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Background: CD14 is a key molecule in innate immunity that mediates cell activation and signaling in response to endotoxin and other bacterial wall-derived components. CD14 protein exists in soluble (sCD14) and membrane-bound forms. The correlates of sCD14 in persons undergoing long-term hemodialysis (HD) therapy are not known. We hypothesized that increased sCD14 levels in HD patients are associated with proinflammatory cytokine activation and increased mortality.Study Design: Cohort study.Setting& Participants: 310 long-term HD patients who participated in the Nutritional and Inflammatory Evaluation in Dialysis (NIED) Study, a cohort derived from a pool of more than 3,000 HD outpatients during 5 years in 8 DaVita maintenance dialysis facilities in the South Bay Los Angeles, CA, area.Predictors: sCD14 levels in serum.Outcomes: 33-month mortality.Results: Mean sCD14 level was 7.24 +/- 2.45 microg/mL. Tumor necrosis factor alpha level was the strongest correlate of sCD14 level (r = +0.24; P < 0.001), followed by interleukin 6 level (r = +0.18; P = 0.002), serum ferritin level (r = +0.21; P < 0.001), total iron-binding capacity (r = -0.19; P < 0.001), body mass index (r = -0.15; P = 0.008), vintage (r = +0.14; P = 0.01), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol level (r = +0.13; P = 0.03), and body fat (r = -0.11; P = 0.06). During the 33-month follow-up, 71 (23%) patients died. Multivariable Cox proportional analysis adjusted for case-mix and other nutritional and inflammatory confounders, including serum tumor necrosis factor alpha, C-reactive protein, and interleukin 6 levels, showed that compared with the lowest sCD14 tertile, sCD14 levels in the third tertile (>7.8 microg/mL) were associated with greater death risk (hazard ratio, 1.94; 95% confidence interval, 1.01 to 3.75; P = 0.04).Limitations: Survivor bias in combined incident/prevalent studies.Conclusions: Increased sCD14 level is related positively to markers of inflammation and negatively to nutritional status and is an independent predictor of mortality in long-term HD patients. Additional studies are needed to examine the usefulness of sCD14 level in risk stratification and the clinical decision-making process in HD patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The Malnutrition-Inflammation Score (MIS), an inexpensive and easy-to-assess score of 0 to 30 to examine protein-energy wasting (PEW) and inflammation, includes 7 components of the Subjective Global Assessment, body mass index, and serum albumin and transferrin concentrations. We hypothesized that MIS risk stratification of hemodialysis (HD) patients in predicting outcomes is better than its components or laboratory markers of inflammation.Study Design: 5-Year cohort study.Setting& Participants: We examined 809 stable HD outpatients and followed them for up to 5 years (October 2001 to December 2006).Predictors: MIS and other nutritional and inflammatory markers.Outcomes& Measurements: Prospective all-cause mortality, health-related quality of life using the 36-Item Short Form Health Survey (SF-36), and tests of body composition.Results: The MIS correlated with logarithm of serum interleukin 6 level (r = +0.26; P < 0.001), logarithm of C-reactive protein level (r = +0.16; P < 0.001), and several measures of nutritional status. Patients with a higher MIS had lower SF-36 scores. After multivariate adjustment for case-mix and other measures of PEW, HD patients in the second (3 to 4), third (5 to 7), and fourth (>or=8) quartiles of MIS had worse survival rates than those in the first (0 to 2) quartile (P < 0.001). Each 2-unit increase in MIS was associated with a 2-fold greater death risk, ie, adjusted death hazard ratio of 2.03 (95% confidence interval, 1.76 to 2.33; P < 0.001). Cubic spline survival models confirmed linear trends. Adding MIS to the constellation of age, sex, race/ethnicity, and vintage significantly improved the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve developed for predicting mortality (0.71 versus 0.67; P < 0.001).Limitations: Selection bias and unknown confounders.Conclusions: In HD patients, the MIS is associated with inflammation, nutritional status, quality of life, and 5-year prospective mortality. The mortality predictability of the MIS appears equal to serum interleukin 6 and somewhat greater than C-reactive protein levels. Controlled trials are warranted to examine whether interventions to improve the MIS can also improve clinical outcomes in HD patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A letter to the editor is presented in response to the article "Hemodialyzed type I and type II diabetic patients in the US: characteristics, glycemic control, and survival," in the 2006 issue.

Abstract: Renal transplantation is the best treatment modality for end-stage renal disease (ESRD) patients. In Iran, a living unrelated donor (LURD) transplant program was started in 1988, because of the shortage of living related and cadaver donors. In this study, we evaluated the socioeconomic status of LURD in Iran. We enrolled 478 LURDs from 30 transplant centers between October 2005 and March 2006. The demographic data, education, employment, motivation, and satisfaction status were asked. Economic status was assessed using criteria of the statistics center of Iran. Ninety-six percent of donors were referred from the Kidney Foundation of Iran (KFI). The mean age of the donors was 27 ± 4.8 years and 85% were men (n = 408). Fifty-one percent were smokers, 82% married, and 79% the breadwinner; 29% were unemployed; 2.7%, 90.8%, and 6.5% were illiterate, school graduates, and university graduates, respectively. Coercion was documented for only one donor. Financial issues were the most frequent motive. Among them, 91% were satisfied with the donation. Finally, 53% suggested kidney donation to others. Of donors, 62% were living below the poverty line. In the Iran model, the KFI is a bridge that connects recipients and donors. As a result, there is no middle man or broker introducing donors to recipients. The transplantation team knows nothing about money transactions between recipient and donor. Most donors were satisfied with the donation. However, establishment of a government-regulated program for social support of donors, such as lifelong health insurance may be a compensation for donors. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]