Effect of inhaled nitric oxide on endothelin-1 and cyclic guanosine 5'-monophosphate plasma concentrations in newborn infants with persistent pulmonary hypertension

What Was Tested

The paper reports a study of Endothelin-1, published as a randomized controlled trial.

To examine the role of endogenous nitric oxide (NO) and endothelin-1 (ET-1) in the pathogenesis of persistent pulmonary hypertension of the newborn (PPHN) and to determine whether inhaled NO, currently under investigation as a new therapy for PPHN, affects plasma concentrations of these vasoactive mediators.

Who Took Part

According to the abstract, 15 infants were involved.

PubMed tags the participants as both men and women.

Circulating ET-1 and cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP) concentrations were measured by radioimmunoassay in 15 healthy term newborn infants and 46 newborn infants with PPHN enrolled in a randomized, controlled trial of inhaled NO.

How the Study Was Run

The design is described as randomized.

Random assignment meant chance, not the researchers, decided who got Endothelin-1 and who got the comparison, which limits bias.

These concentrations were followed up longitudinally and compared between the NO and the conventionally treated group.

What Was Measured

PubMed files the paper under topics including Administration, Inhalation, Cyclic GMP, Endothelin-1, Nitric Oxide and Persistent Fetal Circulation Syndrome.

What This Means in Plain Language

The paper is a randomized study of Endothelin-1 in 15 infants.

With fewer than 40 people, it is a small study, so it is better read as an early signal for further research than as a settled answer.

The abstract goes on to report its results in about 7 sentences; this page does not restate them, so read the paper for the findings and their limits.

The publication is from 1997 (The Journal of pediatrics), a journal based in United States.

More context: the Endothelin-1 compound page, all human trials.