Survival after Acute Hemodialysis in Pennsylvania, 2005- 2007: A Retrospective Cohort Study

Abstract Background: Little is known about acute hemodialysis in the US. Here we describe predictors of receipt of acute hemodialysis in one state and estimate the marginal impact of acute hemodialysis on survival after accounting for confounding due to illness severity

The Type IV Pilus Assembly Complex: Biogenic Interactions among the Bundle-Forming Pilus Proteins of Enteropathogenic Escherichia coli

Production of type IV bundle-forming pili (BFP) by enteropathogenic Escherichia coli (EPEC) requires the protein products of 12 genes of the 14-gene bfp operon. Antisera against each of these proteins were used to demonstrate that in-frame deletion of individual genes within the operon reduces the abundance of other bfp operon-encoded proteins. This result was demonstrated not to be due to downstream polar effects of the mutations but rather was taken as evidence for protein-protein interactions and their role in the stabilization of the BFP assembly complex. These data, combined with the results of cell compartment localization studies, suggest that pilus formation requires the presence of a topographically discrete assembly complex that is composed of BFP proteins in stoichiometric amounts. The assembly complex appears to consist of an inner membrane component containing three processed, pilin-like proteins, BfpI, -J, and -K, that localize with BfpE, -L, and -A (the major pilin subunit); an outer membrane, secretin-like component, BfpB and -G; and a periplasmic component composed of BfpU. Of these, only BfpL consistently localizes with both the inner and outer membranes and thus, together with BfpU, may articulate between the Bfp proteins in the inner membrane and outer membrane compartments

Independent predictors of receipt of acute hemodialysis, Pennsylvania 2005–2007.^a

a<p>Based on the full sample.</p

Unadjusted survival among patients with and without acute hemodialysis, Pennsylvania 2005–2007.

<p>Kaplan-Meier survival curves for patients who did and did not receive acute hemodialysis, with 95% confidence intervals.</p

Sample selection process.

<p>PPD - predicted probability of death in-hospital, calculated from key clinical findings at admission; tx - transplant; CKD - chronic kidney disease; ESRD - end-stage renal disease.</p

Adjusted survival among propensity-score matched patients with and without acute hemodialysis, Pennsylvania 2005–2007.

<p>Cox-adjusted survival curves with covariate adjustment for patients who did and did not receive acute hemodialysis after matching on propensity to receive acute hemodialysis. Variables included in covariate risk adjustment included age; female sex; black race; insurance with Medicare or private insurance vs. no insurance; insurance with Medicaid and/or Medicare vs. no insurance; MediQual predicted probability of death; and the top 25 Clinical Classification Software admission diagnoses for people who received acute hemodialysis, with the exception of hypertension with complications and secondary hypertension (#6) and peripheral and visceral atherosclerosis (#25), which were dropped in the model selection phase.</p