Serum cystatin C is a more sensitive marker of glomerular function than serum creatinine

We determined the relationship between the levels of serum cystatin C or creatinine (s-Cr) and the grade of creatinine clearance (CCr) in patients with various glomerular diseases. Serum samples from 96 patients with glomerular diseases were obtained from our hospital. The levels of serum cystatin C were measured using the Dade Behring Cystatin C assay with the automated Dade Behring Nephelometer II (BNII). CCr levels were classified into six groups according to the Guidelines of the Japanese Society of Nephrology as follows: grade 1 (normal renal function); grade 2 (slight decrease of renal function); grade 3 (moderate decrease of renal function); grade 4 (severe decrease of renal function); grade 5 (renal failure), and grade 6 (uremia). The mean levels of serum cystatin C in grade 3 patients were significantly higher than those in grade 1. The mean levels of serum cystatin C in grades 4, 5 and 6 patients were also significantly higher than those in grade 1. However, the mean levels of serum Cr in grade 3 patients were not significantly higher than those in grade 1. The levels of s-Cr in grades 4, 5 or 6 patients were significantly higher than those in grade 1. In this study, an increase of serum cystatin C levels occurred earlier than that of s-Cr in various glomerular diseases. It appears that the levels of serum cystatin C may provide early prognostic marker of patients with various glomerular diseases rather than the levels of s-Cr.     

The product of duration and amount of proteinuria (proteinuria index) is a possible marker for glomerular and tubulointerstitial damage in IgA nephropathy

BACKGROUND/AIMS: IgA nephropathy (IgAN) is one of the major causes for chronic renal failure (CRF). Presence of massive proteinuria, hypertension, increased serum creatinine level and sclerotic histopathological changes of the glomerulus are known to be determinants for the progression of CRF. However, the relationships between duration of proteinuria/hematuria and histopathological changes, which may be correlated with the renal prognosis, have not been clarified. METHODS: A cross-sectional, univariate analysis of clinical parameters on the four glomerular and three tubulointerstitial histopathological grades in 57 untreated biopsy-proven IgAN patients (M/F = 32/25) was performed. RESULTS: The age at the time of renal biopsy (35.2 +/- 13.0 years; mean +/- SD), average duration of proteinuria (5.3 +/- 5.8 years), mean urinary protein excretion (0.99 +/- 1.22 g/day), serum creatinine (Cr 0.97 +/- 0.28 mg/dl), Cr clearance (Ccr 75.5 +/- 29.4 ml/min), and blood urea nitrogen (BUN 15.4 +/- 3.9 mg/dl) were well correlated with both histopathological grades. The product of duration (years) and urinary protein excretion (g/day) at the time of renal biopsy was more significantly correlated with glomerular and tubulointerstitial histopathological grades and serum Cr. CONCLUSION: The natural course of IgAN is steadily progressive depending on the duration and amount of proteinuria. The product of these two factors (proteinuria index) may be a useful predictor for glomerular and interstitial histopathological changes and the fate of renal function in IgAN.     

Peritubular ischemia contributes more to tubular damage than proteinuria in immune-mediated glomerulonephritis

Proteinuria is a key factor in the progression of tubulointerstitial injury. Recently, tubular ischemia as a result of loss of peritubular capillaries has been identified as another major contributor to disease progression, but the relative contribution of these insults on tubulointerstitial damage is unknown. Anti–glomerular basement membrane glomerulonephritis was induced in wild-type (WT) and Fc receptor knockout (FcRKO) mice, which have been shown to be relatively protected against glomerular endothelial injury. Despite comparable degrees of proteinuria, WT mice developed significantly worse renal function than FcRKO mice, along with higher expression of both type I collagen and kidney injury molecule-1 (a sensitive marker of acute tubular injury) by real-time PCR and immunohistochemistry. In addition, compared with FcRKO mice, WT mice exhibited a greater decrease in peritubular red blood cell velocity by intravital videomicroscopy and a marked increase of tissue hypoxia. In vitro, kidney injury molecule-1 expression increased in cultured mouse proximal tubular epithelial cells in response to cellular stresses, including hypoxia, starvation, and exposure to excessive protein; therefore, it is suggested that hypoxic insults more strongly influence tubulointerstitial damage than proteinuria alone in models of subacute renal disease.It is accepted that proteinuria is a hallmark of glomerular disease, and the magnitude of proteinuria is an adverse prognostic factor in varied nephropathies. There is evidence that proteinuria is both a marker for and a mechanism of kidney disease progression.^1–3 Consistent with this hypothesis are clinical studies showing that a reduction in proteinuria is associated with a slower decline in GFR.^4–6 Ischemia as a result of peritubular capillary loss or hypoperfusion is also considered a major factor for the progression of tubulointerstitial damage, which is closely associated with impairment of renal function. Renal tissue hypoxia induces profibrogenic responses and tubulointerstitial injury, which includes degeneration, dedifferentiation, and apoptosis of tubular epithelium^7–9; however, it is unclear whether proteinuria or hypoxia has more impact on tubulointerstitial damage and renal prognosis in glomerulonephritis.Kidney injury molecule-1 (Kim-1) gene belongs to the T cell Ig mucin (TIM) gene family.¹⁰ Previous reports showed that Kim-1 expression is markedly upregulated in the proximal tubular epithelial cell in postischemic and nephrotoxin-induced renal failure.^11,12 Indeed, the Kim-1 ectodomain can be detected in the urine of patients with acute tubular necrosis and rodent nephrotoxin-induced renal failure.¹³ Kim-1–positive tubular epithelial cells show simultaneous expression of vimentin and bromodeoxyuridine, markers of dedifferentiation and proliferation, respectively^14,15; therefore, Kim-1 has been suggested as an early, noninvasive general urinary biomarker for tubular injury. This study aimed to determine the relative effects of proteinuria and tissue ischemia on Kim-1 expression as a marker of tubular injury. We previously demonstrated that in Fc receptor–deficient (FcRKO) mice, the induction of anti–glomerular basement membrane antibody–induced glomerulonephritis (anti-GBM GN) leads to less severe renal injury as compared with wild-type (WT) mice, even if higher dosages of the antibodies are used, which result in a comparable degree of proteinuria.¹⁶ This is partly due to a grossly different glomerular injury. WT mice showed severe endothelial damage in glomerular capillaries, and FcRKO mice showed mesangioproliferative glomerulonephritis with less endothelial injury.¹⁶ These differences may affect postglomerular flow, leading to reduced peritubular flow. Using this experimental model, we further assessed the tubulointerstitial injury in relation to proteinuria and tubular ischemia, using Kim-1 as a sensitive marker of acute tubular injury. Intravital videomicroscopy was used to assess peritubular blood flow and pimonidazole expression as an indicator of tissue hypoxia.     

Cystatin C in heart failure is nothing more than a bystander of glomerular filtration

BACKGROUND: Cystatin is an ubiquitous protease inhibitor involved in degradation of cellular proteins and has recently been associated with increased risk of cardiovascular disease and heart failure independent of renal function. We tested whether cystatin in heart failure is only associated with renal function or also with echocardio-Doppler parameters and factors of myocardial remodeling (C-reactive protein, endothelin, and natriuretic peptides). METHODS: This was an observational study conducted in 100 adult Caucasian outpatients with NYHA class I-II heart function without diabetes and ischemic heart, 50 with idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) and 50 with uremic cardiomyopathy undergoing hemodialysis (HD). Multiple linear regression analysis was performed on cystatin concentration using clinical, laboratory (creatinine, high sensitivity C-reactive protein, endothelin, B-type natriuretic peptide [BNP]) and echocardio-Doppler data as explanatory variables. RESULTS: The heart was more severely involved in DCM patients (worse ejection fraction, diastolic volume index, index of myocardial performance, left ventricular mass index). Mean values of cystatin, creatinine, BNP and C-reactive protein in HD compared with DCM patients were 6, 9, 5 and 3 times higher, respectively. Mean values of endothelin were comparable in both groups. Cystatin significantly correlated with creatinine in both groups (r=0.50 in DCM and r=0.37 in HD, and r=0.95 in pooled groups). In the multiple regression analysis, only disease group and creatinine within groups were significant independent factors that accounted for 94% of the variability of cystatin. CONCLUSION: Renal function was the determinant of cystatin in a concentration range of 6 times regardless of severity of heart involvement.     

The human glomerular podocyte is a novel target for insulin action

Microalbuminuria is significant both as the earliest stage of diabetic nephropathy and as an independent cardiovascular risk factor in nondiabetic subjects, in whom it is associated with insulin resistance. The link between disorders of cellular insulin metabolism and albuminuria has been elusive. Here, we report using novel conditionally immortalized human podocytes in vitro and human glomeruli ex vivo that the podocyte, the principal cell responsible for prevention of urinary protein loss, is insulin responsive and able to approximately double its glucose uptake within 15 min of insulin stimulation. Conditionally immortalized human glomerular endothelial cells do not respond to insulin, suggesting that insulin has a specific effect on the podocyte in the glomerular filtration barrier. The insulin response of the podocyte occurs via the facilitative glucose transporters GLUT1 and GLUT4, and this process is dependent on the filamentous actin cytoskeleton. Insulin responsiveness in this key structural component of the glomerular filtration barrier may have central relevance for understanding of diabetic nephropathy and for the association of albuminuria with states of insulin resistance.     

Telmisartan is more effective than losartan in reducing proteinuria in patients with diabetic nephropathy

In patients with diabetic nephropathy, lowering blood pressure and reducing proteinuria by over 30% correlates with a slower progression to kidney failure. We compared two different angiotensin receptor-blockers in a double blind, prospective trial of 860 patients with type 2 diabetes whose blood pressure levels was over 130/80 mmHg or who were receiving antihypertensive medication(s) and who had a morning spot urinary protein to creatinine ratio of 700 or more. Patients were randomized to telmisartan (a highly lipophilic agent with a long half-life) or losartan (with low lipophilicity and short half-life). The primary endpoint was the difference in the urinary albumin to creatinine ratio between the groups at 52 weeks. The geometric coefficient of variation and the mean of the urinary albumin to creatinine ratio fell in both groups at 52 weeks but both were significantly greater for the telmisartan compared to the losartan cohort. Mean systolic blood pressure reductions were not significantly different between groups at trial end. We conclude that telmisartan is superior to losartan in reducing proteinuria in hypertensive patients with diabetic nephropathy, despite a similar reduction in blood pressure.     

Urinary fractalkine is a marker of acute rejection

Chemokines and their receptors play an important role in the development of allograft rejection through directing mononuclear cell invasion of the graft. To study whether chemokine assays in the urine could prove to be predictive of acute rejection, we measured the urinary excretion of several chemokines, including fractalkine, chemokine monokine induced by interferon-gamma, interferon-gamma-inducible protein 10, macrophage inflammatory protein-3 alpha, granzyme B, and perforin in 215 allograft recipients and in 80 healthy control subjects. The 67 patients with acute rejection had significantly higher levels of all urinary chemokines compared to the healthy controls or patients having chronic allograft nephropathy but with stable renal function. Only changes in urinary fractalkine differentiated patients with acute rejection from those with acute tubular necrosis. The 7 patients who lost their grafts had greater urinary fractalkine, interferon-gamma, and macrophage inflammatory protein-3 alpha concentrations than those patients with reversible acute rejection. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve for fractalkine was the best indicator among all of the markers differentiating 39 patients diagnosed with steroid-resistant from the 28 patients with steroid-sensitive acute rejection and in predicting graft loss. Our study shows that measuring urinary fractalkine levels is a noninvasive approach for detecting acute rejection where high levels were associated with steroid-resistance and poor outcome.     

Evaluation of a thick and thin section method for estimation of podocyte number, glomerular volume, and glomerular volume per podocyte in rat kidney with Wilms' tumor-1 protein used as a podocyte nuclear marker

Podocyte loss and glomerular hypertrophy are associated with development of glomerulosclerosis, suggesting that there may be a maximal area for each podocyte in terms of its capacity to support and maintain the glomerular filter. This study hypothesized that exceeding this maximal threshold will result in mesangial expansion and glomerulosclerosis. It may therefore be useful to measure podocyte number, glomerular volume, and glomerular volume per podocyte in clinical biopsy samples. An approach that uses thick and thin histologic sections cut from paraffin-embedded tissue to measure Wilms' tumor-1 protein-positive podocyte nuclear number and glomerular tuft area was studied. A rat model of aging has been used to track changes in glomerular podocyte number, glomerular volume per podocyte, and glomerular volume. Implications for clinical use of these variables are discussed.     

血管生成素的异常表达与大鼠肾小球毛细血管损失的关系及其意义

目的 探讨足细胞损伤后，肾小球内血管生成素（Ang）1和Ang-2的表达改变与肾小球毛细血管丧失的关系及其意义。方法 100只健康雄性Wistar大鼠，随机分为假手术（Sham）组30只、单侧肾切除（UNX）组30只和单侧肾切除＋柔红霉素（DRB）组加只。DRB组大鼠，切除左肾后的第7、14天，从尾静脉各注射柔红霉素5mg／kg 1次。Sham组和UNX组亦同时以等量生理盐水尾静脉注射。完成上述处理后的第1、2、4、6、8周，随机取各组大鼠6只，采血和24h尿液检测Ccr。用PAS染色、免疫组化和原位杂交进行肾组织学分析，并用TUNEL法和透射电镜检测细胞凋亡。结果 与Sham组及UNX组比较，DRB组的Ang-1 mRNA和蛋白表达量呈显著下降的趋势；Ang-2 mRNA和蛋白表达量呈逐渐增高的趋势；Fas、FasL和caspase-3蛋白在肾小球内的表达也呈逐渐增高的趋势；肾小球凋亡指数（GAI）和肾小球硬化指数（GSI）呈逐步增高的趋势，而肾小球毛细血管密度（GCD）和Ccr呈逐步下降的趋势；透射电镜下可见到凋亡的内皮细胞。相关分析显示，Ang-1 mRNA和蛋白分别与Fas、FasL和caspase-3蛋白表达呈负相关，与GCD、Ccr呈正相关，与GAI、GSI呈负相关。Ang-2 mRNA和蛋白分别与Fas、FasL和caspase-3蛋白表达呈正相关，与GCD、Ccr呈负相关，与GAI、GSI呈正相关。结论 肾小球足细胞损伤后，局部Ang-1和Ang-2表达的平衡发生改变。这种变化与Fas／FasL及caspase-3凋亡途径的活化相关，并可能通过促进肾小球内皮细胞的凋亡，导致肾小球毛细血管的减损，进而促进肾小球硬化的发展。     

Management of glomerular proteinuria: a commentary

It is widely accepted that proteinuria reduction is an appropriate therapeutic goal in chronic proteinuric kidney disease. Based on large randomized controlled clinical trials (RCT), ACE inhibitor (ACEI) and angiotensin receptor blocker (ARB) therapy have emerged as the most important antiproteinuric and renal protective interventions. However, there are numerous other interventions that have been shown to be antiproteinuric and, therefore, likely to be renoprotective. Unfortunately testing each of these antiproteinuric therapies in RCT is not feasible. The nephrologist has two choices: restrict antiproteinuric therapies to those shown to be effective in RCT or expand the use of antiproteinuric therapies to include those that, although unproven, are plausibly effective and prudent to use. The goal of this work is to provide the documentation needed for the nephrologist to choose between these strategies. This work describes 25 separate interventions that are either antiproteinuric or may block injurious mechanisms of proteinuria. Each intervention is assigned a level of recommendation (Level 1 is the highest; Level 3 is the lowest) according to the strength of the evidence supporting its antiproteinuric and renoprotective efficacy. Pathophysiologic mechanisms possibly involved are also discussed. The number of interventions at each level of recommendation are: Level 1, n = 7; Level 2, n = 9; Level 3, n = 9. Our experience indicates that we can achieve in most patients the majority of Level 1 and many of the Level 2 and 3 recommendations. We suggest that, until better information becomes available, a broad-based, multiple-risk factor intervention to reduce proteinuria can be justified in those with progressive nephropathies. This work is intended primarily for clinical nephrologists; therefore, each antiproteinuria intervention is described in practical detail.     

Video-assisted surgery represents more than a loss of three-dimensional vision

BACKGROUND: Loss of depth cues is a major challenge facing surgeons performing video-assisted surgery (VAS). Whether the degradation of image quality from a video-displayed image plays a direct role in performance of VAS has not been studied. METHODS: Twenty-four volunteer novice subjects were randomized to binocular direct-vision (BDV), monocular direct-vision (MDV), or video-imaging (VI) conditions. Each subject completed ten trials of a simple cutting task in a box trainer using standard laparoscopic instruments. RESULTS: VI subjects made significantly fewer correct incisions than both of the other groups for all trials. Differences between the BDV and MDV groups did not reach statistical significance. Improvement in performance was more rapid in the BDV group than in either the MDV or VI groups. CONCLUSIONS: The degradation of image quality with VI has a detrimental influence on VAS performance above and beyond the loss of binocular vision.     

Urinary podocyte mRNA excretion in children with D+HUS: a potential marker of long-term outcome

BACKGROUND: Diarrhea-associated hemolytic uremic syndrome (D+HUS) causes acute renal failure and may lead to podocyte loss. Objective. To determine if the urinary mRNA excretion of podocyte proteins is detectable in children with D+HUS and if it is a biomarker of a poor long-term outcome. METHODS: Patients were randomly selected from participants in the SYNSORB Pk trial. Urine samples were collected daily during the first week of hospitalization. Specimens were also obtained in healthy volunteers. Synaptopodin and nephrin mRNA levels were measured using real-time PCR. RESULTS: Fifteen children, aged 4.9+/-2.8 years, were studied. Patients were categorized based on urinary mRNA levels into normal (marker:GAPDHmean + SD) in controls. Twelve patients (80%) had increased urinary podocyte mRNA excretion; 11 (73%) had high synaptopodin and 5 (33%) had high nephrin mRNA levels. Follow-up data were available in 13/15 patients, all of whom had normal blood pressure, urinalysis, and serum creatinine concentration. CONCLUSION: The isolation of podocyte mRNA from routine urine samples is feasible in children with D+HUS. Most patients have podocyturia based on synaptopodin and nephrin mRNA excretion. Larger studies with extended follow-up are required to determine the relationship of these biomarkers to long-term renal prognosis in D+HUS.     

Intra-renal and urinary mRNA expression of podocyte-associated molecules for the estimation of glomerular podocyte loss

Background: Podocyte loss plays an important role in the pathogenesis of diabetic nephropathy, but counting the number of glomerular podocyte in renal biopsy specimen is a labor-intensive task. We study whether intra-renal and urinary messenger RNA expression of podocyte-associated molecules could be used to estimate glomerular podocyte number in patients with diabetic nephropathy. Method: We studied 21 consecutive patients with biopsy-proven diabetic nephropathy. The intra-renal and urinary mRNA expression of nephrin, podocin, and synaptopodin were measured by real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction. Podocyte number was determined in micro-dissected glomerulus. The degree of histological scarring was quantified by morphometric analysis. Results: Glomerular podocyte number correlated with intra-renal expression of nephrin (r = 0.510, p = 0.044), podocin (r = 0.605, p = 0.013), and synaptopodin (r = 0.480, p = 0.060). Glomerular podocyte number also significantly correlated with urinary expression of synaptopodin (r = 0.595, p = 0.019) but not other targets. Baseline renal function correlated with intra-renal expression of nephrin (r = 0.617, p = 0.005), synaptopodin (r = 0.474, p = 0.040), and podocin (r = 0.443, p = 0.057). The degree of tubulointerstitial scarring also inversely correlated with intra-renal expression of nephrin (r = ?0.462, p = 0.047), podocin (r = ?0.458, p = 0.049), and synaptopodin (r = ?0.500, p = 0.029) but not with urinary gene expression. Conclusion: Intra-renal expression of podocyte-associated molecules correlated with glomerular podocyte number, renal function, and tubulointerstitial scarring. The results suggest that intra-renal, but not urinary expression of podocyte-associated molecules, might be used to assess the degree of podocyte loss in diabetic nephropathy.     

Cystatin C is a more sensitive marker than creatinine for the estimation of GFR in type 2 diabetic patients

BACKGROUND: Glomerular filtration rate (GFR) is the best overall index of renal function in health and disease. Inulin and 51Cr-EDTA plasma clearances are considered the gold standard methods for estimating GFR. Unfortunately, these methods require specialized technical personnel over a period of several hours and high costs. In clinical practice, serum creatinine is the most widely used index for the noninvasive assessment of GFR. Despite its specificity, serum creatinine demonstrates an inadequate sensitivity, particularly in the early stages of renal impairment. Recently, cystatin C, a low molecular mass plasma protein freely filtered through the glomerulus and almost completely reabsorbed and catabolized by tubular cells, has been proposed as a new and very sensitive serum marker of changes in GFR. This study was designed to test whether serum cystatin C can replace serum creatinine for the early assessment of nephropathy in patients with type 2 diabetes. METHODS: The study was performed on 52 Caucasian type 2 diabetic patients. Patients with an abnormal albumin excretion rate (AER) were carefully examined to rule out non-diabetic renal diseases by ultrasonography, urine bacteriology, microscopic urine analysis, and kidney biopsy. Serum creatinine, serum cystatin C, AER, serum lipids, and glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c) were measured. GFR was estimated by the plasma clearance of 51Cr-EDTA. In addition the Cockcroft and Gault formula (Cockcroft and Gault estimated GFR) was calculated. RESULTS: Cystatin C serum concentration progressively increased as GFR decreased. The overall relationship between the reciprocal cystatin C and GFR was significantly stronger (r = 0.84) than those between serum creatinine and GFR (r = 0.65) and between Cockcroft and Gault estimated GFR and GFR (r = 0.70). As GFR decreased from 120 to 20 mL/min/1.73 m2, cystatin C increased more significantly that serum creatinine, giving a stronger signal in comparison to that of creatinine over the range of the measured GFR. The maximum diagnostic accuracy of serum cystatin C (90%) was significantly better than those of serum creatinine (77%) and Cockcroft and Gault estimated GFR (85%) in discriminating between type 2 diabetic patients with normal GFR (>80 mL/min per 1.73 m2) and those with reduced GFR (<80 mL/min/1.73 m2). In particular, the cystatin C cut-off limit of 0.93 mg/L corresponded to a false-positive rate of 7.7% and to a false-negative rate of 1.9%; the serum creatinine cut-off limit of 87.5 micromol/L corresponded to a false-positive rate of 5.8% and to a false-negative rate of 17.0%. CONCLUSIONS: Cystatin C may be considered as an alternative and more accurate serum marker than serum creatinine or the Cockcroft and Gault estimated GFR in discriminating type 2 diabetic patients with reduced GFR from those with normal GFR.     

Low calorie commercial sugar is a sensitive marker of glomerular filtration rate

BACKGROUND: Glomerular filtration rate (GFR) in humans and animals might be determined with precision by measuring the clearance of an ideal marker, such as inulin. However, the use of inutest, an inulin analog, is limited by its cost and accessibility. The present study tested whether low calorie commercial sugar (LC sugar) can be used to measure GFR during normal and renal dysfunction. METHODS: Two groups of 6 male Wistar rats weighing 300 to 350 g were included. One group was treated with a daily dose of cyclosporine (CsA) 30 mg/kg subcutaneously for 7 days and the other group was formed by nontreated control rats. In one half of each group, GFR was evaluated by using inutest and in the other half by using LC sugar. GFR was also evaluated by using a wide LC sugar plasma concentration range in an additional group. RESULTS: In nontreated rats, the mean GFR evaluated with LC sugar was 2.2 +/- 0.1 mL/min. This value is equal to that obtained with inutest: 2.3 +/- 0.1 mL/min. CsA administration produced a significant reduction of renal blood flow and renal function. The GFR reduction induced by CsA was similarly determined by both LC sugar and inutest to be at 1.0 +/- 0.2 and 1.1 +/- 0.2 mL/min (P= NS), respectively. In addition, GFR did not change when LC sugar plasma concentration gradually increased. CONCLUSION: Our results show that in both normal and pathophysiologic conditions, LC sugar is a good marker of GFR similar to the gold standard inutest.