Expression data from Bronchial Epithelial Cells exposed to Cyclic Stretch with and without LPS or TNFa

Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) is a catastrophic form of acute lung injury (ALI). The necessity for mechanical ventilation (MV) renders patients at risk for ventilator induced lung injury (VILI). Exposure to repetitive cyclic stretch (CS) and/or over-inflation exacerbates injury. Reducing tidal volume (VT) is the only therapeutic strategy shown to mitigate morbidity and mortality. Cyclic stretch has been shown to differentially regulate gene expression in part through the activation of mammalian mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK). Although these studies have shown both molecular and cellular alterations, no unifying hypothesis to explain MV-induced lung injury has emerged.

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