Growth differentiation factor (GDF)-15 and soluble ST2 (sST2) are established prognostic markers in acute and chronic heart failure. Assessment of these biomarkers might improve arrhythmic risk stratification of patients with non-ischaemic, dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) based on left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF). We studied the prognostic value of GDF-15 and sST2 for prediction of arrhyt...

Aims. Growth Differentiation Factor-15 (GDF-15) has been suggested as one of the regulators of hepcidin, an important regulatory peptide for iron deposition. Current data is conflicting about the relationship between hepcidin and disorders of glucose metabolism. We aimed to investigate serum hepcidin and GDF-15 concentrations and their associations with each other, in nonanemic subjects with im...

BACKGROUND The present study was designed to prepare and find the optimum active preparation or fraction from Korea Red Ginseng inhibiting matrix metalloproteinase-13 (MMP-13) expression, because MMP-13 is a pivotal enzyme to degrade the collagen matrix of the joint cartilage. METHODS From total red ginseng ethanol extract, n-BuOH fraction (total ginsenoside-enriched fraction), ginsenoside di...

Growth/differentiation factor-9 (GDF-9) is a previously described member of the transforming growth factor-beta superfamily expressed specifically in the ovary in adult mice. Using in situ hybridization methods, we have localized the expression of GDF-9 messenger RNA (mRNA) exclusively to oocytes. GDF-9 mRNA was detected in oocytes at all stages of follicular development, except in primordial f...

BACKGROUND Several diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers are being explored in heart failure. GDF-15 belongs to the transforming growth factor β (TGF-β) cytokine family that is highly up regulated in inflammatory conditions. We undertook this systematic review to summarize the current evidence on the utility of GDF-15 as a biomarker in heart failure. DESIGN AND METHODS Multiple electronic data...

OBJECTIVE This study was performed to identify whether growth and differentiation factor-9 (GDF-9) and transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1) expressions would be lower in the follicular fluid (FF) of those over age 35 who underwent IVF than under age 35. METHODS A total of 24 IVF cycles (20 patients) were included in this study. All of patients were stimulated for IVF by the GnRH short proto...

Normal polymorphonuclear neutrophils (PMNs) constitutively secrete a mediator designated granulocyte-derived factor (GDF) that can enhance the uptake of 3H-thymidine (3to 20-fold) by the molt-3, CTV-1, and K562 leukemic cell lines in a dose-dependent manner. GDF is heat labile (56°C for 30 minutes) and acid labile (pH 2.0) and is sensitive to treatment with bacterial protease type IV. Our preli...

Background The conventional freezing and vitrification are different cryopreservation protocols for fertility preservation in cancer patients. The high effectiveness of vitrification for human oocytes and embryos is shown, whereas data on human ovarian tissue are limited. Follicular growth, ultrastructure, and apoptosis incidence in human ovarian tissue following vitrification/warming and after...

In this chapter we summarize the role of cytokines in the radiation response, focusing in particular on growth differentiation factor-15 (GDF-15), and give a brief overview of our ongoing experiments in a mouse mammary carcinoma model. The principal function, receptor, and signaling pathway of GDF-15 remain uncertain, although several of its biological activities have already been described; th...

OBJECTIVE The diagnosis of mitochondrial disorders (MDs) is occasionally difficult because patients often present with solitary, or a combination of, symptoms caused by each organ insufficiency, which may be the result of respiratory chain enzyme deficiency. Growth differentiation factor 15 (GDF-15) has been reported to be elevated in serum of patients with MDs. In this study, we investigated w...