Magdalena Kegel,  —

Researchers have identified a disease mechanism that could be targeted to develop treatments for pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). In a rat model of PAH, a compound that reduces oxidative stress lowered pulmonary pressure and prevented remodeling of lung blood vessels. Oxidative stress is a major contributor to the events leading…

Noninvasive methods can help to determine which patients have a high probability of developing pulmonary hypertension (PH) and which are most unlikely to do so, researchers reported — offering clinicians further tools when examining people with suspected lung hypertension. The study, “Use of ECG and Other Simple Non-Invasive Tools…

A woman with the genetic disease neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1) who developed pulmonary hypertension (PH) was successfully treated with a combination of increased pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH)-specific therapy and surgery that created a hole between her two heart chambers. The study, “Atrial septostomy and disease targeting…

A molecule linked to pulmonary hypertension (PH) in earlier studies failed to serve as a biomarker of disease severity or prognosis in a new study, which analyzed blood levels of the factor in people with various types of lung hypertension. Although the molecule, known as Ang-1, does not appear to be a…

Researchers at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center received a $7.3 million grant from the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine to pursue the development of a new stem cell therapy for pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). Working with Capricor Therapeutics, the grant will support a clinical trial to test infusions of…

Although women with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) are advised to avoid pregnancy, increasing numbers opt to tackle the risks to have a child. A recent review discussed the risks, and the best way to manage pregnancy in PAH. The review, “Pregnancy in pulmonary arterial hypertension,” published in the…

Researchers have identified a noninvasive way to predict disease outcomes in patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) that uses three-dimensional measures of the right heart ventricle. The method allows physicians to assess the risk of deterioration without exposing patients to repetitive heart catheterization — and may offer a way to…

Measures of pulmonary arterial capacitance (PAC) may help to predict the risk of heart problems in patients with pulmonary hypertension caused by left heart disease. But before the method might be applied in the clinic, studies are needed to confirm its usefulness. The study, “Pulmonary Arterial Capacitance Predicts Cardiac Events in…

Researchers suggest that a protein called ED-A+ Fn (ED-A domain containing fibronectin) could serve as a marker for pulmonary hypertension (PH), aiding in diagnosis and allowing better monitoring of treatment responses. The study, “Lung tissue remodelling in MCT-induced pulmonary hypertension: a proposal for a novel scoring system and…

Medications that specifically trigger cell death in remodeled blood vessels, without damaging the heart or healthy blood vessels, may be used to treat pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), researchers suggest. Their study, “Apoptosis-based therapy to treat pulmonary arterial hypertension,” published in the Journal of Rare Diseases Research & Treatment,…

Treating stored red blood cells with nitric oxide before a transfusion lessens the risk that a patient will develop pulmonary hypertension — a finding that may work to end, or at least substantially lower, a dangerous side effect of blood transfusions. The study, “Exposure of Stored Packed Erythrocytes…

Inhalation treatment that uses either nitric oxide or Ventavis (iloprost) is equally effective in managing lingering high lung blood pressure after surgery for chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH). A comparison of the two treatments — published in the journal General Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery under the title, “A prospective, randomized study…