Table 1 Control and treatment group delivery data. There were no statistically significant differences in birthweight, cord pH or cord pCO₂ between steroid treatment groups (CS1, CS2) and saline negative control animals. There was a small, statistically significant (p < 0.001) reduction in wet lung weight between CS1 and saline negative control animals. As anticipated, there were large, statistically significant (p < 0.001) perturbations in circulating fetal neutrophil and lymphocyte counts between steroid treatment groups (CS1, CS2) and saline negative control animals

n

22

12

10

20

12

8

20

Sex (male/female)

13/9

7/5

6/4

9/11

3/9

6/2

8/12

Gestation age (days)

125

125

125

125

125

125

125

Birthweight (kg)

2.97 ± 0.34

3.15 ± 0.27

2.76 ± 0.29

2.84 ± 0.42

2.86 ± 0.37

2.81 ± 0.52

2.71 ± 0.38

Cord blood pH

7.28 ± 0.11

7.25 ± 0.13

7.32 ± 0.05

7.29 ± 0.14

7.32 ± 0.12

7.26 ± 0.18

7.22 ± 0.10

Cord blood PaCO₂ (mmHg)

60.68 ± 13.59

63.44 ± 16.11

56.99 ± 8.84

59.05 ± 16.10

57.36 ± 11.03

61.38 ± 21.96

66.15 ± 11.14

Lung weight (g/kg)

30.95 ± 5.22*

30.15 ± 5.15*

31.90 ± 5.42*

34.24 ± 4.93

33.24 ± 4.38

35.73 ± 5.62

38.47 ± 5.51

Cord blood values

Total WBC (× 10⁹/L)

4.4 ± 1.15

4.48 ± 0.81

4.39 ± 1.51

3.57 ± 0.65

3.39 ± 0.60

3.90 ± 0.66

4.17 ± 1.29

Neutrophils (× 10⁹/L)

2.53 ± 1.16*

2.52 ± 0.93*

2.54 ± 1.44*

1.91 ± 0.70*

1.63 ± 0.65*

2.41 ± 0.52*

0.34 ± 0.27

Lymphocytes (× 10⁹/L)

1.65 ± 0.60*

1.68 ± 0.62*

1.63 ± 0.61*

1.60 ± 0.65*

1.69 ± 0.73*

1.43 ± 0.47*

3.48 ± 1.04