Clinical and Molecular Implications of Osteopontin in Heart Failure.

The matricellular protein osteopontin modulates cell-matrix interactions during tissue injury and healing. A complex multidomain structure of osteopontin enables it not only to bind diverse cell receptors but also to interact with various partners, including other extracellular matrix proteins, cytokines, and growth factors. Numerous studies have implicated osteopontin in the development and progression of myocardial remodeling in diverse cardiac diseases.

Novel Therapeutic Targets for the Treatment of Right Ventricular Remodeling: Insights from the Pulmonary Artery Banding Model.

Right ventricular (RV) function is the main determinant of the outcome of patients with pulmonary hypertension (PH). RV dysfunction develops gradually and worsens progressively over the course of PH, resulting in RV failure and premature death. Currently, approved therapies for the treatment of left ventricular failure are not established for the RV.

Pulmonary Hypertension in Acute and Chronic High Altitude Maladaptation Disorders.

Alveolar hypoxia is the most prominent feature of high altitude environment with well-known consequences for the cardio-pulmonary system, including development of pulmonary hypertension. Pulmonary hypertension due to an exaggerated hypoxic pulmonary vasoconstriction contributes to high altitude pulmonary edema (HAPE), a life-threatening disorder, occurring at high altitudes in non-acclimatized healthy individuals. Despite a strong physiologic rationale for using vasodilators for prevention and treatment of HAPE, no systematic studies of their efficacy have been conducted to date.

High Altitude Pulmonary Edema in a Mining Worker With an Abnormal Rise in Pulmonary Artery Pressure in Response to Acute Hypoxia Without Prior History of High Altitude Pulmonary Edema.

High altitude pulmonary edema (HAPE) is a potentially life-threatening form of noncardiogenic pulmonary edema that may develop in otherwise healthy individuals upon ascent to high altitude. A constitutional susceptibility has been noted in some individuals, whereas others appear not to be susceptible at all. In our report, we present a case of HAPE triggered by concurrent respiratory tract infection and strenuous exercise in a mining worker with an abnormal rise in pulmonary artery pressure in response to acute hypoxia, without a prior history of HAPE during almost a year of commuting between high altitude and lowland areas.