Comparison of Retinal Imaging Techniques in Individuals with Pulmonary Artery Hypertension Using Vessel Generation Analysis.

(1) Background: Retinal vascular imaging plays an essential role in diagnosing and managing chronic diseases such as diabetic retinopathy, sickle cell retinopathy, and systemic hypertension. Previously, we have shown that individuals with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), a rare disorder, exhibit unique retinal vascular changes as seen using fluorescein angiography (FA) and that these changes correlate with PAH severity. This study aimed to determine if color fundus (CF) imaging could garner identical retinal information as previously seen using FA images in individuals with PAH.

Retinal vessel changes in pulmonary arterial hypertension.

Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is classically considered an isolated small vessel vasculopathy of the lungs with peripheral pulmonary vascular obliteration. Systemic manifestations of PAH are increasingly acknowledged, but data remain limited. We hypothesized that retinal vascular changes occur in PAH.

Lung Ultrasound for Diagnosing Patients with Severe Dyspnea and Acute Hypoxic Respiratory Failure.

Acute hypoxic respiratory failure can be caused by severe pneumonia, cardiogenic pulmonary edema (CPE), and acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). Differentiating between these causes in critically ill patients can be challenging. Lung ultrasound (LUS) evaluation of acute respiratory failure has been developed and adopted only recently.

Pneumomediastinum in marijuana users: a retrospective review of 14 cases.

Introduction: Inhaled marijuana has been infrequently identified as a potential risk factor for the development of spontaneous pneumomediastinum (SPM), a rare finding of free air in the mediastinum likely caused by barotrauma during breathing manoeuvres. The mechanism of inhalation drug use is often not ascertained by physicians, thus little is known about how different smoking techniques precipitate pulmonary injury. We aimed to evaluate the frequency of marijuana use in patients with non-traumatic pneumomediastinum over a 12-month period, identifying additional relevant clinical features or risk factors, and determining the extent to which clinicians record smoking techniques.

Lower DHEA-S levels predict disease and worse outcomes in post-menopausal women with idiopathic, connective tissue disease- and congenital heart disease-associated pulmonary arterial hypertension.

High oestradiol (E2) and low dehydroepiandrosterone-sulfate (DHEA-S) levels are risk factors for pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) in men, but whether sex hormones are related to PAH in women is unknown.Post-menopausal women aged ≥55 years with PAH were matched by age and body mass index to women without cardiovascular disease. Plasma sex hormone levels were measured by immunoassay.

Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension and the Sex Hormone Paradox.

Purpose Of Review: Prevalence and outcome differences between women and men with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) raise questions about the role of sex hormones in disease pathobiology. This review will summarize the current understanding of sex and sex hormone pathways and their influence on heart-lung function in health and in disease.

Recent Findings: Female sex has been shown to be a risk factor for the development of PAH, but women have improved survival compared to men with PAH.

5-fluorouracil induced cardiotoxicity: review of the literature.

5-fluorouracil (5-FU) is a key chemotherapeutic agent in the treatment of many gastrointestinal tract adenocarcinomas. Despite its proven therapeutic efficacy, 5-FU also possesses several undesired cardiac toxicities, including coronary vasospasm, coronary thrombosis, cardiomyopathy, and sudden cardiac death. This review addresses the incidence, mechanisms of action, clinical presentation, risk stratification, and management of 5-FU associated cardiotoxicity; it also highlights the importance of careful pre-administration cardiac risk stratification and close monitoring during and after drug administration.