View clinical trials related to Chronic Kidney Disease.
Filter by:Phosphate binders are crucial to the control of elevated phosphate levels in patients with chronic kidney disease. With the new formulation of granules the pill burden of patients is sought to be reduced. This study is about efficacy and safety of the new drug formulation and compares it to the "old" formulation which are film-coated tablets.
The purpose of this study is to find out what effect, if any, Low Frequency Therapeutic Ultrasound (LOTUS) has on kidney function in patients with chronic kidney disease.
Chronic kidney disease (CKD) and end-stage renal disease are highly prevalent in Taiwan. Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the most common cause of death in children with CKD. Nitric oxide (NO) deficiency links CKD and CVD. Asymmetric dimethylarginine (ADMA), a NO synthase inhibitor, its level is increased in kidney disease and cardiovascular disease and serves as a methylation biomarker. In addition to ADMA, uremic environment, hyperhomocysteinemia (Hcy) and oxidative stress may affect DNA methylation. S-adenosylmethionine (SAM) is an important human methyl donor. S-adenosylhomocysteine (SAH) is demethylated product. Methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR), a folate metabolism enzyme can regulate methylation pathway. The investigators intend to examine whether ADMA, SAM/SAH ratio, Hcy, and MTHFR gene methylation can serve as biosignature to predict CVD in children with CKD children.
Studies suggest that dietary omega-3 fatty acids influence the extent to which the time interval between each heart beat varies (heart rate variability; HRV). Low HRV is associated with increased risk of sudden cardiac death (SCD). The purpose of this research is to investigate the relationship between 24 hour parameters of HRV and blood omega-3 fatty acid levels in patients who have recently commenced haemodialysis.
The interest on gastrointestinal (GI) dysfunction in CKD has been growing in the last years. it is now accepted that GI dysfunction in dialyzed patients may contribute to systemic microinflammation by promoting gut dysbiosis and bacterial translocation in the blood. Another mechanism by which GI dysfunction contributes to systemic symptoms in CKD is related to metabolic activity of the dysbiotic microflora growing in the gut of these patients to generate toxic compounds such as phenols, indoles, and amines. Epidemiological evidence has strongly linked one of these compounds, p-Cresol, to cardiovascular risk and mortality in CKD. In the present paper the investigators investigated the effect of a probiotic/prebiotic mixture on plasma p-cresol concentrations and GI symptoms and in CKD patients not on dialysis yet.
Anemia is a common complication of chronic kidney disease (CKD). In anemia of chronic kidney disease, patients suffer from low hemoglobin levels, which contribute to feelings of malaise and fatigue. The current accepted practice is often to administer erythropoietin-stimulating agents (ESAs), which act like the body's natural hormones to stimulate the production of red blood cells from bone marrow. Although ESAs are widely used in CKD, recent evidence suggests that they are not as safe as previously thought. In this study, we seek to test a decision aid to be used when a patient visits his or her nephrologist at Vanderbilt. The objective of the decision aid is to reduce patient confusion, improve their satisfaction with their care, improve their knowledge of kidney disease, and ultimately bring more clarity to patients about a controversial but ubiquitous drug. The decision aid will be about 1 page long and will include questions and information that might help the patient be more active and informed regarding the choice of a course of ESA therapy. We will ask patients to answer questions before and after their clinic visits regarding their satisfaction and confidence in their treatment and their knowledge of kidney disease; we will ask some of the same questions 3 months after the clinic visit. We will compare patients who are counseled using the decision aid to patients who are not. We anticipate total experiment running time to be approximately 5 months to recruit and follow up on all patients.
The majority of individuals with advanced ESRD have reduced exercise capacity in part due to decreased muscle mass. This leads to a reduced ability to perform daily activities, a greater incidence of falls, and a reduced quality of life. The mechanisms responsible for the loss of muscle mass in ESRD are not understood very well. This study is designed to determine the effectiveness of an exercise program on improving muscle mass, exercise capacity and quality of life in persons with ESRD. In addition, the study will attempt to better understand why muscle loss occurs in people with ESRD, the influence exercise has on these mechanisms, and whether the response to exercise can be enhanced with nutrient supplementation.
The purpose of the study is to learn more about how treatment with vitamin D can affect iron metabolism and blood levels of two hormones that control iron levels, hepcidin and hemojuvelin in people with chronic kidney disease (CKD). Iron is an essential mineral which is a major component of proteins that carry oxygen in the blood. Problems with iron metabolism can lead to low blood levels (anemia), which can commonly happen in people with CKD. New research over the last decade has uncovered a new hormone called `hepcidin', which is made in the liver and released into the blood. Hepcidin controls how much iron is in the blood by preventing the absorption of iron from food. Blood levels of hepcidin C are found to be high in people with CKD, and a recent small study in people with normal kidney function showed that treatment with vitamin D decreased hepcidin levels. Another protein, known as `hemojuvelin', has been recently discovered and is also thought to control the amount of iron in the blood. The relationship between vitamin D and hemojuvelin has never been studied before. In this study, investigators would like to examine the effects of vitamin D on iron metabolism and blood levels of hepcidin C and hemojuvelin in individuals with CKD.
Cardiovascular disease (disease of the heart and blood vessels) is one of the leading causes of death in Canada. It also carries a financial burden on the Canadian economy with a yearly cost close to $21 billion divided between loss of productivity and healthcare costs. The majority of cardiovascular disease cases (90%) are caused by factors that can be controlled and modified. These factors include high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes (high blood sugar), tobacco smoking, unhealthy diet, obesity, physical inactivity and high alcohol consumption. Such factors are very common and not very well controlled and so individuals who have any of these factors would be at risk of having cardiovascular disease. As such controlling these factors will reduce the risk of having cardiovascular disease and improve the individuals' quality of life. Pharmacists frequently work with patients and their family doctor to provide cardiovascular care. Having a pharmacist involved in cardiovascular care may help patients with cardiovascular disease or at risk of having the disease because they are more accessible and may have more opportunities to educate people about cardiovascular medications. This might lead to better prevention and control of cardiovascular disease. Purpose: The research study will assess if a community pharmacy cardiovascular risk reduction intervention can help reduce cardiovascular risk. Procedure: If the individual has an elevated blood pressure, cholesterol, blood sugar, waist circumference or body weight or is physically inactive, have an unhealthy diet, a smoker or taking medications for any of the previously mentioned conditions, the pharmacist will assess the cardiovascular disease risk [risk of having a cardiovascular event (e.g. heart attack or a stroke)] using a computer program. If the individual is at high risk s/he will be asked to take part in the study. If the individual agrees to take part in the study s/he will be randomly assigned to either the Usual Care Group or the Advanced Care Group. All participants have an equal chance of being assigned to either group. If assigned to the Usual Care Group, the individual will receive the care and services that would normally be provided by the pharmacist. At 3 months, the pharmacist will see the individual who will be offered the Advanced Care at that time. If assigned to the to Advanced Care Group, the individual will be asked to meet with the pharmacist every 3-4 weeks over a 3 month period. During these meetings, the pharmacist will conduct an assessment that may include blood pressure, waist circumference, height and weight measurements and talk to the individual about their cardiovascular risk and medications. The individual and the pharmacist will come up with a plan for how to try to lower his/her cardiovascular risk. The pharmacist will discuss this plan with their family doctor. The individual will be asked to conduct some laboratory tests before the 3 months visit; these tests may include HbA1c (a blood test to measure blood sugar control over the last 3 months) and cholesterol to assess the effect of the intervention on cardiovascular risk.
If primary health-care officers and Villages Health Volunteers (VHVs) be trained to render proper CKD care, it is interesting if their intimate relationship and commitment to their responsible village households will result in better outcomes when compared with the conventional care model as mention above. In this project, we plan to compare the effectiveness of a conventional care program against an integrated multidisciplinary CKD care program provided by nephrologists in conjunction with well-trained paramedical personnel and VHVs on CKD progression.