Stanciu AE, et al. - Researchers investigated whether inflammatory stimuli accounts for amino-terminal fragment of the prohormone B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) and production and release of carbohydrate antigen 125 (CA-125) in chronic heart failure (CHF). They measured the levels of NT-proBNP, CA 125, pro-anti-inflammatory cytokines (interleukin [IL]-6, IL-1β, IL-8, tumor necrosis factor-alpha [TNF-α], and IL-4) from peripheral venous (PV) and coronary sinus (CS) blood samples in patients with CHF and evaluated their association with echocardiographic indices. They observed a strong inverse link between CS NT-proBNP, CS IL-6, CS IL-1β and left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF). PV CA 125 was associated with PV IL-6, PV TNF-α and LVEF. Overall, findings clearly indicated a possible dependence of serum NT-proBNP and CA 125 levels, in PV and in CS of patients with CHF, on inflammation as a result of cytokine network activation.