OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to investigate whether there are differences in capillary nailfold changes in patients with systemic sclerosis (SSc) with and without pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), and whether these changes are associated with PAH severity and disease specificity. METHODS Capillary density and loop dimensions were studied in 21 healthy controls, 20 patients with id...

BACKGROUND Although pulmonary endarterectomy (PEA) is potentially curative in chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH), some patients have distally distributed disease that is not amenable to surgery. The aetiology and characteristics of this patient group are currently not well understood. OBJECTIVES This study compares the baseline demographic features and outcomes in subjects ...

Abstract This study was conducted to investigate the prevalence of coliforms and Escherichia coli across radish sprout production facilities in Republic Korea characterize isolated E. . A total 324 samples were collected from three different units spring summer. Overall, levels significantly higher (> 3.75 log CFU/g) sprouts during summer season than spring. detected pre-harvest (50%) post-h...

Bosentan, a dual endothelin receptor blocker, has been used clinically to treat idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension (IPAH). However, the mechanism of its antiproliferative effect on pulmonary artery smooth muscle cells (PASMCs) remains unclear. A rise in cytoplasmic Ca2+ stimulates PASMC proliferation and the canonical transient receptor potential (TRPC) channels are an important pathway...

TO THE EDITOR: We read with interest the article by Ormiston et al. (2) “The enzymatic degradation of hyaluronan is associated with disease progression in experimental pulmonary hypertension” and wish to make a few comments. In Ormiston and colleagues’ interpretation of our study, they accurately described the increased levels of hyaluronan (HA) we reported in pulmonary artery smooth muscle cel...

RATIONALE Angiopoietins are involved in blood vessel maturation and remodeling. OBJECTIVES One consequence of endothelium-specific tyrosine kinase-2 (Tie2) receptor activation by angiopoietin-1 (Ang1) is the release of endothelium-derived growth factors that recruit vascular wall cells. We investigated this process in idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension (iPAH). METHODS Ang1, Ang2, an...

Rationale: Angiopoietins are involved in blood-vessel maturation and remodeling. Objectives: One consequence of endothelial-specific receptor Tie2 activation by angiopoietin-1 (Ang1) is the release of endothelial-derived growth factors that recruit vascular wall cells. We investigated this process in idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension (iPAH). Methods: Ang1, Ang2, total and phosphorylate...

Objectives: To characterize the demographic and clinical profiles of patients with Idiopathic Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension (IPAH) admitted to the tertiary care hospital in Aseer region, and to evaluate the altitude effect. Design: A retrospective cohort study. Setting: Aseer Central Hospital. Subjects: All patients admitted with the diagnosis of (IPAH) during the period from January 2001 to ...