No abstract available.
Kidney* ; Lipocalins* ; Neutrophils*

Our goal is to decipher which DNA sequences are required for tissue-specific expression of epididymal genes. At least 6 epididymis-specific lipocalin genes are known. These are differently regulated and regionalized in the epididymis. Lipocalin 5 (Lcn5 or mE-RABP) and Lipocalin 8 (Lcn8 or mEP17) are homologous genes belonging to the epididymis-specific lipocalin gene cluster. Both the 5 kb promoter fragment of the Lcn5 gene and the 5.3 kb promoter fragment of the Lcn8 gene can direct transgene expression in the epididymis (Lcn5 to the distal caput and Lcn8 to the initial segment), indicating that these promoter fragments contain important cis-regulatory element(s) for epididymis-specific gene expression. To define further the fragments regulating gene expression, the Lcn5 promoter was examined in transgenic mice and immortalized epididymal cell lines. After serial deletion, the 1.8 kb promoter fragment of the Lcn5 gene was sufficient for tissue-specific and region-specific gene expression in transgenic mice. Transient transfection analysis revealed that a transcription factor forkhead box A2 (Foxa2) interacts with androgen receptor and binds to the 100 bp fragment of the Lcn5 promoter between 1.2 kb and 1.3 kb and that Foxa2 expression inhibits androgen-dependent induction of the Lcn5 promoter activity. Immunohistochemistry indicated a restricted expression of Foxa2 in the epididymis where endogenous Lcn5 gene expression is suppressed and that the Foxa2 inhibition of the Lcn5 promoter is consistent with the lack of expression of Lcn5 in the corpus and cauda. Our approach provides a basic strategy for further analysis of the epididymal lipocalin gene regulation and flexible control of epididymal function.
Animals ; Base Sequence ; Carrier Proteins ; genetics ; Epididymis ; physiology ; Hepatocyte Nuclear Factor 3-beta ; genetics ; Humans ; Lipocalins ; Male ; Mice ; Molecular Sequence Data ; Multigene Family ; Promoter Regions, Genetic ; Prostate ; physiology ; Receptors, Retinoic Acid ; genetics ; Retinol-Binding Proteins, Plasma

No abstract available.
Acute Kidney Injury* ; Lipocalins* ; Neutrophils* ; Plasma* ; Renal Insufficiency, Chronic*

Acute-Phase Proteins ; metabolism ; Biomarkers ; metabolism ; urine ; Cytokines ; metabolism ; Fatty Acid-Binding Proteins ; metabolism ; Hepatitis A Virus Cellular Receptor 1 ; Humans ; Kidney Failure, Chronic ; metabolism ; urine ; Lipocalin-2 ; Lipocalins ; metabolism ; Membrane Glycoproteins ; metabolism ; Proteomics ; Proto-Oncogene Proteins ; metabolism ; Receptors, Virus ; metabolism

OBJECTIVE: To determine the pathological mechanism and prevent heart-renal syndrome after heart valve replacement surgery. METHODS: A total of 46 patients were admitted for selective valve replacement, and divide into 3 groups randomly: a control group (Con, n=16), a remote ischemic perconditioning (RIPerC) group (n=15) and a remote ischemic postconditioning (RIPostC) group (n=15). The serum creatinine (SCr), blood urea nitrogen (BUN), serum heme oxygennase-1 (HO-1), serum iron and urinary neutrophil gelatinase associated lipocalin (NGAL) level in the 3 groups were compared preoperatively and 6, 12, 24, 48 h after aortic cross-release. RESULTS: Compared with the preoperative level, the SCr, BUN, urinary NGAL, serum iron (6 and 12 h) and serum HO-1 values were significantly increased after the heart valve replacement surgery in the control patients, RIPreC and RIPostC groups (P<0.05). Compared with the control group, the serum HO-1 was significantly increased at 6, 12, 24, 48 h after the heart valve replacement surgery in both the RIPerC and RIPostC groups (P<0.05); the SCr, BUN, urinary NGAL and serum iron values were decreased at 6, 12, 24, 48 h after the heart valve replacement surgery in both the RIPerC and RIPostC groups (P>0.05). CONCLUSION Abnormal change in urinary NGAL, serum iron and HO-1 can be used as early warning indicators of acute kidney injury when cardio-renal syndrome occurrs among patients under heart valve replacement surgery. Remote ischemic conditioning plays a preventive role in the occurrence of cardio-renal syndrome and renal protection.
Acute Kidney Injury ; metabolism ; Acute-Phase Proteins ; metabolism ; Blood Urea Nitrogen ; Cardiac Surgical Procedures ; adverse effects ; Creatinine ; blood ; Heme Oxygenase-1 ; metabolism ; Humans ; Iron ; blood ; Ischemic Postconditioning ; Ischemic Preconditioning ; Lipocalin-2 ; Lipocalins ; metabolism ; Proto-Oncogene Proteins ; metabolism

OBJECTIVES: The neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL) level following non cardiac surgery is useful for predicting acute kidney damage. However, there is insufficient conclusive evidence as to whether NGAL can be used to predict subclinical AKI following non-cardiac surgery. METHODS: We measured serum NGAL and creatinine levels in 41 patients following non-cardiac surgery, and the increase of these variables was used to predict acute decreases in kidney function. RESULTS: The study included a total of 41 patients. The mean age was 64.65 ± 17.09 years. The serum creatinine concentration was increased 12 hours after surgery. The mean SD serum NGAL decreased after 4hours after surgery and continued to decrease after 12 hours after surgery. The incidence of subclinical AKI determined by the 4 hour serum NGAL level was 10(24.4%), and the incidence of serum creatinine elevation was 0(0.0%). The incidence of subclinical AKI determined by the 12 hour serum NGAL level was 4(9.8%), and the incidence of subclinical AKI determined by serum creatinine was 4(9.8%). The elevation of NGAL was more rapid than the serum creatinine 4 hours after surgery. CONCLUSIONS: We verified the usefulness of the serum NGAL level as a predictive factor for subclinical AKI after non-cardiac surgery.
Acute Kidney Injury* ; Creatinine ; Humans ; Incidence ; Kidney ; Lipocalins ; Neutrophils* ; Prognosis* ; Thoracic Surgery

BACKGROUND: Neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL) is known to be one of the ideal biomarkers for acute kidney injury providing early information on damage to the kidney. METHODS: We evaluated the performance for precision and the reportable range of the automated NGAL Test (Bioporto Diagnostics, Denmark) assay and compared the values of these tests with widely used point of care test. The reference interval of NGAL was established in Korean adults. RESULTS: Within run percent coefficient of variation (%CV) and total precision %CV for 2 levels were all within 5%. The reportable range was found to be acceptable for the range of 57.0 - 3182.0 ng/mL (r=0.999). The method comparison was made between Biosite's assay and Bioporto Diagnostics' (Passing and Bablok fit, y=1.94x - 5.29; x, Biosite; y, Bioporto; n=31; y range, 250 to 1,308 ng/mL; r2=0.959). The correlation was linear within the limit of 1,500 ng/mL, but not beyond this limit. The 2.5 and 97.5 percentile of the reference range for the samples were 43.2 ng/mL and 124.8 ng/mL, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Since NGAL Test can be used in automated chemical analyzer, it can not only reduce the man power and time consumed in but also displayed excellent precision and linearity.
Acute Kidney Injury ; Biomarkers ; Chemistry, Clinical ; Immunoassay ; Lipocalins ; Nephelometry and Turbidimetry ; Neutrophils ; Reference Values

BACKGROUND: Neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL) is a promising biomarker of acute kidney injury. There is a growing body of evidence suggesting that NGAL is also a marker of kidney disease and severity in chronic kidney disease (CKD). We studied the utility of urinary NGAL in more accurately predicting renal function in patients with diabetic CKD. METHODS: We studied possible relationships between urinary NGAL, estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR), and proteinuria in diabetic CKD patients and in healthy populations. RESULTS: Urinary NGAL levels were significantly higher in CKD patients than in healthy controls (96.0 [2.7 to 975.2] ng/mL vs. 18.8 [1.3 to 81.9] ng/mL, P=0.02), and the GFR was lower among CKD patients (49.3 [13.1 to 78.3] mL/min/1.73 m2 vs. 85.6 [72 to 106.7] mL/min/1.73 m2, P<0.0001). The urinary NGAL level showed a significant inverse correlation with GFR (r=-0.5634, P<0.0001). The correlation analyses between urinary protein level and urinary NGAL levels and GFR were as follows: urine protein and urinary NGAL (r=0.3009, P=0.0256), urine protein and GFR (r=-0.6245, P<0.0001), urine microalbumin and urinary NGAL (r=0.1794, P=0.2275), and urine microalbumin and GFR (r=-0.5190, P=0.0002). CONCLUSION: From these results, we concluded that urinary NGAL is a reliable marker of renal function in diabetic CKD patients. However, urinary NGAL did not provide more accurate information regarding renal function than GFR.
Acute Kidney Injury ; Glomerular Filtration Rate ; Humans ; Kidney Diseases ; Lipocalins ; Neutrophils ; Proteinuria ; Renal Insufficiency, Chronic

Lipocalin-type prostaglandin D synthase (L-PGDS), an N-glycosylated dual functional monomeric protein, acts as a PGD2-producing enzyme and also as a lipophilic ligand-binding protein. L-PGDS is localized in the central nervous system, male genital organs of various mammals and in the human and monkey heart, and secreted into the cerebrospinal fluid, seminal plasma and blood plasma. The L-PGDS concentrations in these body fluids are useful for the diagnosis of several neurological disorders, dysfunction of sperm formation, cardiovascular and renal diseases.
Amino Acid Sequence ; Animals ; Chromosome Mapping ; Humans ; Intramolecular Oxidoreductases ; analysis ; chemistry ; genetics ; Lipocalins ; Molecular Sequence Data

PURPOSE: We sought to determine associations of urinary neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL) and liver-type fatty acid-binding protein (L-FABP), known markers of renal injury, with hematuria in children and adolescents.METHODS: A total of 112 urine samples from 72 patients aged 2 to 18 years with hematuria were enrolled in this study. Urinary concentrations of NGAL and L-FABP were measured by ELISA and compared between subjects with and without proteinuria and between subjects with and without glomerulonephritis diagnosed by renal biopsy.RESULTS: Urinary concentrations of NGAL and L-FABP/creatinine (Cr) in subjects with proteinuria were not significantly different from those in subjects without proteinuria. They were not significant different between subjects with and without glomerulonephritis either. However, both concentrations of urinary NGAL and L-FABP/Cr were positively associated with urinary protein to creatinine ratio. Their levels had a tendency to be increased when proteinuria developed at later visits in subjects with hematuria only at initial visits.CONCLUSION: Monitoring urinary NGAL and L-FABP levels in addition to conventional risk factors such as proteinuria and serum creatinine might improve the prediction of renal injury in pediatric patients with hematuria.
Adolescent ; Biopsy ; Child ; Creatinine ; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay ; Glomerulonephritis ; Hematuria ; Humans ; Lipocalins ; Neutrophils ; Proteinuria ; Risk Factors