title: Urinary L-FABP as a marker of vesicoureteral reflux in children: could it also have a protective effect on the kidney?
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Liver-type fatty acid-binding protein is a small cytoplasmic protein which is expressed in the human renal proximal tubular epithelium and synthesized in response to renal tubular injury. The aim of the present study was to investigate the importance of urinary liver-type fatty acid-binding protein levels in children who diagnosed with vesicoureteral reflux.
  
  
  METHODS
  Fifty-six patients with vesicoureteral reflux and 51 healthy controls were enrolled to the study. The cases were divided into three groups as follows: group A-the controls, group B-the patients who had renal parenchymal scarring and group C-the patients who had no scarring. Urinary liver-type fatty acid-binding protein was measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay method. Creatinine was measured by modified Jaffe method, protein was measured by turbidimetric method, and urine density was determined by using the "falling drop" procedure.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Urinary liver-type fatty acid-binding protein and urinary liver-type fatty acid-binding protein/creatinine levels were significantly higher in the whole patient group than in the controls (p = 0.016, 0.006). Significant differences were also determined by comparing the three groups (p = 0.015, 0.014), and those levels were found as significantly higher in group C.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Urinary liver-type fatty acid-binding protein was considered to be helpful for the diagnosis of vesicoureteral reflux, and also it might contribute to understand the mechanisms causing scar tissue formation especially for the patients who had vesicoureteral reflux. Further clinical and experimental investigations are required to elucidate in detail the physiology of liver-type fatty acid-binding protein.
authors.affiliation: Bakırköy Dr Sadi Konuk Training and Research Hospital, Division of Pediatric Nephrology, Istanbul, Turkey. mbenzer1@hotmail.com.|Bakırköy Dr Sadi Konuk Training and Research Hospital, Division of Pediatrics, İstanbul, Turkey. mbenzer1@hotmail.com.
authors.forename: Meryem
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-8647-4519
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Benzer
authors.affiliation: Bakırköy Dr Sadi Konuk Training and Research Hospital, Division of Biochemistry, İstanbul, Turkey.
authors.forename: Sebnem
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Tekin Neijmann
authors.affiliation: Bakırköy Dr Sadi Konuk Training and Research Hospital, Division of Pediatrics, İstanbul, Turkey.
authors.forename: Nazlı Dilay
authors.initials: ND
authors.lastname: Gültekin
authors.affiliation: European Commission, DG Joint Research Centre, Institute for Health and Consumer Protection, Ispra (Varese), Italy.
authors.forename: Aslı
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Uluturk Tekin
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D019540:Area Under Curve; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000652:urine; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D002921:Cicatrix / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000209:etiology / Q000652:urine*; D003404:Creatinine / Q000652:urine; D050556:Fatty Acid-Binding Proteins / Q000652:urine*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007668:Kidney / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012372:ROC Curve; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D014718:Vesico-Ureteral Reflux / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000652:urine*
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; C493319:FABP1 protein, human; D050556:Fatty Acid-Binding Proteins; D003404:Creatinine
keywords: Children; Liver fatty acid-binding protein (L-FABP); Renal parenchymal scarring; Vesicoureteral reflux