The ability to breathe air represents a fundamental step in vertebrate evolution that was
accompanied by several anatomical and physiological adaptations. The morphology of the …

The alveolar surface comprises> 99% of the internal surface area of the lungs. At birth, the
fetal lung rapidly converts from a state of net fluid secretion, which is necessary for normal …

UNLIKE OTHER EPITHELIAL TISSUES that transport large amounts of solutes and water,
the alveolar epithelium is faced with a unique physiological challenge. To facilitate optimal …

Studies of epithelial ion and fluid transport across the distal pulmonary epithelia have
provided important new concepts regarding the resolution of pulmonary edema, specifically …

The lung surface of air‐breathing vertebrates is formed by a continuous epithelium that is
covered by a fluid layer. In the airways, this epithelium is largely pseudostratified consisting …

Recent research in pulmonary physiology, anatomy, and mechanics have clarified our
general understanding of liquid and solute transport through the lung. Fluid crosses the …

The delicate structure of the lung epithelium makes it susceptible to surface tension induced
injury. For example, the cyclic reopening of collapsed and/or fluid-filled airways during the …

Active ion transport drives iso-osmolar alveolar fluid clearance, a hypothesis originally
suggested by in vivo studies in sheep 20 yr ago. Over the last two decades, remarkable …

Experimental studies have established that alveolar gas exchange is inversely relation to
the molecular diffusivity of gas in the lung airways. The mechanism underlying this …

Significant progress have been made in understanding the mechanisms of alveolar fluid
clearance at the time of birth and the transition from placental oxygenation to air breathing …