OBJECTIVES This study sought to evaluate the relationship between brain natriuretic peptide (BNP), renal function, and the severity of congestive heart failure (CHF). BACKGROUND Both BNP and renal function are prognostic predictors in CHF patients. METHODS We measured the plasma BNP level in the aortic root and coronary sinus in 366 consecutive patients with CHF. Estimated glomerular filtra...

BACKGROUND National guidelines suggest the use of natriuretic peptides in suspected heart failure but there have been no studies comparing assays in primary care. AIM To test and compare the diagnostic accuracy and utility of B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) and N-terminal B-type natriuretic peptide (NT proBNP) in diagnosing heart failure due to left ventricular systolic dysfunction in patien...

OBJECTIVE Increased secretion of atrial and brain natriuretic peptide (ANP and BNP) from hearts is known to exhibit favorable effects in patients and animals with heart failure, and inhibition of neutral endopeptidase (NEP), an enzyme that degrades ANP and BNP, may further increase these peptide levels. However, it is still unknown whether such elevation of the ANP and BNP may offer a therapeut...

Plasma brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) level is known to reflect left ventricular wall stress (LVWS). Recent studies have shown that obese individuals have lower BNP levels. However, the usefulness of BNP level as a marker of LVWS in obese individuals remains unclear. This study examined whether BNP reflects LVWS even in obese individuals.This study enrolled 136 hospital inpatients who had suff...

B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) plasma concentrations are raised in patients with heart failure. In several experimental models of cardiac overload, however, BNP mRNA and plasma BNP peptide levels are normal, despite the persistent increase in blood pressure and ventricular hypertrophy. In this study, the role of transcriptional mechanisms in the regulation of BNP gene expression were studied ...

BACKGROUND Most quantitative diagnostic tests do not perfectly differentiate between persons with and without a given disease. We present a simple method to construct a 3-zone partition for quantitative tests results, including positive and negative zones and a gray zone between, and we describe its use in the diagnosis of heart failure by brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) measurement in acute dy...

AIMS Clinical studies failed to prove convincingly efficiency of intravenous infusion of neseritide during heart failure and evidence suggested a pro-adrenergic action of B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP). However, subcutaneous BNP therapy was recently proposed in heart failure, thus raising new perspectives over what was considered as a promising treatment. We tested the efficiency of a combina...

BACKGROUND Up to 40% of newborn infants of women with type 1 diabetes have echocardiographic signs of cardiomyopathy. Increased plasma concentrations of B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) and its precursor (proBNP) are markers of cardiac failure and hypoxia in adults. In this study, we investigated whether plasma concentrations of proBNP and/or BNP are increased in infants of women with type 1 di...

Both, severe hypo- or hyperthyroidism may alter hemodynamic parameters. The aim of our study was to ascertain, whether also distinct changes within normal range of free thyroxine (fT4) would be associated with an impairment of left ventricle function in patients with chronic heart failure. Hundred-forty-eight patients (m121, f27, mean age 63.8 +/- 1.14 years) with chronic heart failure, fT4 lev...

BACKGROUND There have been few reports that have analyzed the predictive factors for heart failure death, which is sub-divided into pump failure death and sudden cardiac death, in the long term. METHODS AND RESULTS We followed 186 consecutive patients with myocardial infarction (MI) and 115 consecutive patients with non-ischemic heart failure (NIHF) during 73+/-3 months. In the MI group, 26 d...