Elevated NT-pro-BNP Levels Are Associated with Comorbidities among HIV-Infected Women

NT-Pro-BNP levels and their response to exercise in patients with slow coronary flow.

BACKGROUND Natriuretic peptides are released by the heart in response to wall stress. OBJECTIVE The NT-Pro-BNP concentrations in slow coronary flow (SCF) patients were assessed before and after the exercise test and compared with the values of healthy controls. METHODS The study population was 34 patients with SCF [22 males (64.7%), aged 51.0 ± 6.2 years], and 34 normal subjects with normal...

Factors Associated with Elevated HIV RNA Levels in HIV-Infected Individuals

Pro-Inflammatory Cytokine Levels in HIV Infected and Uninfected Pregnant Women with and without Preeclampsia

INTRODUCTION Preeclampsia and HIV/AIDS are inflammatory conditions that contribute significantly to adverse maternal and foetal outcomes. The immune reconstitution effects of HAART on inflammatory mediators has not been adequately studied in pregnancy and may impact on the inflammatory cytokine network in women with co-morbid preeclampsia. Our study evaluated changes in pro-inflammatory cytokin...

NT Pro BNP Plasma Level and Atrial Volume Are Linked to the Severity of Liver Cirrhosis

BACKGROUND AND AIMS Plasma levels of NT-pro-BNP, a natriuretic peptide precursor, are raised in the presence of fluid retention of cardiac origin and can be used as markers of cardiac dysfunction. Recent studies showed high levels of NT pro BNP in patients with cirrhosis. We assessed NT pro-BNP and other parameters of cardiac dysfunction in patients with cirrhosis, with or without ascites, in o...

Elevated Aspergillus-specific antibody levels among HIV infected Ugandans with pulmonary tuberculosis

BACKGROUND The incidence of tuberculosis (TB) is high among human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infected Ugandans. Recent evidence suggests that Chronic Pulmonary Aspergillosis and Aspergillus sensitisation might be responsible for significant mortality in patients treated for tuberculosis in Uganda. METHODS We retrieved and tested paired serum aliquots for 101 HIV-TB co-infected patients at t...