Background Self-management of hypertension is of great significance given its increasing incidence and its associated disabilities. In view of the increased use of mobile health in medicine, the present study evaluated the effect of a self-management application on patient adherence to hypertension treatment. Methods This clinical trial was performed on 120 hypertensive patients who were provided with a mobile intervention for 8 weeks and followed up until the 24th week. Data on the primary outcome (adherence to treatment) and secondary outcomes (adherence to the DASH diet, regular monitoring of blood pressure, and physical activity) were collected using a questionnaire and a mobile application, respectively. The inter-group change difference over time was analyzed using repeated measures ANOVA (general linear model). Results The treatment adherence score increased by an average of 5.9 (95% CI 5.0–6.7) in the intervention group compared to the control group. The scores of “adherence to the low-fat and low-salt diet plans” were 1.7 (95% CI 1.3–2.1) and 1.5 (95% CI 1.2–1.9), respectively. Moreover, moderate physical activity increased to 100.0 min (95% CI 61.7–138.3) per week in the intervention group. Conclusion The treatment and control of blood pressure require a multifaceted approach given its complexity and multifactorial nature. Considering the widespread use of smartphones, mHealth interventions can be effective in self-management and better patient adherence to treatments. Our results showed that this application can be used as a successful tool for hypertension self-management in patients attending public hospitals in developing countries. Trial registration Iran Randomized Clinical Trial Center IRCT2015111712211N2. Registered on 1 January 2016

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A b s t r a c tBackground: Frequent hospital admissions and reduced quality of life are the main complications of heart failure (HF). Plasma B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) levels have been considered as a cost-effective method of screening for left ventricular dysfunction. Studies regarding BNP-guided therapy revealed reduction in death or hospital stay for HF. Aim:As saliva has fewer limitations than blood in regard to sampling, the aim of the present study was to test if salivary BNP concentration might be a new biomarker in patients with chronic HF.Methods: This pilot study involved 35 admitted patients with decompensated HF diagnosis and 35 HF patients who had come for a check-up at the Department of Cardiology. The control group consisted of 25 people with no history of cardiac events. Saliva and plasma samples of all the participants were collected.Results: Mean plasma NT-proBNP was found at higher levels in admitted HF patients compared to outpatient HF (9.37 vs. 6.62 pg/mL, p < 0.001) and control groups (9.37 vs. 4.69 pg/mL, p < 0.001). Also, mean salivary BNP levels were higher in admitted patients with HF (6.50 ng/L, p < 0.001); and outpatient HF group (5.87 ng/L, p = 0.02) compared to the control group (5.64 ng/L). Conclusions:Our study demonstrated that BNP could be detected in saliva and that the level is higher in HF patients, especially symptomatic ones. This means that salivary BNP may be useful in the diagnosis and follow-up for patients with HF, especially in emergency settings.