The aim of this study was to prospectively evaluate the accuracy of quantitative cardiac computed tomography (CT) parameters and two cardiac biomarkers (N-terminal-pro-brain natriuretic peptide (NT-pro-BNP) and troponin I), alone and in combination, for predicting right ventricular dysfunction (RVD) in patients with acute pulmonary embolism. 557 consecutive patients with suspected pulmonary emb...

BACKGROUND Measurement of N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-pro-BNP) measurement can be used to predict mortality in patients with acute coronary syndromes. Information on the value of NT-pro-BNP in clinically stable persons scheduled for angiography is limited. METHODS We used Cox proportional hazards regression to examine the effect of NT-pro-BNP on total and cardiovascular mort...

BACKGROUND regional or global impairment of left ventricular (LV) systolic or diastolic function leading to increased LV wall stress results in increased circulating levels of N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide (NT-pro-BNP). OBJECTIVE this study aims at evaluating the effect of exercise training (ET) on NT-pro-BNP plasma levels in older patients recovering from acute myocardial infarcti...

The level of N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-pro-BNP) is a strong predictor of mortality in patients with acute coronary syndrome and may be a strong prognostic marker in patients with chronic coronary artery disease. We investigated whether NT-pro-BNP could predict in-stent restenosis (ISR) in asymptomatic patients with preserved left ventricular (LV) systolic function who underw...

BACKGROUND We measured N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide (NT-pro-BNP), a marker of cardiac dysfunction, in an inception cohort with early inflammatory polyarthritis (IP) and assessed its association with disease phenotype, cardiovascular disease (CVD), all-cause and CVD related mortality. METHODS Subjects with early IP were recruited to the Norfolk Arthritis Register from January 2000 ...

The aim of the present study was to explore the association between the levels of serum N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-pro BNP) and the characteristics of coronary atherosclerotic plaque detected by coronary computed tomography angiography (CCTA), in patients with unstable angina (UA). A total of 202 patients (age range, 47-82 years) were divided into the following three groups: ...

Hippocampal neurons release nerve growth factor (NGF) through the constitutive secretory pathway, thus allowing the protein to be continuously available for promoting nerve cell survival. In contrast, hippocampal neurons use the regulated secretory pathway to process brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), which alters synaptic activity when released acutely from dense-core vesicles. Thus, un...

Sortilin acts as a cell surface receptor for pro-neurotrophins (pro-NT) that upon complex formation with the p75 neurotrophin receptor (p75(NTR)) is able to signal neuronal cell death. Here we screened a sortilin peptide library comprising 16-mer overlapping sequences for binding of the pro-domains of nerve growth factor and brain-derived neurotrophic factor. We find that a linear surface-expos...

OBJECTIVES The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of 8-week endurance and resistance exercise training on release of brain natriuretic peptide. MATERIALS AND METHODS Study population was categorized into 4 groups: Group-1 (n = 6) consisted of sedentary individuals who volunteered to complete 8-weeks of endurance exercise; Group-2 (n=6) consisted of sedentary individuals who volu...

We recently characterized a novel heart-specific hormone from salmon (salmon cardiac peptide, sCP). We have now prepared a recombinant plasmid expressing the NH(2)-terminal fragment of pro-sCP (NT-pro-sCP) and used it to set up a specific RIA for the peptide. Because of the sensitivity of the assay and the high circulating levels, NT-pro-sCP can be measured from as little as 2 microl of serum. ...