AIM: Atopic infants hospitalized for wheezing not caused by respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) carry the highest risk for later asthma. In the present paper, early risk factors for later lung function abnormalities and for bronchial hyper-responsiveness (BHR) were evaluated in 81 children, hospitalized for bronchiolitis in infancy, at the median ...

Aquaporin-4 (AQP4) has been reported to be upregulated post-partum in pregnancy and in early lung development. Several technical challenges exist in measuring AQP4 protein levels, among them sensitivity to detergent solubilization, sample heating and gel composition. Here we have optimized quantification of AQP4 using immuno-blots. Using improved methodology we find ...

OBJECTIVE: We hypothesized that administration of alcohol during the second trimester of gestation at the pseudoglandular phase of lung development might lead to aberrant differentiation and growth, similar to that seen in congenital cystic adenomatoid malformation in human. We further hypothesized that these effects would be apparent morphologically and by ...

BACKGROUND: Fetal tracheal occlusion (TO) has been investigated as a treatment option for lung hypoplasia secondary to congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH). TO increases lung size, but it is unclear whether TO stimulates mature lung growth or simply induces alveolarization without concomitant bronchial development. In this study, we characterize bronchial branch ...

OBJECTIVE: To analyze congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH) during a 10-year period at the University of Kiel, from 1995 through 2004, in order to develop a strategy to improve prenatal diagnosis, to be able to consider endoscopical treatment for selected cases and to assess the current postnatal treatment strategies. METHODS: Data ...

Late-gestation lung protein 1 (LGL1) is a glycoprotein secreted by fetal lung mesenchyme that stimulates branching morphogenesis of the developing lung bud. We show that Lgl1 mRNA and protein are also expressed in mesenchymally derived lineages of fetal kidney. Although Lgl1 expression is stimulated by glucocorticoids in kidney cells, cortisol ...

Maternal immune responses can promote allergy development in offspring, as shown in a model of increased susceptibility to asthma in babies of ovalbumin (OVA)-sensitized and -challenged mother mice. We investigated whether inflammatory responses to air pollution particles (diesel exhaust particles, DEP) or control "inert" titanium dioxide (TiO(2)) particles are enhanced ...

Pulmonary vascular development is essential for proper lung development, and its disturbance can lead to neonatal morbidity and mortality, as exemplified in congenital diaphragmatic hernia. Hypoxia-inducible factors (HIFs) appear to be key molecules in physiologic angiogenesis and in certain forms of lung pathology, such as bronchopulmonary dysplasia. Little is known ...

BACKGROUND: Hypercapnia with hyperventilation shortens the time between turning off the vaporizer (1 MAC) and when patients open their eyes after isoflurane anesthesia by 62%. METHODS: In the present study we tested whether a proportional shortening occurs with sevoflurane and desflurane. RESULTS: Consistent with a proportional shortening, we found that ...

Several animal models have been proposed to study the pathophysiology of congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH). Surgical induction of CDH in fetal rabbits during the pseudoglandular phase has been shown to induce severe pulmonary hypoplasia, but functional studies in this model are scarce. We aimed to measure neonatal pulmonary impedance and ...

BACKGROUND: Congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH) continues to be associated with significant mortality and morbidity rates despite advances in neonatal care. Fetal intervention for CDH has been studied for 25 years. After initial difficulties encountered with open fetal repair, attention has turned to tracheal occlusion (TO) as a method to correct ...

OBJECTIVE: Glutathione is a natural antioxidant in the fetus and adult. We sought to determine whether maternal hypoxia alters glutathione levels in fetal organs as an adaptive response to the reduced oxygenation. STUDY DESIGN: Timed pregnant guinea pigs were housed in either a Plexiglas chamber containing 10.5% O(2) from 46 ...

Allopregnanolone (AP) is a potent GABAergic agonist that suppresses CNS activity, seizure threshold, and excitotoxicity in the adult brain. AP is present in the fetal sheep brain and increases rapidly after asphyxial insult due to increased 5alpha-reductase type-2 (5alphaR-2) expression. The aim of this study was to use finasteride to ...

INTRODUCTION: Diaphragmatic hernia during pregnancy is uncommon and is usually traumatic in origin, epigastric pain, and vomiting could be the initial symptoms of herniation of gastrointestinal contents, with a risk of strangulation and ischaemia, leading to respiratory distress due to collapse of the lung. METHODS: Case report. RESULTS: A 27-year-old ...

Epidermal growth factor receptor signaling plays an important role in lung maturation. The authors hypothesized that specific protein kinase C (PKC) isoforms are expressed and activated by epidermal growth factor (EGF) and transforming growth factor alpha (TGFalpha) (EGF receptor [EGFR] ligands) in fetal lung fibroblasts. The authors found 4 PKC ...

Human MUC1 mucin is a high-molecular weight transmembrane glycoprotein expressed on the apical surface of the simple epithelia of many different tissues. Previous investigations suggest the involvement of MUC1 in epithelial cytodifferentiation and glandular morphogenesis. However, the role of MUC1 in the development of the fetal respiratory tracts has so ...

OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to compare 3D lung volume measurements with 2D biometric parameters in predicting pulmonary hypoplasia in pregnancies complicated by preterm premature rupture of the membranes (PPROM). METHODS: In this prospective study, 18 pregnancies complicated by PPROMs at a mean 21 weeks' gestation (range 14-32 ...

OBJECTIVE: To report a rare fetal congenital lung anomaly characterized by over inflation of a pulmonary lobe. CASE REPORT: A 28-year-old systemic lupus erythematous mother, gravida 1 para 0, who had normal prenatal care in our department, was admitted for labor pain and an abnormal fetal heart location was noted ...

BACKGROUND: Swine farmers are exposed to a number of airborne contaminants associated with respiratory ill health. OBJECTIVES: To examine the factors associated with healthy worker effect in the swine industry from a longitudinal follow-up of farmers at 4 years and 13 years. DESIGN: A prospective study of swine farmers and ...

AIM: The purpose of this study was to compare the two- and three-dimensional methods for measuring fetal lung volume of normal fetuses. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was performed with 51 normal pregnant women between 20 and 35 weeks. The ellipsoid formula (X*Y*Z*0.52) was used for volume calculation with the two-dimensional ...

OBJECTIVES: To assess the effect of fetoscopic tracheal occlusion (FETO) enhanced by hyperoncotic distension on pulmonary hypoplasia from preterm premature rupture of membranes prior to 22 weeks of gestation (ePPROM). METHODS AND RESULTS: In a fetus with ePPROM since 19+5 weeks of gestation, MRI at 28+2 weeks provided a lung ...

We determined the effects of high gestational loads on ventilation and the rate of oxygen consumption (VO2) in the scincid lizard Tiliqua rugosa. Tiliqua rugosa is a large viviparous lizard that gives birth to one to four young after 6-7 mo gestation. Pregnant females gave birth to large young, weighing ...

A 33-year-old woman pregnant with twins was diagnosed with metastatic lung cancer during pregnancy. Her multidisciplinary care raised many medical and ethical issues. To help decide on the best anaesthetic technique for caesarean section, a literature search of published case reports of pregnancy associated with lung cancer was performed. Thirty-five ...

Meconium staining of the skin is a common event associated with fetal hypoxia, stillbirths, weak-born piglets, and neonatal mortality. Aspiration of meconium leads to meconium aspiration syndrome (MAS). This study was undertaken to assess the relationship between the degree of meconium staining of the skin at birth, meconium aspiration, and ...

PURPOSE: To retrospectively determine an algorithm based on fetal body volume (FBV) by using magnetic resonance (MR) imaging to calculate relative lung volume in fetuses with normally developed lungs and prospectively assess the use of this algorithm in predicting pulmonary hypoplasia in the late second and early third trimesters for ...

BACKGROUND: Although catechins are known to be powerful antioxidants, no reports have shown their transport to fetal organs. We investigated the distribution of catechins in fetal rat organs after maternal exposure to green tea extract (GTE). METHODS: GTE (550 mg/kg) or water was fed orally to pregnant dams at 15.5 ...

IGF-II is a polypeptide hormone with structural homology to insulin and IGF-I. IGF-II plays an important role in fetal growth as mice with targeted disruption of the IGF-II gene (Igf2) exhibit severe growth retardation. The role of IGFs in the fetal lung has been suggested by several studies, including those ...

We report a rare case of spontaneous dissection of an anomalous systemic artery supplying a normal basal segment of the right lung during pregnancy, leading to recurrent hemoptysis. This article aims to discuss the clinical presentation, diagnostic curiosity, management using a minimally invasive technique (video-assisted thoracoscopic lobectomy), and finally the ...

Fetal tracheal occlusion (TO) accelerates lung growth and can reverse severe lung hypoplasia associated with diaphragmatic hernia (DH), however, lung compliance (Cl) and respiratory gas exchange remain abnormal. We determined the individual and combined effects of prenatal glucocorticoids (GC) and exogenous surfactant therapy (S) on postnatal pulmonary function in lambs ...

Intra-amniotic endotoxin induces IL-1, causes chorioamnionitis, lung inflammation, lung injury and lung maturation in preterm lambs. Intra-amniotic IL-1alpha also causes chorioamnionitis, lung inflammation and lung maturation. We asked if IL-1alpha effects on the preterm lung are mediated by direct signaling to the lung rather than by indirect effects from the ...

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to assess respiratory outcomes and environmental exposure levels of workers in cage-housed and floor-housed poultry operations. METHODS: Poultry operations were evaluated for total dust, endotoxin, and ammonia, and respiratory symptoms and lung function tests of workers were conducted. RESULTS: Workers in floor-housed poultry ...

BACKGROUND: A single course of antenatal betamethasone is administered to women at risk of preterm labor to advance fetal lung maturation. Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) are collagen-degrading enzymes that remodel extracellular matrix components during lung development. We tested the hypothesis that the effects of betamethasone on fetal lung maturation involve changes ...

BACKGROUND/PURPOSE: Previous work has shown that intrapulmonary delivery of oncotic agents enhance overall lung growth after late gestational fetal tracheal occlusion (TO). This study was a post hoc analysis aimed at determining whether actual alveolar and capillary hyperplasias are maximized in this setting. METHODS: Twenty-one near term fetal lambs were ...

BACKGROUND: Vasa previa is a rare but potentially dangerous fetal condition that may occur during pregnancy. Ideally, all cases such cases are detected antenatally, but many present as late vaginal hemorrhaging. At the current time, there is no test for fetal hemoglobin (HbF) in general use. METHODS: A modified method ...

A single centre experience of four pregnancies in four cystic fibrosis (CF) lung transplant recipients is reported. Six more cases were identified from the literature review and combined data analysis on 10 pregnancies in 10 CF lung transplant recipients was performed to determine maternal, foetal and graft outcome. There were ...

OBJECTIVE: The objective of the study was to investigate the value of fetal lung area to head circumference ratio in the prediction of the postnatal outcome in left-sided congenital diaphragmatic hernia treated by fetoscopic endoluminal tracheal occlusion. STUDY DESIGN: The lung area to head circumference ratio was measured before fetoscopic ...

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to build a nomogram of normal fetal lung volumes throughout gestational age estimated by 3-dimensional ultrasonography using the rotational technique (Virtual Organ Computer-Aided Analysis [VOCAL]; GE Healthcare, Kretztechnik, Zipf, Austria). METHODS: Fetal lung volume was assessed in 146 healthy fetuses by 3-dimensional ultrasonography ...

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: We aim to review the recent literature regarding early prenatal prediction of outcome in babies diagnosed with isolated congenital diaphragmatic hernia, as well as results of fetal therapy for this condition. RECENT FINDINGS: Current survival rates in population-based studies are around 55-70%. Highly specialized centers report 80% ...

Fetal lung development occurs as a complicated series of interactions between the different cell types in the lung in response to different growth factors and hormones. At birth, the human lung is in the stage of alveolar development in which the gas exchange units (alveoli) are being actively formed. The ...

Exposure to high levels of estradiol (E2) and progesterone (P) derived from the fetoplacentomaternal unit during the last trimester of pregnancy may play a crucial role in prenatal lung development and immediate postnatal alveolar fluid clearance (AFC). To measure prenatal alveolar formation and postnatal amiloride-sensitive AFC after pharmacological deprivation of ...

Exposure of pregnant C3H/HeNCR mice to 42.5- or 85-ppm of arsenic as sodium arsenite in drinking water between days 8 and 18 of gestation markedly increases tumor incidence in their offspring. In the work reported here, distribution of inorganic arsenic and its metabolites, methyl arsenic and dimethyl arsenic, were determined ...

Although classification schemes have sought to categorize congenital cystic lung malformations, studies including the pathology of pulmonary malformations occurring specifically during the fetal period are limited. To better characterize such histopathology, we reviewed a total of 23 fetal lung malformations seen at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia from 1996 to ...

RATIONALE: The exact site(s) and pathophysiology of air leakage in patients with primary spontaneous pneumothorax (PSP) are unknown. In one patient with PSP, fluorescein-enhanced autofluorescence thoracoscopy (FEAT) has shown areas of parenchymal abnormality unnoticed during white light thoracoscopy (WLT). OBJECTIVES: To prospectively perform and compare WLT and FEAT in patients ...

Rhodococcus equi was isolated from lung, liver, spleen, and stomach content of two aborted equine fetuses of 7 and 8 months gestation from two different farms. Lesions included diffuse pyogranulomatous pneumonia with numerous Gram-positive coccobacilli within the cytoplasm of macrophages, multinucleated Langhans giant cells and neutrophils, and enhanced extramedullary hematopoiesis ...

The authors describe a 10-year-old Caucasian boy who presented with abnormally low oxygen saturation values on pulse oximetry after a routine tonsillectomy. He was asymptomatic and there was no personal or family history of respiratory, cardiac, or hematologic disorders. Multiple initial investigations were completed without diagnostic yield. Eventually, hemoglobinopathy studies ...

In summary, the major physiologic changes that occur in pregnancy are the increased minute ventilation, which is caused by increased respiratory center sensitivity and drive; a compensated respiratory alkalosis; and a low expiratory reserve volume. The vital capacity and measures of forced expiration are well preserved. Patients who have many ...

OBJECTIVES: To construct reference intervals for fetal lung volumes measured longitudinally using three-dimensional (3D) ultrasound, and to evaluate the effect of gender on lung size. METHODS: This was a prospective, longitudinal study in the obstetric outpatient department of the VU University Medical Center, Amsterdam. Seventy-eight women with uncomplicated pregnancies were ...

Prenatal identification of lung abnormalities has increased with prenatal surveillance. Treatment usually requires serial ultrasound observation but in rare situations in utero therapy may be required for fetal survival. We review the genetics, prenatal evaluation, and treatment of lung abnormalities with congenital cystic adenomatoid malformation (CCAM). Other lung lesions, bronchopulmonary ...

Congenital high airway obstruction syndrome (CHAOS) from laryngeal atresia bears a poor prognosis for hydropic fetuses owing to cardiac failure. We attempted percutaneous fetoscopic and ultrasound-guided tracheal decompression in a hydropic human fetus with CHAOS associated with Fraser syndrome. Percutaneous fetoscopic and ultrasound-guided tracheal decompression was performed using three trocars ...

Adult pulmonary Langerhans cell histiocytosis (APLCH) is a rare lung disease. We report a case of APLCH and pregnancy with detailed lung function tests. There was no significant change in the lung function tests during pregnancy. It is apparent that pregnancy does not influence the evolution of pulmonary Langerhans cell ...