title: Short- and Long-term Biologic Variability of Galectin-3 and Other Cardiac Biomarkers in Patients with Stable Heart Failure and Healthy Adults.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Galectin-3 (Gal-3) has been suggested as a prognostic biomarker in heart failure (HF) patients that may better reflect disease progression than traditional markers, including B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) and cardiac troponins. To fully establish the utility of any biomarker in HF, its biologic variability must be characterized.
  
  
  METHODS
  To assess biologic variability, 59 patients were prospectively recruited, including 23 male and 16 female patients with stable HF and 10 male and 10 female healthy individuals. Gal-3, BNP, and high-sensitivity cardiac troponin I (hs-cTnI) were assayed at 5 time points within a 3-week period to assess short-term biologic variability. Long-term (3-month) biologic variability was assessed with samples collected at enrollment and after 4, 8, and 12 weeks.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Among healthy individuals, mean short-term biologic variability, expressed as intraindividual CV (CVI), was 4.5% for Gal-3, 29.0% for BNP, and 14.5% for hs-cTnI; long-term biologic variability was 5.5% for Gal-3, 34.7% for BNP, and 14.7% for hs-cTnI. In stable HF patients, mean short-term biologic variability was 7.1% for Gal-3, 22.5% for BNP, and 8.5% for hs-cTnI, and mean long-term biologic variability was 7.7% for Gal-3, 27.6% for BNP, and 9.6% for hs-cTnI.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The finding that Gal-3 has minimal intraindividual biological variability adds to its potential as a useful biomarker in HF patients.
authors.affiliation: Division of Laboratory and Genomic Medicine, Department of Pathology and Immunology.
authors.forename: Emily I
authors.initials: EI
authors.lastname: Schindler
authors.affiliation: Division of Laboratory and Genomic Medicine, Department of Pathology and Immunology.
authors.forename: Jeffrey J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Szymanski
authors.affiliation: Division of Laboratory and Genomic Medicine, Department of Pathology and Immunology.
authors.forename: Karl G
authors.initials: KG
authors.lastname: Hock
authors.affiliation: Cardiovascular Division, Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO.
authors.forename: Edward M
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: Geltman
authors.affiliation: Division of Laboratory and Genomic Medicine, Department of Pathology and Immunology, mscott@path.wustl.edu.
authors.forename: Mitchell G
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: Scott
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood*; D001798:Blood Proteins; D005260:Female; D037502:Galectin 3 / Q000097:blood*; D037161:Galectins; D006333:Heart Failure / Q000097:blood*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D020097:Natriuretic Peptide, Brain / Q000097:blood; D012016:Reference Values; D019210:Troponin I / Q000097:blood
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D001798:Blood Proteins; D037502:Galectin 3; D037161:Galectins; C428445:LGALS3 protein, human; D019210:Troponin I; D020097:Natriuretic Peptide, Brain