Biology of natriuretic peptides

The purpose of this study was to systematically review the development, performance, and applicability of prognostic models developed for predicting poor events in patients with heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF). Databases including Embase, PubMed, Web of Science Core Collection, the Cochrane Library, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, Wan Fang, Wei Pu, and China Biological Medicine were queried from their respective dates of inception to 1 June 2023, to examine multivariate models for prognostic prediction in HFpEF...

Schizophrenia (SZ) is a serious mental illness and neuropsychiatric brain disorder with behavioral symptoms that include hallucinations, delusions, disorganized behavior, and cognitive impairment. Regulation of such behaviors requires utilization of neurotransmitters released to mediate cell-cell communication which are essential to brain functions in health and disease. We hypothesized that SZ may involve dysregulation of neurotransmitters secreted from neurons. To gain an understanding of human SZ, induced neurons (iNs) were derived from SZ patients and healthy control subjects to investigate peptide neurotransmitters, known as neuropeptides, which represent the major class of transmitters...

BACKGROUND: NT-proBNP (N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide) levels are variably elevated in heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF), even in the presence of increased left ventricular filling pressures. NT-proBNP levels are prognostic in HFpEF and have been used as an inclusion criterion for several recent randomized clinical trials. However, the underlying biologic differences between HFpEF participants with high and low NT-proBNP levels remain to be fully understood...

BACKGROUND: Artemisinin (ART) is mainly derived from Artemisia annua, a traditional Chinese medicinal plant, and has been found to affect cellular biochemical processes, such as proliferation, angiogenesis, and apoptosis, in addition to its antimalarial properties. However, its effect on cardiac hypertrophy and the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to investigate the effect of ART on cardiac hypertrophy and explore its possible mechanisms...

Chronic kidney disease represents a complex and multifaceted pathology characterized by the presence of structural or functional renal anomalies associated with a persistent reduction in renal function. As the disease progresses, complications arise due to the chronic inflammatory syndrome, hydro-electrolytic disorders, and toxicity secondary to the uremic environment. Cardiovascular complications are the leading cause of death for these patients. Ischemic cardiac pathology can be both a consequence and complication of chronic kidney disease, highlighting the need to identify specific cardiorenal dysfunction biomarkers targeting pathophysiological mechanisms common to both conditions...

AIMS: High dietary salt consumption is a risk factor for inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Corin is a protease that activates atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP), thereby regulating sodium homeostasis. Corin acts in multiple tissues, including the intestine. In mice, corin deficiency impairs intestinal sodium excretion. This study aims to examine if reduced intestinal sodium excretion alters the pathophysiology of IBD. MAIN METHODS: Wild-type (WT), Corin knockout (KO), and Corin kidney conditional KO (kcKO) mice were tested in a colitis model induced by dextran sulfide sodium (DSS)...

INTRODUCTION: Apela has a wide range of biological effects on the cardiovascular system, but the changes and significance of endogenous Apela in patients with chronic heart failure (CHF) and acute deterioration of cardiac and renal function are unclear. METHODS: A total of 69 patients with stable CHF combined with well-preserved renal function were enrolled and followed for 12 months. The effects of Apela on human renal glomerular endothelial cells (hRGEC), human glomerular mesangial cells (hGMC) and human renal tubular epithelial cells (HK-2) were observed...

It has been shown that atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP) and its high affinity receptor (NPRA) are involved in the formation of ventricular conduction system (VCS). Inherited genetic variants in fatty acid oxidation (FAO) genes are known to cause conduction abnormalities in newborn children. Although the effect of ANP on energy metabolism in noncardiac cell types is well documented, the role of lipid metabolism in VCS cell differentiation via ANP/NPRA signaling is not known. In this study, histological sections and primary cultures obtained from E11...

Heart failure is a complex syndrome characterized by progressive circulatory dysfunction, manifesting clinically as pulmonary and systemic venous congestion, alongside inadequate tissue perfusion. The early identification of HF, particularly at the mild and moderate stages (stages B and C), presents a clinical challenge due to the overlap of signs, symptoms, and natriuretic peptide levels with other cardiorespiratory pathologies. Nonetheless, early detection coupled with timely pharmacological intervention is imperative for enhancing patient outcomes...

Chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH) plays a key role in the deterioration of lung hemodynamics and contributes to secondary dysfunction of the right heart, which is consistently accompanied by systemic malperfusion and a reduced glomerular filtration rate (GFR). The prognosis of CTEPH is markedly influenced by renal function. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the prognostic value of GFR in patients with CTEPH who have undergone balloon pulmonary angioplasty (BPA). From December 2012 to September 2020, a total of 47 patients diagnosed with CTEPH who received BPA were retrospectively studied...

BACKGROUND: The prevalence of heart failure is constantly increasing, and the prognosis of patients remains poor. New treatment strategies to preserve cardiac function and limit cardiac hypertrophy are therefore urgently needed. Human induced pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes (hiPSC-CMs) are increasingly used as an experimental platform for cardiac in vitro studies. However, in contrast to adult cardiomyocytes, hiPSC-CMs display immature morphology, contractility, gene expression and metabolism and hence express a naive phenotype that resembles more of a foetal cardiomyocyte...

BACKGROUND: Atrial fibrillation (AF) is a common cardiac arrhythmia affecting over 6 million people in the U.S. Fatigue is a frequent symptom of AF, yet no underlying biological mechanisms have been identified in AF-related fatigue as in other chronic conditions such as cancer or HIV fatigue (inflammation, tissue injury). We aimed to identify biomarkers and correlates of AF-fatigue in ARIC participants. METHODS: Participants with AF from ARIC visit 5 (2011-2013) were included in the study...

OBJECTIVES: The aim of the current study was to explore the changes in lipid and NT-proBNP levels in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients through different phases of the disease: from the preclinical stage and RA onset up to the treatment phase with biological disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (bDMARDS). METHODS: Thirty-eight consecutive patients, initially with arthralgia and rheumatoid factor and/or anti-citrullinated protein antibodies without arthritis, who later developed RA and eventually started treatment with bDMARDs, were included...

The research explored the link between Brain Natriuretic Peptides (BNP) gene promoter T-381C polymorphism, serum BNP, and lipid profiles in Kurdish people from Iraq with stable coronary artery disease (CAD). The study was conducted on 62 individuals with CAD and 31 without CAD (control group). DNA was extracted from each individual's sample using the Sanger sequencing method to study the BNP gene's polymorphism. The identified alleles were TT, TC, and CC. The frequency of the TT genotype decreased significantly among the patient group compared to the control group, while the CC genotype's frequency was higher (p<0...

BACKGROUND: This study aimed to investigate the role of circSlc8a1 in cardiac hypertrophy (CH), a pathological change in various cardiovascular diseases. METHODS: An in vitro CH model was established using angiotensin II (AngII) treated H9c2 cells, followed by western blotting and RT-qPCR for detecting relative expressions. Cell viability and proliferation were analyzed using CCK-8 and EdU assays, while lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), reactive oxygen species (ROS), glutathione (GSH), and iron levels were determined using corresponding kits...

CD4+ T-cell counts are increased and activated in patients with chronic heart failure (CHF), whereas regulatory T-cell (Treg) expansion is inhibited, probably due to aberrant T-cell receptor (TCR) signaling. TCR signaling is affected by protein tyrosine phosphatase nonreceptor type 22 (PTPN22) in autoimmune disorders, but whether PTPN22 influences TCR signaling in CHF remains unclear. This observational case-control study included 45 patients with CHF [18 patients with ischemic heart failure versus 27 patients with nonischemic heart failure (NIHF)] and 16 non-CHF controls...

INTRODUCTION: The recent development of robust indices to quantify biological aging, along with the dynamic epidemiological transitions of population aging generate the unmet need to examine the extent up to which potential interventions can delay, halt or temporarily modulate aging trajectories. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: The study is a two-armed, open label randomised controlled trial. We aim to recruit 166 subjects, aged 60-75 years from the residential communities and old age clubs in Bangalore city, India, who will undergo randomisation into intervention or control arms (1:1)...

INTRODUCTION: A previous study of 200,000 exome-sequenced UK Biobank participants to test for association of rare coding variants with hypertension implicated two genes at exome-wide significance, DNMT3A and FES . A total of 42 genes had an uncorrected p value <0.001. These results were followed up in a larger sample of 470,000 exome-sequenced participants. METHODS: Weighted burden analysis of rare coding variants in a new sample of 97,050 cases and 172,263 controls was carried out for these 42 genes...

Introduction: Natriuretic peptide receptor 2 (NPR2 or NPR-B) plays a central role in growth development and bone morphogenesis and therefore loss-of-function variations in NPR2 gene have been reported to cause Acromesomelic Dysplasia, Maroteaux type 1 and short stature. While several hypotheses have been proposed to underlie the pathogenic mechanisms responsible for these conditions, the exact mechanisms, and functional characteristics of many of those variants and their correlations with the clinical manifestations have not been fully established...

Diabetic cardiovascular complications are associated with up to 50% mortality, and current therapies are not effective enough. Renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system inhibitors (RAASis) are the standard of care for diabetic patients with hypertension and albuminuria. Based on our previous studies reporting the renoprotective effects of low-dose RAASis, here, we hypothesized that low-dose RAASi treatment has cardioprotective and antifibrotic benefits in type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM). After five weeks of T1DM, adult male Wistar rats received low doses of ramipril, losartan, or eplerenone for two weeks...