 Responding to NIH emphasis on studies of the mechanisms of disease and evaluation of therapies in human subjects, our group has initiated translational studies that expand our basic observations of the effects of chronic alcohol abuse on ARDS to the clinical setting. We recently reported that lung epithelial lining fluid from individuals with a prior history of chronic alcohol abuse is deficient in GSH, an essential antioxidant. The translational experiments outlined in this proposal will identify alterations in the structure and function of the lung in individuals with a history of chronic alcohol abuse and test a novel medical therapy that may ultimately decrease the morbidity and mortality for 50,000-75,000 ARDS patients with a prior history of chronic alcohol abuse per year in the United States. 