Urinary Protein and Lipid Profiling

Urine strips were inserted into the urine samples up to the test area for less than 2 s. The edge of the strips were drawn along the brims of the vessels to remove excess urine, making sure the tests areas did not touch the vessels. The strips were held vertical and the tips tapped on absorbent papers to remove any remaining urine [14 (link)]. The urine strips were held horizontally and compared with the color charts on the vial label under bright light. The amount of protein was then determined using the intensity of the blue green color which was proportional to concentration of protein in the urine. Proteinuria was defined as the presence of urinary protein with concentration of at least “+” [15 (link)]. The Lipid Profile was determined using the Selectra Pro S (Vital Scientific B.V. Van Rensselaerwweg 4, NL 6956AV Spankeren, The Netherlands) automated chemistry analyzer using the procedure outlined for the equipment while serum zonulin levels were determined in duplicates using human zonulin ELIS AKit (Immundiagnostik AG, Bensheim, Germany).