Omega-3 fatty acid and menaquinone-7 combination are helpful for aortic calcification prevention, reducing osteoclast area of bone and Fox0 expression of muscle in uremic rats.

Background: Osteopenia, sarcopenia, and vascular calcification (VC) are prevalent in patients with chronic kidney disease and often coexist. In the absence of proven therapies, it is necessary to develop therapeutic or preventive nutrients supplementation for osteopenia, sarcopenia, and VC. The present study investigated the effect of omega-3 fatty acid (FA) and menaquinone-7 (MK-7) on osteopenia, sarcopenia, and VC in adenine and low-protein diet-induced uremic rats.

Clinical outcomes of nephrotic syndrome in immunoglobulin a nephropathy.

Immunoglobulin A (IgA) nephropathy can be complicated by the nephrotic syndrome in rare cases. Although corticosteroid therapy should be recommended in such cases, the response to steroid treatment has been variable, and spontaneous remission also has been reported without steroid treatment in some cases. We report a retrospective analysis of our experience on the clinical outcomes of nephrotic syndrome in patients with IgA nephropathy, in the nephrology department of a provincial hospital in South Korea.

Vascular calcification on plain radiographs is related with the severity of lesions detected by coronary angiography in dialysis patients.

Coronary artery disease (CAD) is a primary cause of mortality and morbidity in dialysis patients. However, it is difficult to select the proper point for coronary angiographic procedure, because dialysis patients frequently do not display typical symptoms. Vascular calcification (VC) scores of artery or aorta on plain radiographs are associated with CAD events and may be predictive of CAD in dialysis patients.

Native aortic valve thrombosis resembling papillary fibroelastoma.

The differential diagnosis of cardiac mass is important in determining the therapeutic plan and avoiding unnecessary surgical intervention. Non-invasive imaging methods would be useful in the diagnosis of suspected cardiac mass, because they may provide earlier diagnosis and more accurate assessment of cardiac mass. Native aortic valve thrombosis is a rare disorder and difficult to differentiate from a tumor, and in particular, a papillary fibroelastoma.

Comparison of exit site infection and peritonitis incidences between povidone-iodine and normal saline use for chronic exit site care in peritoneal dialysis patients.

Background: Catheter-related exit site infection is a major risk factor for the development of peritonitis and can contribute to failure of treatment maintenance in peritoneal dialysis (PD) patients. Although povidone-iodine can be used for exit site care, the irritation induced by the local application of povidone-iodine could lead to secondary infection. Therefore, we evaluated the clinical effectiveness of normal saline compared with povidone-iodine as a method of exit site care in chronic PD patients.

Role of B-type natriuretic peptide as a marker of mortality in acute kidney injury patients treated with continuous renal replacement therapy.

Objectives: Acute kidney injury (AKI) treated with continuous renal replacement therapy (CRRT) is associated with poor outcome. Plasma B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) is a biomarker related to fluid volume overload, and is elevated in AKI patients. The purpose of the study was to assess whether BNP levels at the time of starting CRRT could be used as a predictor of mortality in patients with AKI receiving CRRT.

The early trauma inventory self report-short form: psychometric properties of the korean version.

Objective: Experiencing traumatic events in childhood is related to various psychiatric problems in adulthood, and a comprehensive tool for measuring childhood trauma is necessary in this field. This study aimed to examine the psychometric properties, and factor structure of the Korean version of the Early Trauma Inventory Self Report-Short Form (ETISR-SF). ETISR-SF measures the childhood trauma, including physical, and emotional sexual abuse, as well as general traumas.

Childhood trauma and platelet brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) after a three month follow-up in patients with major depressive disorder.

A large amount of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) is stored in the human platelets and only small amounts of it circulate in the plasma. However, a few studies have focused on platelet BDNF in patients with major depressive disorder (MDD) and childhood trauma. Our study population consisted of 105 MDD patients and 50 healthy controls.