title: Relationship of plasma Dendroaspis natriuretic peptide-like immunoreactivity and echocardiographic parameters in chronic haemodialysis patients.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The Dendroaspis natriuretic peptide (DNP), which was recently isolated from the venom of the green Mamba snake, Dendroaspis angusticeps, is a 38 amino acid peptide containing a 17 amino acid disulfide ring structure. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of haemodialysis (HD) on the plasma concentration of DNP, and to investigate the relationship between the 2-D echocardiographic parameters and the changes in the plasma DNP levels during HD.
  
  
  METHODS
  Forty-five haemodialysis patients and 22 healthy individuals underwent a measurement of plasma DNP-like immunoreactivity, serum creatinine, haematocrit, blood pressure and bodyweight before and after each HD session. Echocardiography was performed before and after HD. The peak early diastolic transmitral flow velocity (E), peak late diastolic transmitral flow velocity (A), and E/A ratio were measured by using a pulsed Doppler echocardiogram.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The plasma DNP-like immunoreactivity of those in the pre-HD state was significantly higher (235.6 +/- 45.8 pg/mL) than those of the healthy subjects (105.3 +/- 31.1 pg/mL). In addition, the plasma DNP-like immunoreactivity was significantly decreased after HD (204.4 +/- 55.4 pg/mL). The left atrial diameter, left ventricular diameter at end diastole and end systol, E velocity, A velocity, E/A ratio and inferior vena cava diameter were significantly decreased after HD. There were significant correlations between the changes of plasma DNP-like immunoreactivity and the changes in the bodyweight and inferior vena cava diameter, respectively.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These results suggest that the plasma DNP-like immunoreactivity might be involved in the regulation of the blood volume in patients undergoing HD.
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Research Institute of Clinical Medicine, Chonbuk National University Medical School, Jeonju, South Korea.
authors.forename: Sik
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Sung K
authors.initials: SK
authors.lastname: Park
authors.forename: Kyung P
authors.initials: KP
authors.lastname: Kang
authors.forename: Sung K
authors.initials: SK
authors.lastname: Kang
authors.forename: Sung Z
authors.initials: SZ
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Won
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Kim
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D004452:Echocardiography; D004546:Elapid Venoms / Q000097:blood* / Q000276:immunology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D036341:Intercellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010455:Peptides / Q000097:blood* / Q000276:immunology*; D006435:Renal Dialysis
chemical_list: C075597:Dendroaspis natriuretic peptide; D004546:Elapid Venoms; D036341:Intercellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins; D010455:Peptides