Initial therapeutic BAL and therapeutic BAL followed by PLV with the same perfluorochemical liquid provided significant therapeutic effects in treating an animal model with severe MAS and therefore warrant consideration in cases that are intractable to other therapies.

Background: Although the immaturity of Toll-like receptor 2 (TLR2) and Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) at birth in preterm newborns is known, their development during the first few months of life remains unclear. Methods: Blood monocytes of preterm newborns (gestational age: 24-36 wk) were obtained every 2 wk when possible in order to perform serial measurements of TLR2 and TLR4 surface expression, as well as lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced cytokine production. Measurements using monocytes from term newborns and adults were also performed. results: The monocytes of preterm newborns obtained at birth displayed reduced surface expression of TLR2 and TLR4, and diminished responses of tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and interleukin (IL)-8 to LPS stimulation. Regardless of gestational age, monocyte expression of TLR2 and TLR4 in preterm newborns increased rapidly within the first 2 wk after birth, quickly reaching those of term newborns. These increases continued for the following 4-6 wk, although the increase began to plateau. By contrast, LPS-induced production of TNF-α and IL-8 did not elevate over this period in preterm newborns. conclusion: The blood monocytes of preterm newborns display rapid increase in TLR2 and TLR4 expression during the first few months of life, whereas LPS-induced cytokine production functionality did not improve in parallel.

Labour may up-regulate TLR2 and TLR4 on the cord blood monocytes of newborns at the protein level. Since TLRs are an important part of the innate immune system, our findings suggest that labour may be immunologically beneficial to normal newborns.

Flexible endoscopy allows direct visualization of dynamic motion of the small aerodigestive tract. Laryngomalacia was the most common FE finding of respiratory distress in small infants. Synchronous FE lesions were frequently found in this young age group and it necessitated a thorough investigation of the entire aerodigestive tract.