Journal of investigative medicine : the official publication of the American Federation for Clinical Research
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Acute kidney injury (AKI) is an important cause of death among hospitalized patients. The 2 most common causes of AKI are acute tubular necrosis (ATN) and prerenal azotemia (PRA). Appropriate diagnosis of the disease is important but often difficult. ⋯ The accuracy was validated in the novel external set of patients where conditions of 9 of 10 patients were correctly diagnosed including 5 of 5 with ATN and 4 of 5 with PRA. Plasma retinol-binding protein was identified in 1 spot and a fragment of albumin and plasma retinol-binding protein in the other. These proteins are candidate markers for diagnostic assays of AKI.