The monolayer of endothelial cells lining the vessel wall forms a semipermeable barrier (in
all tissue except the relatively impermeable blood–brain and inner retinal barriers) that …

The acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) causes 40% mortality in approximately
200,000 critically ill patients annually in the United States. ARDS is caused by protein-rich …

Bone marrow–derived stromal cells (BMSCs) protect against acute lung injury (ALI). To
determine the role of BMSC mitochondria in this protection, we airway-instilled mice first with …

The tissue-resident macrophages of barrier organs constitute the first line of defence against
pathogens at the systemic interface with the ambient environment. In the lung, resident …

Connexins are ubiquitous channel forming proteins that assemble as plasma membrane
hemichannels and as intercellular gap junction channels that directly connect cells. In the …

Considerable progress has been made in understanding the basic mechanisms that
regulate fluid and protein exchange across the endothelial and epithelial barriers of the lung …

Intercellular calcium (Ca2+) waves (ICWs) represent the propagation of increases in
intracellular Ca2+ through a syncytium of cells and appear to be a fundamental mechanism …

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), which potentially transdifferentiate into multiple cell types,
are increasingly reported to be beneficial in models of organ system injury. However, the …

In this review we summarize recent major advances in our understanding on the molecular
mechanisms, mediators, and biomarkers of acute lung injury (ALI) and alveolar-capillary …

Gap junctions (GJ) and hemichannels (HC) formed from the protein subunits called
connexins are transmembrane conduits for the exchange of small molecules and ions …