Magdalena Kegel,  —

Mitochondria in lung arteries responds in an opposite way to a lack of oxygen compared to mitochondria in other parts of the body, as they constrict and remodel blood vessels. This finding allowed researchers to reverse pulmonary hypertension in rats by transplanting mitochondria from a leg artery to the lung by…

Chinese researchers have identified a microRNA as a key molecular factor involved in lung blood vessel remodeling in response to low oxygen levels — a process leading to pulmonary hypertension. The study “Upregulation of MicroRNA-214 Contributes to the Development of Vascular Remodeling in Hypoxia-induced Pulmonary Hypertension Via…

In recent years, reports emerged linking diabetes to pulmonary hypertension. But news that a disease affecting our blood sugar could increase the risk, or speed the progression, of a devastating lung disease is difficult to imagine. A recent review attempts an explanation. Titled “The Role of Hyperglycemia and…

Screening the gene transcripts of both people with pulmonary arterial hypertension and several PAH animal models, researchers at Mie University Graduate School of Medicine in Japan identified a new gene that might contribute to the disease. The findings, published in the journal Frontiers in Pharmacology under the title…

Oxygen therapy given newborns with persistent pulmonary hypertension likely works to cement the molecular changes that led to the condition in the first place, further worsening, rather than treating, the illness. The study, “Hypoxia and hyperoxia potentiate PAF receptor-mediated effects in newborn ovine pulmonary arterial smooth muscle cells: significance in oxygen…

Researchers at the Medical College of Georgia at Augusta University are exploring how a protein, found in high levels in patients with pulmonary hypertension, might drive disease, while at the same time investigating potential treatments targeting the factor. The protein that caught the attention of Dr. David Fulton — director of…

Researchers in Italy developed a clear way of exploring differences in autoantibodies to predict which scleroderma patients are likely to develop pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), improving their chances of getting appropriate treatment before changes in their lung blood vessels take place. The study, “Subspecificities of anticentromeric protein A antibodies identify…

Scientists discovered that levels of a blood protein called hematoma derived growth factor (HDGF) increases as pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) becomes more severe, which now raises belief that a noninvasive test for the protein could shorten the path to PAH diagnosis and allow treatment at earlier disease stages. The discovery by …

Recently published data from the CHEST-2 clinical trial showed that riociguat (Adempas) is both safe and effective as a longer term treatment of chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH). The study also identified two predictive biomarkers distinguishing CTEPH and pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), and their concentrations serve as prognostic guides of…

Mutations in the ENG gene might contribute to disease mechanisms in pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), according to a recent study demonstrating that PAH patients often carry ENG gene changes in addition to other, more well-studied mutations. The study demonstrates that genetic contributions to PAH are more complex than anticipated, raising the…

Rheumatoid arthritis patients may be at greater risk for pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), and noninvasive screenings for PAH could identify the risk, offering a chance for treatment at early stages, according to recent findings from the University of Newcastle in Australia. The link between PAH and systemic sclerosis has long been accepted,…

Researchers at England’s University of Sheffield have identified a microRNA that, when lacking in patients, appears to be driving the progression of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). The findings, identifying potential new drug targets, open up avenues of research that might lead to better treatments for this fatal disease. “This research opens…