To print: Select File and then Print from your browser's menu --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Title: Researchers Propose New Treatment For Adult Respiratory Distress Syndrome URL: http://www.pslgroup.com/dg/F3D0A.htm Doctor's Guide April 9, 1999
LONDON, ENGLAND -- April 9, 1999 -- In a study in this week's issue of The Lancet, researchers have found that in the patients with adult respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) an essential protein found in lung surfactant -- called specific-protein A -- is damaged. This discovery could lead to the development of new treatments for this syndrome. ARDS occurs when inflammation damages the lung and can be caused by direct injury to the lung, such as that caused by smoke inhalation, or by inflammation triggered by damage, such as trauma, occurring elsewhere in the body. This inflammation initiates a reaction called surfactant failure. Surfactant is a mixture of chemicals, produced by cells in the lung, which reduces the surface tension of the fluid lining the air sacs, making it possible for the air sacs to remain open between breaths. In surfactant failure, the air sacs collapse, so the lung cannot function properly in providing oxygenated blood to the rest of the body. This leads to ARDS and, unless the condition is reversed, the patient will suffocate. Currently, about 40 percent of patients who develop ARDS die as a result of the disorder. Although artificial surfactants are known to improve lung function in infants with respiratory distress syndrome, a syndrome which occurs in premature infants born before their lungs can produce enough of their own surfactant, in ARDS patients, the effect of artificial surfactants is short-lived. Dr. Cathy Baker and co-workers from Britain's National Heart and Lung Institute studied surfactant taken from the lungs of 18 patients with adult respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) and compared it with surfactant taken from six healthy volunteers. Their findings indicate that protein-cutting enzymes, called proteases, produced by white cells activated by the inflammation are snipping specific-protein A into fragments. This could explain why artificial surfactant treatments fail in ARDS patients and has given scientists a greater understanding of this disorder. The researchers conclude that giving drugs to protect specific-protein A in the lungs from damage from proteases may help patients and added that a combination of surfactant and antiprotease therapy may improve therapeutic prospects. Related Link: The Lancet --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Copyright © 1999 P\S\L Consulting Group Inc. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution of P\S\L content is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of P\S\L. P\S\L shall not be liable for any errors, omissions or delays in this content or any other content on its sites, newsletters or other publications, nor for any decisions or actions taken in reliance on such content. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- This news story was printed from *Doctor's Guide to the Internet* located at http://www.docguide.com --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Return to News Story Page This site is maintained by webmaster@pslgroup.com Please contact us with any comments, problems or bugs. All contents Copyright (c) 1998 P\S\L Consulting Group Inc. All rights reserved.