Mutation in either TSC1 or TSC2 causes the autosomal dominant disorder tuberous sclerosis, in which widespread hamartomas are seen, some of which have a high level of vascularization. Tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC) gene products negatively regulate mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) activity. We found that vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is secreted by Tsc1- or Tsc2-null fibroblas...

BACKGROUND Age related macular degeneration (AMD) is major devastating neurodegenerative disorder characterized by progressive irreversible vision loss in the elderly persons. In spite of several genetic and environmental factors, the role of VEGF and CFH predispose the pathological phenomenon in the AMD patients. PURPOSE The aim of the study was to estimate the VEGF levels in the serum of AM...

Results We found a 2.5 times increase in VEGF levels in the serum when performing a CP and a less than 25% increase of its original value in MP group. The average serum level of VEGF before receiving CP was 458.65 ng/ml (172-702 ng/ml) and was elevated to a mean level of 1197.65ng/ml (406-2011ng/ml). In the MP group same results for serum VEGF were found 517.55 ng/ml (73-976 ng/ml) and 632.24 n...

INTRODUCTION Polycystic lung diseases (PLDs) include numerous rare diseases including lymphangioleiomyomatosis (LAM), pulmonary Langerhans cell histiocytosis (PLCH), and lymphocytic interstitial pneumonia. In these cases, diagnosis is based on a histological examination of open lung biopsy samples; however, it is not always possible to perform this procedure. Serum markers characteristic for a ...

Recent studies have indicated that vascular endothelial growth factor-D (VEGF-D) stimulates lymphangiogenesis in humans. Furthermore, mutations of vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 3 (VEGFR-3) have been observed in families with hereditary lymphedema. The lack of stimulation of lymphangiogenesis could lead to production of even more VEGF-D to obtain stimulation of lymphangiogenesis re...

Epidermal growth factor (EGF), basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF), the AA and BB isoforms of platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) are involved in the pathogenesis of airway inflammation in asthma. In the present study, the associations between asthmatic phenotypes and the expression levels of these mediators in induced sputum and serum were inve...

Objective Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) is a hypervascular tumour due to high constitutive production of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), which is activated by hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF). Elevated levels of cardiovascular peptides, including brain natriuretic peptide (BNP), have been reported in patients with cancer, regardless of whether they have overt cardiovascular disease. Furth...

The extent of angiogenesis and/or vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) expression in neuroblastoma tumors correlates with metastases, N-myc amplification, and poor clinical outcome. Understanding the mechanisms regulating VEGF expression in neuroblastoma cells provides additional therapeutic options to control neuroblastoma tumor growth. VEGF mRNA is controlled by growth factors and hypoxi...

AIM This study was designed to investigate the predictive and prognostic values of serum vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) level in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients treated with platinum-based chemotherapy. METHODS Patients' peripheral blood samples were collected prior to chemotherapy and after 1 week of the third cycle of combination chemotherapy. Serum VEGF levels were e...