CST3 and type 2 diabetes mellitus: This study assessed the clinical utility of UcyC for early detection and staging of DKD and compared its diagnostic performance with that of serum cystatin C (CysC).<h4>Methods</h4>This prospective study included 102 patients with T2DM who were enrolled at The People's Hospital of Chizhou, China, between May 2022 and October 2025.