Medical College of Wisconsin other research news
The Wisconsin researchers and colleagues reported development of a blood test to predict which kidney transplant patients face a high risk of recurrence of a common condition called focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSG). FSG damages the kidney's ability to filter blood, causing about 5 percent of all kidney failures. It recurs in about half of those who undergo kidney transplants to treat the damage.
In a study of 100 patients with FSG, 31 with other renal diseases, and 9 normal subjects, researchers found a strong association between the ability of proteins to permeate the kidney and the recurrence of FSG. The study, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, concluded that the disease is caused by a circulating factor in the blood serum that binds to protein A, but does not precipitate with immunoglobulins. The researchers theorize that the substance may be a nonimmunoglobulin protein or fragment. ...