American journal of respiratory and critical care medicine
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Am. J. Respir. Crit. Care Med. · Nov 2016
Hepatoma Derived Growth Factor Predicts Disease Severity and Survival in Pulmonary Artery Hypertension.
Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is a fatal disease, and pulmonary microvascular remodeling is an important contributor to PAH development. Therefore, we hypothesized that a circulating angiogenic factor could predict disease severity and survival. ⋯ Elevated HDGF was associated with worse functional class, exertional intolerance, and increased mortality in PAH, suggesting HDGF as a potential biomarker for predicting mortality and as having possible diagnostic value for distinguishing PAH from non-PAH. HDGF may add additional value in PAH risk stratification in clinical trials and may represent a potential target for future PAH drug development.
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Am. J. Respir. Crit. Care Med. · Nov 2016
Airway Microbiota Determines Innate Cell Inflammatory or Tissue Remodeling Profiles in Lung Transplantation.
In lung transplant recipients, long-term graft survival relies on the control of inflammation and tissue remodeling to maintain graft functionality and avoid chronic lung allograft dysfunction. Although advances in clinical practice have improved transplant success, the mechanisms by which the balance between inflammation and remodeling is maintained are largely unknown. ⋯ The crosstalk between bacterial communities and innate immune cells potentially determines the function of the transplanted lung offering novel pathways for intervention strategies.