Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis, and Vascular Biology. 1995;15:1324-1329
(Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis, and Vascular Biology. 1995;15:1324-1329.)
© 1995 American Heart Association, Inc.
Renal and Systemic Transvascular Albumin Leakage in Severe Atherosclerosis
Jan Skov Jensen
From Steno Diabetes Center, Gentofte, and The Copenhagen City Heart
Study, Rigshospitalet University Hospital, Copenhagen, Denmark.
Correspondence to Jan Skov Jensen, MD, Steno Diabetes Center, Niels Steensensvej 2, DK-2820 Gentofte, Denmark.
 |
Abstract
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|---|
Abstract Microalbuminuria was recently
proposed as a novel atherogenic
risk factor. The
pathophysiological link between
microalbuminuria
and atherosclerosis
may be mediated through an increased generalized
transvascular leakage
of albumin. To investigate this hypothesis,
urinary
albumin excretion and clearance and systemic transvascular
albumin
leakage (TER
alb) were measured in 23
patients with severe clinical
atherosclerosis and 25
healthy controls. In addition, renal
clearances of three other
endogenous plasma proteins (IgG, IgG
4,
and
ß
2-microglobulin) and of creatinine were
measured. Measurements
of urine and serum proteins were done by
enzyme-linked immunosorbent
assays. TER
alb was measured by
the fractional disappearance
rate of
125I-albumin
from the total intravascular compartment
in 1 hour after
intravenous injection. Glomerular filtration
rate
was estimated as creatinine clearance. Urinary
albumin excretion
(geometric means [95% confidence
intervals], 10.5 [6.1 to 18.3]
versus 5.7 [4.7 to 6.9] µg/min;
P<.05), fractional
urinary albumin clearance (2.8
[1.6 to 4.8] x10
-6 versus 1.3
[1.0 to 1.6]
x10
-6;
P<.05), and TER
alb (6.0
[5.5 to 6.5]
versus 5.1 [4.5 to 5.8] %/h;
P<.05) were
higher in patients
than in control subjects. Glomerular
charge selectivity (ratio
of IgG clearance to IgG
4
clearance) was lower in patients than
in control subjects (1.5 [1.1 to
2.0] versus 2.3 [2.0 to 2.6];
P<.05). These alterations
were independent of blood pressure,
glomerular filtration
rate, tubular function, and smoking status.
It is concluded that
atherosclerotic vascular disease is associated
with renal and systemic
transvascular leakiness for albumin.
Theoretically, such
leakiness may in addition allow for an increased
lipid insudation into
the large vessel wall, thereby linking
microalbuminuria
to atherogenesis. The lower glomerular charge
selectivity
is suggestive of decreased concentration of anionic
components in the
vessel walls.
Key Words: atherosclerosis microalbuminuria urinary albumin excretion systemic transvascular albumin leakage glomerular charge selectivity
 |
Introduction
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Among the numerous atherogenic risk
factors, even the strongest
have limited prognostic specificity at the
individual level.
Thus, intervention in populations characterized by a
high risk
factor level will include a large number of subjects who will
never
develop clinical vascular disease (the "prevention
paradox").
1 2 3 Therefore, methods for more specific
identification of
individuals at high risk for development of
atherosclerosis
are urgently needed.
Recent data suggest that microalbuminuria, a slight
elevation of albumin excretion in the urine, is a potential
atherogenic risk factor, or rather a marker of increased susceptibility
to the atherogenic effects of conventional risk factors such as
dyslipidemia. This proposal is based partly on prospective
epidemiological investigations and partly on clinical
physiological investigations: Yudkin et
al4 observed a highly increased prevalence of
atherosclerotic vascular disease (odds ratio, 7) and mortality rate
(odds ratio, 24) among individuals with
microalbuminuria compared with
normoalbuminuric individuals. The latter finding was later
confirmed by Damsgaard et al.5 6 To elucidate the
pathophysiological mechanism linking
microalbuminuria to development of
atherosclerosis, a series of clinical
physiological and metabolic
measurements were performed in individuals with
microalbuminuria who had not yet developed clinically
present vascular disease. The main conclusion was that
microalbuminuria reflects a systemic transvascular
leakiness for albumin7 and is associated with
reduced size selectivity and charge selectivity of the
glomerular vessel wall.8 Theoretically, this
leakiness may also allow for a higher degree of lipid insudation into
the large vessel wall,9 10 11 thereby linking
microalbuminuria to atherogenesis. If these alterations
also exist in individuals with clinically present vascular disease,
the hypothesis of microalbuminuria as an
atherosclerotic risk factor would be further supported.
The aim of this study was to measure, in a group of individuals with
severe clinical atherosclerosis and a control group of
healthy individuals, (1) UAER and Cl-albumin; (2)
TERalb, as expressed by the fractional disappearance
rate of intravenously injected
125I-albumin from the total intravascular
compartment; and (3) size selectivity and charge selectivity of the
glomerular vessel wall.
 |
Methods
|
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Patients and Control Subjects
All subjects studied were recruited from The Copenhagen City
Heart
Study, a population-based longitudinal study of atherosclerotic
vascular
disease and its known and potential risk
factors.
12 For The
Copenhagen City Heart Study, about
20 000 randomly chosen inhabitants
of a well-defined area of
Copenhagen were invited to participate
in a health examination. The
sampling procedure and the study
design are described in detail
elsewhere.
13 All participants
40 to 65 years old with a
history of AMI who took part within
the first 24 months (January 1,
1992, to December 31, 1993)
of the third Copenhagen City Heart Study
were invited to the
clinical research unit of the Steno Diabetes Center
if the following
exclusion criteria were absent: (1) untreated
arterial hypertension
(systolic blood pressure

160 mm Hg
and/or diastolic blood pressure

95 mm Hg [World Health
Organization criteria]); (2) a history
of diabetes mellitus; (3) a
history of renal disease; (4) a
history of inflammatory rheumatic
disease; and (5) use of angiotensin-converting
enzyme
inhibitors. This exclusion procedure left 43 subjects
eligible
for study, of whom 23 (composing the AMI group) were willing
to
take part. The nonparticipants and the participants had similar
age
and sex distributions. At the examination date two additional
exclusion
criteria were set up: (1) clinical signs of cardiac
decompensation and
(2) fasting venous blood glucose concentration
of 6.7 mmol/L or
greater; both criteria were absent in all 23
participants. These 23
subjects had had one to five AMIs 1 to
19 years previously, which were
confirmed by contact with the
cardiology departments of
admission and the relevant general
practitioners. At the
time of diagnosis, at least two of the
following three criteria were
present in each subject: chest
pain, electrocardiographic
alterations compatible with AMI,
and significant elevation of
concentration of myocardial enzymes
in blood. Nine had undergone
arterial bypass surgery (coronary,
7; both
coronary and iliac, 1; and carotid, 1). One had an internal
cardiac
pacemaker implanted because of malignant arrhythmia. In
addition,
2 participants had had a stroke and 2 suffered from severe
intermittent
claudication. Twelve were taking aspirin in antithrombotic
doses,
8 received antihypertensive medication (loop diuretics,
3; ß
1-adrenergic
receptor blockers, 2; and calcium
channel blockers, 2), 5 had
regular need for
nitroglycerine, 1 was taking digitalis, and
2 were
taking cholesterol-lowering agents. A group of 25 randomly
chosen
clinically healthy subjects who had similar age and sex
distributions
and had undergone the same exclusion procedure served as
control
subjects. None of these control subjects routinely took any
kind
of medication, and none had any electrocardiographic signs of
myocardial
ischemia. All subjects studied were Caucasian. The
participants
gave their informed consent. The study conformed to the
principles
outlined in the Declaration of Helsinki and was approved by
the
Regional Ethics Committee.
Blood Sample Analyses
The participants arrived at the Steno Diabetes Center at 8:00
AM after a 10-hour fast and tobacco abstinence. All were
placed in a recumbent position, and a polytetrafluoroethylene
(Teflon) cannula was inserted in an antecubital vein on each side,
one for blood sampling and the other for injection. After 30 minutes at
rest, blood samples were drawn without venous stasis for the following
analyses: blood hemoglobin concentration, hematocrit, leukocyte
count, platelet count, erythrocyte sedimentation rate, serum sodium
and potassium concentrations (flame photometry), serum
creatinine concentration (colorimetric
method of Jaffé), and blood glucose concentration (Granutest,
Diagnostica, Merck). Serum insulin concentration was
measured by use of an ELISA method free of
cross-reaction14 ; serum total cholesterol, HDL
cholesterol, and triglyceride concentrations
were measured by use of enzymatic colorimetric methods
(CHOL CHOD-PAP, HDL-CHOLESTEROL PRECIPITANT, and
Triglycerides GPO-PAP, Peridochrom,
Boehringer-Mannheim GmbH, respectively); and serum
concentrations of albumin,15
ß2-microglobulin,16 IgG,17 and
IgG48 were measured by use of ELISA methods
(intra-assay and interassay variation coefficients were less than 5%
and less than 10%, respectively).
Measurements of Urinary Protein Clearances
A timed 2-hour urine sample was collected for measurements of
urine concentrations of albumin,15
ß2-microglobulin,16 IgG,17 and
IgG48 by use of the same ELISA methods as for
the measurements of the corresponding serum concentrations (intra-assay
and interassay variation coefficients were less than 5% and less than
10%, respectively). Urinary protein excretion rate and renal
clearance, the latter corrected for body surface area, during the
2-hour collection period were calculated. Molecular weight, Stokes
radius, and isoelectric point of the four measured plasma proteins
were, respectively, 69 000, 36 Å, and 4.7 to 5.5 for albumin;
156 000, 55 Å, and 5.8 to 7.3 for IgG; 156 000, 55 Å, and 5.5 to
6.6 for IgG4; and 11 800, 16 Å, and 5.8 for
ß2-microglobulin.18 Because the
IgG4 subclass is more anionic but of size and configuration
similar to the total IgG, the ratio Cl-IgG/Cl-IgG4
expresses SI, an index of renal charge selectivity. Similarly, Cl-IgG
expresses an index of renal size selectivity because IgG is
electrically neutral at normal plasma and urinary pH. In addition,
urine concentration of creatinine was measured (by use of
the colorimetric method of Jaffé), and
Cl-creatinine corrected for body surface area was taken as
an estimate of the glomerular filtration rate. Renal
fractional protein clearances were expressed as the ratio of urinary
protein clearance to Cl-creatinine.
Measurement of TERalb
After each subject had been at rest for 1 hour,
TERalb was measured as previously described by Parving and
Gyntelberg19 with minor modifications: 75 kBq of
125I-labeled human serum albumin (Code IFE-IT23S,
Kjeller) containing less than 1% of free 125I was injected
intravenously. Venous blood samples of 10 mL were drawn
without stasis in heparinized tubes before and 10, 15, 20, 30, 40, 50,
55, and 60 minutes after injection. After
centrifugation at 1500g for 10 minutes,
plasma radioactivity was counted in duplicate samples of 2 mL in a
Cobra Auto-Gamma Counting System Model 5005 (Packard Instruments Co).
The mean measurement of counts per minute at each time point was
corrected for total plasma protein concentration (Refractometer TS-B,
American Optical Company; coefficient of variation 0.5%) and plotted
versus time after logarithmic transformation. TERalb was
then calculated on the basis of the slope of the best linear curve
fitted by the least squares method, using the assumption that the
radioactivity declined monoexponentially with time.
Only measurements with a linear correlation coefficient of at least
80% and a standard error of TERalb not exceeding 1.5%/h
were accepted. Otherwise one outlier was allowed to be rejected so the
highest possible correlation coefficient above 80% and the lowest
possible standard error of TERalb under 1.5%/h could be
obtained. This rejection procedure was performed for 6 subjects: 1 in
the AMI group and 5 in the control group. In 1 subject (from the AMI
group), rejection of one outlier did not enable the criteria
(correlation coefficient
80% and standard error of
TERalb
1.5%/h) to be fulfilled; consequently,
TERalb was not calculated in this participant. Plasma
volume was calculated from the total amount of injected radioactivity
divided by the plasma radioactivity at time zero as derived from the
intercept of the fitted line, and it was corrected for body surface
area.
Other Clinical Variables
Blood pressure was measured four times (two on each side) after
each subject had been at rest for at least 2 hours, and the average was
recorded. Hawksley's random zero sphygmomanometer and an
appropriately sized cuff were used. Height and weight were measured
without shoes and heavy clothing. Body mass index was calculated as
weight/(height)2 (kg/m2), and body surface area
(in m2) was calculated as 0.007184 x
weight.425 x height.725. The waist
circumference was measured midway between the lower rib margin and the
iliac crest and the hip circumference was measured at the level over
the greater trochanters, and the waist/hip ratio was calculated.
Smoking habits were categorized as never, previous, or current smoking;
alcohol consumption as none, 20 or fewer beverages per week, or more
than 20 beverages per week (one beverage equals approximately 12 g
ethyl alcohol).
Statistical Analysis
Data on continuous scales are given by means with 95%
confidence intervals when normally distributed or by geometric means
with 95% confidence intervals when nonnormally distributed.
Categorical data are given by fractions with 95% confidence intervals.
Tests for differences between the two groups were performed by
Student's unpaired t test or by the
2
test for continuous or categorical variables, respectively. The
inclusion of 23 and 25 subjects in the two groups gives an 80%
test-power (1-ß) to detect a difference at the P<.05
significance level (two-tailed) of around 0.80xSD for normally
distributed variables such as TERalb. Associations
between variables were tested by simple and multiple linear
regression analysis with backward elimination. Nonnormally
distributed variables on a continuous scale were logarithmically
transformed to approach the normal distribution before the
analyses. P values of less than .05 (two-tailed)
were considered of statistical significance. The analyses were
run on the personal computer statistics package SPSS for
Windows, version 6.0.
 |
Results
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The two groups were similar with respect to age and sex (Table
1

). Blood hemoglobin concentration, hematocrit,
leukocyte count,
platelet count, serum potassium concentration, and
fasting blood
glucose concentration were similar in the two groups
(data not
shown). In the AMI group, erythrocyte sedimentation rate was
higher
(13 [8 to 18] versus 5 [3 to 7] mm/h;
P<.05),
whereas serum
albumin concentration (36.2 [34.9 to 37.5]
versus 38.8 [37.8
to 39.7] g/L;
P<.01) and serum sodium
concentration (139
[138 to 141] versus 142 [141 to 143] mmol/L;
P<.001) were
slightly lower than in the control group.
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Table 1. Conventional Atherogenic Risk Factors in 23 Patients
With Clinically Present Atherosclerotic Vascular Disease and 25
Healthy Control Subjects
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Conventional atherogenic risk factors in the two groups are shown in
Table 1
. Systolic blood pressure was higher in the AMI group than in
the control group; diastolic blood pressure tended to be
higher, but the difference was not statistically significant. Moreover,
serum HDL cholesterol concentration was lower in the AMI
group than in the control group.
In the AMI group both UAER and renal fractional Cl-albumin was
higher than in the control group (Table 2
and Fig 1
). TERalb was also higher in the AMI group
than in the control group (Table 2
and Fig 2
).
Cl-creatinine was similar in the two groups (Table 2
).
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Table 2. UAER, Cl-Creatinine, Fractional
Cl-Albumin, TERalb, and Plasma Volume in 23
Patients With Clinically Present Atherosclerotic Vascular Disease
and 25 Healthy Control Subjects
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Figure 1. Graph shows UAER in 23 patients with clinically
present atherosclerotic vascular disease (AMI) and 25 healthy
control subjects. Horizontal lines indicate geometric means.
P<.05.
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Figure 2. Graph shows TERalb in 22 patients with
clinically present atherosclerotic vascular disease (AMI) and 25
healthy control subjects. Horizontal lines indicate means.
P<.05.
|
|
In the AMI group, fractional Cl-IgG4 was significantly
higher than in the control group; fractional Cl-IgG tended to be higher
in the AMI group, but the difference was not statistically significant
(Table 3
). SI was lower in the AMI group than in the
control group (Table 3
and Fig 3
).
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Table 3. Renal Fractional Clearances of IgG,
IgG4, and ß2-Microglobulin and SI in
23 Patients With Clinically Present Atherosclerotic Vascular
Disease and 25 Healthy Control Subjects
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Figure 3. Graph shows SI (Cl-IgG/Cl-IgG4)
in 23 patients with clinically present atherosclerotic vascular
disease (AMI) and 25 healthy control subjects. Horizontal lines
indicate geometric means. P<.05.
|
|
Fractional Clß2-microglobulin was similar in the two
groups (Table 3
). This was also the case when subjects with urinary pH
of less than 6.0 (3 in the AMI group and 5 in the control group) were
excluded from the analysis.
The associations between clinically present vascular disease and
UAER, fractional Cl-albumin, and SI were all independent of,
respectively, blood pressure, fractional
Clß2-microglobulin, and Cl-creatinine. The
association between vascular disease and TERalb was
independent of blood pressure and smoking status. Current tobacco
smoking was independently associated with increased TERalb
(r=.28; P<.05), whereas blood pressure and
TERalb were not correlated.
 |
Discussion
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This study has primarily shown that the urinary excretion and
fractional
Cl-albumin, as well as TER
alb as
measured by the fractional
disappearance rate of albumin from
the total intravascular compartment,
were elevated in a group of
individuals with severe clinical
atherosclerosis
compared with healthy individuals.
The observations support the hypothesis that the link between
microalbuminuria and development of atherosclerotic
vascular disease is mediated through a generally increased
TERalb. Obviously, a cause-effect relationship between
increased UAER, fractional Cl-albumin, and TERalb
on the one hand and clinical atherosclerosis on the
other cannot be deduced from the present cross-sectional study
design. However, in clinically healthy individuals, UAER and
TERalb are positively and independently correlated,
suggesting that microalbuminuria reflects an increased
TERalb previous to development of symptomatic
atherosclerosis.7 Despite this, it can of
course not be totally precluded that widespread
atherosclerosis exists prior to elevation in UAER and
TERalb.
Although most of the TERalb may take place in the
capillaries, studies in animals showed a similar transport mechanism of
albumin from the bloodstream across the
endothelium in capillaries and in
arteries.9 Moreover, in animal models the
transendothelial efflux of albumin and
lipids was highly correlated,10 and both were elevated in
atherosclerosis.11 Although these
observations cannot be directly extrapolated to humans, and although
there are no prospective data regarding the predictive atherogenic
effect of increased TERalb, it can be hypothesized
that increased TERalb as reflected by increased
albumin excretion in the urine is associated with a higher
degree of lipid insudation into the inner arterial
wall.
The physiological mechanisms and assumptions upon
which measurement of TERalb is based and the interpretation
of the quantity were earlier described in detail by
Parving.20 TERalb may express the product
of transvascular permeability of albumin and
endothelial surface area. The possibility of the
latter's being elevated in the AMI group is unlikely because plasma
volumes were similar in the two groups under study. Moreover, urinary
loss of albumin was negligible (around 0.01%) compared with
the overall disappearance of albumin from the total
intravascular compartment. Current tobacco smoking correlated
positively and independently with TERalb, which
confirms previous observations in healthy individuals.7 21
However, adjusting for smoking status did not abolish the significant
association between atherosclerotic disease and elevated
TERalb. TERalb is also elevated in conjunction
with other atherogenic risk factors such as arterial
hypertension and diabetes mellitus.19 22 23 However, in
the present study, blood pressure, which was less than 160/95 mm Hg
in all participants, treated or untreated, did not correlate with
TERalb, although it was slightly higher in the AMI
group than in the control group. Patients with diabetes mellitus were
excluded from the study.
Still other factors may be responsible for the systemic and the renal
transvascular leakiness for albumin in
atherosclerosis. In the present study, the SI, as
calculated from the ratio of Cl-IgG to Cl-IgG4, was
reduced in the AMI group. In addition, there tended to be a loss of
renal size selectivity as expressed by fractional Cl-IgG in the AMI
group, but statistical significance was not reached. These alterations
and the increased fractional Cl-albumin may very likely be of
glomerular origin, because fractional
Clß2-microglobulin was similar in the two groups under
study. It is thereby assumed that a certain decline in tubular
reabsorption is reflected by increased renal clearance of the freely
filtered ß2-microglobulin,24 and that IgG
and IgG4 are similarly handled in the tubular system.
Furthermore, the alterations were independent of blood pressure and
glomerular filtration rate. This may be suggestive of
independence of transcapillary hydrostatic pressure in the
glomeruli, although it cannot be totally ignored as a contributor of
the alterations.25 Because the IgG4 subclass
is more anionic but of the same size and configuration as the total
IgG, the observation of reduced SI (Cl-IgG/Cl-IgG4) may be
explained by reduced amounts of anionic components in the
glomerular filtration barrier.
The glomerular filtration barrier is constituted of the
endothelial cell layer, the basement membrane, and the
epithelial cell layer. Filtration of plasma proteins is mainly
restrained by the porous basement membrane, which consists of
extracellular matrix: ie, collagen IV, laminin, fibronectin, and
heparan sulfate proteoglycan.26 The negative electric
charge of the glomerular filter is mainly
represented by heparan sulfate proteoglycan,27
which is structurally and functionally related to
heparin.28 29 In addition, experimental removal of heparan
sulfate from rat glomeruli elevates urinary albumin
excretion.30 Therefore, the finding of decreased SI in
addition to increased renal transvascular albumin leakage (UAER
and Cl-albumin/Cl-creatinine) suggests that severe
atherosclerosis is associated with decreased
concentration of heparan sulfate in the glomerular
filtration barrier. The question is whether this presumptive structural
alteration is generalized, involving the large vessel walls. Previous
human studies showed reduced concentration of heparan sulfate in the
walls of the atherosclerotic aorta31 and coronary
arteries,32 as well as a strong negative correlation
between the accumulation of lipids and the concentration of heparan
sulfate in aortas.33 Reduced concentration of heparan
sulfate on endothelial cell surfaces and in
interendothelial clefts and basement membranes
underlying the endothelium might imply an increased
generalized transvascular leakiness for albumin. These ideas
were previously formulated by Deckert et al.34
A generalized dysfunction of the endothelial cell would
offer an alternative explanation of the systemic and the renal
transvascular leakiness for albumin in
atherosclerosis. Thus, markers of
endothelial dysfunction such as von Willebrand
factor, tissue plasminogen activator, and
plasminogen activator inhibitor
appear to be elevated in
atherosclerosis.35 36 37 However, in a recent
study of clinically healthy subjects no association was found between
UAER and markers of endothelial
dysfunction.38
Only a few of the conventional atherogenic risk factors such as blood
pressure and serum HDL cholesterol concentration were
significantly altered in the AMI group in the present study. It is
most likely explained by the cross-sectional study design, because
individuals who survived AMI a priori may have had less pronounced
atherogenic alterations than individuals who did not survive. In
addition, the survivors may have changed their lifestyles. These
considerations further emphasize the relevance of the present
results regarding TERalb and renal protein clearance and
their roles in atherogenesis.
In conclusion, clinically present atherosclerotic vascular disease
is associated with renal and systemic transvascular leakiness for
albumin. It is hypothesized that such systemic leakiness may
involve the large vessels and allow for an increased lipid insudation
into the arterial wall, thereby linking
microalbuminuria to atherogenesis. The cause of this
leakiness is unknown. The reduced charge selectivity of the
glomerular vessel wall is suggestive of reduced
concentrations of negatively charged components such as heparan sulfate
in the extracellular matrix of atherosclerotic vessel walls.
 |
Selected Abbreviations and Acronyms
|
|---|
| AMI |
= |
acute myocardial infarction |
| Cl-albumin |
= |
renal albumin clearance |
| Clß2-microglobulin |
= |
renal ß2-microglobulin clearance |
| Cl-creatinine |
= |
renal creatinine clearance |
| Cl-IgG |
= |
renal IgG clearance |
| ELISA |
= |
enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay |
| SI |
= |
renal charge selectivity index |
| TERalb |
= |
systemic transvascular albumin leakage |
| UAER |
= |
urinary albumin excretion rate<\/.> |
|
 |
Acknowledgments
|
|---|
This study was supported by the Danish Heart Foundation and
the
Danish Medical Research Council (12-2008-1). Marja Deckert,
Hanne
Foght, and Karina Skou, Steno Diabetes Center, Gentofte,
Denmark, are
thanked for their expert technical assistance.
Dr Gorm Jensen (The
Copenhagen City Heart Study, Rigshospitalet
University Hospital,
Copenhagen, Denmark), Dr Knut Borch-Johnsen
(Department of
Cardiology C, Copenhagen County Hospital, Glostrup),
Dr
Bo Feldt-Rasmussen (Department of Nephrology and
Endocrinology
P, Rigshospitalet University Hospital, Copenhagen), and
Dr Torsten
Deckert (Steno Diabetes Center, Gentofte, Denmark), are
thanked
for valuable discussion.
Received January 10, 1995;
accepted June 19, 1995.
 |
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