OBJECTIVES To test the hypothesis that the cardiac insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) system is up-regulated in the failing heart, we measured the pericardial (cardiac) and plasma (circulating) IGF-1 levels in coronary artery disease patients. BACKGROUND Local IGF-1 systems are regulated differently from the systemic IGF-1 system. The cardiac IGF-1 system is up-regulated by the increased le...

BACKGROUND AND AIM The progression of heart failure is affected by several factors, including chronic stimulation of the β-adrenoceptor. This clinical study was designed to measure the effects of thoracic epidural analgesia (TEA) on the plasma levels of norepinephrine (NE), cAMP, and cGMP in patients with heart failure and assess the clinical implication of TEA. METHODS Forty patients with he...

BACKGROUND It has been suggested that, like ANP and BNP, high plasma levels of mature adrenomedullin (mAM) indirectly reflect the severity of heart failure or renal failure. However, the relationship between mAM levels and hemodynamics and cardiac function has not been examined in hemodialysis (HD) patients with coronary artery disease (CAD). The best marker, among mAM, ANP and BNP, for left-ve...

The purpose of this study was to clarify whether the secretions of atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP) and brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) are pulsatile in patients with chronic heart failure (CHF), and whether the rhythmic oscillations for ANP and BNP are abnormal in patients with CHF. Several reports have shown that ANP and especially BNP are valuable indicators of the prognosis in CHF. Previous...

I. Overview of Heart Failure. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .e99 A. Context of Biochemical Marker Testing in Heart Failure. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .e99 B. Background and Definition of Terms . . . . . . . . . .e100 C. B-type Natriuretic Peptide (BNP) and AminoTerminal proB-Type Natriuretic Peptide (NT-proBNP) Metabolism and Measurement . . . .e100 I...

BACKGROUND The diagnostic and prognostic values of plasma B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) testing are established. However, the range of plasma BNP levels present in the setting of chronic, stable systolic heart failure (HF) is unclear. METHODS AND RESULTS We followed up 558 consecutive ambulatory patients with chronic, stable systolic HF (left ventricular ejection fraction <50%) treated at ...

A 48-year-old male patient was admitted to our hospital with dyspnea accompanied by orthopnea. Chest x-rays showed a cardiothoracic ratio of 68% and pulmonary congestion. He was diagnosed with dilated cardiomyopathy. Beta-Blocker (carvedilol) therapy was initiated on Day 22 of the disease using a small initial dose. He was followed up based on BNP levels and MIBG scintigraphy. The H/M ratio and...

AIMS Comparison of the value of echocardiography and B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) in monitoring response to treatment in patients admitted for acute heart failure (HF). METHODS AND RESULTS Ninety-five consecutive patients admitted with acute HF underwent bedside Doppler echocardiography and BNP measurements on admission, after 24 h of intravenous treatment, and at day 7. We then studied t...

BACKGROUND Although serum cardiac troponin I (cTnI) and plasma brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) have become clinically important tools as diagnostic and prognostic markers for ischemic heart disease and heart failure, the usefulness of these biomarkers for risk stratification of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) is not clear. METHODS AND RESULTS We studied 167 patients with HCM, and cTnI and B...