BACKGROUND Although natriuretic peptides are considered cardioprotective, clinical heart failure trials with recombinant brain natriuretic peptide (nesiritide) failed to prove it. Unsuspected proadrenergic effects might oppose the anticipated benefits of natriuretic peptides. METHODS AND RESULTS We investigated whether natriuretic peptides induce catecholamine release in isolated hearts, symp...

Background and Objectives. We evaluated and compared the influence of treatment for atrial septal defect (ASD), patent ductus arteriosus (PDA), and coarctation of the aorta (CoA) on serum levels of N-terminal proatriopeptide and N-terminal probrain natriuretic peptide. Correlations between peptide levels and echocardiographic measurements were calculated. Patients and Methods. Peptide levels we...

A trial and brain natriuretic peptides (ANP and BNP) possess important regulatory cardiorenal functions, such as promoting natriuresis, diuresis, vasodilatation, and activation of anti-hypertrophic responses on pathophysiological stress. Release of ANP and BNP is significantly increased in response to atrial and ventricular stretch, respectively. Both ANP and BNP are produced and stored as proh...

Chronic treatment with suprapharmacologic doses of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR) agonists has a known potential for causing left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH). The mechanism by which LVH develops is not well understood nor are biomarkers of it well characterized. Natriuretic peptides are important regulators of cardiac growth, blood volume, and arterial pressure and may be u...

OBJECTIVE In children treated for univentricular heart (UVH), prospective evaluation of serum levels of N-terminal proatriopeptide (ANPN) and N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) was performed. METHODS Serum samples were analysed in 19 children before the first operation, before the bi-directional Glenn (BDG) operation, at age 1 year and before total cavopulmonary connection (...

BACKGROUND Pathophysiological studies suggest that A-type natriuretic peptides (ANPs) might provide valuable information beyond B-type natriuretic peptides (BNPs) about cardiac dysfunction in patients with coronary heart disease (CHD). We aimed to assess the predictive value of midregional pro-A-type natriuretic peptide (MR-proANP) for recurrent cardiovascular disease (CVD) events in stable CHD...

BACKGROUND Although peak oxygen consumption (peak VO(2)), 6-minute walk distance (6MW), and natriuretic peptides (BNP and NT-proBNP) are predictors of mortality in heart failure (HF) patients, it is not known whether therapy-induced changes in these measures can predict therapeutic effect on mortality. The objective of this analysis is to quantitatively assess the relationship between therapeut...

INTRODUCTION The identification of patients at highest risk for adverse outcome who are presenting with acute dyspnea to the emergency department remains a challenge. This study investigates the prognostic value of the newly described midregional fragment of the pro-Adrenomedullin molecule (MR-proADM) alone and combined to B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) or N-terminal proBNP (NT-proBNP) in pat...

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Increased levels of plasma troponins and natriuretic peptides are associated with increased risk of cardiovascular disease, but only limited information exists on these biomarkers and stroke occurrence. In a prospective epidemiological study, we tested the hypothesis that high-sensitivity troponin T (TnT) and N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) are assoc...

Many advances have been made in the diagnosis and management of heart failure (HF) in recent years. Cardiac biomarkers are an essential tool for clinicians: point of care B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) and its N-terminal counterpart (NT-proBNP) levels help distinguish cardiac from non-cardiac causes of dyspnea and are also useful in the prognosis and monitoring of the efficacy of therapy. One...