Collaborative Activities of Noradrenaline and Natriuretic Peptide for Glucose Utilization in Patients with Acute Coronary Syndrome

The relationship between mixed venous blood oxygen saturation and pulmonary arterial and venous pressures in patients with heart failure

Recent discoveries have identified intrapulmonary bronchopulmonary anastomoses (IBAs) as a relatively common phenomenon forming intrapulmonary right-to-left shunts. This study hypothesizes that IBAs play a significant role in the pathophysiology of heart failure. We aim to investigate the impact of these intrapulmonary right-to-left shunts on pulmonary arterial and venous pressures in heart failure patients, utilizing mixed venous oxygen saturation (SvO₂) as a key measurement. This study included 237 patients with heart failure who underwent cardiac catheterization. The relationships between SvO₂ and pulmonary artery systolic pressure (sPAP), pulmonary artery wedge pressure (PAWP), and left ventricular end-diastolic pressure (LVEDP) were examined using various statistical methods (single regression analysis, partial correlation analysis, structural equation modeling, and Bayesian estimation). All statistical methods that we performed showed that SvO₂ was significantly and negatively correlated with both sPAP and PAWP (p < 0.01, respectively). However, SvO₂ did not significantly correlate with LVEDP. These results suggest that a decrease in SvO₂ leads to an increase in PAWP and sPAP, while LVEDP is only passively influenced by PAWP. This phenomenon likely reflects the impact of an intrapulmonary right-to-left shunt caused by IBAs. The decrease in SvO₂ causes an increase in sPAP and may also cause an increase in PAWP via IBAs.

Blunted increase in plasma BNP during acute coronary syndrome attacks in obese patients

Background

Unexpectedly low natriuretic peptide (NP) levels in proportion to heart failure severity are often observed in obese individuals. However, the magnitude of NP elevation in response to acute cardiac stress in obesity has not yet been extensively studied. This study aimed to determine the impact of obesity on the increase in plasma NP in response to cardiac hemodynamic stress during acute coronary syndrome (ACS) attacks.

Methods and Results

The study population included 557 consecutive patients with ACS for whom data were collected during emergency cardiac catheterization. To determine the possible impact of body mass index (BMI) on the relationship between left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) and plasma B-type NP (BNP) levels, the study population was divided into two groups (Group 1: BMI <25, Group 2: BMI ≥25 [kg/m2]). Both BMI and LVEF were significantly and negatively correlated with BNP. Although a significant negative correlation between LVEF and BNP was observed in both groups, the regression line of Group 2 was significantly less steep than that of Group 1. Accordingly, BNP/LVEF ratio in Group 2, which indicates the extent of BNP increase in response to LVEF change, was significantly lower than that in Group 1.

Conclusions

Blunted increase in plasma BNP in response to cardiac hemodynamic stress during ACS attacks was observed in obese individuals. In addition to the relatively low plasma BNP levels at baseline in obese individuals, the blunted response of BNP elevation to ACS attacks may have important pathophysiological implications for hemodynamic regulation and myocardial energy metabolism.

Effects of platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio on renal function following acute myocardial infarction: A retrospective observational study

Increased platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR) and neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) in acute myocardial infarction (AMI), which indicate accelerated thrombus formation and inflammatory response, potentially have prognostic implications. Given that cardiovascular disease and renal function exacerbate each other, an elevated PLR and NLR at admission for AMI may worsen renal function after AMI. However, only a few clinical studies have addressed this issue. Therefore, this study aimed to examine the effects of PLR and NLR at AMI onset on renal function. This retrospective study analyzed data from 234 patients hospitalized for AMI. First, correlations between various parameters (age; sex; body mass index; hemoglobin level, albumin level, B-type natriuretic peptide level, C-reactive protein level, creatinine (Cr) level, blood urea nitrogen (BUN) level, PLR, and NLR at admission; contrast medium usage; and maximum creatine kinase) and Cr and BUN levels at discharge were examined using single and multiple regression analyses. Then, correlations between these parameters and the change in Cr (ΔCr) and BUN levels (ΔBUN) were investigated using single and multiple regression analysis, followed by structural equation modeling (SEM). Multiple regression analysis revealed significant positive correlations between PLR at admission and Cr level at discharge (β = 0.135, P = .021), PLR at admission and BUN level at discharge (β = 0.218, P = .006), PLR at admission and ΔCr (β = 0.244, P = .019), and PLR at admission and ΔBUN (β = 0.312, P = .003). SEM results revealed significant positive correlations between PLR at admission and ΔCr (β = 0.260, P = .008) and PLR at admission and ΔBUN (β = 0.292, P = .003). Conversely, NLR demonstrated a minimal association with renal function at discharge compared to PLR. This study suggests that increased PLR at admission in AMI significantly affects and exacerbates renal function but does not increase NLR at admission. PLR is one of the predictors of renal dysfunction after AMI.

Inhibitory action of B-type natriuretic peptide on adrenocorticotropic hormone in patients with acute coronary syndrome

In addition to the classical actions of hemodynamic regulation, natriuretic peptides (NPs) interact with various neurohumoral factors that are deeply involved in the pathophysiology of cardiovascular diseases. However, their effects on the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, which is activated under acute high-stress conditions in acute coronary syndrome (ACS), remain largely unknown. We investigated the impact of plasma B-type NP (BNP) on plasma adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH)-cortisol levels during the acute phase of ACS ischemic attacks. The study population included 436 consecutive patients with ACS for whom data were collected during emergency cardiac catheterization. Among them, biochemical data after acute-phase treatment were available in 320 cases, defined as the ACS-remission phase (ACS-rem). Multiple regression analyses revealed that plasma BNP levels were significantly negatively associated with plasma ACTH levels only during ACS attacks (P < 0.001), but not in ACS-rem, whereas plasma BNP levels were not significantly associated with plasma cortisol levels at any point. Accordingly, covariance structure analyses were performed to clarify the direct contribution of BNP to ACTH by excluding other confounding factors, confirming that BNP level was negatively correlated with ACTH level only during ACS attacks (β = -0.152, P = 0.002), whereas BNP did not significantly affect ACTH in ACS-rem. In conclusion, despite the lack of a significant direct association with cortisol levels, BNP negatively regulated ACTH levels during the acute phase of an ACS attack in which the HPA axis ought to be activated. NP may alleviate the acute stress response induced by severe ischemic attacks in patients with ACS.NEW & NOTEWORTHY BNP negatively regulates ACTH during a severe ischemic attack of ACS in which hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis ought to be activated, indicating an important role of natriuretic peptides as a mechanism of adaptation to acute critical stress conditions in humans.

Unique crosstalk between platelet and leukocyte counts during treatment for acute coronary syndrome: A retrospective observational study

In the pathophysiology of acute coronary syndrome (ACS), platelet (PLT) and neutrophil (Neu) crosstalk may be important for activating coagulation and inflammation. It has been speculated that PLTs and Neu may affect each other's cell counts; however, few studies have investigated this hypothesis. In this study, we measured changes in blood cell counts in 245 patients with ACS during treatment and investigated the mutual effects of each blood cell type. Path diagrams were drawn using structural equation modeling, and temporal changes in the count of each blood cell type and the relevance of these changes were analyzed. Throughout the treatment period, the numbers of all blood cell types (red blood cells [RBCs], leukocytes, and PLTs) were associated with each other before and after treatment. A detailed examination of the different cell types revealed that the PLT count at admission had a significant positive effect on the leukocyte (especially Neu) count after treatment. Conversely, the leukocyte (especially Neu) count at admission had a significant positive effect on the PLT count after treatment. During ACS, PLTs and leukocytes, especially Neu, stimulate each other to increase their numbers. The formation of a PLT-leukocyte complex may increase coagulation activity and inflammation, which can lead to a further increase in the counts of both blood cell types.

Exogenous ANP Treatment Ameliorates Myocardial Insulin Resistance and Protects against Ischemia-Reperfusion Injury in Diet-Induced Obesity

Increasing evidence suggests natriuretic peptides (NPs) coordinate interorgan metabolic crosstalk. We recently reported exogenous ANP treatment ameliorated systemic insulin resistance by inducing adipose tissue browning and attenuating hepatic steatosis in diet-induced obesity (DIO). We herein investigated whether ANP treatment also ameliorates myocardial insulin resistance, leading to cardioprotection during ischemia-reperfusion injury (IRI) in DIO. Mice fed a high-fat diet (HFD) or normal-fat diet for 13 weeks were treated with or without ANP infusion subcutaneously for another 3 weeks. Left ventricular BNP expression was substantially reduced in HFD hearts. Intraperitoneal-insulin-administration-induced Akt phosphorylation was impaired in HFD hearts, which was restored by ANP treatment, suggesting that ANP treatment ameliorated myocardial insulin resistance. After ischemia-reperfusion using the Langendorff model, HFD impaired cardiac functional recovery with a corresponding increased infarct size. However, ANP treatment improved functional recovery and reduced injury while restoring impaired IRI-induced Akt phosphorylation in HFD hearts. Myocardial ultrastructural analyses showed increased peri-mitochondrial lipid droplets with concomitantly decreased ATGL and HSL phosphorylation levels in ANP-treated HFD, suggesting that ANP protects mitochondria from lipid overload by trapping lipids. Accordingly, ANP treatment attenuated mitochondria cristae disruption after IRI in HFD hearts. In summary, exogenous ANP treatment ameliorates myocardial insulin resistance and protects against IRI associated with mitochondrial ultrastructure modifications in DIO. Replenishing biologically active NPs substantially affects HFD hearts in which endogenous NP production is impaired.

Treatment with atrial natriuretic peptide induces adipose tissue browning and exerts thermogenic actions in vivo

Increasing evidence suggests natriuretic peptides (NPs) coordinate inter-organ metabolic crosstalk with adipose tissues and play a critical role in energy metabolism. We recently reported A-type NP (ANP) raises intracellular temperature in cultured adipocytes in a low-temperature-sensitive manner. We herein investigated whether exogenous ANP-treatment exerts a significant impact on adipose tissues in vivo. Mice fed a high-fat-diet (HFD) or normal-fat-diet (NFD) for 13 weeks were treated with or without ANP infusion subcutaneously for another 3 weeks. ANP-treatment significantly ameliorated HFD-induced insulin resistance. HFD increased brown adipose tissue (BAT) cell size with the accumulation of lipid droplets (whitening), which was suppressed by ANP-treatment (re-browning). Furthermore, HFD induced enlarged lipid droplets in inguinal white adipose tissue (iWAT), crown-like structures in epididymal WAT, and hepatic steatosis, all of which were substantially attenuated by ANP-treatment. Likewise, ANP-treatment markedly increased UCP1 expression, a specific marker of BAT, in iWAT (browning). ANP also further increased UCP1 expression in BAT with NFD. Accordingly, cold tolerance test demonstrated ANP-treated mice were tolerant to cold exposure. In summary, exogenous ANP administration ameliorates HFD-induced insulin resistance by attenuating hepatic steatosis and by inducing adipose tissue browning (activation of the adipose tissue thermogenic program), leading to in vivo thermogenesis during cold exposure.

Possible Association Between Body Temperature and B-Type Natriuretic Peptide in Patients With Cardiovascular Diseases

BACKGROUND

In addition to various biological effects of natriuretic peptides (NP) on cardiovascular systems, we recently reported that NP raises intracellular temperature in cultured adipocytes. We herein examined the possible thermogenic action of NP in consideration of hemodynamic parameters and inflammatory reaction by proposing structural equation models.

METHODS AND RESULTS

The study population consisted of 1985 consecutive patients who underwent cardiac catheterization. Covariance structure analyses were performed to clarify the direct contribution of plasma B-type NP (BNP) to body temperature (BT) by excluding other confounding factors. A hierarchical path model showed increase in BNP, increase in C-reactive protein and decrease in left ventricular ejection fraction were mutually associated. As expected, C-reactive protein was positively correlated with BT. Importantly, despite a negative correlation between BNP and left ventricular ejection fraction, a decrease in the left ventricular ejection fraction was associated with BT decrease, whereas elevation in BNP level was associated with BT increase independently of C-reactive protein level (P = .007).

CONCLUSIONS

Patients with LV dysfunction tend to manifest a decrease in BT, whereas BNP elevation is associated with an increase in BT independently of inflammatory response. These findings suggest the adaptive heat-retaining property of NP (and/or NP-associated factors) when BT falls owing to unfavorable hemodynamic conditions in a state of impaired cardiac function.

A Highly-sensitized Response of B-type Natriuretic Peptide to Cardiac Ischaemia Quantified by Intracoronary Pressure Measurements

B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) secretion is stimulated by cardiac dysfunction. However, it is unclear how finely myocardial ischaemia contributes to BNP secretion and whether increases in BNP secretion contribute to coronary vasodilation. This study investigated the direct interaction between plasma BNP levels and cardiac ischaemia using the baseline distal-to-aortic pressure ratio (Pd/Pa). We examined the baseline Pd/Pa and fractional flow reserve (FFR) in 167 patients with intermediate coronary stenosis. The plasma BNP level appeared to be associated with the baseline Pd/Pa in the study population, and this association appeared to become clear only in patients with an FFR ≤ 0.80. To examine the effect of the baseline Pd/Pa on the BNP level in these patients, structural equation modeling (SEM) was performed. The baseline Pd/Pa significantly affected the BNP level (β: -0.37, p = 0.003) and the left ventricular ejection fraction (β: 0.43, p = 0.001). To examine the role of BNP in coronary vasodilation, we proposed another path model using a novel value obtained by dividing the FFR by the baseline Pd/Pa (FFR/baseline Pd/Pa) as an index of the hyperaemic response. The BNP level significantly affected the FFR/baseline Pd/Pa (β: 0.48, p = 0.037). This study demonstrated that BNP finely responded to an exacerbation of cardiac ischaemia and that increases in BNP secretion effectively ameliorated coronary vasoconstriction.