B-type natriuretic peptides for the prediction of cardiovascular events in patients with stable coronary heart disease: the Heart and Soul Study.

Background: Brain-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) and the amino-terminal fragment of its prohormone (NT-proBNP) are known predictors of cardiovascular outcomes in patients with coronary heart disease; however, the relative prognostic value of these 2 biomarkers for secondary events remains unclear.

Methods And Results: In 983 participants with stable coronary heart disease, we evaluated the association of BNP and NT-proBNP with time to hospitalization for heart failure, nonfatal myocardial infarction, stroke or transient ischemic attack, cardiovascular death, and combined major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE). During an average follow-up of 6.

Diagnostic classification of urothelial cells in urine cytology specimens using exclusively spectral information.

Background: Although cytologic evaluation of urine specimens is a standard procedure in the diagnosis and follow-up of bladder carcinoma, its sensitivity and specificity are low. Cytopathologic diagnoses are driven primarily by spatial relations or morphology. Although color enhances the pathologist's perception of the specimen, spectral information plays a minimal role in diagnostic processes.

Sleep-waking discharge patterns of neurons recorded in the rat perifornical lateral hypothalamic area.

The perifornical lateral hypothalamic area (PF-LHA) has been implicated in the control of several waking behaviours, including feeding, motor activity and arousal. Several cell types are located in the PF-LHA, including projection neurons that contain the hypocretin peptides (also known as orexins). Recent findings suggest that hypocretin neurons are involved in sleep-wake regulation.