BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Tissue factor (TF; an initiator of coagulation) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF; a marker of angiogenesis) are involved in the hypercoagulable state associated with malignancy. We investigated their roles in chronic atrial fibrillation (AF), a condition also associated with increased risk of stroke and thromboembolism, as well as a prothrombotic or hypercoagu...

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the performance of angiogenic factors, maternal risks and uterine artery Doppler (UAD) in the prediction of pre-eclampsia (PE) and fetal growth restriction (FGR) in a high-risk Ecuadorian population. METHODS Patients with singleton pregnancies (n = 346) were investigated at two clinical visits (18-25 weeks and 28-32 weeks). Mean uterine artery (UA), pulsatility index (PI...

OBJECTIVES Inflammation and angiogenesis are a significant element of pathogenesis in rheumatoid arthritis (RA). The FLT-1- triggering factor for production of proinflammatory cytokines-might contributes to inflammation in patients with RA. Association of the FLT-1 polymorphisms with different "angiogenic diseases" suggests that it may be a novel genetic risk factor also for RA. The aim of the ...

Background—Preeclampsia is a life-threatening pregnancy syndrome of uncertain origin. To elucidate the pathogenesis, we evaluated the temporal relationships between changes in vascular function and circulating biomarkers of angiogenic activity before and after the onset of preeclampsia and gestational hypertension. Methods and Results—Maternal mean arterial pressure, uterine artery pulsatility ...

Preeclampsia is characterized by an imbalance in angiogenic factors. Urinary prolactin (PRL) levels and its antiangiogenic PRL fragments have been associated with disease severity. In this study, we assessed whether these biomarkers are associated with an increased risk of adverse maternal and perinatal outcomes in preeclamptic women. We studied 501 women with preeclampsia attended at a tertiar...

BACKGROUND Alterations in circulating levels of pro- and antiangiogenic factors have been associated with adverse pregnancy outcomes. Heparin is routinely administered to pregnant women, but without clear knowledge of its impact on these factors. METHODS AND RESULTS We conducted a longitudinal study of 42 pregnant women. Twenty-one women received prophylactic heparin anticoagulation, and 21 h...

Objective: We previously provided evidence to confirm that maternal serum levels of soluble Fms-like tyrosine kinase-1 (sFlt-1), placental growth factor (PlGF), and their ratio are useful tools direct the management preeclampsia (PE), fetal restriction (FGR), PE+FGR near delivery. In this secondary analysis, we further examine potential additive value Inhibin-A, which is a hormone marker transf...

This cross-sectional study examined mechanisms through which exercise might alter preeclampsia risk by estimating the effects of acute and chronic exercise on angiogenic markers in healthy pregnant women with different amounts of regular exercise participation. Serum-soluble fms-like tyrosine kinase-1 (sFlt-1), placental growth factor (PlGF), and soluble endoglin (sEng) were measured before and...

BACKGROUND Smoking paradoxically increases the risk of small-for-gestational-age (SGA) birth but protects against preeclampsia. Some studies have reported a "U-shaped" distribution of fetal growth in preeclamptic pregnancies, but reasons for this are unknown. We investigated whether cigarette smoking interacts with preeclampsia to affect fetal growth, and compared levels of soluble fms-like tyr...

The present study was performed to compare serum concentrations of maternal and fetal angiogenic growth factors in IUGR (intrauterine growth restriction) and normal pregnancy at the time of delivery. VEGF (vascular endothelial growth factor), PlGF (placental growth factor), sFlt-1 (soluble fms-like tyrosine kinase 1), sKDR (soluble kinase domain receptor) and bFGF (basic fibroblast growth facto...