In patients with chronic heart failure (CHF), N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide (NT-pro-BNP) predicted poor outcome. Clinical predictors of NT-pro-BNP and its usefulness in the presence of chronic kidney disease (CKD) are largely unknown. A total of 341 patients with stable CHF were enrolled, of whom 183 (54%) had CKD. During ...

AIMS: To determine the prognostic value of right ventricular (RV) dysfunction assessed by echocardiography or spiral computed tomography (CT), or by increased levels of cardiac biomarkers [troponin, brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) and pro-BNP] in patients with haemodynamically stable pulmonary embolism (PE). METHODS AND RESULTS: We included all studies published between ...

Hypertension is associated with high cardiovascular risk. Both hsCRP and NT-proBNP also have been associated with elevated cardiovascular risk, at least in the long term. Much less is known about the short-term changes in these markers, for example, in hypertensive emergencies. In 59 consecutive patients with hypertensive emergencies, hsCRP and ...

OBJECTIVE: Despite the use of spontaneous breathing trial (SBT), predicting weaning success remains a major clinical challenge. Because cardiovascular dysfunction could be a major underlying mechanism of weaning failure, we evaluated the role of the levels of B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP), a marker for cardiovascular function, in patients who passed ...

According to Starling's law, low serum colloid osmotic pressure related to hypoproteinaemia is likely to modulate the pulmonary capillary hydrostatic pressure threshold of pulmonary oedema formation. We therefore examined the clinical relevance of bedside tissue Doppler echocardiography in the emergency diagnosis of new-onset heart failure with normal ejection fraction (HFnlEF) ...

BACKGROUND: The PROLONG study showed that patients with venous thromboembolism who had qualitatively abnormal results in a D-dimer assay (Clearview Simplify D-dimer) after discontinuation of vitamin K antagonism benefit from resumption of treatment with vitamin K antagonism. The objective of this study was to evaluate the possible advantage of using ...

BACKGROUND: Multiple studies have focused on the influence of obesity on natriuretic peptide levels. However, the effect of obesity on amino-terminal propeptide of B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) levels in hypertensive (HT) patients remains uncertain. METHODS: We studied 252 asymptomatic patients (60 +/- 13 years, 136 men) with essential HT. A ...

Objective . The acute onset of intense abdominal pain requires rapid evaluation, and since D-dimer level is reported to be useful in the diagnosis of patients with suspected acute superior mesenteric artery occlusion, our aim was to evaluate the value of D-dimer testing in the diagnosis of acute surgical abdomen ...

The influence of obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) on left ventricular function remains controversial. We examined the influence of OSAS on global left ventricular function using the myocardial performance index (Tei index) and plasma brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) level and investigated the effect of nasal continuous positive airway pressure (nCPAP) ...

INTRODUCTION: Adrenomedullin (AM) is a 52-amino acid peptide with vasorelaxant properties. Apart from its roles on vascular tonus, AM can also contribute to inflammatory events. Plasma AM levels were elevated in connective tissue diseases and vasculitic disorders. Ankylosing spondylitis (AS) is a chronic inflammatory disease of the spine initiating in ...

BACKGROUND: Studies with natriuretic peptides have suggested that physicians do not treat heart acute failure (AHF) aggressively enough, and predischarge B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) levels may be a useful reminder that more treatment is required. The purpose of this study was to demonstrate that variations in BNP levels during hormone-guided ...

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Leflunomide use in renal transplantation has been increasing. Outcome correlation and safety data are still to be refined. The goals of this study were to report one center's experience with leflunomide, specifically the correlation of leflunomide levels with the outcomes of BK nephropathy and the observed toxic ...

OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to determine the prognostic value of N-terminal B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) in two independent samples of patients presenting with acute coronary syndromes (ACS) and normal troponin T (TnT) values. BACKGROUND: Recently assessment of NT-proBNP has been studied in patients with ACS. However, the ...

BACKGROUND: The importance of cardiomyocyte damage during sepsis has been a recent subject of interest. The progression of sepsis results in the upregulation of proinflammatory cytokines, which act in concert to damage cardiomyocytes and produce cardiac contractile dysfunction. B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) is a neurohormone released from the ventricles of ...

BACKGROUND: Transfusion-associated circulatory overload (TACO) can be difficult to diagnose and distinguish from transfusion-related acute lung injury (TRALI), but is a relatively common complication that occurs when increases in blood volume overwhelm the cardiovascular system. Brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) has been shown to be a functional marker for TACO. N-terminal ...

OBJECTIVES: To assess the prevalence of an undetectable viral load (VL) (<50 HIV-1 RNA copies/mL) in a clinical population and to identify those viraemic and at risk of failing antiretroviral therapy (ART). METHODS: An audit of a complete clinical population on 1 January 2005 via a clinical database and clinical ...

Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HC) is an inherited heart disease characterized by left ventricular (LV) remodeling. The present study was conducted to investigate the association of N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-pro-BNP) levels with LV remodeling on magnetic resonance imaging and procollagen formation in 17 healthy controls and 24 patients with nonobstructive HC ...

Tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) and its soluble receptors 1 (sTNFR1) and 2 (sTNFR2) have been shown to be implicated in the pathogenesis of chronic heart failure (CHF). Ageing is accompanied by increased plasma levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines. We hypothesized that Type D personality (joint tendency to experience negative emotions and ...

BACKGROUND: Limited data exist describing the management of patients with decreased kidney function at the time of hospital presentation for acute heart failure (HF). STUDY DESIGN: Nonconcurrent prospective study. SETTING & PARTICIPANTS: Patients hospitalized with clinical findings of decompensated HF (n = 4,350) at all 11 greater Worcester, MA, medical ...

OBJECTIVES: To measure left ventricular mass (LVM), left ventricular volumes, and left ventricular function (LVF) in a cohort of type 1 diabetic patients and to correlate measures of imaging to NH(2)-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP). RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: In a cross-sectional study, all patients with type 1 diabetes underwent ...

In patients with chronic heart failure (HF), amino-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) levels are among the strongest independent predictors of hazard, and their measurement is useful for prognostication across the entire spectrum of HF disease severity. In patients with chronic HF, repeated determinations of NT-proBNP levels appear to convey additional ...

In patients presenting with acute dyspnea of any cause, elevation of amino-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptides (NT-proBNP) is powerfully prognostic for adverse outcomes, including death. Among those with acute destabilized heart failure (HF), an NT-proBNP cut point of approximately 5,000 ng/L is powerfully predictive of death by 76 days after presentation. ...

INTRODUCTION: Preserved left ventricular systolic function (LVSF) is observed in up to 50% of patients with heart failure (HF). We aimed to determine the prognostic value of LVSF and identify prognostic indices in patients hospitalized due to HF with preserved and depressed LVSF. METHODS: We evaluated clinical records of 304 ...

BACKGROUND: Serum natriuretic peptide levels are useful diagnostic and prognostic markers in patients with acute decompensated heart failure, but have been little used to stratify urgency of treatment in the outpatient situation. OBJECTIVES: To examine the use of natriuretic peptide to guide priority of patient referral to a heart failure ...

AIMS: Brain natriuretic peptide (BNP), left ventricular (LV) systolic function, and mitral filling pattern (MFP) are prognostic indicators in patients with heart failure (HF). This study evaluated the potential role of E/Ea for predicting cardiovascular (CV) events in patients with suspected HF. This non-invasive measure of LV filling pressure has ...

We examined whether the number of positive bottles in a routinely used three-bottle blood culture (BC) set predicted one-year mortality in adult patients with non-typhoid Salmonella (NTS). Data from 1994 through 2003 in North Jutland County, Denmark, were retrieved from health databases and medical records. We used the number of ...

AIM: Aim of the study was to investigate plasma levels of intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (s-ICAM-1) and vascular cellular adhesion molecule-1 (s-VCAM-1) in a cohort of type 2 diabetic patients, compared to healthy control subjects, to verify whether there are differences between these two molecules and to evaluate a possible correlation ...

Irreversibly inflamed pulp (IIP) constitutes both a pathophysiologic and a diagnostic challenge. Gingival crevicular fluid (GCF) samples were obtained with Periopaper strips from IIP and adjacent and contralateral teeth for interleukin-8 (CXCL8) and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) measurements. Pain intensity was reported by using a verbal numeric scale (1-10). TNF-alpha ...

OBJECTIVE: To assess the accuracy of plasma N-terminal-pro-B-type natriuretic peptide concentrations (NT-proBNP) as a diagnostic tool to recognize acute respiratory failure (ARF) of cardiac origin. METHODS: Prospective observational study in 100 medical intensive care unit (ICU) patients. NT-proBNP was measured at ICU admission, and diagnosis of cardiac dysfunction was performed ...

BACKGROUND: Anthracycline therapy is limited by cardiotoxicity. Currently no diagnostic parameter is available allowing ubiquitous and reliable detection of preclinical anthracycline cardiomyopathy and prediction of prognosis. PATIENTS AND METHODS: In 100 consecutive patients receiving anthracycline-based chemotherapy serial measurements of left ventricular systolic and diastolic function, Tei index (a Doppler echocardiographic ...

BACKGROUND: Patients with nonischemic cardiomyopathy (DCM) are at high risk for sudden cardiac death (SCD). However, the predictive value of prophylactic implantation of implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICD) in this patient cohort is yet unclear. METHODS AND RESULTS: Whether NT pro BNP levels and/or reproducible non sustained ventricular tachycardias (NSVTs) are ...

In contrast to their established role in the evaluation of acute dyspnea in emergency department (ED) patients, applications of B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) and N-terminal-proBNP (NT-proBNP) in patients outside of the ED are less well defined. A PubMed-based electronic and hand search for articles dealing with BNP and NT-proBNP in ...

The function of chromogranin A (CGA) is reviewed, and the radioimmunometric determination of plasma CGA was evaluated as a marker of pheochromocytoma using a comparison of pheochromocytoma patients immediately before surgery (group P, n=25, 635+/-451 ng/ml) with other groups of patients, i.e. pheochromocytoma patients approximately 1 year after removal of ...

BACKGROUND: In patients with clinically stable chronic heart failure, circulating B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) levels may exhibit considerable variation over a period of a few days. The aim of this study was to evaluate the clinical impact of this phenomenon. METHODS: In 23 patients with clinically stable mild-to-moderate systolic heart ...

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the affective state biochemically and quantitatively in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) patients using salivary chromogranin A (CgA) measurement. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: Twelve moderate and 12 terminal ALS patients defined using the ALS Health State Scale were studied. The correlation between salivary CgA levels and the 40-item ALS ...

Hematological changes in patients with Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) are common and frequently include thrombocytopenia. Using a ELISA method, we found an increase in thrombopoietin (TPO) levels in the plasma of convalesced SARS patients (290+/-53 pg/ml) and active SARS patients (251+/-23 pg/ml) comparing to that from normal control patients ...

At present there is consent that patients with acute pulmonary embolism (APE) and hemodynamic instability have poor prognosis and benefit from thrombolytic therapy or embolectomy, whereas hemodynamically stable patients without echocardiographic signs of right ventricular overload/dysfunction (RVO) have good prognosis and should be treated with anticoagulation alone. The optimal treatment ...

PURPOSE: Diabetic patients receive hyperbaric oxygen therapy for non-healing lower extremity ulcers. Exposure to hyperbaric hyperoxia during hyperbaric oxygen therapy may affect cardiovascular functions by different mechanisms. Patients may experience serious problems such as pulmonary edema and death during hyperbaric oxygen therapy. The effect of hyperbaric oxygen therapy on cardiovascular ...

OBJECTIVE: The acute onset of intense abdominal pain requires rapid evaluation, and since D-dimer level is reported to be useful in the diagnosis of patients with suspected acute superior mesenteric artery occlusion, our aim was to evaluate the value of D-dimer testing in the diagnosis of acute surgical abdomen with ...

In the absence of a parenteral drug, oral oseltamivir is currently recommended by the WHO for treating H5N1 influenza. Whether oseltamivir absorption is adequate in severe influenza is unknown. We measured the steady state, plasma concentrations of nasogastrically administered oseltamivir 150 mg bid and its active metabolite, oseltamivir carboxylate (OC), ...

N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-pro-BNP) is related to stress-induced myocardial ischemia and/or volume overload, both common in patients with renal dysfunction. This might compromise the prognostic usefulness of NT-pro-BNP in patients with renal impairment before vascular surgery. We assessed the prognostic value of NT-pro-BNP in the entire strata of renal ...

BACKGROUND: A new bronchoscopic microsampling (BMS) probe has recently been developed, which allows the minimally invasivecollection of epithelial lining fluid (ELF) simultaneously from multiple sites. While the number of immunocompetent patients with pulmonary Mycobacterium avium complex(MAC) disease is growing, the precise pathogenesis of the disease remains to be clarified. OBJECTIVES: ...

BACKGROUND: Several studies have documented the importance of troponin elevation as a prognostic marker in end-stage renal disease (ESRD). The reason for the elevated concentrations is not clarified. We do not know whether the different assays recognize the same patients within ESRD populations. The aim of this study was to ...

CONTEXT: The N-terminal pro-B type natriuretic peptide levels (NT pro-BNP) are increased in cases of volume or pressure overload. AIMS: To examine NT pro-BNP levels and enclose whether any relationship is present between the levels of NT pro-BNP and extensive echocardiographic parameters in asymptomatic patients with mild to moderate aortic ...

BACKGROUND: Cardiovascular events (CVE) are a major cause of morbidity and mortality in end-stage renal disease (ESRD) patients. These patients are often excluded from CV clinical trials, and the prognostic factors associated with CVE in patients with ESRD have not been fully explored. We investigated the role of BNP and ...

Previous reports have shown that N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide (NT-Pro-BNP) is a predictive marker for mortality in both peritoneal dialysis (PD) and hemodialysis (HD) patients. The aim of the present study was to clarify whether NT-Pro-BNP reflects a specific status in PD patients. We analyzed 40 stable PD patients, allocating ...

Objective. B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) and N-terminal-pro-BNP (Nt-proBNP) are commonly used for the triage of patients in the emergency department (ED) with dyspnoea and/or chest pain. The aim of our study was to determine the accuracy of N-terminal-pro-ANP (Nt-proANP) in such patients. Material and methods. Nt-proANP was measured by home-made ...

Systemic sclerosis (SSc) is characterized by vascular dysfunction that may lead to pulmonary artery hypertension (PAH). The N-terminal pro-B type natriuretic peptide (NT-proNBP), a marker of cardiac failure, is a diagnostic marker of early PAH in patients with SSc without heart failure. Our aim was to determine whether NT-proBNP levels ...

BACKGROUND: Natriuretic peptides such as N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) have become increasingly important in diagnosing left ventricular dysfunction (LVD), however, in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD), their use is confounded by concomitant volume overload and reduced renal excretion. We hypothesized that a serum NT-proBNP cut-off value adjusted for ...

Natriuretic peptides (NPs) are released from the heart in response to pressure and volume overload. B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) and N-terminal-proBNP have become important diagnostic tools for assessing patients who present acutely with dyspnea. The NP level reflects a compilation of systolic and diastolic function as well as right ventricular ...