Cystatin C.

Clinical biochemists have long known the analytical and clinical limitations of creatinine and creatinine clearance measurement in the assessment of glomerular filtration rate (GFR). This background is reviewed in the article before assessing the utility of cystatin C, the most promising replacement biochemical marker yet identified. Cystatin C has been used in clinical research studies for more than 20 years and yet has been introduced into clinical practice in very few centres, firstly in Lund in Sweden and now Carshalton in the UK.

Plasma lipids and urinary albumin excretion rate in Type 1 diabetes mellitus: the EURODIAB IDDM Complications Study.

Aims: To examine the relationship between increased urinary albumin excretion rate and fasting plasma lipids among male and female respondents to the EURODIAB IDDM Complications Study, and attempt to explain inconsistencies in previous reports.

Methods: A cross-sectional study of 3250 randomly selected Type 1 diabetic patients from 31 diabetes clinics in 16 European countries was carried out between 1989 and 1990. Plasma lipids and urinary albumin were measured centrally.

Progressive renal disease: does the quality of the proteinuria matter or only the quantity?

Proteinuria is now accepted to be not just a sign of renal disease but also a contributory factor to the development of progressive tubulointerstitial fibrosis. Excellent correlations between the degree of proteinuria and rate of decline of glomerular filtration rate have been demonstrated. What has been investigated less is whether the type of protein found in the urine is important.

Antibodies for immunoassays.

What is an immunoassay without an antibody? Clearly the name provides the answer to this question; without antibodies there would be no immunoassays. An immunoassay is an analytical technique, quantitative or qualitative, that relies absolutely on the specificity and affinity of the interaction between epitope and paratope for generation of a detectable response. The actual detection of this binding interaction can be via one of literally hundreds of different signal transduction mechanisms, e.

The use of optical sensors to understand cellular interactions with renal cells.

Optical biosensor technology has revolutionized the assessment of receptor binding, enabling the characterization of low affinity interactions in real time. We report the application of the LAsys Optical Biosensor to the investigation of the affinity and specificity of the putative proximal tubular scavenging receptor for protein reabsorption and the specificity of AGE-modified protein interactions with primary human mesangial cells. Using the LLCPK cell line, the carboxy-methyl dextran cuvette surface and five different proteins (ranging in size and charge), we have shown that there is evidence to support the existence of a single scavenging receptor for all the proteins tested.