The accuracy of the central venous blood gas for acid-base monitoring.

Background: Routine use of central venous blood gases (VBGs) may reduce complications from prolonged arterial cannulation. We investigated the reliability of the VBG as a substitute for arterial blood gas (ABG) in multiple care settings.

Methods: We developed a VBG adjustment rule of ABG pH = VBG pH + 0.

Optimizing maintenance therapy in pediatric asthma.

Purpose Of Review: There are different phenotypes of asthma, with phenotype-specific differences in medication response observed.

Recent Findings: Tobacco smoke exposure reduces corticosteroid responsiveness. Treatment for tobacco smoke-triggered asthma must start with treatment of tobacco dependence.

Pulmonary arterial hypertension: baseline characteristics from the REVEAL Registry.

Background: The Registry to EValuate Early And Long-term pulmonary arterial hypertension disease management (REVEAL Registry) was established to provide updated characteristics of patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) and to improve diagnosis, treatment, and management.

Methods: Fifty-four US centers enrolled consecutively screened patients with World Health Organization group I PAH who met expanded hemodynamic criteria of mean pulmonary arterial pressure (PAP) > 25 mm Hg at rest (30 mm Hg with exercise), pulmonary capillary wedge pressure (PCWP) or= 240 dynes x s x cm(-5). Patients meeting the traditional hemodynamic definition (PCWP View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Adiponectin deficiency: a model of pulmonary hypertension associated with pulmonary vascular disease.

Adiponectin (APN) is an adipocyte-derived factor that exists at high concentrations in serum and has anti-inflammatory and systemic vascular-protective properties. In this study, we investigated the role of APN in pulmonary vascular homeostasis. We found that APN localizes to the luminal side of blood vessels in lung and acts in vitro to block TNF-alpha-induced E-selectin upregulation in pulmonary artery endothelial cells.

Dosing considerations in the use of intravenous prostanoids in pulmonary arterial hypertension: an experience-based review.

Background: Intravenous (IV) prostanoid therapy remains arguably the most effective treatment of advanced pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) despite the introduction of newer molecules from different drug classes.

Methods: Literature regarding the properties, efficacy, safety, dosing, and cost of IV prostanoids was reviewed. In addition, a survey of physicians who treat PAH in the United States was conducted to assess IV prostanoid use in clinical practice.

Effect of sodium butyrate on lung vascular TNFSF15 (TL1A) expression: differential expression patterns in pulmonary artery and microvascular endothelial cells.

Vascular endothelial growth inhibitor TNFSF15 (TL1A), a ligand for TNFRSF25 (DR3) and decoy receptor TNFRSF6B (DcR3), is expressed in human pulmonary arterial (HPAEC) and lung microvascular (HMVEC) endothelial cells where it might modulate inflammation and sickle vasculopathy. Pulmonary disease, endothelial abnormalities and inflammation are prominent features of sickle cell disease (SCD). Butyrate has opposing effects on endogenous TNFSF15 expression in pulmonary endothelium, acting as an inhibitor in HPAEC and an inducer in HMVEC.

Design of the REVEAL registry for US patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension.

The Registry to Evaluate Early and Long-term PAH Disease Management (REVEAL) has been designed to meet the need for current information about patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). The main objectives of REVEAL are to better define and understand PAH and to assess the consequences of treatment strategies. REVEAL is collecting clinically relevant data from 3500 consecutively enrolled patients with confirmed PAH diagnoses.

Pulmonary arterial hypertension and left-sided heart disease in sickle cell disease: clinical characteristics and association with soluble adhesion molecule expression.

Pulmonary hypertension (PH), a risk factor for mortality in sickle cell disease (SCD), has pathologic features of both pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) and PH related to left-sided heart disease (LHD) suggesting a link between these two entities. We hypothesized that both are characterized by endothelial dysfunction and increased adhesion molecule expression. SCD patients and normal volunteers underwent a screening questionnaire, echocardiogram, and blood donation for preparation of platelet-poor plasma.

Secondhand tobacco smoke in children with asthma: sources of and parental perceptions about exposure in children and parental readiness to change.

Background: Secondhand smoke triggers childhood asthma. Understanding sources of exposure, parental beliefs about exposure, and readiness to change that exposure are important for designing smoke exposure reduction interventions.

Methods: As part of screening for a clinical trial of a smoke exposure reduction intervention, 519 smoke-exposed children 3 to 12 years old with asthma provided urine specimens for cotinine testing, and their primary caregivers completed questionnaires.

On the importance of plasmalogen status in stimulated arachidonic acid release in the macrophage cell line RAW 264.7.

We examined the dependence of stimulated arachidonic acid release on plasmalogens using the murine, macrophage cell line 264.7 and two plasmalogen-deficient variants, RAW.12 and RAW.

Assessment of a groundwater contamination with vinyl chloride (VC) and precursor volatile organic compounds (VOC) by use of a geographical information system (GIS).

Regarding the health effects of volatile organic compounds (VOC) and their decomposition products (particularly vinyl chloride (VC)) under chronic low-dose exposure, VOC groundwater contaminations are seen to be an ongoing public health issue. This article presents results of a long-term investigation surveying VOC and VC groundwater contamination upstream of a large groundwater works in Cologne, Germany. For 10 years a contaminated aquifer has been monitored for different VOC and for VC.

Identification of oxidative post-translational modification of serum albumin in patients with idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension and pulmonary hypertension of sickle cell anemia.

Pulmonary hypertension (PH) in sickle cell anemia (SCA) is characterized by decreased nitric oxide bioavailability that might, in part, be related to oxidative stress. Oxidative post-translational modifications of plasma proteins may serve as hallmarks of disease severity and could result in altered protein function and structure. We hypothesized that serum albumin in patients with PH of SCA undergoes oxidative post-translational modification and that this modification may reflect important mediators of disease pathogenesis that are common to both idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension (IPAH) and PH of SCA.

Perfluorooctane sulfonate increases the genotoxicity of cyclophosphamide in the micronucleus assay with V79 cells. Further proof of alterations in cell membrane properties caused by PFOS.

Perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS; C8F17SO3-) is a fully fluorinated organic compound which has been manufactured for decades and was used widely in industrial and commercial products. The recent toxicological knowledge of PFOS mainly concerns mono-substance exposures of PFOS to biological systems, leaving the potential interactive effects of PFOS with other compounds as an area where understanding is significantly lacking. However, a recent study, reported the potential of PFOS to enhance the toxicity of two compounds by increasing cell membrane permeability.

Sarcoidosis-associated pulmonary hypertension: outcome with long-term epoprostenol treatment.

Rationale: Pulmonary hypertension is a known complication of sarcoidosis and is associated with increased mortality. Little is known about the outcome of sarcoidosis-associated pulmonary hypertension, including response to treatment.

Objective: To determine the characteristics and outcome of patients with sarcoidosis-associated pulmonary hypertension treated with IV epoprostenol.

Conversion to bosentan from prostacyclin infusion therapy in pulmonary arterial hypertension: a pilot study.

Study Objectives: We assessed the efficacy of bosentan in transitioning from prostacyclin infusions in patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH).

Methods: Twenty-two PAH patients were recruited from five PAH centers if they had been clinically stable while receiving therapy with IV epoprostenol or subcutaneous treprostinil for at least 3 months. Patients were observed in an open-label prospective trial while bosentan was added to therapy, and then epoprostenol or treprostinil were tapered after 2 months.

Perfluorinated surfactants in surface and drinking waters.

Goal, Scope And Background: In this paper recent results are provided of an investigation on the discovery of 12 perfluorinated surfactants (PS) in different surface and drinking waters (Skutlarek et al. 2006 a, Skutlarek et al. 2006 b).

Pulmonary hypertension and beta-thalassemia major: report of a case, its treatment, and a review of the literature.

Pulmonary hypertension is a common complication of beta-thalassemia major. We report a case of successful treatment of pulmonary hypertension in a patient with beta-thalassemia major and review the literature on pulmonary hypertension and beta-thalassemia major. A 28-year-old man with beta-thalassemia major, splenectomy, hepatitis C, and hemosiderosis who presented with increasing dyspnea on exertion was diagnosed with pulmonary hypertension.