Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is the single greatest risk factor for lung cancer in smokers and is found in 50-90% of lung cancer cases. The link between COPD and lung cancer may stem in part from the matrix remodelling and repair processes underlying COPD, and the development of epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) that underlies lung carcinogenesis. The Hedgehog-interacting ...

There is increasing evidence that deleterious interactions between the lung and the kidney may be partly responsible for the multiorgan failure and high mortality seen in patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome. Lung protective strategies can reduce many of the adverse mechanistic and biological effects of mechanical ventilation. However, the key modifiable mediators are yet to be def...

Ventilator-induced lung injury and ventilator-induced diaphragmatic dysfunction are major complications in mechanically ventilated patients with acute respiratory failure. Invasive ventilation adds a further burden by increasing the risk of infections. An approach that protects both lung and diaphragm is pivotal. Mirabella and colleagues compared conventional controlled ventilation with a mode ...

Acute lung injury and acute respiratory distress syndrome are clinical entities of multi-factorial origin frequently seen in traumatically injured patients requiring intensive care. We performed an unsystematic search using PubMed and the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews up to January 2012. The purpose of this article is to review recent evidence for the pathophysiology and the managemen...

Some issues have not been addressed appropriately. The authors show increased levels of TNFα in lung homogenate after 2 hours of lung-protective ventilation (LPV). Previous data from our laboratory have shown in the healthy mouse lung that so-called protective mechanical ventilation (tidal volume, 8 ml/kg; peak airway pressure, 10 to 12 cmH2O; positive end-expiratory pressure, 4 cmH2O) induces ...

Hypercapnic acidosis has been regarded as a tolerated side effect of protective lung ventilation strategies. Various in vivo and ex vivo animal studies have shown beneficial effects in acute lung injury setting, but some recent work raised concerns about its anti-inflammatory properties. This mini-review article aims to expand the potential clinical spectrum of hypercapnic acidosis in criticall...

Purpose of review: It was recently reported that a lung protective ventilation strategy resulted in no fatalities in 17 patients with ARDS secondary to lung contusion. Although the efficacy of a lung protective ventilation strategy to reduce mortality in ARDS patients has been demonstrated, the underlying mechanisms for this reduction remain unclear. Recent findings: ARDS is characterized by an...

Hypercapnic acidosis (HCA) has protective effects in animal models of acute lung injury, but the mechanism underlying the effect of HCA is unclear. Heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) is an antioxidant enzyme that protects tissue from inflammation injury. We investigated whether HO-1 contributes to the protective effects of HCA in ischemia-reperfusion (IR)-induced lung injury. Typical acute lung injury in ...

Hyperoxic lung injury is characterized by cellular damage from high oxygen concentrations that lead to an inflammatory response in the lung with cellular infiltration and pulmonary edema. Adenosine is a signaling molecule that is generated extracellularly by CD73 in response to injury. Extracellular adenosine signals through cell surface receptors and has been found to be elevated and plays a p...