Urinary albumin and β₂-microglobulin (B₂M) were measured during the neonatal period. Urinary albumin decreased postnatally in term neonates, while it remained almost constant in preterm neonates. Urinary B₂M showed a peak level on day 7 both in term and preterm neonates. There was some trend towards higher levels of albumin and B₂M with decreasing gestation, showing that glomerular permeability increases and proximal tubular protein reabsorption decreases with increasing degrees of prematurity. In sick preterms who were depressed at birth and had respiratory failure, both parameters were elevated during the first 2 weeks, indicating the presence of glomerular and tubular damage in this period. The changes in B₂M with gestation or clinical condition were more pronounced than those in albumin.

Backtround: There is little information on the significance of angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) genotypes and medical treatments in children with primary focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS). Methods: A multicenter retrospective study was performed on the role of ACE genotypes and medical treatments in 43 Japanese children with FSGS (20 males and 23 females), including 17 children who progressed to end-stage renal failure during the mean observation period of 6.9 ± (SD) 5.0 years. Results: The incidence of the D allele of the ACE gene was higher in the whole group of 43 children with FSGS and in a subgroup of 28 steroid-resistant FSGS children (p < 0.05) than in the 130 children of the healthy control group (0.48, 0.48, and 0.33, respectively). ACE genotypes did not affect renal survival in the whole FSGS group nor in the steroid-resistant subgroup. Among the 28 steroid-resistant children, treatment with ciclosporin was effective in delaying the development of end-stage renal failure (p = 0.044), independently of other treatment regimens. Conclusion: The present study of Japanese children with FSGS showed that the D allele of the ACE gene is associated with the development of FSGS, but not associated with the progression of FSGS which was greatly ameliorated with ciclosporin, irrespective of ACE genotypes.

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