title: Galectin-3 as a new biomarker of diastolic dysfunction in hemodialysis patients.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Galectin-3 (gal-3) is an emerging prognostic biomarker in heart failure (HF). Clinical and experimental studies suggest that gal-3 is an important mediator of HF. Here we aimed to examine the relationship between gal-3 and diastolic dysfunction in patients undergoing maintenance hemodialysis (HD).
  
  
  METHODS
  We examined the relationship between plasma gal-3 levels and left ventricular diastolic function. Plasma gal-3 was measured in 87 subjects with chronic HD and in 45 healthy controls using biochemical evaluations. Conventional echocardiography and pulsed tissue Doppler assessment were performed in all patients. Left ventricular diastolic dysfunction (LVDD) was defined as E' < 8 cm/s. The E/E' ratio was used as the main determinant of LVDD grade.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The mean gal-3 concentrations were: 16.05 ng/ml (13.89-19.75) in healthy controls; 14.54 ng/ml (10.85-17.65) in HD patients with normal diastolic function; and 23.30 ng/ml (20.12-26.87) in HD patients with LVDD (p  < 0.01). Plasma gal-3 levels correlated with E/E' (r = 0.933, p  < 0.01), left atrial volume index (r = 0.713, p  < 0.01), and E' (r = -0.685, p  < 0.01). ROC analysis showed that the best gal-3 cut-off point for the diagnosis of LVDD was 20.12 ng/ml with a sensitivity of 67.6 % and specificity of 84.6 % (AUC = 0.803).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We suggest that gal-3 may be a promising biomarker for the detection of LVDD in HD patients.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology, Turgut Ozal University, School of Medicine, Ankara, Turkey.
authors.forename: Ozgul Malcok
authors.initials: OM
authors.lastname: Gurel
authors.forename: Hakki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Yilmaz
authors.forename: Tugrul H
authors.initials: TH
authors.lastname: Celik
authors.forename: Muzaffer
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Cakmak
authors.forename: Mehmet
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Namuslu
authors.forename: Ayse M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Bilgiç
authors.forename: Nuket
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Bavbek
authors.forename: Ali
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Akcay
authors.forename: Beyhan
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Eryonucu
mesh_terms: D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D005260:Female; D037502:Galectin 3 / Q000097:blood*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D006435:Renal Dialysis / Q000009:adverse effects*; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D013318:Stroke Volume; D014463:Ultrasonography; D018487:Ventricular Dysfunction, Left / Q000097:blood* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000209:etiology*
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D037502:Galectin 3