Acceptability and feasibility of an intervention for Alaska Native and American Indian couples.

Objective: This acceptability and feasibility study assessed a previously tested movie discussion intervention culturally adapted for a tribal health setting.

Background: Despite family and relationships being important in Alaska Native and American Indian (ANAI) cultures, social health interventions supporting committed ANAI couples have not been investigated. Couples watching and discussing movies can promote and sustain relationship health as effectively as intensive skill-building classes.

Association of Treatment Effects on Early Change in Urine Protein and Treatment Effects on GFR Slope in IgA Nephropathy: An Individual Participant Meta-analysis.

Rationale & Objective: An early change in proteinuria is considered a reasonably likely surrogate end point in immunoglobulin A nephropathy (IgAN) and can be used as a basis for accelerated approval of therapies, with verification in a postmarketing confirmatory trial. Glomerular filtration rate (GFR) slope is a recently validated surrogate end point for chronic kidney disease progression and may be considered as the end point used for verification. We undertook a meta-analysis of clinical trials in IgAN to compare treatment effects on change in proteinuria versus change in estimated GFR (eGFR) slope.

Computer-Generated Three-Dimensional Airway Models as a Decision-Support Tool for Preoperative Evaluation and Procedure-Planning in Pediatric Anesthesiology.

Technology improvements have rapidly advanced medicine over the last few decades. New approaches are constantly being developed and utilized. Anesthesiology strongly relies on technology for resuscitation, life-support, monitoring, safety, clinical care, and education.

Renal involvement in primary Sjögren's syndrome: a clinicopathologic study.

Background & Objectives: Renal pathology and clinical outcomes in patients with primary Sjögren's syndrome (pSS) who underwent kidney biopsy (KB) because of renal impairment are reported.

Design, Setting, Participants, & Measurements: Twenty-four of 7276 patients with pSS underwent KB over 40 years. Patient cases were reviewed by a renal pathologist, nephrologist, and rheumatologist.

Enhanced absorption of n-3 fatty acids from emulsified compared with encapsulated fish oil.

Health benefits of n-3 fatty acids are well-established. However, consumption of adequate dietary sources of these fatty acids is inadequate. Oral fish oil supplements are an alternative means of consuming adequate long-chain n-3 fatty acids in individuals who do not consume sufficient dietary sources.

Clinical trial to evaluate omega-3 fatty acids and alternate day prednisone in patients with IgA nephropathy: report from the Southwest Pediatric Nephrology Study Group.

This randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind trial evaluated the role of prednisone and omega 3 fatty acids (O3FA) in patients with IgA nephropathy. Entry criteria were (1) biopsy-proven IgA nephropathy, (2) estimated GFR > or = 50 ml/min per 1.73 m2, and (3) moderate to severe proteinuria.

Is body size a biomarker for optimizing dosing of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids in the treatment of patients with IgA nephropathy?

Re-analysis of the North American IgA Nephropathy Study suggested that efficacy of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (omega-3 PUFA) was dosage-dependent on the basis of body size and plasma omega-3/omega-6 and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA)/arachidonic acid (AA) ratios. The objective of this study was to confirm these assertions. Data from a previously reported randomized 2-yr clinical trial in which two dosages of an ethyl ester omega-3 PUFA (Omacor) were given to 73 high-risk patients with IgA nephropathy were reviewed.

The role of fish oil/omega-3 fatty acids in the treatment of IgA nephropathy.

Beneficial effects of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-3 PUFA) have been reported in recent epidemiologic studies and randomized clinical trials in a variety of cardiovascular and autoimmune diseases. Fish and marine oils are the most abundant and convenient sources of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), the two major n-3 fatty acids that serve as substrates for cyclooxygenase and lipoxygenase pathways leading to less potent inflammatory mediators than those produced through the n-6 PUFA substrate, arachidonic acid. N-3 PUFA can also suppress inflammatory and/or immunologic responses through eicosanoid-independent mechanisms.

Proteinuria patterns and their association with subsequent end-stage renal disease in IgA nephropathy.

Background: Proteinuria (UP) >1.0 g/24 h at diagnosis is a well-known indicator of progressive renal disease in patients with IgA nephropathy (IgAN). To determine if persistent UP is a more sensitive marker for later progression of IgAN, the hypothesis was tested that the prior level and trend (slope) in UP for 1 year was better at predicting later end-stage renal disease (ESRD) (dialysis or transplant) than a current 24-h UP, serum creatinine (SC), SC slope, hypertension, or total glomerular histopathological score on index renal biopsy in an observational study of 154 high-risk patients enrolled in two clinical trials (IgAN 1, IgAN 2).

A randomized trial of high-dose compared with low-dose omega-3 fatty acids in severe IgA nephropathy.

Tested was the hypothesis that high-dose omega (omega)-3 fatty acids will be more effective than low-dose omega-3 fatty acids in preserving renal function in patients with severe IgA nephropathy in a randomized, open-label, parallel-group clinical trial. Patients were assigned to receive either high-dose fatty acids (EPA 3.76 g and DHA 2.