
A Trial of Tolerogenic Immunosuppression in Highly Sensitized Renal Transplant Recipients
Kidney DiseasesComparison between Campath induction and monotherapy with Tacrolimus vs Thymoglobulin induction and triple drug maintenance using Tacrolimus, mycophenolate, and steroids.

Ergocalciferol in Chronic Kidney Disease
Chronic Kidney DiseaseTo examine the effect of ergocalciferol treatment on 25-hydroxyvitamin D and PTH levels in patients with CKD stage 3 and 4

How to Get a Better Dry Weight in End-stage Renal Disease (ESRD) Population for Improving Blood...
Blood PressureEnd Stage Renal Disease1 moreEnd-stage renal disease (ESRD) is a common clinical condition. In this population, the prevalence of systemic hypertension is high and its adequate control can determinate the outcome. The first step for a good control of blood pressure in renal patients is adjusting his/her dry weight. Actually, dry weight is assessed based on clinical examination and blood pressure. The electrical bioimpedance is a simple and portable device. The investigators design a randomized clinical trial for evaluating two ways of getting the best dry weight for hemodialysis patients. A basal 24h ABPM will be taken before the randomization. Then, 2 weeks later the dry weight be revised, the investigators will get a second 24h ABPM.

Study to Evaluate the Effect of Intravenous (IV) Paricalcitol (Zemplar) on Cardiac Morbidity in...
Secondary HyperparathyroidismChronic Kidney Disease Stage V1 moreThe purpose of this study was to ascertain the percentage of cardiac patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) stage 5 treated with paricalcitol IV achieving intact parathyroid hormone (iPTH) levels in target range of Kidney Disease Outcomes Quality Initiative (K/DOQI) treatment guidelines (150 - 300 pg/mL) after 2 years.

Effects of a Reduction in Kidney Function on Cardiovascular Structure and Function: A Prospective...
Chronic Kidney DiseaseStudies of patients with established kidney disease, even when this is mild, appear to show that they are at high risk of heart failure, stroke and sudden cardiac death. This may be because kidney disease causes stiffening of the arteries in the body which means that the heart and brain are damaged by high blood pressure. By studying patients before and after the removal of a kidney (uni-nephrectomy) for transplantation the investigators will find out for the first time in man the effect of an isolated reduction in kidney function on the structure and function of the arteries and heart. Hypotheses. An isolated reduction in GFR occuring after surgical uni-nephrectomy is associated with long term adverse cardiac and vascular effects which include: Increased arterial stiffness and left ventricular mass Abnormalities in left ventricular systolic and diastolic function Increased oxidative stress, inflammation and collagen turnover

A Study Evaluating the Association of Inflammation With Hemodialysis Access Type
End Stage Renal DiseaseInflammationTo determine if the type of hemodialysis vascular access correlates with markers of inflammation, namely C-reactive protein and interleukin-6, and with both access and patient survival in the end stage renal disease population.

Sleep Disturbances as a Risk Factor in Chronic Kidney Disease
Chronic Kidney DiseaseThis study is designed to determine if either short night time sleep or poor night time sleep could be a risk factor for increasing the rate at which kidney function deteriorates in persons with mild to moderate kidney disease.

Calcineurin Inhibitor Minimisation in Renal Transplant Recipients With Stable Allograft Function...
Chronic Allograft NephropathyThe purpose of this trial is to ascertain whether the withdrawal of calcineurin inhibitors (CNI) will lead to less kidney transplant damage when compared with minimisation. The investigators will assess this by comparing the degree of damage on kidney biopsies taken before and after minimisation/withdrawal of CNI.

Protein, Nutrition and Cardiovascular Disease in Stage 5 Chronic Kidney Disease
End Stage Renal DiseaseNational Kidney Foundation guidelines recommend a dietary protein intake of 1.2 grams per kilogram per day (g/kg/d) in hemodialysis patients. However, it is unclear whether consumption of high amounts of protein in dialysis patients has beneficial or harmful nutritional and cardiovascular effects in this population. High protein intake might improve nutritional status, but it has been argued that the state of low muscle mass, small body size and low serum protein levels is not the result of decreased dietary intake, rather a result of hypercatabolism induced by metabolic acidosis, inflammation and oxidative stress. The specific aims of this study are to examine in a prospective cohort of hemodialysis patients the longitudinal associations of absolute total protein intake or dietary protein intake with muscle mass and arterial stiffness.

Intelligent Control Approach to Anemia Management
End-Stage Renal DiseaseFirst clinical evaluation of "Smart Anemia Manager" algorithm.