Plasma NTproANP, NTproBNP and NTproCNP and their bioactive counterparts were measured in a random sample of 348 community dwellers aged 49-51 yr without heart disease and associations sought with established vascular risk factors, echocardiographic indices and a genetic variant previously linked with BNP.
Plasma samples for BNP measurement were repeated in 29 patients (63 ± 11 years) who were alive at 5 years after radiotherapy, free ofheart disease and available to provide new blood sample.
On the contrary, established proteomic technologies, together with the new alternative strategies currently under evaluation (i.e. metabolomics), are now making possible the translation of data obtained on the bench to the daily clinical routine with the discovery of new diagnostic/prognostic biomarkers (such as troponin for ACS and BNP for congestive heart failure) and the identification of new therapeutic approaches for combating heart diseases.
Clinical significance of blood brain natriuretic peptide level measurement in the detection of heart disease in untreated outpatients: comparison of electrocardiography, chest radiography and echocardiography.
In non-COPD, male sex, age, burden of smoking, heart disease and MMP-9/TIMP-1 ratio were associated with increased risk for death, while increased TIMP-1 was protective.
BMI >45 kg/m<sup>2</sup> was associated with higher prevalence of hypertension, systolic and diastolic blood pressure, C-reactive protein, waist circumference, body fat % and family history of heart diseases, enhancing the risk for the occurrence of cardiovascular diseases.
Prognosis of myocardial infarction tends to be worse when serum C-reactive protein (CRP) level is high. miRNAs are also known to be involved in different pathogeneses of heart diseases such as myocardial infarction.
The rich expression of antimicrobial peptides and its association with CRP support the idea that an inflammatory process is involved in the pathogenesis of acquired heart diseases.
Statins have antiinflammatory effects and are known to decrease risk of cardiovascular events and to reduce serum levels of C-reactive protein (CRP), a widely studied biomarker and potential mediator of inflammation and heart disease.
The basic mechanisms responsible for this association are not clear; CRP may merely be a marker of inflammation with no specific role in the pathogenesis of cardiac disease or may directly modulate the disease process.