Active clinical trials for "Kidney Diseases"

African Americans are less likely than Whites to receive kidney transplants, despite their being more than two-fold as likely as Whites to develop end stage renal disease (ESRD). Living related kidney donation (LD) offers patients an opportunity to bypass many barriers to receipt of deceased kidney transplants (e.g. waiting lists and immunological incompatibility), but minorities are less likely to receive living related kidney transplants (LRT). Evidence suggests African Americans may not discuss LD/LRT with their families or physicians at optimal rates, and thus may not have adequate information to initiate or participate in shared decision-making regarding LD/LRT. African Americans may also have financial concerns regarding convalescence and out of pocket expenses related to LD/LRT, another barrier impeding LD/LRT. The primary goals of this study are to overcome these important barriers by enhancing ethnic minorities' consideration of LD/LRT through the promotion of shared decision-making regarding LD/LRT and provision of financial assistance for out of pocket expenses. The investigators specific aims are: a) to develop culturally sensitive informational (audiovisual) and financial interventions and b) to perform a randomized controlled trial to assess their effectiveness in increasing pursuit of LD/LRT among African American patients with ESRD and their families. The investigators hypothesize: (1) Patients and families who view informational materials designed to promote shared decision-making regarding LD/LRT will be more likely than patients and families not viewing these materials to discuss LD/LRT with family and with health care professionals. Patients and families viewing such informational materials will also be more likely than those not viewing these materials to pursue and complete the LD/LRT process and (2) patients and their families who are offered the intervention to promote shared decision-making plus a financial assistance intervention for potential live kidney donors will be more likely than patients and families not offered both interventions to pursue and complete the LD/LRT process.

The purpose of this study is to demonstrate therapeutic equivalence of subcutaneous (SC) Epoetin Hospira compared to SC Epogen (Amgen), based on maintenance of hemoglobin (Hb) levels and study drug dose requirements in patients treated for anemia associated with chronic renal failure and on hemodialysis.

Primary Objective: To assess the tolerability and safety of repeated oral ascending doses of SAR407899A in patients with moderate chronic kidney disease (CKD) on stable angiotensin converting enzyme-inhibitor (ACE-I) Secondary Objectives: To assess in patients with moderate CKD the effect of concomitant multiple dose of SAR407899A and ACE-Is on office and 24-hr ambulatory blood pressure and heart rate The effect of repeated multiple doses of SAR407899A on the pharmacodynamic response to ACE-Is (AcSDKP) The pharmacokinetic profile of repeated oral administration of SAR407899A during co-administration of ACE-Is

Alemtuzumab is a man-made antibody used to treat certain blood disorders. This study will evaluate treatment of kidney transplant recipients with alemtuzumab and other immune system suppressing medications with or without infusions of bone marrow stem cells from the kidney donor. The purpose of this study is to find out which strategy is more effective in preventing organ rejection and maintaining patient health.

This trial is conducted in Europe. Objective(s): To evaluate the effect of human growth hormone on infants aged 1 to 2 years with chronic renal insufficiency (CRI) and growth retardation despite an adequate dietary intake. Trial Design: This is an open, parallel group clinical trial with a duration of one year, in which period 50% of patients will receive GH treatment and the other 50% will act as a control group, without treatment. Trial Population: The trial will involve a total of 16 infants aged from 12±3 to 24 months suffering chronic renal insufficiency (Glomerular Filtration Rate less than 60 ml/min/1.73 m2), and growth failure and undergoing conservative treatment or peritoneal dialysis. Include the key inclusion and exclusion criteria.

The Frequent Hemodialysis Network (FHN) Daily Trial is a randomized controlled trial recruiting subjects from dialysis units associated with designated Clinical Centers in the U.S. and Canada and followed for 1 year. Subjects will be randomized to either conventional hemodialysis Daily HD delivered for at least 2.5 hours (typically 3 to 4 hours), 3 days per week, or to more frequent hemodialysis delivered for 1.5 - 2.75 hours, 6 days per week. The study has two co-primary outcomes: 1) a composite of mortality with the change over 12 months in left ventricular mass by magnetic resonance imaging, and 2) a composite of mortality with the change over 12 months in the SF-36 RAND physical health composite (PHC) quality of life scale.

End stage renal disease (ESRD) is rapidly growing worldwide. Patients with ESRD have increased morbidity and mortality mostly because of a dramatic excess of cardiovascular disease. Thus, preventing or limiting the progression of chronic nephropathies, in addition to limit the incidence of ESRD, may also postpone death. Drugs that inhibit the renin angiotensin system, such as Angiotensin-Converting-Enzyme inhibitors (ACEi) and Angiotensin II receptor antagonists (ATA), are reno- and cardio-protective in the long-term. There are data that statins,in addition to limit cardiovascular events may have specific reno-protective properties. Thus we designed a study aimed to evaluate whether statins associated to ACEi and ATA may have an additional reno-protective effect. ESPLANADE is a multicenter, prospective, randomized, parallel group study in which, after 2 months treatment with ACEi and ATA, two groups of 90 patients, with or without type 2 diabetes, are randomized to 6 months Fluvastatin (40 or 80 mg/day) treatment YES or NO.Twenty Italian Nephrology Units are involved in the trial. The study is fully coordinated by the Clinical Research Center for Rare Disease Aldo e Cele Daccò, Villa Camozzi, Ranica.

The study is being performed to better understand dialysis techniques which keep heart functions stable during dialysis. People on dialysis have a high risk for heart disease and strokes. More information about dialysis techniques that keep hearts stable may help prevent the high risk of cardiovascular disease and death and help to reduce discomfort during dialysis. This study will look at the way that the magnesium in dialysate affects heart function during dialysis. High or low levels of magnesium may change the way hearts beat. The question asked is if lowering the amount of magnesium in dialysate will affect the amount of magnesium in blood or change the heart beat.

Dialysis patients suffer from many problems with blood vessels and this is even more so for patients with the added complication of diabetes. Diabetics have a number of reasons for vascular disease and one of the new areas of research is looking at the cells that line the blood vessels, called endothelial cells. It is thought that the number of red blood cells in the blood (haemoglobin concentration) affects the function of these cells. There is very little information available on what haemoglobin level is best for dialysis patients. As diabetics account for almost 40% of dialysis patients worldwide it is important to understand the effect different haemoglobin levels will have on the blood vessels. Hypothesis: Endothelial cell function and the related expansile capacity of blood vessels are affected by different haemoglobin concentrations [Hb] in dialysis patients.

This study compares the effect of Ferrlecit® (a form of intravenous iron) to ferrous sulfate (a form of oral iron) in treating anemia and iron deficiency in chronic kidney disease patients who are receiving erythropoietic agents, such as Procrit® and Aranesp®.