Newly revealed biological mechanisms that underlie the development of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) support activating BMPR2, the protein mutated in most familial PAH cases, as a treatment strategy, according to a study that investigated human cells and mouse models. A recent case series showed potential for the BMPR2-activator…
Supplemental long-term oxygen therapy is the only effective treatment for people with pulmonary hypertension (PH) associated with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) who have low blood oxygen, according to a systematic review of studies. Such long-term oxygen treatment “may mildly reduce severity of PH, slow PH progression over time,…
Breathing reserve, a measure of lung function calculated during exercise, predicted survival in adults with congenital heart disease associated with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), a study reported for the first time. Breathing reserve assessment in other diseases affecting blood vessels in the lungs also may predict survival outcomes, the…
A passive leg raise is equally as effective as exercise in measuring pulmonary vascular distensibility, a physiological marker to predict outcomes in people with pulmonary hypertension (PH), a study suggests. This finding is important for patients who cannot exercise or do not have access to clinical exercise facilities, the…
Gene activity analysis of whole blood collected from people with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) identified three patient subgroups associated with distinct clinical features and outcomes, a study concluded. These findings may provide molecular insights into the development of PAH, improve disease risk assessments, and potentially guide individual treatment strategies,…
PhaseBio Pharmaceuticals has voluntarily ended the Phase 2b trial testing its investigational pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) therapy pemziviptadil (PB1046), due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on medicine manufacturing, associated supply, and enrollment rates. The company said it would conduct an analysis of the trial’s results and,…
The use of the INOpulse combination drug-device therapy demonstrated a clinically meaningful reduction in pulmonary vascular resistance (PVR) — a measure of the internal resistance to blood flow within the lung arteries — in people with pulmonary hypertension (PH) associated with sarcoidosis (PH-Sarc). That’s according to top-line data…
An orally available small molecule, BI113823, successfully reversed the progression of severe, advanced pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) in a rat model, a study demonstrated. The experimental medicine lowered pulmonary blood pressure, reduced blood vessel thickening, suppressed inflammatory responses, and prevented right heart failure and death. These findings support the…
Low birth weight has been linked to an increased risk of pulmonary hypertension (PH) in premature infants needing oxygen therapy for at least 28 days, an analysis revealed. Additionally, the failure, after birth, of the blood vessels of the heart to close — before birth, they’re normally open to…
A large proportion of Swedish children younger than 7 who were diagnosed with pulmonary hypertension (PH) started treatment with vasodilators before age 1, and almost all of those treated received Revatio (sildenafil) as a first therapy, according to an analysis of a nationwide prescription registry. Despite treatment, mortality…
Potential targets to treat pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) were identified by analyzing the gene activity of individual lung endothelial cells isolated from a mouse model of the disease. Study results were validated by cross-referencing them with rat and human gene activity datasets. “The identification of distinct molecular mechanisms and…
Seven long noncoding RNA molecules were found to be associated with the development of pulmonary hypertension (PH) in an early study in rats, scientists reported. The researchers noted that some of these RNAs are known to regulate immune and inflammatory response pathways, which may participate in PH. “Our study…
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