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“Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is highly prevalent in Taiwan and an increasing number of patients are affected, with a high risk of progression to end-stage renal disease and huge medical expenses. It has been predicted that the presence of hypertension increases with decreasing renal function C59 wnt due to a decrease in sodium excretion and activation of the renin-angiotensin system (RAS). The aim of this study was to investigate the influence of genetic variants of the RAS gene on CKD.
We performed a case control association study and genotyped 135 CKD patients and 270 healthy controls among Han Chinese in Taiwan. All subjects were genotyped for angiotensinogen (AGT-M235T, T174M, A-20C), angiotensin-I converting enzyme (ACE-A2350G) and angiotensin II type 1 receptor (AGTR1-A1166C, C573T, C-521T) polymorphisms of RAS genes by polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) analysis. Significant associations were observed in ACE-A2350G and AGTR1-C573T polymorphism between CKD patients and controls. In regard to ACE-A2350G, compared with the AA genotype the GG genotype protected against CKD (adjusted odds ratio [OR] = 0.34; p = 0.01). In regard to AGTR1-C573T, the CT genotype was a risk for CKD compared with the CC genotype (adjusted OR = 1.82; p = 0.03). We conclude that ACE-A2350G and AGTR1-C573T
polymorphisms see more are likely candidate determinants of CKD.”
“Objective: The Revised-Illness Perception Questionnaire (IPQ-R) assesses illness perceptions according to Leventhal’s self-regulatory model. The aim of this paper is to present findings on the reliability and validity of the IPQ-R in a population of Greek cancer patients.
Methods: A total of 206 patients completed a Greek translation of the IPQ-R and the Greek version of the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI). The scale’s reliability was investigated by examining its internal consistency (Cronbach’s alpha) and its test-retest reliability. Structural validity was examined through factor analyses. Predictive validity was tested
by regressing BDI scores on IPQ subscale scores. Inter-relationships between IPQ-R dimensions were Sonidegib solubility dmso also examined by computing Pearson’s Correlation Coefficients.
Results: Cronbach’s alpha showed satisfactory internal consistency for the IPQ-R subscales. Paired samples’ t-test showed good test-retest reliability. Factor analysis of the IPQ-R items revealed that the Greek version reflects the structure of the original with the only difference being that the ‘Consequences’ and ‘Emotional Representations’ subscales loaded on one factor. Factor analysis of the causal dimension items revealed a different structure of Causal Representations than that of the original questionnaire yielding three main factors: Psychological Attributions, Behavioral, and External Factors.