Patricia Inácio, PhD, science writer —

RegeneRx Biopharmaceuticals, Inc. announced a recent study where company’s scientists demonstrated that Thymosin beta 4 (TB4) can reduce or even prevent heart failure in a pulmonary hypertension mouse model. The study, entitled “Thymosin Beta 4 protects mice from monocrotaline-induced pulmonary hypertension and right ventricular hypertrophy,” was published…

In a recent study entitled “Blood Flow Vortices along the Main Pulmonary Artery Measured with MR Imaging for Diagnosis of Pulmonary Hypertension” the authors report that phase-contrast magnetic resonance (MR) imaging is an accurate method for diagnosing pulmonary hypertension by estimating increased mean pulmonary arterial pressure. The study…

At the recent American College of Chest Physicians’ (ACCP) meeting, Darren Taichman, MD, PhD, executive deputy editor of the Annals of Internal Medicine, together with a colleague, presented updated information concerning diagnosis and treatment of pulmonary hypertension, based on what is known as evidence-based clinical practice guidelines.

In a study entitled “A gender gap in primary and secondary heart dysfunctions in systemic sclerosis: a EUSTAR prospective study” published in the November issue of  Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases journal, the authors sought to understand the effects of gender on the systemic sclerosis phenotype…

In a recent study entitled “Accuracy of invasive arterial pressure monitoring in cardiovascular patients: an observational study” the authors suggest that when evaluating a patient’s cardiovascular system, a non-invasive blood pressure measurement may be more accurate than the standard invasive method to measure arterial pressure. Improved…

In a study entitled “Oxygen kinetics during 6-minute walk tests in patients with cardiovascular and pulmonary disease” recently published in BMC Pulmonary Medicine, the authors of the research describe how their newly developed mean response time (MRT) index (wMRT), which is based on measuring oxygen uptake…

A new study entitled “Rho-kinase Mediates Right Ventricular Systolic Dysfunction in Rats with Chronic Neonatal Pulmonary Hypertension” published in the October issue of American Journal of Respiratory Cell and Molecular Biology reports that Rho-kinase activity is critical to systolic dysfunction in murine models…

Exercise and fitness are two health factors that invariably affect prognoses for most chronic, progressive diseases. Given the stress and immobility that come as a result of illness, maintaining fitness to the best of the patient’s ability is generally a best practice for maximizing quality of life and lifespan.

A new study entitled “Quality of life as a prognostic marker in pulmonary arterial hypertension” published now in Health and Quality of Life Outcomes reports that patients’ health-related quality of life associates closely with PAH patient prognosis, and can identify high-risk PAH patients. Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH)…

The results from the randomized controlled AMBITION study to determine the efficacy of treating patients with Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension (PAH) with a combination of ambrisentan/tadalafil, when compared to ambrisenan or taladafil as monotherapies, were presented at this year’s European Respiratory Society (ERS) International Congress. Combination therapies are a form…

Scientists continue to research the various environmental and lifestyle risk factors associated with PAH. Now, new research is revealing additional clues into how a person’s own genetics can predispose them to developing the disease. A recent review entitled “Genetics of pulmonary hypertension” published in November issue…

A new study entitled “mTORC1 Is Involved in Hypoxia-Induced Pulmonary Hypertension Through the Activation of Notch3” published in Journal of Cellular Physiology reports that both mTORC1 and Notch3 signaling pathways are associated with Hypoxia-Induced Pulmonary Hypertension. In hypoxic pulmonary hypertension (HPH), one of the…