BACKGROUND Although advancements have been made in the management of thalassemic patients, many unrecognized complications have emerged, such as renal abnormalities. AIM To measure serum levels of cystatin-C and β-2 microglobulin in children with beta-thalassemia major (β-TM) and investigate their significance as early markers of glomerular and tubular dysfunctions. SUBJECTS AND METHODS The...

The nature of microproteinuria in the early years of insulin-dependent diabetes was investigated in a cross sectional study of 80 children with insulin-dependent diabetes and 40 normal children. Urinary excretion of three low molecular weight proteins: alpha-1-microglobulin, beta-2-microglobulin and kappa light chains was used as an index of proximal renal tubular function. The first urine samp...

Blood and urine samples were obtained from 274 smelter workers and urine samples from 48 controls. Cadmium, beta 2-microglobulin, and creatinine were estimated in blood and urine, and total protein in urine. Concentrations of cadmium in urine (mean 2.0 nmole/mmole creatinine) and blood (mean 21.8 nmole/L) observed in the smelter workers confirmed that this group had absorbed more cadmium than t...

We investigated the role of beta 2-microglobulin as a noninvasive parameter to monitor acute rejection and severe infection in 45 consecutive heart transplant recipients. Endomyocardial biopsy revealed moderate (41 patients) or severe (three patients) rejection in 44 patients. Severe infections of bacterial septicemia (11 patients), bronchopneumonia (two patients), and viral infection (seven pa...

A sensitive single measure of diminishing renal function is ofimportance in attempts to modify the progression of diabetic nephropathy. In 12 insulin-dependent diabetics with proteinuria plasma concentrations of beta2-microglobulin were found to correlate more closely than plasma creatinine concentrations or creatinine clearance with glomerular function as measured by clearance of 5'Cr-EDTA. Th...

Six hundred twelve eligible, previously untreated patients with active multiple myeloma and at least some data available for analysis were entered into a randomized trial (Southwest Oncology Group [SWOG] Phase 111 myeloma study 8229/30), in which the prognostic significance of pretreatment serum 8, microglobulin levels was evaluated. Because there was no statistically significant survival diffe...

Background. In dialysis-related amyloidosis, β2microglobulin accumulates as amyloid fibrils preferentially around bones and tendons provoking osteoarthritis. In addition to the pathologic role played by the amyloid fibrils, it can be speculated that a pathogenic role is also played by the high concentrations of soluble β2-microglobulin because it is toxic for certain cell lines like HL60 and mi...

The results of scintiphotography with gallium-67 (67Ga), renography with technetium-99m diethylene triamine penta-acetic acid, immunofluorescence of antibody coated bacteria, and determination of renal beta 2 microglobulin excretion were compared in 19 patients with upper and 15 patients with lower urinary tract infection. All patients with acute pyelonephritis showed an appreciable unilateral ...