Context: The cardiac natriuretic peptides are involved in blood pressure regulation, and large cross-sectional studies have shown lower plasma levels of N-terminal pro-natriuretic peptide levels [N-terminal atrial natriuretic peptide (N-ANP) and N-terminal brain natriuretic peptide (N-BNP)] in patients with insulin resistance, obesity, and diabetes. Objective: In this study, we prospectively tested whether plasma levels of mid-regional ANP (MR-ANP) and N-BNP predict new-onset diabetes and long-term glucose progression. Design, Setting, and Patients: MR-ANP and N-BNP were measured in 1828 nondiabetic individuals of the Malmö Diet and Cancer cohort (mean age 60 yr; 61% women) who subsequently underwent a follow-up exam including an oral glucose tolerance test after a median follow-up time of 16 yr. Logistic regression was used to adjust for covariates. Results: During follow-up, 301 subjects developed new-onset diabetes. After full multivariate adjustment, MR-ANP was significantly inversely associated with incident diabetes (OR = 0.85; 95% CI = 0.73–0.99; P = 0.034) but not N-BNP (OR = 0.92; 95% CI = 0.80–1.06; P = 0.262). In fully adjusted linear regression models, the progression of fasting glucose during follow-up was significantly inversely related to baseline levels of MR-ANP (P = 0.004) but not N-BNP (P = 0.129). Quartile analyses revealed that the overall association was mainly accounted for by excess risk of incident diabetes in subjects belonging to the lowest quartile of MR-ANP. After full adjustment, the odds ratio for incident diabetes in the bottom compared with the top quartile of MR-ANP was 1.65 (OR = 1.08–2.51, P = 0.019) and 1.43 (OR = 1.04–1.96, P = 0.027) compared with all other subjects. Conclusion: Low plasma levels of MR-ANP predict development of future diabetes and glucose progression over time, suggesting a causal role of ANP deficiency in diabetes development.

The close relationship between heart and kidney diseases was studied with respect to the ‘Shrunken pore syndrome’ that is characterized by a difference in renal filtration between cystatin C and creatinine. Patients were retrieved from the HeARt and brain failure inVESTigation trail (HARVEST) which is an ongoing study undertaken in individuals hospitalized for the diagnosis of heart failure. Ninety-five of 116 patients who underwent transthoracic echocardiograms (TTE) were eligible for this study. We used four different formulas for estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR); CKD-EPI_creatinine, CKD-EPI_{cystatin C}, LMrev and CAPA. Presence of the syndrome was defined as eGFR _{cystatin C} ≤ 60% of eGFR _creatinine and absence of the syndrome as eGFR _{cystatin C} >90% and <110% of eGFR _creatinine. In a linear regression model, adjusted for age and sex, and the ‘Shrunken pore syndrome’ defined by the equation pair CAPA and LMrev and the equation pair CKD-EPI_{cystatin C} and CKD-EPI_creatinine, echocardiographic parameters were studied. The ‘Shrunken pore syndrome’ showed statistically significant associations with measurements of right ventricular (RV) systolic function; (TAPSE and RV S’) (according to the equation pair CKD-EPI_{cystatin C} and CKD-EPI_creatinine). In conclusion, heart failure patients with the ‘Shrunken pore syndrome’ are at increased risk of having RV systolic dysfunction whilst heart failure patients without ‘Shrunken pore syndrome’ seem protected. These findings may indicate common pathophysiological events in the kidneys and the heart explaining the observed increased risk of mortality in subjects with the ‘Shrunken pore syndrome’.

We have recently shown that low plasma levels of mid-regional atrial natriuretic peptide (MR-ANP) predict development of diabetes and glucose progression over time, independently of known risk factors for diabetes development. However, since MR-ANP levels might be influenced by unknown factors causing diabetes, we cannot rule out that such relationship might be confounded. Previous studies have shown an association of a single nucleotide polymorphism rs5068 on the natriuretic peptide precursor A (NPPA) locus gene with higher levels of circulating ANP. Since gene variants are inherited randomly and not subject to confounding, we aimed to investigate whether the variant rs5068 within the NPPA locus is associated with incident type 2 diabetes. We genotyped the variant rs5068 within the NPPA locus in 27,307 individuals without known diabetes from the Malmö Diet Cancer Study. Incident diabetes was retrieved through national and regional registers (median follow-up time of 14 years, 2,823 incident diabetes cases). In Cox regression analysis adjusted for age, sex and BMI, we found that the carriers of at least one copy of the G allele of rs5068 had lower likelihood of incident diabetes within 14 years (HR = 0.88, 95% CI 0.78–0.99, p = 0.037). Our results indicate a role of the ANP system in the etiology of type 2 diabetes and might help provide insight in the metabolic actions of natriuretic peptides and the pathophysiology of type 2 diabetes.

Objectives In an acute heart failure (AHF) setting, proenkephalin A 119–159 (penKid) has emerged as a promising prognostic marker for predicting worsening renal function (WRF), while bioactive adrenomedullin (bio-ADM) has been proposed as a potential marker for congestion. We examined the diagnostic value of bio-ADM in congestion and penKid in WRF and investigated the prognostic value of bio-ADM and penKid regarding mortality, rehospitalisation and length of hospital stay in two separate European AHF cohorts. Methods Bio-ADM and penKid were measured in 530 subjects hospitalised for AHF in two cohorts: Swedish HeArt and bRain failure inVESTigation trial (HARVEST-Malmö) (n=322, 30.1% female; mean age 75.1+11.1 years; 12 months follow-up) and Italian GREAT Network Rome study (n=208, 54.8% female; mean age 78.5+9.9 years; no follow-up available). Results PenKid was associated with WRF (area under the curve (AUC) 0.65, p<0.001). In multivariable logistic regression analysis of the pooled cohort, penKid showed an independent association with WRF (adjusted OR (aOR) 1.74, p=0.004). Bio-ADM was associated with peripheral oedema (AUC 0.71, p<0.001), which proved to be independent after adjustment (aOR 2.30, p<0.001). PenKid was predictive of in-hospital mortality (OR 2.24, p<0.001). In HARVEST-Malmö, both penKid and bio-ADM were predictive of 1-year mortality (aOR 1.34, p=0.038 and aOR 1.39, p=0.030). Furthermore, bio-ADM was associated with rehospitalisation (aOR 1.25, p=0.007) and length of hospital stay (β=0.702, p=0.005). Conclusion In two different European AHF cohorts, bio-ADM and penKid perform as suitable biomarkers for early detection of congestion severity and WRF occurrence, respectively, and are associated with pertinent clinical outcomes.

S1P (Sphingosine-1-phosphate) is an important regulator of immune cell trafficking and vascular dysfunction contributing to the development and progression of overt hypertension. Although targeting S1P signaling revealed therapeutic potential in different experimental hypertension studies, validations of S1P-blood pressure (BP) associations in humans are lacking. In a translational approach, we explored the associations between plasma S1P and BP in a family based study cohort (MOS [Malmö Offspring Study]; N=1046) and in a longitudinally conducted murine hypertension cohort. In MOS, linear multivariate regression analyses showed that plasma S1P associates with increased systolic BP (β=1.06, P =0.015). Study subjects with systolic BP ≥140 mm Hg presented with significantly higher S1P plasma concentrations compared with subjects with BP <120 mm Hg independent of age and sex. The S1P-BP association was validated in a murine model where plasma S1P increased with systolic BP ( r =0.7018, R ² =0.4925; P <0.0001). In a subsample of MOS (N=444), proteomic profiling for markers of inflammation, metabolism, and cardiovascular disease using Proximity Extension Assays revealed multiple significant S1P associations, some of them with marked sex-specificity. In vitro and ex vivo validation of identified S1P associations disclosed augmented expression of different vascular dysfunction and inflammation markers in response to S1P. Our translational findings show a link between plasma S1P and systolic BP as well as several inflammation and cardiovascular disease markers and suggest S1P’s biomarker potential. This encourages further studies to investigate its predictive capacity for hypertensive disease or the therapeutic potential of its signaling axis.

Multiplex proteomic platforms provide excellent tools for investigating associations between multiple proteins and disease (e.g., diabetes) with possible prognostic, diagnostic, and therapeutic implications. In this study our aim was to explore novel pathophysiological pathways by examining 92 proteins and their association with incident diabetes in a population-based cohort (146 cases of diabetes versus 880 controls) followed over 8 years. After adjusting for traditional risk factors, we identified seven proteins associated with incident diabetes. Four proteins (Scavenger receptor cysteine rich type 1 protein M130, Fatty acid binding protein 4, Plasminogen activator inhibitor 1 and Insulin-like growth factor-binding protein 2) with a previously established association with incident diabetes and 3 proteins (Cathepsin D, Galectin-4, Paraoxonase type 3) with a novel association with incident diabetes. Galectin-4, with an increased risk of diabetes, and Paraoxonase type 3, with a decreased risk of diabetes, remained significantly associated with incident diabetes after adjusting for plasma glucose, implying a glucose independent association with diabetes.