Lung disease caused by mutations.

Background: Knowledge about the clinical spectrum of lung disease caused by variations in the ATP binding cassette subfamily A member 3 (ABCA3) gene is limited. Here we describe genotype-phenotype correlations in a European cohort.

Methods: We retrospectively analysed baseline and outcome characteristics of 40 patients with two disease-causing ABCA3 mutations collected between 2001 and 2015.

Analysis of the Proteolytic Processing of ABCA3: Identification of Cleavage Site and Involved Proteases.

Rationale: ABCA3 is a lipid transporter in the limiting membrane of lamellar bodies in alveolar type II cells. Mutations in the ABCA3 gene cause respiratory distress syndrome in new-borns and childhood interstitial lung disease. ABCA3 is N-terminally cleaved by an as yet unknown protease, a process believed to regulate ABCA3 activity.

Persistent Tachypnea of Infancy. Usual and Aberrant.

Rationale: Persistent tachypnea of infancy (PTI) is a specific clinical entity of undefined etiology comprising the two diseases neuroendocrine cell hyperplasia of infancy (NEHI) and pulmonary interstitial glycogenosis. The outcome of typical NEHI is favorable. The outcome may be different for patients without a typical NEHI presentation, and thus a lung biopsy to differentiate the diseases is indicated.

Categorizing diffuse parenchymal lung disease in children.

Background: Aim of this study was to verify a systematic and practical categorization system that allows dynamic classification of pediatric DPLD irrespective of completeness of patient data.

Methods: The study was based on 2322 children submitted to the kids-lung-register between 1997 and 2012. Of these children 791 were assigned to 12 DPLD categories, more than 2/3 belonged to categories manifesting primarily in infancy.

Surfactant proteins in pediatric interstitial lung disease.

Background: Children's interstitial lung diseases (chILD) comprise a broad spectrum of diseases. Besides the genetically defined surfactant dysfunction disorders, most entities pathologically involve the alveolar surfactant region, possibly affecting the surfactant proteins SP-B and SP-C. Therefore, our objective was to determine the value of quantitation of SP-B and SP-C levels in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) for the diagnosis of chILD.

Surfactant lipidomics in healthy children and childhood interstitial lung disease.

Background: Lipids account for the majority of pulmonary surfactant, which is essential for normal breathing. We asked if interstitial lung diseases (ILD) in children may disrupt alveolar surfactant and give clues for disease categorization.

Methods: Comprehensive lipidomics profiles of broncho-alveolar lavage fluid were generated in 115 children by electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry (ESI-MS/MS).