title: Concentration in plasma of macrophage inhibitory cytokine-1 and risk of cardiovascular events in women: a nested case-control study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Macrophage inhibitory cytokine-1 (MIC-1) is part of the TGF-beta superfamily. Raised concentrations of MIC-1 in serum arise in several disease states, can be detected in normal individuals, and can partly be genetically determined. We aimed to investigate whether MIC-1 has a role in atherothrombosis.
  
  
  METHODS
  We did a prospective, nested, case-control study in 27628 initially healthy women. Of these women, we established baseline concentrations of MIC-1 in 257 who subsequently had myocardial infarction, stroke, or died from a cardiovascular event (cases) and in 257 matched for age and smoking status, who did not report cardiovascular disease during 4-year follow-up (controls). We also assessed polymorphisms in the MIC-1 gene (MIC-1 H and MIC-1 D) in all 514 women.
  
  
  RESULTS
  MIC-1 concentrations were higher at baseline in women who subsequently had cardiovascular events than in those who did not (618 vs 538 pg/mL, p=0.0002). Concentrations above the 90th percentile (>856 pg/mL) were associated with a 2.7-fold increase in risk (95% CI 1.6-4.9, p=0.001). This effect was independent of traditional cardiovascular risk factors and at least additive to that of C-reactive protein. There was no significant association between MIC-1 polymorphism and vascular events.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  MIC-1 could be a novel target for cardiovascular disease prevention.
authors.affiliation: Centre for Immunology, St Vincent's Hospital and University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
authors.forename: David A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Brown
authors.forename: Samuel N
authors.initials: SN
authors.lastname: Breit
authors.forename: Julie
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Buring
authors.forename: W Douglas
authors.initials: WD
authors.lastname: Fairlie
authors.forename: Asne R
authors.initials: AR
authors.lastname: Bauskin
authors.forename: Tao
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Paul M
authors.initials: PM
authors.lastname: Ridker
mesh_terms: D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000097:blood*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D016207:Cytokines / Q000097:blood* / Q000235:genetics; D005260:Female; D055436:Growth Differentiation Factor 15; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D011110:Polymorphism, Genetic; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors
chemical_list: D016207:Cytokines; C526140:GDF15 protein, human; D055436:Growth Differentiation Factor 15