Pediatric Kidney Disease

The goal of this study is to learn if a clinical trial of sodium-glucose co-transporter 2 inhibitors (SGLT2i) is possible in youth with chronic kidney disease (CKD). The investigators also plan to explore whether treatment with SGLT2i (Empagliflozin) helps improve risk factors for worsening kidney and heart disease. The main questions are: 1. Is enrolling 40 youth with CKD into a clinical trial of empagliflozin feasible (ie achievable)? 2. Does taking empagliflozin for 3 months result in positive changes in blood, urine, and heart function tests? Participants will be randomly selected (like flipping a coin) to either receive empagliflozin or not start treatment with empagliflozin and remain on their usual care. Study Procedures Include * For participants randomly selected for treatment, take empagliflozin once daily for 3 months * Phone calls with researchers every 2 weeks for check-ins * For participants taking empagliflozin, clinic visits 4 and 8 weeks after starting for check-ups and tests * All study participants will have clinic visits at the beginning and end (3 months) where researchers will collect information about their health and perform tests

Studying the causal roles of components of the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system (including angiotensin-(1-7) (Ang-(1-7)), angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2), Ang II, and ACE), uric acid, and klotho in pediatric hypertension and related target organ injury, including in the heart, kidneys, vasculature, and brain. Recruiting children with a new hypertension diagnosis over a 2-year period from the Hypertension and Pediatric Nephrology Clinics affiliated with Brenner Children's Hospital at Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist and Atrium Health Levine Children's Hospital. Healthy control participants will be recruited from local general primary care practices. Collecting blood and urine samples to analyze components of the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system (Ang-(1-7), ACE2, Ang II, ACE), uric acid, and klotho, and measuring blood pressure, heart structure and function, autonomic function, vascular function, and kidney function at baseline, year 1, and year 2. Objectives are to investigate phenotypic and treatment response variability and to causally infer if Ang-(1-7), ACE2, Ang II, ACE, uric acid, and klotho contribute to target organ injury due to hypertension.

1. The aim of this study is to assess anxiety in pediatric patients preoperatively, perioperatively, and postoperatively and whether meditation reduces anxiety in the days before, during, and after the surgery. 2. The second aim of this study is to see if longitudinal meditation is associated with decreased postoperative pain by examining whether the group prescribed meditation has reduced pain medication intake, measured by the frequency of liquid analgesic medicine intake.

The hereditary type IV collagen disease Alport syndrome leads to kidney failure early in life. Currently there are no specific medications approved for treatment, however, several therapies have been evaluated preclinically and could improve outcome. For that reason, this non-interventional, observational study investigates, if medications (1) delay disease progression; (2) delay time to kidney failure; (3) improve life-expectancy compared to untreated patients (relatives). This observational study started in 2006 as an European registry. Since 2019, this registry has been expanded to "Alport XXL" via the International Alport Alliance as a global effort across all continents. From 2020 on to present, "Alport XXL" has a special focus on the outcomes of early therapy in young patients on ACE-inhibitors vs. Angiotensin-receptor blockers vs. their combination.

Currently, the monitoring of children receiving a kidney transplantation includes surveillance biopsies to detect subclinical rejection and signs of toxicity of immunosuppressive drugs (tacrolimus). The hypothesis of the study is that the combination of non-invasive biomarkers (Donor-derived cell-free DNA and Virus-specific T cells) will allow both the safe discontinuation of surveillance biopsies and the personalization of the exposure to calcineurin inhibitors among pediatric kidney transplant recipients.