Fetal/neonatal lungs

Robinson MJ, Campbell F, Powell P, Sims D, Thornton C. Antibody response to accelerated Hib immunisation in preterm infants receiving dexamethasone for chronic lung disease. Arch Dis Child Fetal Neonatal Ed 1999 80(1) F69-71. 

Maritz, G. S., 1987, Maternal nicotine exposure and carbohydrate metabolism of fetal and neonatal lung tissue Response to nicotine withdrawal. Respiration 51 232-240. 

Alfonso LF, Arnaiz A, Alvarez FJ, Qi BQ, Dies-Pardo JA, Vallisi-Soler A, Tovar JA (1996) Lung hypoplasia and surfactant system immaturity induced in the fetal rat by prenatal exposure to nitrofen. Biol Neonate 69 94-100... 

In an analysis of 595 preterm infants born at 26-32 weeks gestation during a randomized controlled trial for the prevention of lung disease, glucocorticoids given to women at risk of preterm delivery promoted fetal lung maturation, reduced the incidence of respiratory distress syndrome, and reduced neonatal morbidity and mortality (370). Dexamethasone was given as either two doses of 12 mg 24 hours apart or four doses of 6 mg every 6 hours. Mortality was 9.2% after three or more courses, compared with 4.8% after one or two courses. This association was not explained by other factors (maternal or other common preterm morbidities). 

Prenatal glucocorticoid therapy to enhance fetal lung maturation reduces neonatal morbidity and mortality. However, adverse effects of serial courses of betamethasone on mother and fetus can occur. 

Pulmonary surfactant in amniotic fluid can also be measured by its ability to generate stable foam in the presence of ethanol. This/oam stability test (FST), or shake test, correlates well with the L/S ratio and with fetal lung maturity. In some instances, in the presence of an L/S ratio of less than 2, the FST has indicated lung maturity (without subsequent respiratory distress). This discrepancy may be due to the presence of surfactants other than lecithin that stabilize the neonatal alveoli, namely, phosphatidyl-glycerol (PG) and phosphatidylinositol (PI). These acidic phospholipids are synthesized in stepwise fashion during the last trimester of normal pregnancy. 

Fetal lung maturation can be accelerated with antenatal corticosteroids. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) consensus conference in 1994 concluded that all fetuses between 24 and 34 weeks gestation at risk for preterm delivery should receive corticosteroids regardless of gender, race, maternal infection, and availability of surfactant. A report by the National Institutes of Child Health and Development Neonatal Research Network noted that antenatal steroid use was associated with fewer pulmonary problems and mortality. Many women who are appropriate candidates are... 

Stahlman MT, Gray ME, Whitsett JA. Expression of thyroid transcription factor-l(TTF-l) in fetal and neonatal human lung. J Histochem Cytochem. 1996 44 673-678. 

The ESTs that have been submitted to the public sequence databases to date were created from thousands of different cDNA libraries representing over 250 organisms. The libraries may be from whole organs, such as human brain, liver, lung, or skeletal muscle, specialized tissues or cells, such as cerebral cortex or epidermal keratinocyte, or cultured cell lines such as liver HepG2 or gastric carcinoma. Some libraries have been constructed to compare transcripts from different developmental stages, such as fetal versus infant human brain or embryonic 7-day versus neonatal... 

Wang Y, Sakamoto K, Khosla J, Sannes PL. Detection of chondroitin sulfates and decorin in developing fetal and neonatal rat lung. Am J Physiol Lung Cell Mol Physiol 2002 282 L484-L490. 

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