The Surfactant System of the Lung : Prevention and Treatment of Neonatal and Adult Respiratory Distress Syndrome

This book reflects the recent surge of interest in the pathophysiology, diagnosis and treatment of respiratory distress syndrome, in both neonates and adults, which has led to an increased understanding of the function of the lung's surfactant system. The book covers relevant maturational events of the fetal lung, the proteins associated with surfactants, the prevention and treatment of RDS and ARDS, therapeutics, and replacement therapy. Front Matter....Pages i-xviii Gene structure of the pulmonary surfactant proteins SP-A, SP-B and SP-C....Pages 1-6 Pulmonary surfactant-associated proteins: their role in surface tension reduction....Pages 7-17 Mesenchymal-epithelial interactions during late fetal lung development....Pages 18-22 Effects of corticosteroids on fetal lung maturation....Pages 23-27 Biological approaches to the prevention of RDS....Pages 28-33 Surfactant disorders in infants and vitamin D deficiency....Pages 34-38 Relevance of surfactant inactivation by anti-surfactant antibodies to the evaluation of therapies for neonatal RDS....Pages 39-48 Risk factors for RDS in preterm newborns....Pages 49-56 Development, indication and present status of ‘late’ amniocentesis in pregnancy....Pages 57-63 Determination of fetal lung maturity by the comparison of one-dimensional L/S ratio, enzymatic lecithin and S/A ratio....Pages 64-68 Antenatal glucocorticoid treatment in the prevention of neonatal RDS....Pages 69-73 Induction of fetal pulmonary maturity with Ambroxol: side effects and therapeutic effectiveness....Pages 74-80 The combination of betamethasone and Ambroxol for the prophylaxis of neonatal RDS....Pages 81-85 Prevention of HMD and survival in low-birth-weight infants....Pages 86-90 RDS and the use of corticosteroids....Pages 91-95 Surfactant function: is it influenced by artificial ventilation?....Pages 96-106 Experiences with Curosurf in Europe....Pages 107-111 Further experiences with Curosurf in Europe....Pages 112-121 Curosurf for therapy in neonatal RDS: an Italian randomized clinical trial....Pages 122-127 Early experiences with Curosurf therapy for severe neonatal RDS....Pages 128-130 Preliminary results in the use of a natural surfactant (Curosurf) in four infants with severe RDS....Pages 131-138 Incidence and outcome of persistent ductus arteriosus in premature babies treated with surfactant for severe RDS....Pages 139-141 The effect of natural porcine surfactant (Curosurf) on the phagocytosis-associated functions of human neutrophils....Pages 142-150 Surfactant replacement in severe RDS: effects of perinatal acidosis on therapeutic response....Pages 151-155 Surfactant therapy and IgE levels in the neonatal period....Pages 156-158 Pulmonary function in mechanically ventilated surfactant-treated preterm infants....Pages 159-167 Development of antioxidant defences in preterm infants....Pages 168-174 A computerized method of pulmonary function evaluation in preterm infants....Pages 175-176 Pharmacotherapy in bronchopulmonary dysplasia....Pages 177-182 Pathophysiology of adult RDS....Pages 183-190 Pulmonary epithelial permeability in adult RDS....Pages 191-197 Respiratory emergencies and supplementary surfactant in the treatment of severe RDS in leukaemic adolescents....Pages 198-206 Adult RDS: its possible role in burn disease—a case report....Pages 207-211 Back Matter....Pages 213-216