Hypertension (HTN) is a disease that begins with dysfunctional renal-sodium excretion and progresses to a syndrome of highly elevated systolic, diastolic, and mean arterial pressures. Inadequacies in the therapy of HTN have led to the investigation of the gene therapy of this disease by using systemic overproduction of vasodilatory peptides, such as atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP). However, ge...

OBJECTIVE To examine the relationship between baroreflex sensitivity and neurohormonal activation in patients with an acute myocardial infarction. METHODS Baroreflex sensitivity, plasma noradrenaline, atrial natriuretic factor, endothelin-1, and plasma renin activity were measured in 37 male patients about 10 days after their first myocardial infarction, and in 15 healthy controls. Baroreflex...

Studies were performed in anesthetized control dogs (n = 6) and in dogs (n = 6) with acute low-output heart failure produced by inflation of a balloon in the thoracic inferior vena cava. Studies were designed to determine the effects of synthetic atrial natriuretic peptide on renal function and renin release in this acute high-renin, sodium-retaining preparation. Intrarenal infusion of syntheti...

OBJECTIVES Acute ST-elevation myocardial infarction is associated with ventricular dysfunction due to ischemia-induced progressive myocardial damage. The decrease in ventricular compliance causes left atrial dilatation and stretching of the atrial myocardium, which are the main stimuli for the secretion of atrial natriuretic peptide. The aim of this study was to evaluate left atrial dimensions ...

Plasma concentrations of immunoreactive atrial natriuretic polypeptide were raised in 22 of 23 patients with paroxysmal supraventricular tachycardia and in all seven patients with atrial flutter. Plasma concentrations of atrial natriuretic polypeptide rose soon after the onset of supraventricular tachycardia. A sample taken 30 minutes after reversion to sinus rhythm (pharmacological or non-phar...

Background: Although several conditions have been proposed as risk factors contributing to the incidence of atrial fibrillation, many individuals without such 'risk factors' also suffer from atrial fibrillation. The present study tested the hypothesis that the risk of new-onset atrial fibrillation increases with increasing circulating levels of B-type natriuretic peptide in the general populati...

OBJECTIVE To compare the concentration of plasma atrial natriuretic peptide in patients with acute myocardial infarction with a healthy population and to determine whether a raised concentration of plasma atrial natriuretic peptide at admission was a predictor of mortality after acute myocardial infarction. DESIGN Patients with acute myocardial infarction were divided into a group with no con...

Eleven patients with acute congestive heart failure were studied during treatment with a loop diuretic. Plasma concentrations of atrial natriuretic peptide were considerably increased before treatment and with successful treatment returned progressively towards normal values. There was a statistically significant correlation between plasma atrial natriuretic peptide concentration and both jugul...

T he heart as an endocrine gland was unequivocally established with the ingenious experiments of DeBold and coworkers 1981 that demonstrated the existence of atrial natriuretic factor (ANF).1 These and subsequent studies have reported that ANF exists as a prepro-ANF molecule that is stored as a 126-amino-acid pro-ANF within atrial granules.2,3 In response to atrial stretch, pro-ANF is cleaved b...