Anyfanti P, et al. - In this study involving patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA; n=85) and non-RA individuals (controls; n=39), researchers determined if galectin-3 is correlated with markers of vascular fibrosis, subclinical atherosclerosis, and cardiac function in RA. They used enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay to determine serum levels of galectin-3, and estimated cardiovascular risk from the Framingham Heart Study. Patients with RA had elevated galectin-3 compared with control participants, but this difference was no longer significant after adjustment for the presence of cardiovascular comorbidities. Univariate analysis revealed significant correlations of galectin-3 with markers of vascular stiffness, atherosclerosis, myocardial blood flow, contractibility, systemic vascular resistance, and estimated cardiovascular risk. An independent link between galectin-3 and both cardiac output and systemic vascular resistance was revealed in multivariate analysis models. Overall, serum galectin-3 might have utility as a marker of cardiac function and cardiovascular fibrosis in a relatively well-controlled cohort of patients with RA and low-grade systemic inflammation and long-standing disease.