[Morphofunctional state of the APUD-system cells of the lungs in hyaline membrane disease of newborn infants].

Examination of these cells in newborn infants with hyaline membrane disease. (HMD) has demonstrated involvement of neuroendocrine elements in its patho- and morphogenesis. A crucial factor in HMD development is immaturity of the lungs, one sign of which is the presence of numerous serotonin-containing cells. Degranulation of APUD cells and serotonin lease under exposure to pathogenic factors initiate pathologic reactions in the lungs and account for the earliest manifestations of the disease.