title: Biochemical parameters of renal impairment/injury and surrogate markers of nephron number in intrauterine growth-restricted and preterm neonates at 30-40 days of postnatal corrected age.
abstract: Premature and/or intrauterine growth-restricted neonates have an increased risk of developing postnatal renal injuries in later life. Studies on renal physiology in these neonates at a corrected age of 30-40 days are scarce and mostly relate to preterm infants. The data from these studies often lack the results of correlation analyses between biochemical parameters and nephron number-data which could provide additional insight and/or improve recognition of individuals at higher risk of renal failure.
  
  
  
  Urinary total protein and albumin levels and N-acetyl-β-D-glucosaminidase and cathepsin B activity were evaluated in preterm and intrauterine growth-restricted infants at a corrected age of 30-40 days and compared to data from a healthy control neonate population. The data were then associated with predominant susceptibility factors of renal damage related to low nephron number, such as gestational age, birth weight, total renal volume and renal cortex volume.
  
  
  
  Compared to the control neonate population, we found significantly increased levels of all biochemical parameters tested in the intrauterine growth-restricted neonates, whereas in the preterm infants we observed a significant increase in cathepsin B activity, total protein level and, to a lesser extent, albumin level. Cathepsin B activity showed a significant, strong and inverse correlation with all surrogate markers of nephron number and was also strongly and positively correlated with urinary albumin level.
  
  
  
  At this postnatal age, we found that lower nephron number in low birth weight neonates was associated to tubular impairment/injury that could be concurrent with a dysfunction of glomerular permeability. Urinary cathepsin B activity may be a candidate marker for the early prediction of renal susceptibility to damage in low birth weight neonates.
authors.affiliation: Section of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Department of Surgical and Biomedical Sciences, University of Perugia, Perugia, Italy. maria.aisa@unipg.it.|Section of Biochemistry, Department of Agricultural Sciences, Food and Environment, University of Perugia, Perugia, Italy. maria.aisa@unipg.it.
authors.forename: Maria Cristina
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Aisa
authors.affiliation: Department of Neonatology, Hospital S. M. della Misericordia, Perugia, Italy.|Centre of Perinatal Medicine, University of Perugia, Perugia, Italy.|GeBiSa, Research Foundation, Perugia, Italy.
authors.forename: Benito
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Cappuccini
authors.affiliation: Section of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Department of Surgical and Biomedical Sciences, University of Perugia, Perugia, Italy.
authors.forename: Antonella
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Barbati
authors.affiliation: Centre of Perinatal Medicine, University of Perugia, Perugia, Italy.|GeBiSa, Research Foundation, Perugia, Italy.
authors.forename: Aldo
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Orlacchio
authors.affiliation: Minerva Laboratory of Clinical Analysis, Perugia, Italy.
authors.forename: Mauro
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Baglioni
authors.affiliation: Section of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Department of Surgical and Biomedical Sciences, University of Perugia, Perugia, Italy.|Centre of Perinatal Medicine, University of Perugia, Perugia, Italy.|GeBiSa, Research Foundation, Perugia, Italy.
authors.forename: Gian Carlo
authors.initials: GC
authors.lastname: Di Renzo
mesh_terms: D000118:Acetylglucosaminidase / Q000652:urine; D000419:Albuminuria / Q000652:urine; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000652:urine*; D001724:Birth Weight; D002401:Cathepsin B / Q000652:urine; D005260:Female; D005317:Fetal Growth Retardation / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D021621:Imaging, Three-Dimensional; D007223:Infant; D007234:Infant, Premature; D007672:Kidney Cortex / Q000473:pathology; D007674:Kidney Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000652:urine; D008297:Male; D009399:Nephrons / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D011507:Proteinuria / Q000652:urine
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D000118:Acetylglucosaminidase; D002401:Cathepsin B
keywords: 3D-ultrasound imaging; Cathepsin B; Low birth weight; N-acetyl-β-D-glucosaminidase; Nephron number; Proteinuria