
Interrupters of VAscular daMAge in Malignant Hypertension
Malignant HypertensionThe pathophysiology of malignant hypertension is poorly understood. The objective of this translational research project is to evaluate the relationship between activation of vasoactive systems (renin-angiotensin and endothelin systems), angiogenic signal deficiency (VEGF and sFlt-1) and the occurrence of malignant hypertension episodes in humans.

CARBON: UAB Cardiovascular Research Biobank
Natriuretic PeptidesCardiovascular Diseases3 moreThe UAB Cardiovascular Research Biobank (CARBON) will be a resource that contains biological materials, such as DNA samples, in addition to health and personal information on a large number of people over time. It will be set up so that it can be used in the future as a resource for researchers undertaking a wide range of medical research.

Metabolic Remodeling in Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension (PAH)
Pulmonary Arterial HypertensionPulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is a progressive disease in which clinically relevant symptoms present a few years after the onset in rise of pulmonary arterial pressure. Increased PA pressure presents an overload on the right ventricle (RV), with RV failure being a common cause of mortality in PAH. Current therapeutic targets help reduce vascular resistance and RV afterload, however, RV dysfunction may continue to progress. Therefore, the reason for RV failure in PAH cannot be contributed to altered vascular hemodynamics alone but may be related to metabolic alterations and failure of adaptive mechanisms in the RV. Providing a better understanding of metabolic remodeling in RV failure may permit the development of RV-targeted pharmacological agents to maintain RV function despite increased pulmonary vascular pressures. This study will evaluate how cardiac metabolism changes in response to pulmonary vasodilator therapy in patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension.

Adherence of Diuretics in Pulmonary Hypertension
Precapillary Pulmonary HypertensionIn this prospective study, the investigators will implement a systematic assessment of adherence to diuretics in a cohort of patients with precapillary pulmonary hypertension. This study is designed to: determine the overall adherence rates for diuretic regimen determine the determinants of non-adherence to diuretics assess the risk of PH worsening occurrence in the non-adhesion group

Inflammatory Biomarkers in Ocular Surface in Primary Open Angle Glaucoma or Ocular Hypertension...
GlaucomaOpen-Angle1 moreGlaucoma is a chronic optic neuropathy whose main modifiable risk factor is an abnormally elevated intraocular pressure. The aim of glaucoma treatment is to slow the progression of the disease by reducing intraocular pressure. Prostaglandin derivatives are the most effective topical drugs in reducing intraocular pressure (IOP). Among these, latanoprost was the first agent of this type to be approved for use in patients with glaucoma or ocular hypertension. These eye drops are available with and without preservatives. There are two commercial brands in our environment, Xalatan®, which contains 0.005% latanoprost and 0.2 mg/ml benzalkonium chloride (BAK) and Monoprost®, which contains the same amount of latanoprost but does not carry a preservative. The prostaglandin analog with a lower concentration of active ingredient available in Spain without preservative is tafluprost 0.0015%, commercially available under the name Saflutan®. The long-term use of hypotensive eye drops with preservatives generates changes in the ocular surface, such as instability of the tear film, conjunctival inflammation, subconjunctival fibrosis, apoptosis of the conjunctival epithelium and deterioration of the corneal surface, causing symptoms such as stinging, tearing, sensation foreign body, photophobia and blurred vision. This research will evaluate the changes in the ocular surface and in the expression of inflammatory molecules that occur in the conjunctiva in patients with a diagnosis of glaucoma and ocular hypertension who are under ocular hypotensive treatment with tafluprost, comparing it with the two commercial preparations of latanoprost. These three groups of patients will have a control group of patients with a diagnosis of ocular hypertension who will not have any topical hypotensive medication.

MINIject Global Long-Term Follow-up Study
Open Angle GlaucomaOcular HypertensionThe study will assess the long-term (up to 5 years) safety and performance in patients with open-angle glaucoma uncontrolled by topical hypotensive medications who had previously been implanted with a MINIject glaucoma implant.

Cardiac and Immune Cell Function in Preeclampsia
PreeclampsiaHypertension5 morePreeclampsia is a multi-system vascular disease which affects 2-5% of pregnancies. It is also a risk factor for the development of cardiovascular disease later in life and a number of functional and structural cardiac changes have been found in this population of patients. In mouse models disruption of a group of immune cells, neutrophils, has led to alteration of the placenta and offspring consistent with those seen in preeclampsia. These mice also have an abnormal cardiac function and structure (Nadkarni et al 2016). The investigators hypothesis that this may also occur in humans. This study aims to intimately link the maternal immunological and vascular components of cardiac dysfunction in women preeclampsia. The investigators hypothesise that in preeclampsia activated neutrophils may affect maternal immune system thus leading to myocardial injury and altered cardiac function. The study intends to identify the mechanisms by which the maternal immune system (focusing on neutrophil and T-cell subsets) affects cardiac function in women with preeclampsia. Specific aims to be addressed are: Aim 1: To correlate specific neutrophil phenotype(s) and function to cardiac function in women with preeclampsia during pregnancy Aim 2: To test whether specific activated neutrophil phenotype persists postpartum and whether this neutrophil phenotype correlates with cardiac function in women with preeclampsia postpartum The study population will comprise of 3 groups: Normotensive pregnant (~33 patients) Pregnancy-induced hypertension (PIH; New-onset hypertension after 20 weeks without proteinuria; ~33 patients) Preeclampsia (~34 patients) Cardiac function will be evaluated using cardiovascular magnetic resonance, echocardiography and cardiac markers in the blood. The participants immune system will be assessed from blood samples looking at the immune cells, hormone levels and inflammatory and non-inflammatory mediators. The secondary research objective is to investigate whether changes in the immune system and cardiac function in participants is persistent after delivery. Therefore participants will have scans and blood tests both antenatally and at 3 months postnatally. By identifying key changes in immune cell type and function with cardiac abnormalities in women with preeclampsia, data obtained from this study could provide novel insight into how the maternal immune system influences cardiac changes in normal and preeclamptic pregnancies. Identifying such links could pave the way for future therapeutic targets.

Renal Artery DenervatIon Using Radial accesS in Uncontrolled HyperTensioN
Uncontrolled HypertensionRenal Denervation1 moreNon-inferiority, prospective, multi-center, post-market, randomized 1:1 study in patients with uncontrolled hypertension to compare the safety and efficacy of radio frequency renal denervation using Iberis Renal Denervation System via radial access compared with femoral access.

The Preeclampsia Registry
PreeclampsiaEclampsia3 moreThe purpose of The Preeclampsia Registry is to collect and store medical and other information from women who have been medically diagnosed with preeclampsia or a related hypertensive (high blood pressure) disorder of pregnancy such as eclampsia or HELLP syndrome, their family members, and women who have not had preeclampsia to serve as controls. Information from participants will be used for medical research to try to understand why preeclampsia occurs, how to predict it better, and to develop experimental clinical trials of new treatments.

National Cohort Study of Idiopathic and Heritable Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension
Pulmonary Arterial HypertensionPulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), or high blood pressure in the lungs, is a rare condition that can shorten life. Although the cause of this disease is usually unknown, in about 70% of heritable and 15-20% of idiopathic cases there is a change in a gene (a mutation) that controls how blood vessels grow and function. The gene is called bone morphogenetic protein type receptor 2 (BMPR2). Although mutations in BMPR2 are a risk factor for PAH, not everyone with a mutation gets the disease. Additional genetic and environmental factors are likely to contribute. The investigators suspect that mutations in other genes are responsible for some cases of PAH. In this study the investigators aim to recruit all patients with PAH and some of their relatives and follow them up for several years. The investigators hope to discover new mutations for this disease and to determine what factors lead to poor outcome, and to understand what triggers disease in patients with mutations. Who can participate? Adults with PAH, their relatives and controls (one off blood sample)