| 
      *p<0.05 compared to control, **p<0.01 compared to control. All values are
    expressed as mean ± S.D. except plasma apelin and BNP expressed as median
    (25th, 75th percentile).
        | Baseline Characteristic | Normal Control (n=10) | Mitral Stenosis patients (n=10) |  
        | Age (years) | 34 ± 10 | 26 ± 6 |  
        | Sex (male:female) | 7:3 | 4:6 |  
        | BMI (kg/m2) | 22.8 ± 2.9 | 22.2 ± 3.6 |  
        | NYHA Class (n) | Not applicable | II (3), III (7) |  
        | Systolic    BP (mm of Hg) | 115    ± 14 | 110    ± 8 |  
        | Diastolic    BP (mm of Hg) | 74    ± 8 | 74    ± 9 |  
        | AF    prevalence (%) | Nil | 2/10    (20%) |  
        | Prevalence    of pulmonary artery hypertension (%) | Nil | 10/10    (100%) |  
        | Plasma    BNP (pg/ml) | 6 (5,10) | 44(15,117)** |  
        | Plasma    apelin (pg/ml) | 570 (415,680) | 320 (167,515)* |  |