The Effectiveness of Depression Treatment for Adults with ESKD: A Systematic Review.

Adults with dialysis-dependent ESKD experience higher rates of depression than the general population, yet efficacy of depression treatments in this population is not well understood. We conducted a systematic review of the benefits and harms of depression treatment in adults with ESKD. We searched multiple data sources through June 2020 for English-language, controlled trials that compared interventions for depression in adults with ESKD to another intervention, placebo, or usual care, and reported depression treatment-related outcomes. Observational studies were included for harms. Two investigators independently screened all studies using prespecified criteria. One reviewer abstracted data on study design, interventions, implementation characteristics, and outcomes, and a second reviewer provided confirmation. Two reviewers independently assessed study quality and resolved any discords through discussion or a third reviewer. Strength of evidence (SOE) was assessed and agreed upon by review-team consensus. We qualitatively analyzed the data and present syntheses in text and tables. We included 26 RCTs and three observational studies. SSRIs were the most studied type of drug and the evidence was largely insufficient. We found moderate SOE that long-term, high-dose vitamin D3 is ineffective for reducing depression severity. Cognitive behavioral therapy is more effective than (undefined) psychotherapy and placebo for depression improvement and quality of life (low SOE), and acupressure is more effective than usual care or sham acupressure in reducing depression severity (low SOE). There is limited research evaluating treatment for depression in adults with ESKD, and existing studies may not be generalizable to adults in the United States. Studies suffer from limitations related to methodologic quality or reporting. More research replicating studies of promising interventions in US populations, with larger samples, is needed. Systematic Review registry name and registration number: PROSPERO, CRD42020140227.

Depression Screening Tools for Patients with Kidney Failure: A Systematic Review.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Patients with kidney failure experience depression at rates higher than the general population. Despite the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services' ESRD Quality Incentive Program requirements for routine depression screening for patients with kidney failure, no clear guidance exists. DESIGN, SETTING, PARTICIPANTS, & MEASUREMENTS: For this systematic review, we searched MEDLINE, PsycINFO, and other databases from inception to June 2020. Two investigators screened all abstracts and full text. We included studies assessing patients with kidney failure and compared a tool to a clinical interview or another validated tool (e.g., Beck Depression Inventory II). We abstracted data related to sensitivity and specificity, positive and negative predictive value, and the area under the curve. We evaluated the risk of bias using the Quality Assessment of Diagnostic Accuracy Studies 2. RESULTS: A total of 16 studies evaluated the performance characteristics of depression assessment tools for patients with kidney failure. The Beck Depression Inventory II was by far the best studied. A wide range of thresholds were reported. Shorter tools in the public domain such as the Patient Health Questionnaire 9 and Geriatric Depression Scale 15 (adults over 60) performed well but were not well studied. Short tools such as the Beck Depression Inventory-Fast Screen may be a good option for an initial screen. CONCLUSIONS: There is limited research evaluating the diagnostic accuracy of most screening tools for depression in patients with kidney failure, and existing studies may not be generalizable to US populations. Studies suffer from limitations related to methodology quality and/or reporting. Future research should target widely used, free tools such as the Patient Health Questionnaire 2 and the Patient Health Questionnaire 9. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRY NAME AND REGISTRATION NUMBER: Systematic Review Registration: PROSPERO CRD42020140227.

Physiological responses to violence reported in the news.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relation between watching the news and activation of the autonomic nervous system. A questionnaire was completed, and a saliva sample was collected from each of 33 participants before and after viewing a news and then a comedy clip. After exposure to the news, cortisol levels did not increase; participants reported a significant decrease in joy and an increase in restlessness. Participants reported a significant decrease in tiredness, sadness, irritation, anxiety, and restlessness, and an increase in relaxation and joy after exposure to the comedy clip. Higher rates of reported stress in the past month were associated with significantly higher rates of reported feeling cold, trembling, close to tears, sweaty palms, difficulty breathing, and restlessness. The implications of the study and directions for research are discussed.