Further studies, especially multicenter ones, with a greater number of patients are needed to confirm these results.PURPOSE This study investigated the clinical characteristics and symptomatology of ESRD patients in Jordan taking a multidimensional approach. METHODS This was a cross-sectional study that included a cohort of 620 patients undergoing maintenance hemodialysis (HD). Data were retrieved via patient survey administration and electronic health records. https://www.selleckchem.com/products/dihexa.html A modified version of the Charlson Comorbidity index (CCI) was utilized to assess comorbidity. Symptoms were assessed using the validated Arabic version of the CKD Symptom Burden Index (CKD-SBI). RESULTS The mean (± SD) age of participants was 50.9 ± 16.1 years, with the 59.8% being males. Diabetes was the leading cause of kidney disease among patients (29.2%), followed by hypertension (20.7%) and medication use (8.6%). Common comorbidities included hypertension (72.4%), diabetes (38.4%), and cardiovascular disease (18.7%). Patients experienced 13 CKD-related symptoms on average, with a total symptom burden score of 29.6. Muscle strain was the most common symptom (62.6%), followed by itchiness (59.7%), nervousness (57.7%), and anxiety (57.7%). Charlson comorbidity index (CCI) [β = 0.88, 95% CI (0.34-1.41)], male gender [β = - 5.59; 95% CI (- 8.34 to - 2.85)], higher educational level [β = - 3.38; 95% CI (- 6.39 to - 0.37)], and number of dialysis sessions/week (β = 6.22, 95% CI 3.37-9.07) were independent predictors of total symptom burden. Similarly, these factors predicted symptom troublesomeness, intensity, and recurrence. CONCLUSION A holistic clinical picture of ESRD that includes multidimensional symptom assessment is warranted for better disease management and resource allocation. Our paper identifies key characteristic of this population and factors contributing to total symptom burden.PURPOSE To identify the role of Doppler US (DUS) in the prediction of factors affecting stone-clearance post-SWL for ureteral stones in addition to its role in prediction of pretreatment stone impaction. METHODS We prospectively included patients with ureteric stone for SWL between October 2018 and September 2019. Patient's demographics were collected. Using DUS, resistive index (RI), Δ RI, and ureteric jets were evaluated in both kidneys. Also, stone site, volume, density, skin to stone distance, degree of hydronephrosis, ureteral wall thickness (UWT) were evaluated by NCCT. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were performed to identify factors that contribute to treatment success. Correlation between ipsilateral RI with other radiological findings predicting stone impaction was done. RESULTS A total of 93 patients were finally included (61 males and 32 females). The mean age was 31.4 ± 7.7 years. The success rate (absence of significant residuals post 1 month by NCCT) was 51.6%. In multivariate analysis, the presence of ureteric jet, ipsilateral lower RI, and ipsilateral lower UWT were independent factors for treatment success (P = 0.0001, 0.002, and 0.03, respectively). Also, ipsilateral absence of ureteric jet, increased hydronephrosis, and increased UWT were correlated with higher ipsilateral RI in prediction of stone impaction. Ipsilateral higher RI was found to achieve higher accuracy in stone impaction prediction (PPV of 94.8%). CONCLUSION Pretreatment DUS is a useful, non-invasive with a less irradiative tool for prediction of stone impaction and stone-free rate post-SWL for ureteric stones.Lung cancer has been recognized as the leading cause of cancer-related death worldwide. Despite the improvements of treatment, the distant metastasis and recurrence of lung cancer caused by therapy resistance is the biggest challenge in clinical management. Extracellular vesicles named exosomes play crucial roles in intercellular communication as signaling mediators and are involved in tumor development. In this study, we isolated exosomes from irradiated lung cancer cells and co-cultured the exosomes with other lung cancer cells. It was found that cellular growth and motility of recipient cells were facilitated. High-throughput LC-MS/MS assay of exosomal proteins and Gene Ontology enrichment analyses indicated that the metabolic enzymes ALDOA and ALDH3A1 had potential contribution in exosome-enhanced motility of recipient cells, and clinical survival analysis demonstrated the close correlations between ALDOA or ALDH3A1 expression and poor prognosis of lung cancer patients. After co-culturing with exosomes derived from irradiated cancer cells, the expressions of these metabolic enzymes were elevated and the glycolytic activity was promoted in recipient cancer cells. In conclusion, our data suggested that exosomes from irradiated lung cancer cells regulated the motility of recipient cells by accelerating glycolytic process, where exosomal ALDOA and ALDH3A1 proteins were important signaling factors.BACKGROUND Evidence suggests that informal caregivers who are providing care for seniors with dementia experience daily stressors due to their demanding caregiving roles. Current research recognizes the positive impact of mindfulness on caregivers' well-being. However, there is an existing gap in the current literature about informal caregivers' own perceptions and understanding of mindfulness intervention. OBJECTIVE To address this gap, this pilot study aims to explore informal caregivers' experience of a single mindfulness session and the feasibility of mindfulness to be integrated into their daily lives. METHODS Six informal caregivers who are providing care for seniors living with dementia participated in this qualitative descriptive study. Thematic analysis was used to derive themes to understand the participants' experience of a brief mindfulness session. RESULTS The findings of the study generated five major themes (1) Comparison of mindfulness with other relaxation techniques; (2) Single mindfulness session as a social learning opportunity; (3) Positive impact of practicing mindfulness; (4) Perception about barriers to practicing mindfulness; and (5) Perception of self-efficacy to practice mindfulness in the future. DISCUSSION The study participants perceived mindfulness to be beneficial for their overall well-being. In addition, as participants were beginners of mindfulness, they considered mindfulness technique to be easy to learn through single practice session and feasible to be integrated into their daily lives. CONCLUSION This qualitative study highlights that as little as brief 15 min of mindfulness session is perceived positively by informal caregivers. There is a need for further research on the long-term outcomes of practicing mindfulness among informal caregivers of seniors.