Chronic Kidney Diseases Clinical Trials

The risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) is significantly elevated in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD). Notably, women with CKD commonly experience menstrual disturbances induced by CKD, which may contribute to impaired vascular function and elevated CVD risk. However, most of the literature in the field of nephrology focuses on male patients, and studies on women's vascular health are limited. Moreover, endogenous sex hormones, particularly estradiol, are well-documented to be cardioprotective in women without CKD; however, the role of sex hormones on vascular function in women with CKD remains unclear. The goals of the proposed project are: 1) to evaluate vasuclar function in pre- and post-menopausal women with CKD vs. age-matched healthy women; 2) to evaluate sex hormone concentrations and determine whether they associate with vascular function in the proposed cohort; and 3) to gain mechanistic insight on the association between sex hormones and vascular dysfunction in the proposed cohort. Read Less

The risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) is significantly elevated in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD). Notably, women with CKD commonly experience menstrual disturbances induced by CKD, which may contribute to impaired vascular function and elevated CVD risk. However, most of the literature in nephrology focuses on male patients, and studies on women's vascular health are limited. Establishing effective therapies for improving vascular function and reducing CVD risk in women with CKD is a high research priority of the NIH. Equol contributes to improvement in vascular function, mediated in part by its anti-oxidative and anti-inflammatory properties. However, there is no information on the effect of equol on vascular function in women with CKD. The goal of the proposed project is to determine the acute effect (1 hour after ingestion) of oral equol supplementation on vascular function in postmenopausal women with and without CKD. Read Less

The LINKED- HEARTS Program is a multi-level project that intervenes at the practice level by linking home blood pressure monitoring (HBPM) with a telemonitoring platform (Sphygmo). The program incorporates team-based care by including community health workers (CHWs) and pharmacists to improve the outcomes of multiple chronic conditions (reduced blood pressure (BP), lower blood sugar, and improved kidney function). The LINKED-HEARTS Program will recruit a total of 600 adults with uncontrolled hypertension (BP ≥ 140/90 mm Hg) AND either type 2 diabetes or chronic kidney disease (CKD) across 16 community health centers or primary care practices serving high-risk adults. This cluster-randomized trial consists of two arms: (1) enhanced "usual care arm," wherein patients will be provided with Omron 10 series home BP monitors and will be managed by the patients' primary care clinicians as usual; and (2) the "intervention arm" which will integrate HBPM telemonitoring, a CHW intervention and provider-level interventions into the usual clinical care to improve BP control and provide support for self-management of chronic conditions. The study pharmacist will conduct telehealth, use the Sphygmo app and the Pharmacist Patient Care Process to collaborate with other providers to optimize pharmacologic therapy to improve hypertension outcomes and with payors to ensure consistent access to drug therapy. Read Less

Calciphylaxis, a vascular calcification disorder, is a rare and serious disorder characterized by calcification of dermal arterioles. There are significant gaps in the understanding of the pathophysiology and risk factors for calciphylaxis. At present, there is no effective treatment. Uncertain pathobiology, rare incidence and lack of collaborative approach have been some of the major limiting factors towards treating calciphylaxis. The Partners Calciphylaxis Biorepository (PCB) aims to address these gaps within calciphylaxis research by utilizing existing and, when necessary, developing new infrastructure to support the consent of patients and the collection of dedicated samples for a calciphylaxis repository. Read Less

This is a pilot clinical trial of oral iron therapy in children with chronic kidney disease (CKD) and mild anemia. Eligible children will be randomized into a standard of care (iron sulfate) arm vs. no iron therapy arm for 3 months. The outcomes will include muscle strength, physical activity, and changes in eating behavior, which will be measured at enrollment and at the end of the study period. Read Less

More than 80% of individuals with chronic kidney disease have concomitant hypertension and the majority fail to achieve blood pressure control <130/80 mmHg, leading to high risk of cardiovascular diseases and end-stage kidney disease. A stepwise combination of lifestyle modifications and drug therapy is recommended to lower blood pressure; however, adherence to time-intensive lifestyle interventions such as aerobic exercise in patients with chronic kidney disease is poor. This clinical trial seeks to establish the efficacy of high-resistance inspiratory muscle strength training, a novel time-efficient lifestyle intervention, for lowering systolic blood pressure and improving endothelial function in midlife and older adults with moderate-to-severe chronic kidney disease and inadequately controlled hypertension, and to use innovate translational assessments to understand the mechanisms involved. Read Less

Infants born preterm and of low birth weight are known to be at increased risk for early onset of cardiovascular and renal disease in adult life. This has been related to low nephron mass due to inadequate or early termination of glomerulogenesis in utero and during the perinatal period. Risks for subsequent development of hypertension and kidney disease include proteinuria, excessive weight gain during early life with insulin resistance and supplemental high calorie feedings. The long-term goal is for early diagnosis of those infants who are at risk for future development of hypertension and kidney disease so that the investigators might intervene to potentially avert progression to adult disease. The objective of this clinical trial is to acquire data on the natural history of neonatal kidney function and size in infants born preterm during the first 2 years of life. This will be done through the use of standard serum and urine markers as well as non-invasive ultrasound technology. The central hypothesis of this clinical trial is that a subgroup of patients born preterm and of low birth weight will demonstrate early markers of kidney injury including elevated serum cystatin C, proteinuria and low kidney size. This hypothesis has been formulated on the basis of preliminary data from our group studying this question retrospectively in older children born prematurely who have developed overt kidney disease. The rationale for the proposed research is to develop early serum and demographic markers of pre-clinical kidney disease so that early intervention can occur. The proposed clinical trial is innovative because it will investigate the risk factors for kidney dysfunction at a pre-clinical stage with the idea of gaining more knowledge regarding therapeutic interventions. In addition, the study will assess serum cystatin C as a surrogate test for glomerular filtration rate which could indicate worsening kidney function at an earlier stage than serum creatinine. The proposed research is significant because it is expected to identify at-risk patients for future renal impairment and to prospectively monitor the persistence of proteinuria and its effect on kidney function in the short term. Read Less

This study will test whether mindfulness meditation (MM) improves sympathetic function in chronic kidney disease (CKD) and whether transcutaneous vagus nerve stimulation (tVNS) optimizes the sympatho-inhibitory effects of mindfulness meditation (MM) and restores autonomic balance in CKD patients. Read Less

The overall goal of the study is to determine if treatment of a Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) improves the outcomes of patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD). We showed that MDD is present in 25% of CKD patients and independently associated with progression to End-Stage Kidney Disease, hospitalization, and death. Depression is also associated with lower quality of life (QOL), fatigue, poor sleep, and non-adherence to diet and medications. However, evidence for efficacy and tolerability of commonly-used antidepressant medications or nonpharmacologic treatments are limited in CKD patients. Our group was the first to conduct a double-blind randomized controlled trial for MDD treatment in 201 patients with non-dialysis CKD, and showed that sertraline, a commonly used selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI), was no more efficacious than placebo for improving depressive symptoms. It becomes imperative to test novel strategies to treat MDD in CKD. We propose to compare with a control group, the efficacy and tolerability of two novel treatment strategies - (1) Behavioral Activation Teletherapy (BAT) for 16 weeks, with the addition of bupropion, a non-SSRI antidepressant, at 8 weeks for patients whose depression has not remitted (non-remitters); and (2) bupropion for 16 weeks, with the addition of BAT at 8 weeks for non-remitters. In Aim 1, we will investigate the efficacy and tolerability of these 2 strategies vs. control for improvement in a primary endpoint of depressive symptoms in 201 patients (67 per group) with non-dialysis CKD stages 3b-5 and MDD at 2 sites, randomized 1:1:1 to either strategy or a control group of Clinical Management plus placebo. We hypothesize that either approach vs. control will result in a minimal clinically important difference of 2 points improvement in depressive symptoms, as ascertained blindly by the Quick Inventory of Depressive Symptomatology. In Aim 2 we will investigate the efficacy and tolerability of 8 weeks of (1) single-blind BAT plus placebo or (2) double-blind bupropion plus Clinical Management vs. control for improvement in depressive symptoms. In Aim 3, we will compare the efficacy of these 2 treatments strategies vs. control for improvement in CKD patient-centered outcomes including a. adherence to medications and healthcare visits; b. fatigue; c. sleep; and d. overall functioning. A clinical trial is urgently needed to address the evidence gap that exists for MDD treatment in CKD patients. Read Less

Treatment of renal osteodystrophy is impeded by the lack of practical and accurate tools to determine underlying bone turnover. Gold standard bone biopsy is not practical in the clinic for the vast majority of kidney disease patients and parathyroid hormone and bone alkaline phosphatase have insufficient accuracy for turnover type to safely and confidently guide treatment of renal osteodystrophy. In the present investigation, the investigators will study a microRNA approach as a novel non-invasive biomarker of turnover for renal osteodystrophy. Read Less

The purpose of this study is to establish if concomitant renal and vascularized urinary bladder allograft transplantation is feasible. Read Less

The overarching goal of this proposal is to test the feasibility and preliminary efficacy of a basic needs navigation intervention on improving clinical outcomes, self-care behaviors and quality of life in low-income African Americans with diabetic kidney disease (DKD) experiencing multidimensional adversity. The study objective will be achieved with the following aims: Aim 1: To determine the feasibility of a basic needs navigation intervention as measured by recruitment, session attendance and retention in low-income Africans Americans with DKD experiencing multidimensional adversity. Aim 2: To test the preliminary efficacy of a basic needs navigation intervention on clinical outcomes (hemoglobin A1c, blood pressure, lipids) in low-income Africans Americans with DKD experiencing multidimensional adversity. Hypothesis 1: Individuals randomized to the basic needs navigation intervention will have improved HbA1c at 6 months of follow-up compared to an enhanced usual care group. Hypothesis 2: Individuals randomized to the basic needs navigation intervention will have improved blood pressure at 6 months of follow-up compared to an enhanced usual care group. Hypothesis 3: Individuals randomized to the basic needs navigation intervention will have improved lipids at 6 months of follow-up compared to an enhanced usual care group. Aim 3: To test the preliminary efficacy of a basic needs navigation intervention on self-care behaviors and quality of life (SF-12) in low-income Africans Americans with DKD experiencing multidimensional adversity. Hypothesis 1: Individuals randomized to the basic needs navigation intervention will have improved self-care behaviors at 6 months of follow-up compared to an enhanced usual care group. Hypothesis 2: Individuals randomized to the basic needs navigation intervention will have improved quality of life at 6 months of follow-up compared to an enhanced usual care group. Read Less