Wigglesworth J S, Winston R M, Bartlett K
Arch Dis Child. 1977 Dec;52(12):965-7. doi: 10.1136/adc.52.12.965.
Upper cervical cord injury was produced in fetal rabbits at 22-26 days' gestation. In 11 setuses with severe cord injury delivered at 28-29 days' gestation there was a median reduction in lung weight (expressed as a proportion of body weight) of 43% and a median reduction in estimated total lung DNA of 16% in comparison with paired operated littermates with intact cords. The hypoplastic lungs showed collapse on histology; if cord damage had been inflicted before 24 days' gestation there was retarded maturation. We conclude that the central nervous system plays a vital role in fetal lung growth and maturation, probably by maintenance of fetal respiratory movements.
在妊娠22 - 26天的胎兔中造成上颈段脊髓损伤。在妊娠28 - 29天分娩的11只脊髓严重损伤的胎儿中，与脊髓完整的同窝配对手术对照相比，肺重量中位数（以体重比例表示）降低了43%，估计的肺总DNA中位数降低了16%。发育不全的肺在组织学上显示塌陷；如果在妊娠24天前造成脊髓损伤，则会出现成熟延迟。我们得出结论，中枢神经系统在胎儿肺的生长和成熟中起着至关重要的作用，可能是通过维持胎儿呼吸运动来实现的。
