Translation, cultural adaptation, initial reliability, and validation of the Kidney Disease and Quality of Life-Short Form (KDQOL-SF 1.3) in Turkey.

Health-related quality of life (HRQoL) is an important factor that can interfere with treatment outcomes. The aim of the present study was cultural adaptation, validation, and translation of the Kidney Disease Quality of Life-Short Form (KDQoL-SF 1.3) questionnaire into Turkish for the Turkish population. The KDQOL-SF was translated into Turkish and back-translated into English. Patient difficulties in understanding the questionnaire were evaluated and solved by a panel of experts. Measurement properties such as reliability and validity were determined by applying the questionnaire to 82 patients on dialysis, who were randomly selected from the dialysis units of 3 educational and research hospitals in Istanbul: 65% were females; mean patient age was 51 +/- 12 years. The most common primary causes of renal failure were glomerulonephritis (47%), hypertension (31%), and diabetes (7%). The median time on dialysis among the patients was 3 years. Test and retest methods were used for reliability. The total test-retest reliability Cronbach alpha coefficient of the Turkish KDQOL-SF questionnaire was 0.84 to 0.91. These coefficients were statistically significant (P < .05) for 19 dimensions of the KDQOL-SF that ranged from 0.75 to 0.91. The Cronbach alpha coefficient was higher than 0.80 for most components. To evaluate its construct validity, the KDQOL-SF was compared with the Turkish version of the 15D, an instrument for global assessment that contains 15 items divided into 5 dimensions. The scores range from 0 to 1 (0 = worse health status, 1 = better health status). Significant correlations were observed between the scores of the similar domains of the 15D and the KDQOL-SF. The best correlations were observed between physical functioning (KDQOL-SF) and mobility (15D; r = -.810) and between emotional well-being of (KDQOL-SF), and with the mental functions of 15D; (r = -.784), sexual function (KDQOL-SF) and sexual activity (15D; r = -.781), and patient satisfaction and distress (r = -.801). These findings support the construct validity of the new Turkish adapted KDQOL-SF. This study is reporting the complete process of translation and validation of the KDQOL-SF in the literature. These results demonstrate the high reliability and validity of this questionnaire for Turkish patients on dialysis.

Health-related quality of life after kidney transplantation in comparison intermittent hemodialysis, peritoneal dialysis, and normal controls.

The purpose of this study was to compare the quality of life (QOL) in renal transplantation patients. QOL is one of the important indicators of the effects of medical treatment. In this cross-sectional study, QOL was analyzed in 302 renal transplant recipients compared with 64 hemodialysis (HD) patients, 207 (PD) peritoneal dialysis patients, and 278 normal controls (NC) matched as closely as possible to the grafted patients regarding age, gender, education, and occupation. All groups were asked to estimate their subjective QOL by responding to sociodemographic data, Turkish adapted instruments of the Nottingham Health profile (NHP), and the Short-form 36 (SF-36). Transplant recipients were significantly younger than the HD and PD patients (P < .0001). There was no statistically significant differences between normal controls and transplant patients ages. Among the three renal replacement methods, QOL in transplants was clearly better than that in HD or PD patients (P < .0001). The QOL measured by the NHP and SF-36 scale showed that the normal population was statistically significantly better than the transplant recipients (P < .0001). Transplant renal replacement therapy provides a better QOL compared with other replacement methods.

Inhibition of the renin angiotensin system decreases fibrogenic cytokine expression in tacrolimus nephrotoxicity in rats.

The aim of our study was to investigate the influence of angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibition and angiotensin II receptor blockage on the renal function by light microscopic and immunohistochemical findings in a rat model of tacrolimus nephrotoxicity. Thirty-two male Wistar rats were divided into four groups of eight: G1 = control group; G2-G3, G4 = Tacrolimus (Tac) 1 mg/kg/d intraperitoneally (ip); G3 (Tac + Q) = ip Tac and peroral quinapril 10 mg/kg; and G4 (Tac + V) = Tac and valsartan 40 mg/d. Serum blood urea nitrogen (BUN), creatinine, and creatinine clearance were measured before and at the end of the study period. Renal tissues were assessed for light microscopic findings of tacrolimus toxicity. Transforming growth factor-beta, VEGF, PDGF, BMP-7, and interleukin-6 (IL-6) expression were semiquantitatively scored after immunohistochemical staining. At the end of the study period serum BUN and creatinine levels were increased in all groups, but creatinine clearance was not significantly changed between the groups. Afferent arteriolopathy was significantly less pronounced in G3 versus G2 and G4. Interstial fibrosis was significantly less pronounced in G3 and G4 versus G2. TGF-beta, PDGF, and IL-6 expression were significantly increased in G2, G3, and G4 compared to G1, and in G2 compared to G3 and G4. BMP-7 expression was significantly decreased in G2, G3, and G4 compared to G1, whereas the differences between G2, G3, and G4 failed to reach statistical significance. In conclusion, the results of our study suggested that renin angiotensin inhibition down-regulates fibrogenic cytokine expression in rats displaying tacrolimus nephrotoxicity.

Transforming growth factor-beta1, vascular endothelial growth factor, and bone morphogenic protein-7 expression in tacrolimus-induced nephrotoxicity in rats.

The aim of our study was to investigate transforming growth factor (TGF)-beta1, vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), and bone morphogenic protein-7 (BMP-7) expression in the rat model of chronic tacrolimus (TAC) toxicity compared to healthy controls. Seventeen male Wistar rats were divided into two groups: group 1 animals were healthy controls and Group 2 animals were treated with TAC (1 mg/kg per day intraperitoneally for 8 weeks). At the end of the study period the animals were sacrificed following renal function studies including blood urea nitrogen (BUN), serum creatinine, and creatinine clearance, and renal tissues were examined by light microscopy for the findings of tacrolimus toxicity, specifically for afferent arteriolopathy and interstitial fibrosis. TGF-beta1, VEGF, and BMP-7 expression were assessed by semiquantitative scoring of the immunohistochemically stained specimens. Mean TAC levels were 5.53 +/- 2.38 ng/mL in group 2. BUN, creatinine levels, and creatinine clearance were 57.99 +/- 11.13 vs 39.49 +/- 5.64 mg/dL; 0.60 +/- 0.16 vs 0.65 +/- 0.09 mg/dL; 0.97 +/- 0.39 vs 1.17 +/- 0.32 mL/min in group 2 versus group 1. Only the BUN level was significantly higher in group 2 compared to group 1. Afferent arteriolopathy and interstitial fibrosis were significantly increased in group 2 compared to group 1. TGF-beta1 and VEGF expression was significantly increased while BMP-7 expression was significantly decreased in group 2 versus group 1. In conclusion, our findings suggest that TAC-induced nephrotoxicity is associated with increased TGF-beta1 and VEGF and decreased BMP-7 expression.