Bonomini Francesca, Foglio Eleonora, Rodella Luigi Fabrizio, Rezzani Rita
Unit of Human Anatomy, Department of Biomedical Sciences and Biotechnology, University of Brescia, Brescia, Italy.
Front Biosci (Schol Ed). 2010 Jan 1;2(2):591-615. doi: 10.2741/s88.
Biomarkers are "biological parameters that can be objectively measured and evaluated, which act as indicators of normal or pathogenic processes, or of the pharmacological response to a therapeutic intervention". Renal failure can be broadly divided in acute and chronic renal diseases, two classes of renal pathology that are well distinct each other, not only on the basis of duration and reversibility of loss of kidney function, but also because of their different aetiopathological processes and their different histopathological characteristics. Unlikely, the conventional measures used for monitoring kidney function are not ideal in the diagnosis of neither acute or chronic kidney diseases and has impaired our ability to institute potentially effective therapies.Therefore, researchers are seeking new early, predictive, non-invasive biomarkers that can aid in the diagnosis for both acute and chronic diseases.These biomarkers will be useful for assessing the duration and severity of kidney disease, and for predicting progression and adverse clinical outcomes.This review article summarized our current understanding of the acute and chronic renal diseases and discussed the most promising biomarkers for facilitating early detection and predicting clinical outcomes.
生物标志物是“能够被客观测量和评估的生物学参数，可作为正常或致病过程的指标，或对治疗干预的药理反应的指标”。肾衰竭可大致分为急性和慢性肾脏疾病，这两类肾脏病理情况彼此有明显区别，不仅基于肾功能丧失的持续时间和可逆性，还因其不同的病因病理过程和不同的组织病理学特征。然而，用于监测肾功能的传统方法在诊断急性或慢性肾脏疾病方面并不理想，并且削弱了我们开展潜在有效治疗的能力。因此，研究人员正在寻找新的早期、预测性、非侵入性生物标志物，以辅助急性和慢性疾病的诊断。这些生物标志物将有助于评估肾脏疾病的持续时间和严重程度，并预测疾病进展和不良临床结局。这篇综述文章总结了我们目前对急性和慢性肾脏疾病的认识，并讨论了最有前景的有助于早期检测和预测临床结局的生物标志物。
