title: [Plasma Nt-proBNP concentration during heart failure therapy].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To study the changes of plasma Nt-proBNP levels obtained at multi-time-points during heart failure patients underwent treatment and the relationship between the concentrations to the patients' clinical improvements.
  
  
  METHODS
  Forty heart failure patients and 41 normal control patients were chosen. The heart function and clinical characteristics were evaluated. The plasma level of Nt-proBNP was measured with ELISA method.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The plasma Nt-proBNP levels were higher in heart failure group comparing to the control group significantly and gradually fell down in the progression of treatment, along with the improvement of clinical characteristics. The plasma Nt-proBNP levels at the admission were negatively correlated to the therapeutic reaction. The Nt-proBNP levels of patients died or with ventricular fibrillation during admission were higher than others and were apt to elevate during treatment but without statistic significant.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The plasma Nt-proBNP level can be the biochemical indicator of monitoring to heart failure patients in long term treatment.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Beijing 100730, China.
authors.forename: Lin
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Wen-ling
authors.initials: WL
authors.lastname: Zhu
authors.forename: Lian-feng
authors.initials: LF
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Xue
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Lin
mesh_terms: D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D006333:Heart Failure / Q000097:blood* / Q000188:drug therapy; D006801:Humans; D020097:Natriuretic Peptide, Brain; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins / Q000097:blood*; D010446:Peptide Fragments / Q000097:blood*; D011379:Prognosis
chemical_list: D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins; D010446:Peptide Fragments; C109794:pro-brain natriuretic peptide (1-76); D020097:Natriuretic Peptide, Brain