Cheryl L. Tran, M.D.

The purpose of this post-market surveillance study is to capture data on children who undergo CRRT using the Carpediem™ system. Participating clinicians will manage subjects in accordance to their local standard of care practices and decisions on initiating, modifying or discontinuing CRRT are up to the local investigative team's prescription. 

In childhood nephrotic syndrome, the kidneys leak protein, causing body swelling and a variety of possible complications such as infection, blood clots, and kidney failure. The first-line treatment for nephrotic syndrome is corticosteroids. Many children respond to prednisone treatment, but the disease comes back (relapses) when the prednisone is stopped or the dose is reduced. Children with frequently relapsing or steroid dependent nephrotic syndrome are at risk for toxicity from frequent exposure to corticosteroids. Currently, the standard treatment for frequently relapsing and steroid dependent nephrotic syndrome involves a variety of medications that suppress the immune system, which can produce serious side effects. We propose a study to examine the effects of a different medication, ACTH, on nephrotic syndrome. ACTH is a hormone naturally found in the body. Recently, in adult studies, ACTH has been shown to be effective for the treatment of nephrotic syndrome. It has also been shown to have mild and reversible side effects. ACTH is potentially an attractive therapeutic alternative for the treatment of frequently relapsing and steroid dependent nephrotic syndrome in children. Our study will randomly assign patients with frequently relapsing or steroid dependent nephrotic syndrome to either ACTH treatment or no treatment. This will allow us to study the effects of ACTH on this disease and its side effects, by comparing how patients do on ACTH treatment versus no treatment. We hypothesize that ACTH gel is superior to no treatment in maintaining remission in children with frequently relapsing or steroid dependent nephrotic syndrome.

The study is being done to look for markers in the blood and/or stored kidney biopsy tissue, in patients with a history of childhood onset Membranous Nephropathy. By collecting health information and laboratory samples, our goal is to learn more about membranous nephropathy.

Due to discovery of additional antibodies and antigens (Thrombospondin Type-1 Domain 7A, Semaphorin 3B, Exotosin-1 & 2, Neural epidermal growth factor-like type 1, Protocadherin 7 PCDH7, Protocadherin FAT1, and serine protease HTRA1) in children with MN over the last decade, we would like to expand serological and hisotological testing of these antibodies and antigens in the existing and archived samples to ensure a comprehensive investigation of this disease in the current study.

The purpose of this research study is to learn more about the risks to heart health in children and young adults with nephrotic syndrome. Nephrotic syndrome is a rare kidney condition that can affect children. They may be more likely to develop heart disease, high blood pressure and high cholesterol. We hope that the results of this study will help us to learn which tests should be used to determine which patients are most at risk for developing these illnesses.

The primary goal of this study is to survey pediatric nephrologists to investigate their immunization practices in children with nephrotic syndrome (NS) and to assess the parental knowledge of immunization recommendations.

The purpose of this study is to facilitate quality improvement and description of treatment with this novel dialysis device dedicated to the treatment of infants with AKI or fluid overload.