Erythropoiesis-stimulating agent hyporesponsiveness was associated with worse survival of hemodialysis patients independent of the serum ferritin level.

Introduction: Ferritin level and erythropoiesis-stimulating agent (ESA) responsiveness are each associated with hemodialysis patient survival. We assessed interrelationships between these two vs. survival.

Clinical spectrum and genetic causes of mitochondrial hepatopathy phenotype in children.

Background: Alterations in both mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) and nuclear DNA genes affect mitochondria function, causing a range of liver-based conditions termed mitochondrial hepatopathies (MH), which are subcategorized as mtDNA depletion, RNA translation, mtDNA deletion, and enzymatic disorders. We aim to enhance the understanding of pathogenesis and natural history of MH.

Methods: We analyzed data from patients with MH phenotypes to identify genetic causes, characterize the spectrum of clinical presentation, and determine outcomes.

Understanding International Variations in Kidney Failure Incidence and Initiation of Replacement Therapy.

Introduction: Incidence of kidney replacement therapy (KRT) varies widely across countries. Its relations to individual characteristics, nephrology practices for slowing chronic kidney disease (CKD) progression, and KRT access remain unclear.

Methods: We investigated intercountry differences in kidney failure (KF) rate, defined by a sustained estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) <15 ml/min per 1.

Serum bile acids as a prognostic biomarker in biliary atresia following Kasai portoenterostomy.

Background And Aims: In biliary atresia, serum bilirubin is commonly used to predict outcomes after Kasai portoenterostomy (KP). Infants with persistently high levels invariably need liver transplant, but those achieving normalized levels have a less certain disease course. We hypothesized that serum bile acid levels could help predict outcomes in the latter group.

Changes in practice patterns in Japan from before to after JSDT 2013 guidelines on hemodialysis prescriptions: results from the JDOPPS.

Background: The Japanese Society for Dialysis Therapy (JSDT) published in 2013 inaugural hemodialysis (HD) guidelines. Specific targets include 1.4 for single-pool Kt/V (spKt/V) with a minimum dose of 1.

Clustering of the structures by using "snakes-&-dragons" approach, or correlation matrix as a signal.

Biological, ecological, social, and technological systems are complex structures with multiple interacting parts, often represented by networks. Correlation matrices describing interdependency of the variables in such structures provide key information for comparison and classification of such systems. Classification based on correlation matrices could supplement or improve classification based on variable values, since the former reveals similarities in system structures, while the latter relies on the similarities in system states.

Neurodevelopmental Outcomes in Preschool and School Aged Children With Biliary Atresia and Their Native Liver.

Objectives: The aim of the study was to assess neurodevelopmental outcomes among children with biliary atresia (BA) surviving with their native liver at ages 3 to 12 years and evaluate variables that associate with neurodevelopment.

Methods: Participants (ages 3-12 years) in a prospective, longitudinal, multicenter study underwent neurodevelopmental testing with Weschler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence, 3rd edition (WPPSI-III, ages 3-5 years) and Weschler Intelligence Scale for Children, 4th edition (WISC-IV, ages 6-12 years). Continuous scores were analyzed using Kolmogorov-Smironov tests compared with a normal distribution (mean = 100 ± 15).

Clinically Evident Portal Hypertension: An Operational Research Definition for Future Investigations in the Pediatric Population.

Portal hypertension (PHT) is a major cause of morbidity and mortality in pediatric liver diseases. Thus, research into causes and disease modifiers in PHT in these conditions is vitally important. PHT is rarely directly or indirectly measured in the assessment of children with chronic liver disease.

Accelerated coronary atherosclerosis not explained by traditional risk factors in 13% of young individuals.

Importance: Most individuals who die of sudden cardiac death (SCD) display very advanced lesions of atherosclerosis in their coronary arteries. Thus, we sought to identify and characterize a putative subpopulation of young individuals exhibiting accelerated coronary artery atherosclerosis.

Objective: Our analysis of the Pathobiological Determinants of Atherosclerosis in Youth (PDAY) study-which examined 2651 individuals, obtaining quantitative measurements of traditional risk factors for coronary heart disease (CHD)-aimed to identify individuals with advanced coronary artery lesions, and to determine whether risk factors could account for such rapid disease progression, or not.

Dialysate Calcium Concentration below 3.0 mEq/L Is Not Associated with Improved Outcomes in the Japanese Dialysis Outcomes and Practice Patterns Study.

Background: Abnormal chronic kidney disease-mineral and bone disorder (CKD-MBD) markers have been associated with adverse outcomes in hemodialysis (HD) patients. Dialysate calcium concentration (D-Ca) likely influences serum calcium and phosphorus levels. Optimal D-Ca level remains unclear.

Disease severity classification using quantitative magnetic resonance imaging data of cartilage in femoroacetabular impingement.

Femoroacetabular impingement (FAI) is a condition in which subtle deformities of the femoral head and acetabulum (hip socket) result in pathological abutment during hip motion. FAI is a common cause of hip pain and can lead to acetabular cartilage damage and osteoarthritis. For some patients with FAI, surgical intervention is indicated, and it can improve quality of life and potentially delay the onset of osteoarthritis.

A Randomized Crossover Design to Assess Learning Impact and Student Preference for Active and Passive Online Learning Modules.

Medical education increasingly involves online learning experiences to facilitate the standardization of curriculum across time and space. In class, delivering material by lecture is less effective at promoting student learning than engaging students in active learning experience and it is unclear whether this difference also exists online. We sought to evaluate medical student preferences for online lecture or online active learning formats and the impact of format on short- and long-term learning gains.

Relationships Among Classical Test Theory and Item Response Theory Frameworks via Factor Analytic Models.

There are well-defined theoretical differences between the classical test theory (CTT) and item response theory (IRT) frameworks. It is understood that in the CTT framework, person and item statistics are test- and sample-dependent. This is not the perception with IRT.

Hard, harder, hardest: principal stratification, statistical identifiability, and the inherent difficulty of finding surrogate endpoints.

In many areas of clinical investigation there is great interest in identifying and validating surrogate endpoints, biomarkers that can be measured a relatively short time after a treatment has been administered and that can reliably predict the effect of treatment on the clinical outcome of interest. However, despite dramatic advances in the ability to measure biomarkers, the recent history of clinical research is littered with failed surrogates. In this paper, we present a statistical perspective on why identifying surrogate endpoints is so difficult.

Trauma-sensitive yoga as an adjunct mental health treatment in group therapy for survivors of domestic violence: a feasibility study.

This study is a feasibility test of whether incorporating trauma-sensitive yoga into group therapy for female victims of partner violence improves symptoms of anxiety, depression, and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) beyond that achieved with group therapy alone. Seventeen (9 control, 8 intervention) adult female clients seeking group psychotherapy were enrolled. A 12-week trauma-sensitive yoga protocol was administered once weekly for 30-40 min at the end of each group therapy session.

Community-based participatory research to decrease smoking prevalence in a high-risk young adult population: an evaluation of the Students Against Nicotine and Tobacco Addiction (SANTA) project.

Students Against Nicotine and Tobacco Addiction is a community-based participatory research project that engages local medical and mental health providers in partnership with students, teachers, and administrators at the Minnesota-based Job Corps. This intervention contains multiple and synchronous elements designed to allay the stress that students attribute to smoking, including physical activities, nonphysical activities, purposeful modifications to the campus's environment and rules/policies, and on-site smoking cessation education and peer support. The intent of the present investigation was to evaluate (a) the types of stress most predictive of smoking behavior and/or nicotine dependence, (b) which activities students are participating in, and (c) which activities are most predictive of behavior change (or readiness to change).

Pain severity and neuropathic pain symptoms in primary Sjögren's syndrome: a comparison study of seropositive and seronegative Sjögren's syndrome patients.

Objective: To compare clinical characteristics and patient-reported outcomes in seropositive versus seronegative primary Sjögren's syndrome (SS) patients and to investigate the effect of serologic status on the prevalence of chronic pain, comorbidity, and health quality.

Methods: Pain severity and neuropathic pain symptoms, comorbidity, and health status were assessed in 108 primary SS patients. Differences between patient groups were assessed by t-test and chi-square test, as well as adjusted pain-affect associations.