Objectives: To develop and validate an English and Kannada version of the questionnaire to assess awareness and knowledge of advance care planning (ACP) among end-stage kidney disease (ESKD) patients, caregivers, and healthcare providers.Methods: The questionnaire was developed from the published literature on ACP use in ESKD setting after a literature search. An expert panel consisting of nephrologists, palliative medicine physicians, ESKD patients, and their family caregivers participated in the content validity of the questionnaire using the Delphi process. The study was conducted between August 2021 and July 2022 at a tertiary care hospital in India. A validated questionnaire was administered to eligible 30 ESKD patients, 30 caregivers, and 10 health care professionals. A retest was carried out 1 week after the first administration.Results: The content validity ratio of patient, caregiver, and health care professions questions ranged from 0.6 to 1 and Cronbach’s α value was 0.737 to 0.925. The intraclass correlation coefficient values for the test–retest of all three sections of this questionnaire varied from 0.879 to 0.972.Significance of results: The developed questionnaire is a reliable and valid method for assessing the preference and knowledge of ACP in ESKD patients, family caregivers, and kidney care providers both in English and Kannada.

Objective: The study was primarily conducted to assess antimicrobial usage, associated factors, and animal health management practices in small-scale household dairy farms in a district of southern India. Materials and Methods: A total of 330 dairy farmers participated in the study, and single-stage cluster sampling was performed, followed by probability proportional to size sampling. A semi-structured, validated questionnaire and a checklist were used to collect the data. Results: Only a few dairy farmers knew about antimicrobials (33%) and antimicrobial resistance (AMR) (10.9%). All 330 dairy farmers were using antimicrobials. The factors that influenced dairy farmers’ decisions to use antimicrobials for their cattle were veterinarian advice (100%), para-veterinarian advice (96.3%), peer influence (31.2%), and previous experience of using antimicrobials (12.4%). None of them were aware of the drug withdrawal period and followed it. Significant differences in completing the full course of antimicrobial treatment as prescribed have been observed with increasing levels of education (p < 0.001). Conclusion: Despite the wide usage of antimicrobials in dairy farms, there was a significant lack of knowledge among dairy farmers regarding antimicrobials and AMR. The study emphasizes the need for targeted educational interventions to improve farmers’ understanding of antimicrobial use and resistance, promote responsible practices, and enhance animal health management.

Accurate dry weight assessment is crucial for hemodialysis (HD) fluid management, yet traditional clinical methods often lack precision. A significant scientific gap exists in the availability of a standardized multimodal framework for integrating objective tools, leaving clinicians without clear guidance on combining results from multiple devices. To address this gap, this narrative review provides a qualitative clinical synthesis of bioimpedance spectroscopy (BIS), lung ultrasound (LUS), and inferior vena cava diameter (IVCD). A structured literature search was conducted across PubMed, Scopus, and CINAHL for English-language studies published between 2012 and 2024. Studies focusing on dry weight assessment using these tools in adult HD patients were included, and findings from 22 core studies were synthesized narratively. BIS and LUS are valuable tools for identifying fluid overload. BIS assesses systemic fluid distribution across compartments, whereas LUS allows non-invasive detection of extravascular lung water. In contrast, IVCD primarily reflects intravascular volume status. While the integrated use of these tools shows potential clinical utility, individual methods, particularly IVCD, require further validation owing to interpatient variability. A multimodal approach that integrates these objective methods with clinical judgment offers a comprehensive evaluation of dry weight. Integrating these assessment strategies may improve outcomes and decision-making in nephrology care.

Background: Patients with end-stage kidney disease (ESKD) often experience significant symptom burden and reduced quality of life (QoL). This study compared these outcomes between hemodialysis (HD) and non-dialysis (ND) ESKD patients in India. Methods: A six-month cross-sectional study was conducted among 247 patients with ESKD aged ≥ 18 years, following Institutional Ethics Committee approval (IEC-214/2021). Symptom burden and QoL were assessed using the Edmonton Symptom Assessment System–Revised: Renal and EuroQol 5-Dimension 5-Level instruments. Results: HD patients reported a higher symptom burden than ND patients (81.3% vs. 65.8%), with fatigue being the most common symptom. They also had greater mobility impairment (63% vs. 45%) and lower EQ-5D-5L utility scores (0.69 ± 0.32 vs. 0.79 ± 0.27), indicating poorer QoL. Older age and lower education were associated with higher symptom burden, while poorer QoL was associated with older age, widowhood, lower education, and longer dialysis vintage (p < 0.05). Symptom burden was moderately correlated with poorer QoL (r = 0.60, p < 0.01). Conclusions: HD patients experience a greater symptom burden and poorer QoL than ND-ESKD patients. Routine symptom assessment and targeted symptom management may improve patient-centered outcomes.