The identification of valuable markers of sudden cardiac death (SCD) in patients with established HF remains a challenge. We sought to assess the value of clinical, echocardiographic and biochemical variables to predict SCD in a consecutive cohort of patients with heart failure (HF) due to systolic dysfunction. A cohort of ...

BACKGROUND: Recent studies suggest that natriuretic peptides are potential biomarkers for myocardial ischemia. However, little is known about the value of NT-proBNP as a predictor of repeat revascularization (RR) at follow-up angiography in patients with normal LV systolic function. METHODS: We collected and analyzed the clinical and angiographic data from ...

OBJECTIVES: Elevated B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) levels are established as a marker for volume overload and left ventricular (LV) dysfunction in patients with predominately cardiac diseases. Little is known about markedly elevated BNP values in patients with multiple comorbidities. METHODS: A total of 99 patients, admitted to M. D. Anderson ...

BACKGROUND: The accurate identification of patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) remains one of the most difficult challenges facing emergency physicians. The introduction of early and reliable biomarkers of AMI should hence be acknowledged, since they would increase the efficiency of the diagnostic process. METHODS: A total of 2,276 consecutive ...

BACKGROUND: Aortopulmonary collaterals (APCs) are frequently observed before and after the Fontan procedure. However, the mechanism of the development of APCs is unknown. We hypothesized that one or several antiangiogenic and/or angiogenic growth factors might play a role in the development of APCs. METHODS: Eighty-five patients were enrolled and divided ...

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Pulmonary hypertension (PH) is increasingly observed in sickle cell disease (SCD) and beta-thalassemia (beta-thal), but there is no information on its prevalence in patients with HbS/beta-thal. The amino-terminal fragment of B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) is considered as an independent prognostic factor in PH. The aim of this ...

Elevated circulating chromogranin A (CgA) levels are found in neuroendocrine tumors (NETs), but the diagnostic usefulness of this marker is still debatable. To assess the role of CgA for the diagnosis of gastroenteropancreatic (GEP) NETs and the identification of metastatic patients, an Italian multicenter observational study has been performed. CgA ...

BACKGROUND: Inflammatory markers are increased in chronic heart failure (CHF), including high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP), but there is little information on its relationship to prognosis or other prognostic markers. We aimed to investigate the relationship between hsCRP and prognosis in patients with CHF and left ventricular systolic dysfunction (LVSD). METHODS: ...

BACKGROUND: Excessive volume resuscitation after injury is associated with severe complications. B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) is secreted from myocardium under increased wall stretch and is used in medical intensive care units (ICUs) as a noninvasive method to detect heart failure. However, the use of BNP as a marker of fluid ...

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether serum N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide (N-BNP), a biomarker of myocardial wall stress, is specific to acute heart failure (HF) in patients hospitalized with stroke. DESIGN: Case-control study. SETTING: Tertiary hospital, Neurosciences Critical Care Unit and Stroke Unit. PATIENTS: Consecutive patients with acute ischemic or hemorrhagic stroke ...

OBJECTIVE: B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) is a neurohormone secreted from cardiac ventricles in response to ventricular strain. The aim of present study was to evaluate the role of BNP in the diagnosis of the right ventricular (RV) dysfunction in acute pulmonary embolism (PE). METHODS: BNP levels were measured in patients ...

The prognostic value of NT-pro-BNP has not been thoroughly evaluated in diabetic inpatients with manifest cardiovascular disease. NT-pro-BNP was measured in 156 patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus hospitalised due to cardiovascular disease. The association of NT-pro-BNP with mortality and the combined endpoint (CE) of death, heart failure decompensation, stroke ...

BACKGROUND: Natriuretic peptides are considered as reliable indicators of left-heart failure (HF) and are useful for differential diagnosis of dyspnoea. AIM: We evaluated the clinical significance of N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) in patients with chronic hypercapnic respiratory failure (CHRF). METHODS: In 60 patients with CHRF, plasma concentrations of NT-proBNP ...

AIMS: To evaluate whether plasma high molecular weight (HMW) adiponectin provides prognostic information in addition to that obtained from clinical, haemodynamic, and biochemical variables previously known to be associated with a high mortality in chronic heart failure (CHF) patients. METHODS AND RESULTS: We measured the plasma levels of total and ...

BACKGROUND: B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) and its N-terminal portion (NT-pro-BNP) are used for the assessment of cardiac dysfunction in patients with heart failure. However, it remains controversial whether or not this option is still valid in critically ill patients because of a possible interaction between the systemic inflammatory response and ...

BACKGROUND: Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) has been described as an essential cytokine in the regulation of angiogenesis. Its elevation in peripheral blood or bone marrow has been associated with an unfavorable outcome in different hematologic neoplasms. Hodgkin lymphoma represents approximately one fifth of all lymphomas, and the roles of ...

OBJECTIVES: To determine the optimal cut-off values of B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) for the diagnosis of congestive heart failure (CHF) in 1040 Korean patients with dyspnoea visiting emergency departments. METHODS: BNP values were measured for 662 patients without CHF to examine whether significant relationships existed between the BNP values and ...

BACKGROUND: Acromegaly is associated with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, hypertension and subsequent congestive heart failure. Impairment of cardiac function has also been associated with growth hormone deficiency (GHD). B-type natriuretic peptides (BNPs) have emerged as strong diagnostic and prognostic risk markers. They are cardioprotective hormones that compensate heart disease by promoting natriuresis ...

In this work we are going to show results of intensive observation of adverse reactions of cyclosporine therapy during 18 months. The research was applied on 30 patients with kidney transplant. The medium time of kidney transplant survival was 9,7+/-2,3 years, with time span of 6 to 15 years. All ...

BACKGROUND: In dialysis patients, cardiac troponin T (cTNT) is often elevated despite the absence of acute myocardial ischaemia, and amino-terminal pro-B-natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) is markedly higher compared to non-haemodialysis patients. In a longitudinal observation, we evaluated the association of cTNT and NT-proBNP on cardiovascular morbidity and mortality in haemodialysis patients ...

The aim of our study was to show how the progression and severity of Familial Mediterranean Fever (FMF) is affected by procoagulant activity and alterations in the markers of thrombosis and fibrinolysis. The study cohort comprised 64 FMF patients who were classified as attack-free patients (Group 1; n = 34 ...

Our aim was to determine whether N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-pro-BNP) and cardiac troponin I (cTnI) levels are valuable for predicting prognosis in patients with infective endocarditis (IE). We analyzed measured plasma NT-pro-BNP levels at admission in 45 patients with definite IE. The primary end point was early surgery or ...

AIMS: To assess the value of plasma NT proBNP levels for predicting adverse outcomes in patients with dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM). METHODS: Seventy-eight patients with DCM (EF <40%) with sinus rhythm were enrolled. All patients had undergone echocardiographic examination, coronary angiography, and cardiac catheterisation. Blood samples for plasma NT proBNP levels ...

Brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) is useful in diagnosing congestive heart failure (CHF) in patients presenting in the emergency department with acute dyspnea. We prospectively tested the utility of BNP for discriminating ARDS vs cardiogenic pulmonary edema (CPE). We enrolled ICU patients with acute hypoxemic respiratory failure and bilateral pulmonary infiltrates ...

INTRODUCTION: The aim of the work was to study the maintenance of atrial and brain natriuretic peptide (ANP, BNP) and endothelin-1 (ET-1) in patients with idiopathic arterial hypertension and the relationships between cardiac morphological parameters and concentrations of examined peptides in group of patients with left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH). METHODS: ...

We investigated B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) levels in 10 consecutive patients (all women, mean age 60.4+/-7.8 years) with apical ballooning syndrome. Mean baseline plasma BNP level was 272.6+/-170.4 pg/ml and exceeded the normal range in 8 (80%) patients. When normal levels were adjusted for age and gender, all 10 patients ...

Brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) is commonly used for diagnosis and prognosis of patients with congestive heart failure (HF). High levels of BNP are associated with high probability of cardiogenic dyspnea and higher risk of subsequent cardiovascular events. We describe a case of acute HF (worsening chronic HF) in a 74-year-old ...

OBJECTIVE: Growth hormone (GH) resistance with a reduction of insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I) serum concentrations seems to be implicated in the catabolic process associated with chronic heart failure (CHF). However, data concerning the prognostic value of these alterations in CHF patients without cachexia are scant. In this study, we aimed ...

Although intracoronary administration of bone marrow-derived mononuclear progenitor cells (BMCs) may be associated with improved cardiac function in patients with chronic postinfarction heart failure, the impact on prognosis and clinical outcome of these patients is unknown. To identify potential predictors for a favorable clinical outcome, we assessed natriuretic peptide serum ...

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the use of the ML Flow test as an additional, serological, tool for the classification of new leprosy patients. DESIGN: In Brazil, Nepal and Nigeria, 2632 leprosy patients were classified by three METHODS:: (1) as multibacillary (MB) or paucibacillary (PB) according to the number of skin lesions ...

BACKGROUND: The concentrations of atrial and brain natriuretic peptides (ANP and BNP) are elevated in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF), but the usefulness of their measurement before and after AF ablation has not been reported. METHODS AND RESULTS: The concentrations of the natriuretic peptides were evaluated in 54 patients undergoing ...

BACKGROUND: An increase in circulating B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) is associated with a poor outcome in patients with acute heart failure. The primary aim of this study was to investigate the prognostic value of BNP levels in patients with chronic and advanced heart failure. METHODS: Fifty patients with New York ...

Cardiovascular disease is a major cause of death in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) especially during the late phase of the disease. This study was conducted to evaluate B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) levels in female SLE patients without cardiac symptoms and to investigate whether BNP levels correlated with echocardiographic ...

BACKGROUND: Although troponin is considered a specific marker for the diagnosis of acute coronary syndrome (ACS), recent studies have shown troponin elevation in a variety of nonischemic conditions. Our aim was to determine the predictors for the diagnosis of ACS in the presence of an abnormal troponin level. METHODS: All ...

OBJECTIVE: To test the performance of N-terminal pro B-type natriuretic peptide to distinguish from cardiac and non-cardiac disease in the pediatric patient population. METHOD: NT-proBNP concentrations were retrospectively analysed in 102 pediatric patients (median age: 5.96 years; 0-18 years) with cardiac diseases comprising left-to-right-shunt lesions (n=42), left heart lesions (n=47) ...

OBJECTIVES: A low T3 syndrome was described in patients with heart failure (HF), and it appears to be associated with adverse outcome, representing an independent predictor of mortality. However, it is not known if low T3 levels contribute to the pathophysiology of HF. On the other hand, it has been ...

BACKGROUND: The favorable effects of beta-blockers on decreasing mortality in contemporary heart failure management have been demonstrated in recent years. N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic (NT-proBNP) peptide levels increase in patients with heart failure. The purpose of this study was to investigate the correlation between the NT-proBNP levels and echocardiographic findings for ...

BACKGROUND: To understand the cytokine levels in different disease activities of patients with ankylosing spondylitis (AS), we measured proinflammatory and antiinflammatory cytokine production from peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) in patients with AS and their first-degree relatives (FDR). METHODS: PBMC were obtained from 26 patients with AS and 24 FDR ...

BACKGROUND: Septic shock (SS) has recently been identified as stimulus of N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) release. We tested whether SS mediates NT-proBNP release through cardiomyocyte necrosis. Moreover, the discriminative value of NT-proBNP for the distinction between SS and non-septic shock (NSS) was assessed. METHODS: The study included 50 ICU ...

Graft versus host disease (GvHD) is the most prominent cause of morbidity and mortality after allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (Allo-HCT). Extracorporeal photoimmunotherapy (ECP) is an alternative therapeutic modality in steroid and/or cyclosporin-A refractory GvHD developing after Allo-HCT. The aim of this study was to evaluate whether there was any relation ...

Early diagnosis and treatment are pivotal for patients with acute aortic dissection (AAD). D-dimer is a rule-out diagnostic test for pulmonary embolism but there is evidence that it may also be applicable to AAD. We evaluated plasma D-dimer, white cell blood count (WBC), C-reactive protein (CRP) and N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic ...

Dysregulation of interleukin-8 (IL-8) production has been proposed to contribute to intestinal inflammation in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) patients. Previous studies, which evaluate adult patients with long-standing or steroid-modulated disease, have reported conflicting results regarding the role of IL-8 in IBD pathogenesis. The present study evaluates IL-8 in colonic organ ...

STUDY DESIGN: The study is a prospective observational study of 48 continuous patients with symptomatic lumbar degenerative disk disease. Each patient underwent discography, MRI, and a biochemical analysis of disk lavage fluid. OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to correlate concordant pain on discography with MRI grade and biochemical ...

BACKGROUND: Acute pulmonary thromboembolism (APE) causes right ventricular dysfunction (RVD) and cardiac troponin I (cTnI) elevation. Patients with RVD and cTnI elevation have a worse prognosis. Thus, early detection of RVD and cTnI elevation is beneficial for risk stratification. In this study, we assessed 14-day adverse clinical events and combined ...

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the utility of serial measurements of plasma N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) to detect acute cardiac dysfunction during weaning failure in difficult to wean patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. DESIGN: Prospective observational cohort study. SETTING: A 14-bed general intensive care unit in a university hospital. PATIENTS: ...

Primary hyperparathyroidism (PHPT) has been associated with high cardiovascular morbidity and mortality; its pathogenesis is not fully understood. Moreover, many metabolic abnormalities are frequently present in patients with PHPT. Several substances (such as leptin and adiponectin) are secreted from adipocytes, which may contribute to regulate energy homeostasis and the development ...

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to assess the utility of plasma N-terminal proBrain Natriuretic Peptide (NT-proBNP) assay in monitoring the therapy of congestive heart failure patients. BACKGROUND: Treatment of congestive heart failure aims to improve left ventricular function by reducing the pressure and volume overload. The human heart ...

AIMS: Here, the aim is to assess long-term clinical variation (CV) of N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) in stable chronic heart failure (CHF) patients. The proposed use of NT-proBNP for monitoring of CHF patients will require accurate information about long-term CV of the peptide. METHODS AND RESULTS: Medication, biochemical variables, ...

The aim of the study was to analyze the prognostic implications of 3 myocardial necrosis markers measured at admission in short-term observation of patients with suspected acute coronary syndrome. The study group consisted of 336 consecutive patients whose concentration of cardiac troponin I, creatine kinase-MB fraction, and myoglobin were measured ...

B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) and amino-terminal pro-BNP (NT-proBNP) plasma levels are commonly high at the early phase of septic shock and have been suggested to be prognostic markers for this condition. It is uncertain, however, whether this increase reflects sepsis related cardiac dysfunction. In a recent issue of Critical Care, ...