title: Decreased renal vitamin K-dependent gamma-glutamyl carboxylase activity in calcium oxalate calculi patients.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To study the activity of vitamin K-dependent gamma-glutamyl carboxylase in patients with calcium oxalate (CaOx) urolithiasis compared with healthy individuals and to assess its relationship to the renal calcium oxalate urolithiasis.
  
  
  METHODS
  Renal parenchymas were harvested from urolithic patients and renal tumor patients undergoing nephrectomy. The renal carboxylase activity was evaluated as the radioactivity of [(14)C] labeled sodium bicarbonate in carboxylic reactions in vitro using beta-liquid scintillation counting.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Significantly reduced activity of renal vitamin K-dependent gamma-glutamyl carboxylase was observed in the urolithic group as compared with normal controls (P < 0.01).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  It suggests that the reduced carboxylase activity observed in the urolithic patients may play an important role in the course of renal calcium oxalate urolithiasis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Urology, Wuhan First Hospital, Wuhan 430022, China. jhch800@hotmail.com
authors.forename: Junhui
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Jihong
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Yongshang
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Zhangqun
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Ye
authors.forename: Shaogang
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Wang
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002129:Calcium Oxalate / Q000378:metabolism*; D019735:Carbon-Carbon Ligases / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D007668:Kidney / Q000201:enzymology*; D007669:Kidney Calculi / Q000201:enzymology*; D008875:Middle Aged
chemical_list: D002129:Calcium Oxalate; D019735:Carbon-Carbon Ligases; C020660:glutamyl carboxylase