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This OCT study suggests that neointima within the BMS often transforms into lipid-laden tissue during an extended period of time and that expansion of neovascularization from peristent to intraintima contributes to atherosclerotic progression of neointima.

Background: Measurement of brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) has become a potent diagnostic aid as a means of identifying patients with systolic or diastolic dysfunction. Due to better stability in circulating blood, we reasoned that measurement of Nterminal proBNP (NT-proBNP) may be a more discerning marker for the detection and evaluation of chronic heart failure. Methods:The relationships between plasma concentrations of NT-proBNP and BNP, and aetiology, New York Heart Association (NYHA) classification, and left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) were analyzed in 105 patients with chronic heart failure. Sixty-seven healthy volunteers were studied as the controls. Results: Both NT-proBNP and BNP showed progressive increases (P-0.001) in proportion to the NYHA classification; the increment of NT-proBNP was larger than that of BNP. Elevated NTproBNP significantly correlated with BNP (rs0.737, P-0.001). Receiver operating characteristics analysis to detect LVEF-40% showed similar values (area under the curve, AUC: NT-proBNP 0.754 vs. BNP 0.770), however, AUC to detect LVEF-50% tended to be greater for NT-proBNP than that for BNP (NT-proBNP 0.820 vs. BNP 0.794). Conclusion: NT-proBNP may be a more discerning marker for the detection and evaluation of heart failure than BNP.

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