Background Although alveolar epithelial injury is a major determinant of outcome in patients
with acute lung injury, there is no reliable biological marker of alveolar epithelial injury. The
primary objective was to determine whether elevated levels of the receptor for advanced
glycation end products (RAGE), a marker of alveolar epithelial injury, reflect impaired
alveolar fluid clearance (AFC) in an ex vivo perfused human lung preparation. A second
objective was to determine whether levels of a marker of endothelial injury, von Willebrand …