Clinical chemistry
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Comparative Study
Single assay for amino-terminal fragments of cardiac A- and B-type natriuretic peptides.
High circulating concentrations of N-terminal fragments of A- and B-type natriuretic peptides (NT-proANP and NT-proBNP) identify patients with impaired cardiac function. ProANP-derived peptides are particularly sensitive to increased preload of the heart and proBNP-derived peptides to increased afterload; therefore, combining the information from the ANP and BNP systems into a single analyte could produce an assay with increased diagnostic and prognostic power. ⋯ Our novel immunoassay mimics the physiologic signaling system working in the body by converging the information obtained from the activation of ANP and BNP into a single virtual analyte, NT-proXNP. It appears to have a diagnostic efficiency equal to or slightly better than that of individual NT-proANP or NT-proBNP assays.