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2008

10/1/08 Local Recreation: Not Just Basketball
But Hurricanes also play well in hoops tourneys. After eight years at the helm of the Northwest Indiana Hurricanes, program founder and head coach Willie White, Jr., continues to advocate a there's-more-to-life-than-basketball approach with his players.

9/24/08 Antioxidant Deficiency Contributes to Pulmonary Hypertension
(FreshNews) -- Researchers from Cleveland Clinic have found that deficiency of antioxidants in the endothelial cells that line blood vessels in the lungs may contribute to pulmonary hypertension.

9/23/08 Pivotal Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension Study Concludes That Early Detection and Intervention is Key to Delay Disease Progression
(The Wall Street Journal) Laval, Quebec -- Actelion Pharmaceuticals Canada announced today that data presented at the recent European Cardiology Society meeting, and also published in The Lancet(1) show that, even in mildly symptomatic pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) patients (WHO functional class II - WHO FC II), the disease progresses very rapidly, such that patients can worsen to the most severe, WHO functional class III and IV in a short period of time.

9/22/08 Raffle to Benefit Three-Year-Old Girl
(The Mississippi Press) -- Community members are asking for help for the family of Bailey Turner, a 3-year-old girl who had heart surgery when she was 10 weeks old. This along with a number of other medical problems has depleted her family's insurance. Hospital bills and other needs are now a financial burden.

9/19/08 Child’s Memory Lives On As Mum Supports Puffin Appeal
(Journal Live) -- A MOTHER who lost her two-year-old son to a lung condition has pledged her support to a Journal-backed health campaign. The Puffin Appeal wants to raise £2m for a new childhood respiratory unit at Newcastle’s Royal Victoria Infirmary.

9/17/08 Utah Justices: Pharmacists Could be Negligent if They Dispense Withdrawn Drugs
(Salt Lake Tribune) -- Utah pharmacists could be considered negligent for dispensing drugs that have been withdrawn from the market, the Utah Supreme Court said in an opinion Tuesday, opening the possibility their job duties will be redefined in a trial court.

9/15/08 Skin-Hardening Disease May Hit Heart, Lungs
(news-journalonline.com) -- Scleroderma, a collagen, vascular and autoimmune disease, got its name from the Greek words "skelero" hard, and "derma," skin. It is a rare disease but can affect people of any age or gender, most commonly women 30 to 50 years old.

9/13/08 Open Heart Surgery Performed on 5-yr-old
(expressindia.com) -- The Cardiac Surgery department of SPS Apollo Hospital has successfully performed a open heart surgical closure of a large VSD with severe pulmonary artery hypertension (continuous high blood pressure), on a five year old child, weighing just 10 kg.

9/9/08 Smiling Through Pain
(FDA News) -- Three days a week, Diane Maxwell sits at St. Peter’s Hospital’s dialysis center hooked to a machine that does everything her kidneys once did.

9/8/08 -- BBSRC-Funded Scientist to Receive Prestigious Honour for Work on Deadly Disease
(Media-Newswire.com) -- Professor Mandy MacLean, a BBSRC-funded scientist at the University of Glasgow, is the first woman and the first scientist working on research to understand basic mechanisms to receive the prestigious Estelle Grover Lecture Award from the American Thoracic Society for her research into the life-threatening condition, pulmonary arterial hypertension ( PAH ).

9/4/08 Viagra Girl is a Big Inspiration
(East Lothian Courier) -- Seven-year-old Natalie Archibald suffers from Primary Pulmonary Hypertension, which causes high blood pressure and strain on the heart and lungs. Viagra improves the blood flow to her lungs.

9/3/08 Inhaled Treprostinil New Drug Application Filed by FDA
(MarketWatch) Silver Spring, Md. -- United Therapeutics Corporation and its wholly-owned subsidiary Lung Rx, Inc. announced today that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has accepted for review the New Drug Application (NDA) for inhaled treprostinil for the treatment of pulmonary arterial hypertension.

9/2/08 Viagra, Not Just for Sex
(The Times of India) -- Lead researcher Donald Maurice, a professor of Pharmacology and Toxicology, says that the fresh insights his team has gained into how the erectile dysfunction drug, also used to treat pulmonary hypertension, inhibits an enzyme called PDE5 which lead them to this conclusion.

9/2/08 Parents of Children with Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia (CDH) Warn World
(NewsOK.com) -- When Carrie and Brandon Daniels of Salina went to visit the obstetrician for a routine ultrasound 20 weeks into her pregnancy, they were excited to learn the sex of the child they were expecting.

9/1/08 Viagra is Keeping My Little Girl Alive
A SEVEN-year-old girl with a rare illness is being kept alive thanks to four doses of Viagra a day.

8/31/08 PAH Incidence High in Sclerosis
(Rheumatology News) -- The incidence of pulmonary arterial hypertension in systemic sclerosis is 0.61 per 100 patient-years, according to data on 384 patients in a study presented at the annual meeting of the European League Against Rheumatism.

8/28/08 Deborah Norville Helps Local Non-profit Raise Funds
(inrich.com) -- Caring Voice Coalition will have Deborah Norville, host of "Inside Edition," as the emcee for the second annual Trio 2 Triumph benefit gala.

8/26/08 Research Examines Variations of Rare Lung Disease
(EurekAlert!) Cincinatti, Oh. -- Lymphangioleiomyomatosis, or LAM, is a rare but serious lung disease that may cause severe respiratory symptoms in patients. The often-fatal disease has no cure. Researchers say the key to learning more about LAM might lie in better understanding how symptoms differ among LAM patients

8/26/08 Pulmonary Hypertension Drug
(HOINEWS.com) -- Congenital heart defects are structural abnormalities of the heart that are present at birth. According to the American Heart Association about 1.3 million Americans are living with some type of congenital heart defect. The conditions occur in about 36,000 infants each year.

8/22/08 PH Teen Inspires Community and Raises Thousands for PHA
Read the inspiring story of 16-year-old PH patient Lauren Johnson who organized a successful art auction and carnival event for 250 people, obtained coverage in 3 newspaper articles, raised $3,000 in sponsorships, and designed the event title and logo herself. Her event was in honor of 11-year-old PHriend Julian Willis and in memory of PHriend Katie Hill and has raised over $11,000 for PHA.

8/22/08 2008 Scientific Sessions Materials Available
The Scientific Sessions at PHA's Conference in June were marked by robust discussion and information sharing among members of the PH medical community. To facilitate the continuation of this discussion and discovery, the session PowerPoint presentations and 65 abstracts are available online.

8/22/08 Audio Recording of Conference Favorite -- Journeys Luncheon
Did you know that the Conference audio recordings include the Conference favorite, the Journeys Luncheon, where PH doctors and their patients shared their journey together, including 10-year-old Darby Hetrick (pictured right with partents)? You can also hear the moving journeys shared by Joe Barnes and Donna Pederson.

8/21/08 Development and Validation of a Preference Based Measure Derived from the Cambridge Pulmonary Hypertension Outcome Review (CAMPHOR) for Use in Cost Utility Analyses
(7th Space Interactive) -- Pulmonary Hypertension is a severe and incurable disease with poor prognosis. A suite of new disease-specific measures - the Cambridge Pulmonary Hypertension Outcome Review (CAMPHOR) - was recently developed for use in this condition.

8/19/08 Shirley: Heart Disease Survivor Part of Cure Search
(Bangor Daily News) Shirley, Me. -- Jeannette Morrill is optimistic researchers will find a cure during her lifetime for pulmonary hypertension, a disease that affects the heart, but if they don’t, she wants to make sure a cure will be there for others.

8/18/08 Teen Raises Funds for PHA
(The Edmond Sun) -- Courtney Crauthers — About 250 people showed up to support 16-year-old Lauren Johnson in her quest to raise money Saturday for the Pulmonary Hypertension Association.

8/15/08 Oklahoma City Teen Paints Hope Despite Battle with Rare Disease
(NewsOK.com) -- It's rare, incurable and life-threatening. Those words hit Lauren Johnson, 16, hard when she read about pulmonary hypertension, the disease she's had since she was 3.

8/15/08 Epix Initiates Phase IIb Right-Heart Catheterization Study of PRX-08066
(redOrbit.com) -- Epix Pharmaceuticals has initiated its Phase IIb right-heart catheter study of PRX-08066 in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and moderate-to-severe pulmonary hypertension.

8/16/08 Airing Snorer Grouses
(Jamaica Gleaner) -- Girls, does your beloved keep you awake half the night with his powerful snoring? Does he occasionally wake up gasping for air? Do you wake up miserable and tired while he has had a restful sleep?

8/12/08 Facing the Decision of Her Life
(YorkRegion.com) -- Her doctor told her she needed to get back to the gym, but it turned out her ailment was more complicated.

8/12/08 Epix tests lung treatment
(Boston Business Journal) -- Epix Pharmaceuticals Inc. has begun a midstage human clinical trial testing a treatment for patients with lung disease. The Lexington, Mass., company said on Tuesday that it has launched the study of PRX-08066 in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and moderate-to-severe pulmonary hypertension.

8/12/08 EPIX Pharmaceuticals Initiates Phase 2b Right-Heart Catheterization Study of PRX-08066 in Patients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease and Moderate-to-Severe Pulmonary Hypertension
(BUSINESS WIRE) Lexington, Ma. -- EPIX Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company focused on discovering and developing novel therapeutics through the use of its proprietary and highly efficient in silico drug discovery platform, today announced that it has initiated its Phase 2b right-heart catheter study of PRX-08066 in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and moderate-to-severe pulmonary hypertension (PH).

8/11/08 Joyful Wedding for Lung Transplant Recipient
(SF Gate) San Francisco, Ca. -- Nearly five years ago, when Carrie Shellhammer was dying at UCSF Medical Center, she and her mother selected songs for her funeral, which they assumed was just weeks away. On Saturday, those songs were played at her wedding instead.

8/8/08 435 Campaign District Visits Lead to Co-Sponsorship of PH Bill
The Tom Lantos PH Research and Education Act was introduced just two weeks ago and already has four co-sponsors in addition to Kevin Brady (R-TX) and Lois Capps (D-CA) (pictured left) who introduced the bill.

8/8/08 PH on Demand with Dr. Gregory Elliot and Joanne Sperando-Schmidt
Periwinkle Films, in cooperation with PHA, has released the second installment of PH on Demand, a talk show-style prerecorded video webisode, or "PHodcast." The second PHodcast features an interview with Dr. Gregory Elliot on genetics and the PH Journeys story of Joanne Sperando-Schmidt. Watch PH on Demand and give us your feedback (in the questions tab).

8/7/08 Exercise-induced Pulmonary Hypertension Common in Systemic Sclerosis
(medicexchange.com) -- Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) can often become apparent during exercise testing in patients with systemic sclerosis, according to a report in the July issue of Chest.

8/5/08 Design of the REVEAL Registry for US Patients With Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension
(redorbit.com) -- 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).

8/4/08 BD Syringe Recall for Flolan and IV Remodulin
This recall relates to PH patients using specific lots of BD syringes for administration of Flolan and IV Remodulin. Most patients working with specialty pharmacies may have already received replacement syringes. For return and replacement, talk to your specialty pharmacy.

BD has determined that unit package seal integrity (and resulting product sterility) can be adversely affected when the product is exposed to low atmospheric pressure experienced at high altitudes (e.g. during product shipping). For more information and to check lot numbers read the BD recall letter (PDF).

8/1/08 Edmond Teen Fights Back
(The Edmond Sun) Edmond, Ok. -- Lauren Johnson, 16, looks like a normal teenager on the outside but daily fights the symptoms of a disease called pulmonary hypertension, which she is determined to challenge.

7/31/08 Lung Transplant Recipient Recovering
(THOnline.com) -- Dubuque lung transplant recipient Nick LeGrand is recovering in a Houston hospital. Tuesday's procedure was Nick's second transplant. A rare lung ailment called primary pulmonary hypertension led to his first transplant a decade ago.

7/29/08 New Drug - Volibris
GSK has launched Volibris (ambrisentan) for the treatment of pulmonary arterial hypertension (WHO Class II and III) to improve exercise capacity.

7/28/08 Kentucky Children's Heart Center Opens
(University of Kentucky News) Lexington Ky. -- UK HealthCare's Kentucky Children's Hospital recently established the Kentucky Children's Heart Center. The full-service center provides inpatient and outpatient diagnostic and treatment services for children with congenital or acquired heart disease. Treatment also encompasses patients who have advanced into adulthood, providing the consistency of comprehensive care important to favorable long-term outcomes.

7/25/08 Viagra proves effective in treating medical condition in infants
(49 News) St. Petersburg, Fla. -- Little Noah Nero is only 10-months-old, but his mom gives him Viagra every day. "It's still kind of a joke what a stud Noah is because he's on Viagra," Cherish Nero said.

7/24/08 Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension More Severe in Carriers of BMPR2 Mutation
(Abkhazia Institute for Social and Economic Research) -- Among patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension, those with germline mutations in the gene encoding bone morphogenetic protein receptor 2 present at an earlier age and with more severe hemodynamic compromise, according to findings from a French study.

7/21/08 New Caregiver Guide for Chronic Lung Disease
(American Lung Association) -- The American Lung Association and Krames Publishing have teamed up to produce the Caregiver’s Guide for Chronic Lung Disease. The guide is designed for caregivers of people with chronic lung diseases, including chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), lung cancer, pulmonary hypertension and pulmonary fibrosis. 

7/21/08 Ikaria's INOflo (Nitric Oxide) for Inhalation Approved in Japan
(PRNewswire) Clinton N.J. -- Ikaria Holdings, Inc., through
its subsidiary INO Therapeutics LLC, announced that Japan's Ministry
of Health, Labor and Welfare has approved INOflo(R) (nitric oxide)
for inhalation for improvement of hypoxic respiratory failure with
concurrent pulmonary hypertension in neonates. INOflo (brand name INOmax(R) in the United States) has been shown to improve oxygenation and reduce the need for ECMO, a highly invasive cardiopulmonary bypass procedure.

7/18/08 Bosentan Improves Quality of Life for Patients with Pulmonary Hypertension
(Innovations Report) -- Recent studies have shown that bosentan therapy greatly improves the quality of life for patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension.

7/17/08 Updated Boxed Warning for Micro-Bubble Contrast Agents
(Doctors Guide Channels) Rockville, M.D. -- The US Food and Drug Administration issued an alert to update healthcare professionals about changes that were made to the Boxed Warning, Warnings, and Contraindications sections of the prescribing information for micro-bubble contrast agents in May and June 2008.

7/15/08 Dartmouth researchers discover gene signatures for scleroderma
(GEN) Hanover, N.H. -- Distinct genetic profiles can discern different groups of patients with scleroderma, a vexing autoimmune disease in which the body turns against itself, Dartmouth Medical School researchers report. Their discovery of distinguishing molecular subtypes within the disease offers new insight into the complexity of a poorly understood and hard to treat illness and opens a window for better diagnosis and targeted therapies.

7/14/08 Rare Disease Takes Half a Family
(Orange County Register) Calif. -- Remaining Wojciechowskis carry mutated gene – and strong optimism – as they raise awareness of hereditary ailment.

7/11/08 New Drug for PAH in Vietnam
(Thanhnien News) Vietnam -- A new drug to treat Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension (PAH) has received approval by the Ministry of Health of Vietnam.
Drug marketing company, Pharmalink, and Swiss-based pharmaceutical company, Actelion, jointly held a press conference Thursday in HCMC to introduce the drug.

7/7/08 'Through Sickness and Health,' He's Been Her Husband
(JCOnline) West LaFayette, Ind. -- When his wife, Cindy, found out in 2006 she had pulmonary hypertension, Joe Haan never questioned whether he'd be able to take care of her.

7/4/2008 GeneraMedix Wins Approval for Hypertension Drug
(Red Orbit) -- GeneraMedix has received approval from the FDA for its Epoprostenol for Injection 1.5mg new drug application.

6/30/08 New Drug Application for Inhaled Treprostinil Submitted to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration
(PRNewswire) -- Therapeutics Corporation and its wholly-owned subsidiary, Lung Rx, Inc., announced the submission of a New Drug Application to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for marketing approval of an inhaled formulation of treprostinil for the treatment of pulmonary arterial hypertension, a chronic, life-threatening disease.

6/27/08 Woman Needs New Lungs, Heart, in Her Fight to Stay Alive
(Daily Register) Oelwein, Iowa -- Former Oelwein resident Kari (Hansen) Posekany, now of Cedar Falls, is in a battle for her life. Her sister DeAnn Michels, along with the whole Hansen family and several friends are putting together a benefit Saturday, June 28, at the Oelwein American Legion in hopes of raising money to help her.

6/26/08 Determined Woman Not Stopped by Her Disease
(The Atlanta Journal-Constitution) -- After she was diagnosed with a severe form of pulmonary hypertension, Brittany Evans decided there wasn't enough money being raised to fight the diseas. So, the Sprayberry High School graduate was determined to start her own fund-raising efforts.

6/14/08 Serum Sodium Predicts Mortality Ten Times Higher In PAH Patient
(Medical News Today) -- Patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) chronically high blood pressure in the blood vessels of the lungs whose serum sodium levels are low (called hyponatremia, or HN) have a very poor chance of survival and a high rate of right-heart failure (RHF), according to new research from the University of Pennsylvania.

6/10/08 Woman’s Final Text Inspires Loved Ones
(Online Edition News Shopper) -- A text message sent by a 24-year-old woman just hours before she died from pulmonary hypertension has inspired her friends and family to remain positive as they mourn for her.

5/29/08 Gilead Buys Hypertension Drug Candidate
(TheStreet.com) -- Gilead Sciences said Thursday that it will buy assets related to Cicletanine -- a pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) treatment of privately held Navitas -- and will begin a phase II trial on the drug this year.

5/21/08 Treprostinil Data Presented at American Thoracic Society Conference Demonstrates Significant Clinical Progress in All Four Routes of Administration
(The Earth Times) Silver Spring, Md. -- United Theraputics Corporation and its wholly-owned subsidiary Lung Rx, Inc. announced that data from seven presentations concerning the treatment of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) with treprostinil were reported at the American Thoracic Society (ATS) meeting in Toronto, Ontario. The ATS presentations involved treprostinil delivered by inhaled, oral, intravenous and subcutaneous routes of administration.

5/20/08 Gilead Announces New Letairis® (Ambrisentan) Data for the Treatment of Patients With Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension (WHO Group 1) With WHO Functional Class II or III Symptoms
(Businesswire) Tornonto, Ont., Canada -- Gilead Sciences, Inc. announced results of a post-hoc analysis of data collected during the ARIES-1, ARIES-2 and ARIES-E studies for Letairis® in pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) (WHO Group 1) patients with primarily WHO functional class II or III symptoms. This analysis compared one-year clinical outcomes for PAH (WHO Group 1) patients who initially received placebo during the 12-week, placebo-controlled ARIES-1 and ARIES-2 studies before receiving ambrisentan during a long-term, open-label extension study (ARIES-E) to patients receiving continuous ambrisentan treatment throughout the ARIES studies.

5/19/08 Cancer Drug May Help Patients with Heart-lung Disease (PDF)
A drug developed to fight cancer is showing early promise as a treatment for pulmonary hypertension, researchers from the University of Chicago Medical Center report May 19 at the American Thoracic Society International Conference in Toronto, Canada.

5/19/08 Pulmo BioTech Announces Methodology for Phase I Human Trials
(Red Orbit) -- Pulmo BioTech has reported details of the methodology and purpose of its Phase I human trials with its PulmoBind molecular imaging technology for the diagnosis of pulmonary embolism and pulmonary hypertension.

5/16/08 Ventavis Drug Recall Alert!
Letter with Instructions from Accredo (PDF)
Lots Recall Announcement from Actelion (PDF)

5/15/08 EPIX Pharmaceuticals to Present Phase 2a Data at American Thoracic Society Meeting
(Business Wire) Lexington, Mass. -- EPIX Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company focused on discovering and developing novel therapeutics through the use of its proprietary and highly efficient in silico drug discovery platform, announced that Michael G. Kauffman, M.D., Ph.D., chief executive officer of EPIX, is scheduled to present an oral presentation entitled “Selective Serotonin-2B Receptor Antagonist PRX-08066 Improves Pulmonary Hypertension Associated with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease” at the International Conference of the American Thoracic Society in Toronto.

5/10/08 HIV, but Not HHV-8, Found to Increase Risk of Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension
(AidsMap) -- Higher pulmonary artery systolic pressure levels – an independent risk factor for pulmonary arterial hypertension – have been found in an HIV-positive study group, as compared to HIV-negative controls. However, no association with human herpesvirus-8 (HHV-8) infection was found. The results were reported in the April 23rd issue of AIDS.

5/10/08 Transplant Patient Leads Way in Fight Against Lung Disease
(The Times) United Kingdom -- Polak was already involved in work on lung diseases when she became ill and discovered that she was suffering from pulmonary hypertension, a condition she had been investigating.

5/10/08 Reinstated Top Doc Saves Pak Boy's Life
(Hindustan Times - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) New Delhi, India -- The surgery -- which lasted a little over 30 minutes -- will help infant George Sajeed from Pakistan's Kasur district lead a normal life. Sajeed suffered from pulmonary arterial hypertension and weighed a mere 7 kg -- a little more than half his ideal weight of 12-13 kg. His body had started turning blue and needed immediate treatment.

5/9/08 MPs in Canada Back Orphan Drug Proposal
PHA congratulates our Canadian partners, the new PHA Canada, on its first major victory!
(Globe and Mail) -- Canada is one step closer to an orphan drug plan after the House of Commons voted in favour of a motion that compels government to consider a policy to help those facing unequal access to medicines. Mr. Bell brought the motion forward after his grandson, Dylan Hunter Bell, who suffered from pulmonary hypertension and required continual drug treatment, died on July 14, 2007 -- one day after his 12th birthday.

5/7/08 UC San Diego Physician Receives Ellis Island Medal of Honor
(University of California, San Diego) -- Stuart Jamieson, a world-renowned cardiothoracic surgeon, is being honored with an Ellis Island Medal of Honor for his early sacrifices and groundbreaking successes. Jamieson’s groundbreaking research and innovative therapies are known world-wide, such as his leadership of the UCSD Pulmonary Thromboendarterectomy (PTE) Program. This program is foremost in the world in the successful treatment of chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension. In fact, every other program in the world currently performing PTE, a complex and delicate surgery involving the removal of clots from the lungs, was trained by the UC San Diego team.

5/7/08 Easthampton Teen Receives Support For New Lungs
(CBS 3 Springfield) -- Cassie Tessier is an Easthampton teen, struggling with a deadly disease. Her classmates organized a benefit dinner to offer some much needed financial support, and now the family is able to thank them publicly for their help. A rare blood vessel disorder called Pulmonary Hypertension keeps Cassie on a steady cycle of medication, but on Wednesday she broke out of her normal routine and returned to Easthampton High School for a show of support from her classmates.

5/6/08 Treprostinil Data to be Webcast from Annual Meeting of the American Thoracic Society
(PRNewswire) Silver Spring, Md. -- United Therapeutics Corporation announced that data related to the four different routes of administration of the drug, treprostinil, for the treatment of pulmonary arterial hypertension will be presented at the annual meeting of the American Thoracic Society (ATS), to be held in Toronto, Ontario, beginning May 16th and ending May 21, 2008, including the first public presentation of the full data set from the TRIUMPH-1 study of inhaled treprostinil.

5/6/08 Lung Medicine Decision ‘Could Cost Lives’
(The Herald) United Kingdom -- Hundreds of patients with a rare lung disorder could die and a Scottish centre of excellence in treating the condition could be threatened as a result of a decision by the medicines regulator for England and Wales, according to campaigners. The National Institute for Clinical Excellence (Nice) is currently consulting on draft guidance for the rare lung disorder Pulmonary Hypertension.

5/1/08 Gilead Initiates Letairis® (ambrisentan) Phase IV Program
(Business Wire) Foster City, Calif. -- Gilead Sciences, Inc. announced the initiation of ATHENA-1, a Phase IV, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study evaluating Letairis® (ambrisentan 5 mg and 10 mg tablets) in patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) demonstrating a sub-optimal response to sildenafil monotherapy.

4/29/08 “The Global Learning Series” to Raise Awareness of PAH in an Episode Called “Understanding The Heart”
(Business Wire) Boca Raton, Fla. -- “The Global Learning Serie,” announced that the education-focused television program distributed to public television, will feature Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension (PAH) in an episode called "Understanding The Heart." The show will be distributed this fall to public television stations and several cable television stations throughout the country and globally on both the web and U.S. Government Voice of America (VOA) Television.

4/29/08 10 Health Signs Not to Ignore
(The Jamaica Observer) -- #6 Shortness of breath: If you find yourself feeling short of breath beyond the typical stuffy nose or after exercise, you should not ignore this sign. If you realise that you are gasping for air or wheezing, you should seek a doctor. Feeling breathless with or without exertion or when reclining are symptoms that need to be medically evaluated without delay. Causes for breathlessness may include panic attacks, chronic bronchitis, heart problems, pulmonary hypertension, pulmonary fibrosis, asthma, anxiety and pulmonary embolism.

4/28/08 Digoxin Drug Recall Alert!
All-lots recall of Digitek oral digoxin tablets

4/28/08 Teva Announces Approval of Generic Flolan® for Injection
(Businesswire) Jerusalem -- Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has granted approval for the Company’s Abbreviated New Drug Application (ANDA) to market its epoprostenol, the first generic version of GlaxoSmithKline’s Flolan® for Injection.

4/28/08 Support in Numbers for Katie Grace
Fundraiser helps family of girl with rare heart-lung disorder
(Free Press) Mankato, Minn. -- Katie Grace, the daughter of John and Kathy Groebner, of Mankato, suffers from a rare heart and lung disorder — pulmonary hypertension — that will eventually require a heart-lung transplant. On Sunday evening at Bandana Brewery, friends and relatives held a fundraiser for the family. Kathy’s friend, Nicole Friedrichs, along with Kim Lindley and Angel Uribe organized the event over the last two months.

4/28/08 VentriPoint Diagnostics, University Sign Research, Technology Development Agreement
(FDA News) -- The university also will recruit patients with pulmonary hypertension to begin developing another VDS application, the company said.

4/25/08 GlaxoSmithKline's Volibris (ambrisentan) Receives Authorization From the European Commission
(FinChannel.com) -- GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) announced that the European Commission has issued marketing authorization for Volibris (ambrisentan) for the treatment of Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension (PAH) in patients classified as World Health Organisation (WHO) Functional Class II and III, to improve exercise capacity. Efficacy has been shown in idiopathic PAH (IPAH) and in PAH associated with connective tissue disease.

4/24/08 UCSF Marks a Milestone with 500th Transplant in Heart and Lung Program
(University of California, San Francisco) -- UCSF marked a milestone this week with the 500th procedure in its Thoracic Transplant Program, which specializes in transplantation of the heart and lung.

4/23/08 Terminal Illness Can't Dim Her Optimism
(Whittier Daily News) Whittier, Calif. -- To look at her and listen to her, Monica Marie Sanchez, 28, has knockout good-looks and a smart, energetic persona to boot. So, you wouldn't guess that she is classified as terminally ill and has been on a waiting list for a double lung transplant for seven years.

4/19/08 Cynthia Fink, Critical Care Nurse, Honored by Cambridge Who's Who for Outstanding Contributions to Pulmonary Vascular Care and Pulmonary Hypertension
(Cambridge Who's Who) Nashville, Tenn. -- Cynthia A. Fink, Pulmonary Vascular Program Coordinator at Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC), has been recognized by Cambridge Who's Who for showing dedication, leadership and excellence in all aspects of nursing and healthcare program management.

4/14/08 Community Joins in Fighting Lung Disease
(Gloucestershire.co.uk) United Kingdom -- A community event brought people together to spread hope for sufferers of a life- threatening lung disease. Hucclecote mum and campaigner Sarah Sherwood organised a charity fun day to raise awareness of pulmonary hypertension (PH).

4/11/08 Addition of 3D Echocardiography to 2D Studies Impacts on Decision-Making, Researchers Say
(Medicexchange) -- Three-dimensional echocardiography (3DE) should be routinely performed alongside clinically indicated 2D echocardiography (2DE), a study suggests. Earlier studies have shown that 3DE allows more accurate assessment of left ventricular volumes and ejection fraction.

4/9/08 Local Woman in Need of Double Lung Transplant
(Reno Gazette-Journal) Fernley, Nev.-- Cathy Brindos recalled when she first started developing symptoms of Pulmonary Hypertension, saying she would be out of breath after walking a short distance and often experienced swollen ankles.

4/8/08 Get Ready to Putt
(Kings County Record) Hampton, Canada -- May 24 will be a big day for golfers and those affected by pulmonary hypertension. That's the day the New Brunswick Pulmonary Hypertension Society and Firefly Forest will host Putt fore PH at the Firefly Forest, 64 Robertson Rd. All proceeds from the miniature golf, held from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. will go directly to support the work of the NBPHS.

4/7/08 Ventricular Septal Defect: A Vanishing Disease
(Gather.com) -- The incidence of total congestive heart defects is 8% and VSD, Ventricular Septal Defect, is the most predominant of the anomalies noted. In the case of VSD, a massive shunting of blood flowing from left to right occurs causing pulmonary hypertension.

4/5/08 Dakota Falls Loves Playing Sports
(NewsLeader.com) -- But since being diagnosed with pulmonary arterial hypertension last year, Falls has had to find other, less strenuous activities to fill his day. So, along with mastering Wii Sports, he’s starting up guitar lessons again, and plans to move onto keyboard and the drums after that.

4/4/08 Boca Raton Man Turns to Art After Beating Fatal Ailment
(BocaNews.com) -- When Gary Farmer was 45, his doctors told him he had a terminal illness and would live only another two to five years. That was in 1996 –- and Farmer, so far, has beaten those odds.

3/31/08 First Mosaic Laureate to Gain Doctorate for Work on Heart Function
(Huliq.com) -- Dutch medical researcher Christiaan Tji-Joong Gan has established that patients with a high blood pressure in the lungs die because the right ventricle is not capable of pumping blood against this pressure.

3/24/08 Easthampton Teenager Needs Lung Transplant, Classmates Helping
(CBS 3 Springfield) -- An Easthampton teenager is awaiting a life saving surgery, and though she probably won't be able to graduate with the class of 2009, her classmates are helping her breathe easier.

3/24/08 Lung Patients 'Condemned to Death as NHS Withdraws Their Too Expensive Drugs'
(Daily Mail) -- Hundreds of patients with a rare lung disease will be sentenced to death by plans to stop doctors prescribing a range of drugs on the NHS, it was claimed last night. Campaigners have condemned proposals by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence to withdraw the drugs because they are too expensive. The condition, pulmonary hypertension, affects an estimated 4,000 people in the UK.

3/18/08 Methamphetamine Use Associated with Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension In Patients with Previously Unknown Risk Factors (PDF)
PHA Press Release -- Pulmonary Hypertension Association Launches National Awareness Campaign to Raise Awareness of Methamphetamine and PAH Link

3/18/08 Hospital Helps Slow Progress of Child's Pulmonary Hypertension
(DailyNews) Burbank, Calif. -- At first, Steve and Marina Van Wormer thought their 6-year-old son had asthma. The Burbank boy would become exhausted after just a little exercise. So their pediatrician gave him asthma medication. But months later, little Lucas grew seriously ill. When they took him in for X-rays looking for pneumonia, doctors noticed the boy's heart was lopsided. They soon diagnosed him with pulmonary hypertension.
Read article | Read Pathlight story on Lucas (PDF) | View pictures of Lucas and his parents on DailyNews website

3/14/08 And Norway makes 45 (PH associations around the world, that is)!
We are pleased to report that a new association is currently being created in Norway. PHA is now in contact with 45 PH associations and groups around the world!

3/14/08 Italian Booklet on Pulmonary Hypertension Now Available
Associazione Ipertensione Polmonare Italiana (AIPI) has recently published a booklet entitled “Parliamo Di Ipertensione Arteriosa Polmonare” (Let’s Talk about Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension).

3/11/08 Tot Kept Alive by Viagra
(The Sun) United Kingdom -- Brave Oliver takes the sex drug four times a day to control pulmonary hypertension (PH), a rare condition that causes chronic high blood pressure. Viagra improves blood flow, which boosts erectile function in adults, but also helps open the veins and capillaries to aid circulation in rare cases such as Oliver’s. However, his future health is now under threat because of proposed cuts by the Government’s drug rationing agency the National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE).

3/11/08 Woman is Living with PH
(Rolla Daily News) -- She was told she might be asthmatic. She stopped swimming and hiking and found herself getting weaker by the day. It got so bad, House couldn’t work. When her “asthma” symptoms worsened, she was told she had some “deconditioning” issues. Something wasn’t registering, so House started digging around for answers. She hit pay dirt when she discovered a little known disease called pulmonary hypertension (PH).

3/10/08 Cure PH Committee Plans Final Golf Tournament
(Woodlands Online) The Woodlands, Texas -- The Cure PH Committee is preparing for their 10th and final Cure PH golf tournament as they make plans to introduce the first Cure PH Bug Boil.

3/6/08 Little Blue Pill Saves Newborn
(The Times of India) Panipat, India -- The jury may still be out on Viagra, but the magic blue pill saved the life of a newborn suffering from pulmonary hypertension. A neonatologist, Dr Girish Arora, of local hospital claimed that the drug was used on an "experimental basis" after the newborn did not respond to any other treatment.

3/4/08 A Combination Therapy of 3 Vasodilators May Treat Portopulmonary Hypertension
(EurekAlert) -- Combination therapy of Prostacyclin, Sildenafil, and Bosentan helped a young male patient with severe portopulmonary hypertension improve enough to receive a liver transplant. It was also used post-transplant to help him maintain his health. These findings are published in the March issue of Liver Transplantation.

3/3/08 National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) Releases Appraisal Consultation Document on Treatment of Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension in Adults
(IT News) Newbury, England -- The National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) has today published on its website the preliminary recommendations of its Appraisal Committee on the use of epoprostenol, iloprost, bosentan, sitaxentan and sildenafil for the treatment of pulmonary hypertension in adults. This document is for consultation only and does not constitute the Institute's final guidance to the National Health Service (NHS). However, if implemented without any revisions, these proposals will significantly limit the prescribing options for pulmonary hypertension.

3/3/08 Mystery Disease
(silive.com) Staten Island, N.Y. -- For as long as Kirsten Larson can remember, she was different than other kids her age: Easily out of breath, not physically active and chubby. Most people around her chalked it up to laziness. But Ms. Larson knew something was wrong. While other kids could run around without incident, she could barely walk around the block without feeling exhausted. At an age when being thin and trim is important, the preteen wondered why she was overweight when she wasn't overeating.

3/3/08 Problems Hamper Sickle Cell Treatment
(Associated Press) Washington -- The news is grim: Ten years after government approval of the first sickle cell treatment, only a tiny fraction of patients use the drug — despite new research showing the disease is far more painful than doctors ever suspected. There are a few bits of hope on the horizon. Hospitals around the country just began a long-awaited study to see if the same ingredient that powers the impotence drug Viagra may prevent death from a leading sickle cell killer, lung damage known as pulmonary hypertension.

2/29/08 Actelion and Nippon Shinyaku To Collaborate on Novel PAH Compound
(PharmaLive) -- Actelion Ltd and Nippon Shinyaku announced the two companies have signed a binding letter of intent regarding Nippon Shinyaku's novel PGI-2 receptor agonist NS-304.

2/28/08 'Gorgeous Child' Whose Bravery is not Forgotten
(Belfast Telegraph) -- The Fortwilliam child suffered from a rare heart and lung condition called pulmonary hypertension (PH). She also suffered from a hole in her heart, Down's syndrome and epilepsy.

2/27/08 Brave Barbara's Battle
(Melton Times) -- A woman with a rare incurable disease is highlighting the difficulties faced by sufferers. Grandmother-of-five Barbara Fraser has pulmonary hypertension, a condition only found once in every 1,000,000 people.

2/21/08 Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use Summary of Positive Opinion for Volibris
(PharmaLive) London -- On 21 February 2008 the Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) adopted a positive opinion,** recommending to grant a marketing authorisation for the medicinal product Volibris, 5 mg and 10 mg, Film coated tablets intended for treatment of pulmonary arterial hypertension. Volibris was designated as an orphan medicinal product on 11 April 2005. The applicant for this medicinal product is Glaxo Group Limited.

2/20/08 Pfizer Says to Buy Encysive and Thelin Lung Drug
(Reuters) New York -- Pfizer Inc said it has agreed to pay about $195 million to acquire Encysive Pharmaceuticals Inc and its Thelin lung-disorder medicine that has repeatedly failed to win U.S. approval.

2/20/08 Thousands Of Survivors Of Congenital Heart Defects Facing Specialist Shortage
(Medical News Today) -- Born with a serious congenital heart defect that requires regular medical check ups, Vanessa Mukite wasn't prepared for the dilemma she faced when she entered adulthood. Like thousands of other adult congenital heart defect patients in the Chicago area, Vanessa had to deal with being handed off by her heart specialist.

2/15/08 Race Matters For Patients Awaiting Lung Transplants
(Medical News Today) -- A recent study published in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine finds that compared to whites, blacks with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, or COPD, were less likely to receive a lung transplant. Blacks were also more likely than whites to die or be removed from the transplant list.

2/15/08 Air a Little Sweeter for Ailing Painter
(The Seward Pheonix Log) -- Jeff Toth breathes easier today. The lifelong Seward resident was given the gift of a second chance thanks to the local community’s generosity.

2/13/08 Clinical Trial a Breath of Fresh Air for CF Woman
(WCF Courier) Cedar Falls, Iowa -- When Lois Rippe agreed in 2003 to take part in a clinical trial for a new medicine to treat the symptoms of pulmonary hypertension she didn't think she'd live to see the end of the experiment.

2/11/08 CROI: Recreational Drug Use a Risk for Asymptomatic Heart Disorders in HIV-Positive Patients
(Aidsmap News) -- Echocardiographs were performed to check for the presence of left ventricular systolic dysfunction, diastolic dysfunction, pulmonary hypertension, left ventricular hypertrophy, and left atrial enlargement.

2/11/08 Sigh of Relief: Erie man with pulmonary hypertension breathes easier with treatment
(GoErie.com) -- A year ago, Fred Reading feared he was taking his last, labored breaths. Doctors didn't know what was wrong with him, but Reading, 64, couldn't walk down a hallway without leaning against a wall and stopping every few feet to rest.

2/8/08 FDA Gives arGentis Treatment 'Orphan' Designation
(Memphis Business Journal) -- That drug, ARG201, will treat the disease that attacks the body's own type 1 collagen causing fibrosis of the skin, lungs and other organs. As the disease progresses, patients suffer increasing difficulties with digestion, breathing, joint pain and often develop pulmonary hypertension.

2/4/08 Breakthrough for Fatal Lung Disease -- In-depth Doctor's Interview
(Ivanhoe Broadcast News) Toronto, Canada -- Michael Kutryk, M.D., explains how using a patient's own cells could potentially repair damage done from a debilitating lung disease.

2/4/08 Book Helps Adults See Illness Through the Eyes of a Child
(Borehamwood & Elstree Times) United Kingdom -- A children's audio book has been launched to tackle the subjects of severe illness and death - through the eyes of a nine-year-old boy whose grandmother is suffering from the rare illness Pulmonary Hypertension (PH).

2/4/08 Mum's Death Leaves Daughter to Bring Up Sisters
(Sheffield Star Barnsley) United Kingdom -- A YOUNG mum has been left to bring up her three little sisters along with her own two daughters after their mum died from a rare lung condition aged just 41.

2/1/08 Prevalence of HIV-Associated Pulmonary Hypertension Unchanged With HAART
(Medicexchange.com) -- The prevalence of HIV-associated pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) hasn't changed much since highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) became available, according to results of a prospective study from France.

1/31/08 Kindergartner With Lung Disease Benefits From Therapy at UCLA
(UCLA's Health System) -- Despite a rare, life-threatening lung condition, 6-year-old Lucas Van Wormer won't slow down. Just try to catch him as he rides his motorized scooter to kindergarten.

1/29/08 Know Your Family Health History
(WHAM.com) -- A young woman recently diagnosed with a rare lung disease is teaming up with doctors to remind all of us how important it is to learn about your family's health history.

1/24/08 Details About PAH Might Save Lives
(GoErie.com) -- Recently you had a column regarding a gentleman who described breathlessness, exercise intolerance and faintness. I had these exact symptoms before I was diagnosed with pulmonary arterial hypertension.

1/24/08 Mum Says Farewell With a Final Song
(Wiltshire) United Kingdom -- Mum Jo Buechel has paid tribute to her 19-year old son Rick who died at the weekend. Rick suffered from pulmonary hypertension, an incurable heart disease.

1/23/08 JAMA Clinician's Corner: Pulmonary Hypertension -- An Increasingly Recognized Complication of Hereditary Hemolytic Anemias and HIV Infection
(The Journal of the American Medical Association) -- It is estimated that 10% of patients with hemoglobinopathies and 0.5% of patients with HIV infection develop moderate to severe pulmonary hypertension.

1/23/08 JAMA Patient Page: Pulmonary Hypertension
(The Journal of the American Medical Association) -- The pulmonary artery is the main vessel that carries blood from the heart to the lungs. For a person at rest, blood pressure in a normal pulmonary artery is about 15 millimeters of mercury (mm Hg). In an individual with pulmonary hypertension, the average pressure in the pulmonary artery can be more than 25 mm Hg.

1/23/08 On Women: The Downside of C-Sections on Demand
(U.S. News & World Report) -- Her baby also might not fare as well, especially if doctors perform the C-section more than a week before the due date, which they do routinely to avoid having a woman go through the pains of labor. Such babies have a higher likelihood of lung problems like pulmonary hypertension and respiratory distress syndrome, according to a study published last month in the British Medical Journal.

1/22/08 What is Asbestosis?
(American Chronicle) -- Asbestosis may cause complications, such as an enlarged heart and pulmonary hypertension. Club-shaped fingers commonly occur.

1/21/08 Pulmonary Hypertension's Treatable
(The Detroit News) -- I am a woman, 81, recently diagnosed with pulmonary hypertension. What is it? What is the treatment? Is it curable?

1/20/08 New Medicines Can Help Lower High Blood Pressure in Lungs
(SouthCoastToday.com) -- Hypertension is high blood pressure. "Pulmonary" refers to the lungs. Pulmonary hypertension is high blood pressure in the lungs' blood circulation, most often without high blood pressure in the rest of the body. The lungs are delicate structures. They can't tolerate normal body blood pressure. The blood pressure in the lungs is only one-fifth of body blood pressure.

1/15/08 Doctors Concerned, Seeing Pulmonary Hypertension More Often
(The Pittsburgh Channel) -- Doctors are seeing more cases of a relatively rare lung disease called pulmonary hypertension, but they're not sure why. The hike in admissions is big. It's up 50 percent in six years. A study found patients not only stay in longer, they're more expensive to treat. When left untreated, half die within three years. Experts want to up the recognition in hopes they can stem the physical and financial toll.

1/14/08 Encysive Pharma Introduces Thelin 100 Mg Tablets In Belgium And Luxembourg
(RTT News) -- Encysive Pharmaceuticals Inc., a global biopharmaceutical company, announced that THELIN(r)(1) (sitaxentan sodium(2)) 100 mg tablets for the treatment of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) are commercially available in Belgium and Luxembourg.

1/14/08 Life on Hold - Baltic Woman Hopes for New Lungs
(The Times-Reporter) Baltic, Penn. -- Before Lana Zinkon makes her way into a building, she develops a game plan. Each time she gets out of her car, her brain starts ticking: “What’s the shortest distance to the entrance? Where are the fewest steps? What’s the flattest part of the building?” In April 2004, she was diagnosed with idiopathic pulmonary hypertension.

1/14/08 Tot Defies Odds to Celebrate Birthday
(Belfast Telegraph) Northern Ireland -- A life-limited Belfast toddler who defied medical expectation by surviving longer than two weeks is today celebrating her third birthday - "one she was never supposed to have". Little Aimeerose Quinn is being spoiled by her proud mum Kelly today as they quietly mark the milestone.

1/12/08 Singapore Pulmonary Hypertension Support Group Dinner & Meet 2008
(By Mohd Amin, Singapore PH Support Group Leader) -- January 2008 marked a milestone for PH Patients in Singapore as they got together to enrich themselves with an educational and informative support group session featuring lectures from 2 PH specialists: Dr. James Yip, Senior Consultant Cardiologist of the National University Hospital (NUH) & Dr. Tan Ju Le, Consultant Cardiologist from the National Heart Centre (NHC).
Read Article

1/11/08 Artery Stiffness Tied to Mortality in Pulmonary Hypertension
(Reuters) -- Noninvasively assessed pulmonary artery stiffness predicts mortality in patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), according to Dutch researchers.

1/11/08 Tributes Flooding in For Leanne
(Express & Echo) United Kingdom -- Tributes have been pouring in for a brave Devon teenager who lost her battle with a progressive illness. When Leanne Pannell was 13, she woke up ill one morning and was eventually diagnosed with pulmonary hypertension, a rare lung disorder in which the blood pressure in the pulmonary artery rises far above normal levels.

1/4/08 Bangkok Pills
(The News Today) Iloilo City, Philippines -- Bangkok Pills are a combination drug marketed for weight reduction which had gained notoriety a few years ago for the various serious complications reported attendant to their use. Among the substances in these pills are bisacodyl, furosemide, phenteramine, and fenfluramine (a drug banned in the Philippines, Thailand and the United States).

1/4/08 Tough Start for Baby New Year, Willow Lewis
(The Register-Mail) Galesburg, Ill. -- The parents of the first baby born in Galesburg hospitals in 2008 still are waiting to hold their new daughter in their arms. Rebecca Lewis said Willow has pulmonary hypertension, which is affecting her breathing.

1/3/08 Governor Corzine Signs Legislation
(Governors Press) Trenton, N.J. -- Governor Jon S. Corzine signed the following bills into law today: SJR-55/AJR-126 (Sweeney, Cunningham/Burzichelli) – Designates November of each year as “Pulmonary Hypertension Awareness Month.”

1/3/08 PH Patient Theresa Stahl Uses Many Avenues to Raise Awareness in the Fight for a Cure
Theresa was interviewed for an article in her local paper, met a new PHriend who read the article, got her city to declare November PH Awareness Month, was interviewed by the Mayor on his local radio program and contacted local clubs.

1/2/08 Hospitalizations Increase for Deadly Lung Disease
(USA Today) -- Looked at one way, a spike in hospital stays for a rare and deadly lung disease is a bad thing. Or it may reflect progress in diagnosing and treating a disease that has thwarted medical science for at least a century. Which is it?

1/2/08 Cardiac Abnormalities Common in Systemic Sclerosis
(Reuters) -- Left and right heart diseases, including pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), left ventricular hypertrophy, and diastolic dysfunction, are frequently found in patients with systemic sclerosis, according to a prospective study conducted in France.

1/2/08 AJMS Presents Highlights of Pulmonary Symposium
(Newswise) -- The thirteen papers in the special issue provide practical updates on conditions such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, a common and costly condition most often related to smoking; and sarcoidosis, an inflammatory lung disease that can range from life-threatening to asymptomatic. Several articles emphasize the need for expert evaluation for prompt diagnosis and appropriate treatment of complex conditions such as organizing pneumonia, pulmonary arterial hypertension, and "unexpandable lung."

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