title: Clinical significance of circulating hepatocyte growth factor, a new risk marker of carotid atherosclerosis in patients with Type 2 diabetes.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Recent studies have provided increasing evidence that hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) has a pathophysiological role in the development of diabetic complications. We set out to determine the relationship between serum HGF and risk factors for macroangiopathy including carotid atherosclerosis. Carotid atherosclerosis is an established and important risk factor for both cerebral and coronary artery diseases.
  
  
  METHODS
  We studied 89 patients (48 males, 41 females, mean age 62.5 +/- 10.3 years) with Type 2 diabetes (DM).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Serum levels of HGF correlated positively with both intimal-media thickness (IMT) (r = 0.24, P = 0.0248) and plaque score (r = 0.27, P = 0.0126). In multiple regression analysis, serum HGF was associated independently with IMT (standardized beta = 0.28, P = 0.0499). We also found that both IMT and plaque score were higher in patients with ischaemic heart disease (IHD) than in patients without IHD, and that plaque score in patients with lacunar infarcts was higher than in patients without lacunar infarcts.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Serum HGF concentration may be a new marker of atherosclerotic complications in patients with Type 2 DM.
authors.affiliation: The Division of Diabetes and Metabolism, Internal Medicine, Hyogo College of Medicine, Nishinomiya, Hyogo, Japan.
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Satani
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Konya
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Hamaguchi
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Umehara
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Katsuno
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ishikawa
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kohri
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Hasegawa
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Suehiro
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Kakishita
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Namba
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D002339:Carotid Arteries / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D002340:Carotid Artery Diseases / Q000097:blood* / Q000150:complications / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D003924:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 / Q000097:blood* / Q000150:complications / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D005260:Female; D017228:Hepatocyte Growth Factor / Q000097:blood*; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000097:blood / Q000150:complications / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D016014:Linear Models; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D017202:Myocardial Ischemia / Q000097:blood / Q000150:complications / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D012307:Risk Factors; D013599:Systole; D017539:Tunica Intima / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D017540:Tunica Media / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D014463:Ultrasonography
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D017228:Hepatocyte Growth Factor