My Kidney Is Fine, Can't You Cystatin C?

Background: Independent of age, sex, and body composition, individuals of African American race and individuals with high muscle mass have elevated serum creatinine (sCr) levels on average that may result in overestimation of chronic kidney disease (CKD). We present a misdiagnosed case of CKD based on sCr levels, illustrating the utility of cystatin C (CysC) confirmation testing to answer the question: Can confirmation screening of kidney function with CysC in African American patients and patients with high muscle mass reduce the misdiagnosis of CKD?

Case Presentation: A 35-year-old African American man with a history of well-controlled HIV was found to have consistently elevated creatinine (Cr). We diagnosed CKD stage 3A based on the estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR).

Is Conservative Religiousness Inherently Associated with Poorer Health for Sexual Minorities?

Results of path analysis involving sexual minority participants (N = 1317) from diverse sociopolitical contexts revealed health outcomes to be associated with internalized homonegativity and the resolution of conflict between religious and sexual minority identities. Contrary to expectations, several markers of religiousness were not directly associated with either improved or worsened health outcomes for depression or anxiety. However, religious activity moderated the influence of internalized homonegativity (IH) on depression such that IH was less strongly related to depression among individuals who frequently attended religious services than among individuals who infrequently attended religious services.

Sexual Minorities who Reject an LGB Identity: Who Are They and Why Does It Matter?

Although some persons with minority sexual orientations do not identify as lesbian, gay, or bisexual (LGB), Minority Stress Theory (Meyer, 2003) has largely been developed utilizing LGB-identified samples. We examined a sample ( = 274) of sexual minorities with diverse religious and sexual identity labels to determine if those rejecting versus adopting an LGB identity were different in terms of religious, sexual, relational, and health characteristics. Results suggested those who reject an LGB identity are more likely to be religiously active, full members of their church, and highly intrinsic and theologically conservative in their religious viewpoint.

Same-Sex Attracted, Not LGBQ: The Associations of Sexual Identity Labeling on Religiousness, Sexuality, and Health Among Mormons.

In the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (LDS church), beliefs about same-sex sexual attraction are carefully differentiated from beliefs about same-sex sexual behavior and identity, leading some to reject a lesbian, gay, bisexual, or queer (LGBQ) identity label in favor of declining a sexual identity or describing themselves as experiencing same-sex attraction (SSA). Using data from 1,128 sexual minority Mormons recruited from both politically conservative and liberal circles, we examined the relationship between rejecting an LGBQ identity and religiousness, attitudes toward sexuality, and health outcomes. We found that Mormons who reject an LGBQ identity were significantly more religious and less content with their sexuality but had similar health outcomes relative to LGBQ Mormons.