News

Radiologists are essential for diagnosis and further testing of pediatric patients with systemic sclerosis (SSc), according to a report published by researchers at the University of Washington Medical Center, Seattle. The paper, titled Multimodality Thoracic Imaging of Juvenile Systemic Sclerosis: Emphasis on Clinical Correlation and High-Resolution CT of Pulmonary Fibrosis,…

The Pulmonary Hypertension Association (PHA) has just announced a fresh set of accredited Pulmonary Hypertension Care Centers (PHCC) as part of a program aimed towards enhancing the nation’s overall quality of healthcare and pulmonary hypertension patient outcomes. These eleven newly-accredited PHCCs have brought the total number of PHA-accredited centers…

Systolic pulmonary artery pressure greater than 36 mm Hg reduced survival in patients with systemic sclerosis (SSc) according to an article entitled “Value of Systolic Pulmonary Arterial Pressure as a Prognostic Factor of Death in the Systemic Sclerosis EUSTAR Population,” published September 2014, in the journal Rheumatology.

According to a study conducted by a team of researchers at the Department of Anesthesia, Hospital for Sick Children, in Toronto, Canada, children with pulmonary hypertension are at high risk of serious complications and even death associated with anesthesia and surgery. The study titled “The Impact of…

A team of Researchers led by Antje Prasse from the Department of Pneumology, University Medical Centre in Freiburg, Germany identified that macrophage activation and other cellular events may be part of the cause of acute exacerbations in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a disease associated with high…

Patients with idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) who responded to an acute vasodilator challenge — a clinical test that can predict how severe the disease will become — had fewer baseline blood flow abnormalities compared with non-responders. The study appeared in a research letter published in Annals…

A team of researchers from Australia recently published a study, entitled “A comparison of the predictive accuracy of three screening models for pulmonary arterial hypertension in systemic sclerosis,” in the journal Arthritis Research & Therapy. Systemic sclerosis (SSc) is a multisystem connective tissue condition that causes…

A team of researchers from Taiwan sought to understand if, by suppressing a gene called TRPC, they could prevent hypoxia-induced pulmonary hypertension (PAH) in a murine model of PAH. The study entitled “Reducing TRPC1 Expression through Liposome-Mediated siRNA Delivery Markedly Attenuates Hypoxia-Induced Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension in a Murine…

Ascendis Pharma A/S is beginning its phase 1 single ascending dose study on healthy participants to evaluate a potential treatment for pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) called TransCon Treprostinil, as announced in a press release. The investigational therapy is one of a few promising drug candidates in the clinical stage biotechnology company’s portfolio, all…

According to a study published by researchers at Novartis Pharma, common medications for severe pulmonary arterial hypertension interact, increasing one another’s levels when taken at the same time. However, co-administration of the medications does not appear to impact their effectiveness or increase the risk of liver problems. The study,…

San Diego, California-based biopharmaceutical company Arena Pharmaceuticals, Inc. just announced they have begun dosing patients in a Phase II clinical program for ralinepag, an orally available, non-prostanoid prostacyclin (IP) receptor agonist, formulated for the treatment of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). Ralinepag has performed favorably in previous preclinical and clinical…

Misshapen and bloated mitochondria in the lungs may be the reason why so many elderly develop idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), according to a study conducted at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. The research, which will be featured on the cover of the February issue of the…