Active clinical trials for "Kidney Diseases"

People with kidney transplants often develop bone disease. One reason for bone disease may be overactivity of a gland in the neck called the parathyroid gland. Overactivity of the parathyroid gland may be caused by lack of Vitamin D in the body. It has recently been discovered that many patients with kidney transplants have low Vitamin D levels. The investigators are examining the effects of doxercalciferol on parathyroid hormone levels, proteinuria and bone turnover markers in people who have had a kidney transplant.

In recent years, diabetic nephropathy, which may lead to dialysis treatment, is the most prevalent underlying disease of people in developed countries. A wide range of studies have been carried out, from various points of view, to understand the progress of renal dysfunction in diabetic nephropathy. The endogenous nitric oxide synthase (NOS) inhibitor asymmetric dimethylarginine (ADMA) is elevated in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) and may have a role in the cardiovascular mortality and morbidity of these patients. In diabetic nephropathy, high ADMA levels were related to progression of diabetic nephropathy. The Fas (CD95) antigen is a cell surface polypeptide belonging to the tumor necrosis factor receptor (TNF-R) family (type I membrane protein) that transduces a death signal after interaction with its ligand. Apoptotic cells are then recognized and removed by phagocytes. Recent studies suggest that, in uremic patients, peripheral blood mononuclear cells undergo accelerated apoptosis and this correlates with Fas levels. There is no data about the effects of Renin angiotensin system blockage (RAS) on CD95 and ADMA levels in diabetic patients with proteinuria. The aim of this study was to find out whether the beneficial effects of RAS blockage in diabetic proteinuria has any relation with the alteration of ADMA and CD95levels. The investigators searched for the effects of ACE inhibitor ramipril on the clinical and laboratory parameters of diabetic patients with proteinuria.

There has been an exponential growth in the number of people with Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) needing dialysis or transplantation, increasing from 209,000 in 1991 to 472,000 in 2004. This is highly concerning due to both the human cost and the burden that it represents to the health care system. Recent comparison of the NHANES surveys showed that CKD prevalence increased from 10% in 1988-1994 to 13% in 1999-2004. Patients with CKD are more likely to die from premature cardiovascular death than to reach ESRD. In those that reach ESRD, cardiovascular disease (CVD) accounts for over half of the deaths in dialysis. The prevalence of CKD for the VA population is 20%, and 31.6% for diabetics, higher than in the general population. These observations emphasize the need of risk stratification, early detection, and prevention efforts with respect to CKD progression and the CVD burden that afflicts CKD through targeted interventions in high-risk groups (personalized medicine). CKD is multifactorial, however familial aggregation of end-stage renal disease (ESRD) and CKD have been reported for all types of nephropathy underscoring "kidney disease genetic susceptibility ". Genetic predisposition to ESRD is stronger in African Africans. African Americans with a first-degree relative with ESRD have a 9-fold increase risk of ESRD vs. a 3-5 fold increase in whites. Studies consistently show that CKD is an inflammatory process and that biomarkers of inflammation increase since early stages of CKD. CVD is also an inflammatory process, and genes that affect inflammation are associated with higher risk of CVD. Since inflammation is a common denominator of both disease processes (CKD and CVD), it is likely that genes that govern inflammation may be involved in both, the predisposition to CKD and the burden of CVD attributable to CKD. Additionally if inflammation plays a central role in the burden of CVD in CKD than drugs that modulate inflammation should impact both: CKD progression and non-traditional CV risk factors and CVD. The overall goal of this proposal is to study genetic predisposition to CKD, and CVD risk in CKD through inflammatory pathways, and the effect that a potent anti-inflammatory intervention like interleukin 1 receptor antagonist (IL-1ra), will have in inflame patients with CKD stages 3&4. Specific Aims: 1) To determine if specific polymorphism/haplotypes, genotype combinations and gene-environmental interactions that can affect inflammation, available from the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (DNA data set), specifically in the CRP,IL-1, IL-10 and TNF- genes, are associated with CKD. 2) To determine if the specific polymorphisms and haplotypes studied in Aim 1 are associated with faster CKD progression and CV outcomes in a longitudinal cohort from the African American Study of Kidney Disease. 3)To determine if a targeted anti-inflammatory intervention, an IL-1 receptor antagonist, will modulate systemic inflammation, endothelial function, oxidative stress and urinary cytokines, the proposed surrogate markers of CVD and CKD progression in inflame patients with CKD stages 3&4.

The study is about possible protective effects of paricalcitol (Zemplar) upon inflammation, blood pressure and kidney function. Kidney Inflammation occurs when white blood cells become abnormally stimulated and accumulate in the kidney and cause damage to the kidney. The purpose of this study is to determine if paricalcitol helps improve kidney injury, blood pressure control and kidney function in patients with chronic kidney disease. The study will last about 7 weeks and involves about 8 visits to the medical center.

a statement of the study hypothesis:the effect of valsartan in patients with IgA nephropathy have been proved,and the efficacy of probucol in combination with valsartan is to be proved in patients with IgA nephropathy. This is a prospective randomized controlled, double blinded pilot study to identify the efficacy of probucol in combination with valsartan in patients with IgA nephropathy. The renal function deterioration will be the primary outcome studied. The expected study duration will be 36 months.

Open-label, randomized study of NESP in pediatric subjects 18 years of age or younger. Subjects will receive study drug (NESP or rHuEPO) for 28 weeks after a 2 week screening and baseline period. During the study, procedures include bloodwork for laboratory assessments and vital signs. Dose titration determined by hemoglobin values taken weekly during the study. Antibody samples taken at baseline and during the end of study assessments. A physical examination and laboratory tests will conclude the study.

This study's purpose is to evaluate the long-term safety of open-label tolvaptan regimens to determine the maximally-tolerated dose and acquire pilot efficacy data in patients with autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD).

This study will assess the optimal renoprotective dose of Aliskiren in hypertensive type 2 diabetes patients with incipient or overt nephropathy

To compare the efficacy of Fosrenol (Lanthanum carbonate) and sevelamer hydrochloride in the reduction of serum phosphorus levels from baseline.

This 2 arm study will compare the effect on hemoglobin response of Mircera and epoetin beta, in patients with chronic renal anemia who are on dialysis. Eligible patients will be randomized to receive either Mircera (0.4 micrograms/kg i.v. every 2 weeks) or epoetin beta (3 times weekly, according to approved labelling). The anticipated time on study treatment is 3-12 months, and the target sample size is 100-500 individuals.