Pulmonary Hypertension

Visit an elementary school playground during recess and you're likely to encounter a few out-of-breath children playing with friends. But if their breathlessness is coupled with other symptoms, such as chest tightness or wheezing, it could be a sign of a more serious problem. "I see this all the time with kids – they say 'I wheeze all the time,'" says Dr. Colleen McGovern, an assistant professor in the School of Nursing. "But that's not what we want. Our goal is for kids to be symptom free." McGovern, who spent years working as a school nurse and has asthma herself, says some of these children could be unknowingly suffering from exercise-induced asthma, which is better known in scientific circles as exercise-induced bronchoconstriction, or EIB.  Experts estimate that anywhere from 3 to 35% of children have EIB. One of McGovern's main goals is to develop interventions that can help children with asthma and EIB unde...

Bronchial asthma, a chronic inflammatory disease of the airways that is reversible in certain cases, usually presents with cough, difficulty of breathing, and wheezing. Although most people can successfully control asthma using inhaled corticosteroids, approximately 10% of patients are resistant to treatment. Recent evidence has suggested a link between the excessive intake of fatty acids and exacerbation of asthma, but the details of the relationship had remained elusive. In a study recently published in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology , a research group from the University of Tsukuba shed light on this knowledge gap. The group focused on the function of an enzyme called ELOVL6, which is responsible for the biosynthesis of long-chain fatty acids in humans. Dysfunction of ELOVL6 has been linked to various immune-related conditions, and thus, the group hypothesized a link between ELOVL6 and asthma. Improper function of ELOVL6 has been linked to diseases, such as...

January 31, 2023 6 min read Source/Disclosures Source: Healio Interviews Disclosures: Bernstein reports being a researcher, consultant, advisor, speaker and/or independent contractor for AbbVie, ALK, Allakos, Aimmune Therapeutics, Amgen, AstraZeneca, BioCryst, Biomarin, Blueprint Medicine, Celldex, CSL Behring, Shire/Takeda, Genentech, GlaxoSmithKline, Incyte, Ionis, Kalvista, Merck, Novartis, Optinose, Octapharma, Pharming Group, Pharvaris, Pfizer, Regeneron, Roche, Sanofi, Stallergenes Greer, Astria, Escient, ONO, TLL, Cycle, Jasper, and Teva. ADD TOPIC TO EMAIL ALERTS Receive an email when new articles are posted on Please provide your email address to receive an email when new articles are posted on . " data-action="subscribe"> Subscribe ADDED TO EMAIL ALERTS We were unable to process your request. Please try again later. If you continu...

In the 1990s, the Pfizer cardiovascular (CV) research group in the UK was looking for new drugs to treat cardiovascular disease. This group had already scored some major successes in this area most notably with Norvasc (amlodipine) which became the premier calcium channel blocker for the treatment of hypertension. In the course of their work, the UK scientists explored blockade of a specific enzyme, phosphodiesterase-5 (PDE-5). Their early work demonstrated that blocking PDE-5 in animals enhanced blood flow to a variety of organs and that an inhibitor of PDE-5 could be of value in treating CV conditions such as angina and heart failure. The team was able to find a novel, potent PDE-5 inhibitor, UK-92,480, and they rapidly advanced this compound to the clinic. The initial trials in volunteers were disappointing. UK-92,480 had a minimal acute impact on important CV parameters such as blood pressure, heart rate, cardiac output and blood flow. The program was almost discontinued - not...

Visit an elementary school playground during recess and you're likely to encounter a few out-of-breath children playing with friends. But if their breathlessness is coupled with other symptoms, such as chest tightness or wheezing, it could be a sign of a more serious problem. "I see this all the time with kids – they say 'I wheeze all the time,'" says Dr. Colleen McGovern, an assistant professor in the School of Nursing. "But that's not what we want. Our goal is for kids to be symptom free." McGovern, who spent years working as a school nurse and has asthma herself, says some of these children could be unknowingly suffering from exercise-induced asthma, which is better known in scientific circles as exercise-induced bronchoconstriction, or EIB.  Experts estimate that anywhere from 3 to 35% of children have EIB. One of McGovern's main goals is to develop interventions that can help children with asthma and EIB unde...

Specialty

Doctors can diagnose emphysema using several tests, including spirometry. This test measures how much air a person can exhale from their lungs after taking a deep breath. Other tests may include imaging scans and blood tests. Emphysema is a severe respiratory disease that damages the air sacs, or alveoli, of the lungs. It can also affect the walls between them. This damage causes airways to become inflamed and rigid, which leads to difficulty breathing and other serious health concerns. Emphysema falls under the umbrella of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), along with chronic bronchitis. Continue reading to learn more about how doctors diagnose emphysema. Doctors often diagnose emphysema without using routine laboratory tests or imaging studies. Instead, they use lung function tests as the primary diagnostic tool . Diagnosis typically begins by taking a detailed medical history to assess an individual's current symptoms and any previous or current medical conditions. Th...

The 11th annual Health Summit will showcase over 16 speakers and panelists about important topics for the Northern Colorado healthcare, business, and citizen communities Join us on Wednesday, November 30, 2022 for the Health Care in Your Future Summit. Session Topics include: • Healthcare Innovations • The Future of Healthcare Workforce / Building the Pipeline • Are we there yet?? COVID Workforce and crisis management adjustments • Supporting Employee Behavioral Health • "The doctor will see you now" • Colorado Healthcare Legislative Update and Preview More than 200 people are expected at this year's summit. A virtual/ hybrid ticket is available for purchase for day of participation. In-person attendance ticket will be required for admittance to the event at The Ranch. Cost to attend In-Person: $32 Cost to attend In-Person + Scholarship Contribution: $45 Cost for virtual/hybrid ticket: $20 Scholarship registrations are available by request to nocohealthsector@gmail.co...

In a go-go-go world, it's all too easy to get stuck in fight-or-flight mode, even when you're not facing any true threats. But if you make a conscious effort to step back, slow down and let your brain work its magic, you can find the kind of peace and calm that can change your entire state of being.  Advertising Policy Cleveland Clinic is a non-profit academic medical center. Advertising on our site helps support our mission. We do not endorse non-Cleveland Clinic products or services. Policy Five-finger breathing is a deep relaxation and breathing that can help you do just that. Pain specialist and behavioral medicine psychologist Judith Scheman, PhD, explains what this is, how to do it and how it can help you relax, unwind and even manage pain. What is five-finger breathing? Five-finger breathing is a simple but powerful breathing technique that induces deep relaxation ...

Most Americans don't know the meaning of 120-80 mm Hg, but think they do. Nearly half of adults in the U.S. have high blood pressure (hypertension). In the long run, high blood pressure damages blood vessels, increases risk of heart failure, and leads to other poor health outcomes, especially in patients with additional conditions such as heart disease, kidney disease and diabetes. High blood pressure is more common as we get older, and a majority of people will develop blood pressure in their lifetime. Yet, almost two-thirds of adults do not know the upper thresholds for normal or healthy blood pressure, according to a new USC study published this week in the journal Medical Decision Making . "High blood pressure usually has no symptoms," said Wandi Bruine de Bruin , who co-directs the Behavioral Sciences program at the USC Schaeffer Center for Health Policy & Economics and is provost professor of public policy, psycholog...

Jeremy Renner was 'completely crushed' by 14,330-pound snow plow: 911 log reveals right side of his chest collapsed and his upper torso caved, leaving him with difficulty breathing Notes from a 911 call log said Renner's torso was crushed and the right side of his chest collapsed after being run over by the 14,330-pound snow plow He could be heard moaning in the background of the call and was having trouble breathing before being airlifted to a nearby hospital Renner was seriously injured Sunday morning after being run over by his seven-ton Pistenbully snowcat while clearing roads near his home in the Reno area  By Sophie Mann For Dailymail.Com Published: 23:46 GMT, 4 January 2023 | Updated: 02:56 GMT, 5 January 2023 A 911 emergency call made after Jeremy Renner was run over by a seven-ton snow plow on New Year's Day indicates that the right side of the actor's chest c...

Expert tips to shake off this winter's hacking cough: From breathing exercises to remedies that actually work, our guide to beating the sniffles Flu cases rose by almost 50 per cent in the first week of January Menthol cough lozenges help by providing a cooling sensation to the throat By Angela Epstein for the Daily Mail Published: 00:12 GMT, 24 January 2023 | Updated: 00:13 GMT, 24 January 2023 Persistent, hacking coughs seem to be the soundtrack to winter this year. It's perhaps inevitable, given that flu cases rose by almost 50 per cent in the first week of January, Covid cases remain high — a dry, persistent cough is the most commonly reported symptom — and a 'monster' cold appears to be doing the rounds. Last week, Professor Kamila Hawthorne, chair of the Royal College of GPs, said doctors were noticing that coughs were lingering longer than usual this winter. The suggestion i...