NPPB and heart failure: Though the cardiac-specific biomarkers brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) and cardiac troponins (cTn) are firmly established as cornerstones of the diagnosis of heart failure (HF) and myocardial injury, respectively [13], a growing body of evidence supported the role of several non-cardiac specific biomarkers in describing the most relevant pathophysiological features of HF, i.e., inflammation, oxidative stress, extracellular matrix remodeling, neurohormonal activation, myocyte injury and stress [14, 15].