News

Increased levels of the blood plasma protein endothelin-1 are linked to pulmonary hypertension in African-Americans, according to a large study exploring heart disease. The findings, presented in the journal JAMA Cardiology in the study titled “Association of Elevated Plasma Endothelin-1 Levels With Pulmonary Hypertension, Mortality, and Heart Failure…

Patients undergoing a minimally invasive surgery known as transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) can improve their quality of life, according to a new study. The study also showed that persistent severe pulmonary hypertension (PH) after the TAVR procedure, in comparison to severe PH at baseline before the intervention, is a strong predictor of…

Further evidence that the oral drug Orenitram (treprostinil) might be a viable option to Remodulin, the injected version of the drug, for lower risk pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) patients was recently published by researchers at Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri. The study, “Transition from parenteral to oral treprostinil in…

Patients with pulmonary hypertension (PH) have much higher levels of the blood vessel factor TSP-1 in their blood, with levels coinciding with the type and severity of the disease. Since the factor is known to interact with several PH treatment targets, the study, titled “The role of circulating…

Inhibiting the molecular chaperone heat shock protein 90 (HSP90) may be a promising therapeutic approach in pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), according to an animal study developed by researchers at the Second Military Medical University in China. The study, “Inhibition of heat shock protein 90 improves pulmonary arteriole remodeling…

Gene therapy may offer a promising therapeutic approach for pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), according to an animal study conducted by Japanese researchers. The study “Constitutively active form of natriuretic peptide receptor 2 ameliorates experimental pulmonary arterial hypertension,” published in Molecular Therapy Methods and Clinical Development, shows…

A prospective analysis of two clinical trials, PATENT-1 and PATENT-2, showed that riociguat (Adempas) treatment improves several parameters of lung and cardiac function in patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), and in those with PAH associated with connective tissue disease (PAH-CTD). The study “Riociguat for the treatment of pulmonary arterial hypertension…

INOpulse, a nitric oxide delivery device that is being developed by Bellerophon Therapeutics, was approved by health authorities in Belgium to be used in a Phase 2 trial in patients with pulmonary hypertension associated with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (PH-COPD). The first patient is expected to be enrolled in the third quarter…

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…

Many people living with Pulmonary Hypertension are on a no- to low-sodium diet. But trying to keep to such a diet can be very challenging, and create obstacles for dining with friends, even for preparing your own meals. People with PH are advised to maintain a low-sodium diet because salt can cause…

The Pulmonary Hypertension Association (PHA) recently accredited the University of Rochester (UR) Medical Center as a Comprehensive Care Center, recognizing its excellence in research, diagnosis, and clinical care for patients with pulmonary hypertension (PH). The group’s PH Care Centers (PHCC) initiative provides accreditation to centers with expertise in PH, particularly pulmonary arterial…