during pregnancy and lactation will prevent the effect of maternal nicotine exposure (1 mg/kg/body weight/day) on neonatal lung carbohydrate, DNA and protein metabolism. The data show that the adult lung ascorbic acid content was ...

The human lung shows permanent retention of certain features (such as the absence of an infracardiac lobe, or the subdivision of the lobes in lobules) found in most mammal fetuses or youngsters. This phenomenon seems to be in line with the fetalization theory of Louis Bolk, who considered man as ...

Because immature, in contrast to mature, fetal lungs have ineffective Na transport, we wished to determine the ontogeny of Na(+)-K(+)-ATPase expression in fetal distal lung epithelium (FDLE). FDLE and fibroblasts (FLF) from 17- to 22-day gestational age fetal rats (term = 22 days) were grown in primary culture. Northern and ...

An accurate and reproducible measure of solute concentration of lung epithelial lining fluid (ELF) by bronchoalveolar lavage would be valuable in lung research and in patient care. Measurements of the albumin/total protein ratio in a previously proposed rewash lavage procedure showed that albumin enters the lavage fluid. Therefore, the rewash ...

Prenatal detection and serial sonographic study of fetuses with lung lesions now make it possible to define the natural history of these lesions, determine the pathophysiologic features that affect clinical outcome, and formulate management based on prognosis. The prenatal diagnostic hallmarks and natural history of congenital cystic adenomatoid malformation of ...

To clarify the precise role of epidermal growth factor (EGF) on fetal lung development, rabbit anti-mouse EGF (anti-mEGF) antiserum was administered to pregnant mice from days 10 to 17 during late gestation. Control mice were administered either normal rabbit serum (NRS) or physiological saline (PS). Serum EGF was not detected ...

A 32-year-old woman, 12 weeks pregnant, presented with bilateral spontaneous pneumothorax that did not heal with tube thoracostomy. At right and left thoracotomy, lymphangiomyomatosis of the lung was found and treated by pleurodesis. Lymphangiomyomatosis has been infrequently reported in the surgical literature, even though it may befall the thoracic surgeon ...

In order to elucidate the effects of corticosteroids on fetal hearts during midtrimester, pregnant rats were injected with a daily dose of betamethasone (1 mg/kg) from the 12th day through the 17th day of pregnancy. The fetal cardiovascular and pulmonary systems were studied on the 21st day of pregnancy (term). ...

OBJECTIVES: To determine whether hemoglobin quantitations using the Hemocue system, a rapid and portable hemoglobin photometer, on fetal blood obtained via funipuncture were accurate compared to the Coulter S-Plus IV. We also examined whether gestational age or extremes in hemoglobin levels significantly affected the accuracy of the Hemocue system. METHODS: ...

We have studied two babies with Hb H disease from birth to about six months of age and analyzed the changes in the relative quantities of the five globin chains (zeta, alpha, beta, G gamma, A gamma) and the four hemoglobins (Hb F, Hb A, Hb Bart's, Hb H) using ...

The purpose of this study was to determine whether retention of fetal lung liquid is more prevalent in polyalveolar congenital lobar emphysema than in conventional congenital lobar emphysema. Two patients with congenital lobar emphysema were prospectively identified in a 3-year period. Twenty-five such patients were identified in a retrospective study ...

The aim of this study was to measure the fetal lung area of normal human fetuses using ultrasound and them to test the predictive values of a nomogram in the identification of fetal lung hypoplasia. A nomogram for ultrasound-measured fetal lung area were constructed from 264 normal fetuses from 17 ...

Restrictive ventilatory defects characterized by a reduction in lung volumes and an increase in the ratio of forced expiratory volume in 1 second to forced vital capacity occur when lung expansion is limited because of alterations in the lung parenchyma or because of abnormalities in the pleura, chest wall, or ...

Interference with fetal breathing movements is known to retard morphologic development of the lung and to reduce compliance. We hypothesized that the lower compliance might be in part due to effects on lung structural proteins. We studied the effects of phrenic nerve section in utero on lung compliance and on ...

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate glucose metabolism during pregnancy, we measured plasma fructosamine, glycated albumin, and the stable glycated hemoglobin of the light and dense erythrocytes. STUDY DESIGN: The abnormal glucose tolerance group comprised patients with gestational diabetes and those with one abnormal value on a 75 gm oral glucose tolerance test. ...

The objective of this research was to develop a bolus-response method for the noninvasive determination of O3 distribution in the human lung. A previously developed O3 analyzer and bolus generator were incorporated in a computer-controlled inhalation system, and measurements of O3 absorption from inhaled 10-ml boluses with a peak O3 ...

A patient was referred at 21 weeks' gestation for unexplained fetal lung hyperechogenicity and ascites. Amniocentesis was normal. Fetal lung biopsy was consistent with the clinical diagnosis of cystic adenomatoid malformation of the lungs. However, autopsy of the stillborn infant demonstrated a cartilaginous bar, causing total laryngeal obstruction. The distinctive ...

Members of the cytochrome P4502E and 2B gene families have been implicated in the activation of nitrosamines to reactive species capable of binding to cellular macromolecules and initiating tumor formation in various rodent species. This study was initiated to determine the relative prevalence of these isozymes and their response to ...

Type III congenital cystic malformation of the lung with nonimmune hydrops and oligohydramnios was diagnosed at 17 weeks by ultrasonography. Massive fetal cardiac compression with probable associated left- and right-sided failure causing both the oligohydramnios and the ascites, respectively, was thought to be the underlying pathophysiologic mechanism of this unusual ...

The reproductive profile of 190 Ahom-Kachari mothers belonging to Mongoloid ethnic stock of Assam has been studied in relation to hemoglobin (Hb) E genotypes. No significant variations have been observed in the reproductive performance between the normal population and abnormal hemoglobin homozygote (HbEE) and heterozygote (HbAE) mothers. However, the reproductive ...

The tobacco-specific N-nitrosamino 4-(methylnitrosamino)-1-(3-pyridyl)-1-butanone (NNK) is a potent carcinogen in adult Syrian golden hamsters and causes a high incidence of tumors in the offspring of hamsters after in utero exposure. We have investigated how pregnancy and/or ethanol treatment modulates the microsomal metabolism of NNK. Pregnancy decreased the alpha-carbon hydroxylation (activation) ...

These studies were designed to investigate the relationship between body fluid volume expansion and secretion of lung liquid in fetal sheep. Twelve fetal animals were used for saline infusion studies after providing them with indwelling vascular catheters and an exteriorized tracheal loop. An additional 10 animals were used as controls. ...

Lung function tests were carried out on 39 healthy full term babies born after pregnancies subjected to mid-trimester amniocentesis. The results were compared to 42 babies born after normal pregnancies. There were no significant differences in gestational age, birth weight, thoracic gas volume or crying vital capacity. Babies subjected to ...

We studied the developmental expression of the cystic fibrosis (CF) gene in human lung tissue from normal and CF-affected fetuses. Two unrelated CF fetuses, both homozygous for the delta F508 deletion, were examined. Cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) mRNA was present in second-trimester CF lung and in first- and ...

Blood gas parameters and acid-base balance values were determined in adult pregnant New Zealand rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus) in standard laboratory housing conditions and during anaesthesia with an association of ketamine-chlorpromazine, administered before surgical procedures. All the variables were also studied in adult non-pregnant female, used as controls. No differences in ...

We monitored the immunohistochemically determined amount of surfactant-producing alveolar type II cells in human fetal lung using polyclonal antibodies against apoprotein B and C of human pulmonary surfactant. Lungs of 30 dead-born fetuses without lung affection aged between 15 and 38 weeks of gestation were evaluated and the surface density ...

We present a case of type III fetal cystic adenomatoid malformation with bilateral total involvement of the lungs. The characteristic sonographic findings are echogenic homogeneous lung mass, fetal ascites and placentomegaly. The early diagnosis at 16 weeks' gestation allows the elective termination of pregnancy because of the likely fatal prognosis. ...

Previous studies in preterm lambs have shown that exogenous surfactant is more uniformly distributed if given at birth before ventilation or if followed by high-frequency ventilation (HFV) after establishing conventional ventilation (CV). We hypothesized that the pre-term rabbit pup would respond similarly and that improved respiratory system compliance (Crs) would ...

Males and females exhibit different stages of lung development at the same gestation with males lagging behind. We hypothesized that one of the mechanisms responsible for the sex-specific difference in fetal lung maturation is a delay in the onset of epidermal growth factor (EGF) activity in the male fetal lung. ...

Maternal administration of glucocorticoids is known to stimulate fetal lung maturation. In the present study, we used microscopy and stereology to evaluate the morphological effects of maternal glucocorticoid treatment on rabbit fetal lung tissue. Betamethasone was administered to pregnant rabbits on days 25 and 26 of gestation at a dose ...

Wood trimmers are exposed to molds that periodically grow on timber that may induce alveolitis and obstructive lung disease. We have evaluated respiratory symptoms, bronchial reactivity, and lung function in 28 wood trimmers at a Swedish sawmill and in 19 unexposed office workers. Eleven (sero-positive) of the wood trimmers had ...

Ten plates of normal fetal ultrasonography (at 16-20 weeks' gestation) showing fluid, liver, lung, bone and intestine were submitted to electro-optical transmission surface densitometry. A distinct echogenic gradient has been found and used as an 'internal standard' to evaluate intestinal echogenicity. Intestine had significantly different echogenic properties from bone, liver ...

The subject of the present report is a male newborn with laryngeal atresia (LA) type I, giving rise to a malformation sequence consisting of overdistended polyalveolar lungs and nonimmune fetal hydrops with massive ascites. The infant was chromosomally normal and the first child of consanguineous parents. Retention of liquid secreted ...

Ischemia-reperfusion (IR) is a form of oxidant injury known to increase microvascular permeability in the lung. Agents that increase adenosine 3',5'-cyclic monophosphate (cAMP) levels have been shown to have beneficial effects in several models of oxidant lung injury associated with increased microvascular permeability. We investigated the role of adenylate cyclase ...

Oligohydramnios frequently leads to lung hypoplasia in the fetus, but the underlying mechanisms are incompletely understood. Our aim was to determine the effects of oligohydramnios on the dimensions of the fetal thorax. Using pairs of implanted ultrasound transducers in 6 fetal sheep, we measured 4 thoracic dimensions (transverse, anterior-posterior, manubrium ...

The mechanism of oligohydramnios-related pulmonary hypoplasia (PH) is not understood, but is known to involve chronic loss of lung liquid. In order to investigate the recent suggestion that fetal breathing movements are absent or diminished in oligohydramnios-related PH, we made continuous recordings of fetal breathing movements (FBM) during chronic lung ...

We conducted experiments with a previously described rabbit model of Escherichia coli-induced preterm pregnancy loss. Does at 70% gestation were inoculated hysteroscopically with 0.2 ml of Escherichia coli (10(5) colony-forming units per milliliter) or saline solution. Animals were randomly assigned to either receive treatment with ampicillin-sulbactam (begun 1 to 2 ...

When a 34-year-old woman had dyspnea and chylothorax 8 months postpartum, lymphangiomyomatosis was diagnosed by open-lung biopsy. Baseline laboratory studies to evaluate infertility had revealed normal hormonal levels. She was subsequently treated with various hormones to aid in conception and in sustaining pregnancy. Her condition has improved with progesterone therapy. ...

Forced vital capacity, Forced expiratory volume in 1 second, expiratory flow rates and V max at different lung volumes were statistically unchanged during the course of pregnancy compared to non pregnant control group. There was no restrictive or obstructive defects during the course of pregnancy despite the added mechanical load ...

To study the effect of oligohydramnios on lung growth and biochemical lung development in fetal rabbits, amniotic fluid was drained through a tube inserted into the maternal peritoneal cavity on the 23 day of gestation. Littermate fetuses without an amniotic shunt were used as controls. The fetuses were delivered abdominally ...

This article briefly reviews the participation of fetal compression, muscular weakness, and fetal akinesia in the genesis of the anomalies found in fetal akinesia deformation sequence (FADS) and oligohydramnios sequence (OS). Both sequences share phenotypic manifestations, such as arthrogryposis, short umbilical cord, and lung hypoplasia, in relation to decreased intrauterine ...

We determined the millimolar absorptivities of the four clinically relevant derivatives of fetal and adult human hemoglobin in the visible and near-infrared spectral range (450-1000 nm). As expected, spectral absorption curves of similar shape were found, but the small differences between fetal and adult hemoglobin absorptivity were important enough that ...

The first results are presented of a method to determine the maturity of fetal lung by sonography. By comparing the frequency characteristics of lung echoes to those from the fetal liver as a reference organ, we avoid the known pitfalls which previously made it impossible to standardize fetal lung changes ...