Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41014326›Full record

ArticlePediatric nephrology (Berlin, Germany)2026

Urinary periostin as a novel non-invasive biomarker for kidney scarring in pediatric vesicoureteral reflux patients.

Reza Mohammadi Farsani, Amirreza Shamshirgaran, Seyyed Mohammad Ghahestani, Hossein Amirzargar, Fateme Guitynavard, Hossein Chivaee, Fardin Asgari, Mohammad Hadi Samadi, Parsa Nikoofar, Seyed Mohammad Kazem Aghamir

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Article in Pediatric nephrology (Berlin, Germany), 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

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4 · The record

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PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

10 authors.

Reza Mohammadi FarsaniUrology Research Center, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
Amirreza ShamshirgaranUrology Research Center, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
Seyyed Mohammad GhahestaniDepartment of Pediatric Urology, Pediatric Urology and Regenerative Medicine Research Center, Pediatrics Center of Excellence, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
Hossein AmirzargarPediatric Urology and Regenerative Medicine Research Center, Children's Medical Center, Gene, Cell, and Tissue Research Institute, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
Fateme GuitynavardUrology Research Center, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
Hossein ChivaeeUrology Research Center, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
Fardin AsgariUrology Research Center, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
Mohammad Hadi SamadiNuclear Medicine Research Center, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran.
Parsa NikoofarDepartment of Urology, Thunder Bay Regional Health Research Institute, Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada.
Seyed Mohammad Kazem AghamirUrology Research Center, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran. mkaghamir@tums.ac.ir.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundVesicoureteral reflux (VUR) is a common pediatric urological condition associated with kidney scarring, which can lead to hypertension, proteinuria, and chronic kidney disease. Current diagnostic methods, such as 99mTc-dimercaptosuccinic acid (DMSA) scans, are costly, involve radiation, and fail to detect early fibrosis. Urinary periostin, an extracellular matrix protein upregulated in kidney fibrosis, holds promise as a non-invasive biomarker for kidney scarring in VUR patients. This study aimed to evaluate urinary periostin as a biomarker for kidney scarring in children with VUR and compare its diagnostic performance with DMSA scans.

methodsThis prospective case-control study enrolled 60 children (35 males and 25 females) aged between 1 and 140 months (with mean (SD) of 43.7 (34.45)) with VUR (30 with kidney scarring [Scar+] and 30 without [Scar-]). Urinary periostin levels were measured via ELISA and corrected with urine creatinine. DMSA scans confirmed scarring. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis assessed periostin's diagnostic accuracy, and logistic regression identified predictors of scarring.

resultsUrinary periostin levels were significantly higher in Scar+ patients (27.4 ± 6.64 ng/mL) than in Scar- patients (18.1 ± 4.63 ng/mL, p < 0.001). ROC analysis yielded an area under the curve of 0.869, with a 21.5 ng/mL cutoff showing 80.0% sensitivity and 76.6% specificity. Periostin (OR 1.44, p < 0.001) was the only independent predictor of scarring. Periostin levels correlated with VUR grade (r = 0.63, p < 0.001).

conclusionsUrinary periostin is a highly sensitive and specific non-invasive biomarker for detecting kidney scarring in VUR, potentially reducing reliance on DMSA scans.

Indexed as

Cell Adhesion MoleculesCicatrixKidneyVesico-Ureteral RefluxBiomarkersCase-Control StudiesChildChild, PreschoolFemaleHumansInfantMalePeriostinProspective StudiesRadionuclide ImagingROC CurveBiomarkersCell Adhesion MoleculesPeriostinPOSTN protein, humanTechnetium Tc 99m Dimercaptosuccinic AcidBiomarkerDMSA scansKidney scarPeriostinVesicoureteral reflux (VUR)

Identifiers

PMID41014326

What Socratic holds

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.