title: Changes in adrenomedullin in patients with proliferative diabetic retinopathy.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To measure adrenomedullin (ADM) levels in the blood, vitreous fluid and fibrous membrane in patients with proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR) and study its changes in different pathological conditions.
  
  
  METHODS
  We used radioimmunoassay technique to determine immunoreactive- adrenomedullin (IR-ADM) concentrations in the plasma, vitreous samples and fibrous membrane obtained from 9 control subjects with idiopathic macular hole and 23 patients with PDR undergoing vitrectomy.
  
  
  RESULTS
  IR-ADM levels in the plasma, vitreous samples and fibrous membrane tissues (16.1 ± 2.91fmol/ml, 9.80 ± 2.51fmol/ml and 34.8 ± 5.22fmol/mg) were all significantly elevated in patients with PDR compared with control subjects (11.6 ± 2.38 fmol/ml, 5.8 ± 1.64 fmol/ml and 22.4 ± 1.72 fmol/mg). The levels of ADM in vitreous were also significantly higher in PDR patients with diabetic macular edema (DME) (11.2 ± 2.36 fmol/ml) than those of patients without DME (8.0 ± 1.11 fmol/ml) and controls (5.8 ± 1.64 fmol/ml).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These findings suggest that ADM may be produced locally in the eyes and may correlate with the severity and proliferative reactions of diabetic retinopathy.
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, Peking University Third Hospital, Beijing, PRC.
authors.forename: Yao
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Lu
authors.forename: Yimin
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.forename: Chaoshu
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Tang
mesh_terms: D053607:Adrenomedullin / Q000378:metabolism*; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000378:metabolism; D003930:Diabetic Retinopathy / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000378:metabolism*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011379:Prognosis; D011863:Radioimmunoassay; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D014822:Vitreous Body / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D053607:Adrenomedullin