Fig. 6

Effects of prematurity on alveolar and vascular structure. a Lm and (b) Lmw are not affected by preterm birth. c Representative pictures of lung slides stained with HE, Miller and CD31 indicate comparable alveolar structure, comparable arterial wall thickness and comparable vascular density in both groups. Arrows indicate 20-50 μm vessels with CD31-positive lining. d Left lung volume is smaller in preterm animals. e Total alveolar surface is smaller in preterm animals compared to term controls, however proportionate to the smaller body weight. f Arterial medial thickness is not affected by preterm birth. g The number of small to medium size vessels per high power field is not affected by preterm birth. *p < 0.05