Exogenous nitric oxide upregulates p21(waf1/cip1) in pulmonary microvascular smooth muscle cells.

The histopathology of chronic pulmonary hypertension includes microvascular proliferation and neointimal formation. Nitric oxide (NO) has been implicated in the regulation of these mechanisms, but how NO controls microvascular proliferation and its effect on pulmonary microvascular cells is still unclear. In this study, we characterized the in vitro effects of NO on rat pulmonary microvascular smooth muscle cell (PMVSMC) proliferation and investigated the contribution of the p42/44 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathway and p21(waf1/cip1) induction to this response.

Fatal complication from a balloon-expandable tracheal stent in a child: a case report.

Objective: The use of airway stents in the pediatric population is uncommon, reflected in the few patient series reported in the literature. We describe a fatal complication of tracheal stent placement in an 18-month-old child with spondylothoracic dysplasia.

Design: Case report.