APOL1 Bi- and Monoallelic Variants and Chronic Kidney Disease in West Africans.

BACKGROUND: Apolipoprotein L1 gene (APOL1) variants are risk factors for chronic kidney disease (CKD) among Black Americans. Data are sparse on the genetic epidemiology of CKD and the clinical association of APOL1 variants with CKD in West Africans, a major group in the Black population. METHODS: We conducted a case-control study involving participants from Ghana and Nigeria who had CKD stages 2 through 5, biopsy-proven glomerular disease, or no kidney disease. We analyzed the association of CKD with APOL1 variants among participants with high-risk genotypes (two APOL1 risk alleles) and those with low-risk genotypes (fewer than two APOL1 risk alleles) by fitting logistic-regression models that controlled for covariates, including clinical site, age, and sex. RESULTS: Among 8355 participants (4712 with CKD stages 2 through 5, 866 with glomerular diseases, and 2777 with no kidney disease), the prevalence of monoallelic APOL1 variants was 43.0% and that of biallelic APOL1 variants was 29.7%. Participants with two APOL1 risk alleles had higher odds of having CKD than those with one risk allele or no risk alleles (adjusted odds ratio, 1.25; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.11 to 1.40), as well as higher odds of focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (adjusted odds ratio, 1.84; 95% CI, 1.30 to 2.61). Participants with one APOL1 risk allele had higher odds of having CKD than those with no risk alleles (adjusted odds ratio, 1.18; 95% CI, 1.04 to 1.33), as well as higher odds of focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (adjusted odds ratio, 1.61; 95% CI, 1.04 to 2.48). The inclusion of covariates did not modify the association of monoallelic and biallelic APOL1 variants with CKD or focal segmental glomerulosclerosis. CONCLUSIONS: In this study, monoallelic APOL1 variants were associated with 18% higher odds of CKD and 61% higher odds of focal segmental glomerulosclerosis; biallelic APOL1 variants were associated with 25% higher odds of CKD and 84% higher odds of focal segmental glomerulosclerosis. (Funded by the National Human Genome Research Institute and others.).

Supporting students from underrepresented minority backgrounds in graduate school: A mixed-methods formative study to inform post-baccalaureate design.

The US biomedical research workforce suffers from systemic barriers causing insufficient diversity and perpetuating inequity. To inform programming enhancing graduate program access, we implemented a formative mixed-method study to identify needed supports for program applications and graduate program success. Overall, results indicate value in added supports for understanding application needs, network development, critical thinking, time management, and reading academic/scientific literature. We find selected differences for underrepresented minority (URM) students compared to others, including in the value of psychosocial supports. This work can inform broader efforts to enhance graduate school access and provides foundation for further understanding of URM students' experiences.

Population Pharmacokinetics of Caffeine in Neonates with Congenital Heart Disease and Associations with Acute Kidney Injury.

Cardiac surgery-associated acute kidney injury (CS-AKI) occurs in approximately 65% of neonates undergoing cardiac surgery on cardiopulmonary bypass and contributes to morbidity and mortality. Caffeine may reduce CS-AKI by counteracting adenosine receptor upregulation after bypass, but pharmacokinetics (PK) in this population are unknown. The goal of our analysis is to address knowledge gaps in age-, disease-, and bypass-related effects on caffeine disposition and explore preliminary associations between caffeine exposure and CS-AKI using population PK modeling techniques and an opportunistic, electronic health record-integrated trial design. We prospectively enrolled neonates receiving preoperative caffeine per standard of care and collected PK samples. We retrospectively identified neonates without caffeine exposure undergoing surgery on bypass as a control cohort. We followed US Food and Drug Administration guidance for population PK model development using NONMEM. Effects of clinical covariates on PK parameters were evaluated. We simulated perioperative exposures and used multivariable logistic regression to evaluate the association between caffeine exposure and CS-AKI. Twenty-seven neonates were included in model development. A 1-compartment model with bypass time as a covariate on clearance and volume of distribution best fit the data. Twenty-three neonates with caffeine exposure and 109 controls were included in the exposure-response analysis. Over half of neonates developed CS-AKI. On multivariable analysis, there were no significant differences between CS-AKI with and without caffeine exposure. Neonates with single-ventricle heart disease without CS-AKI had consistently higher simulated caffeine exposures. Our results highlight areas for further study to better understand disease- and bypass-specific effects on drug disposition and identify populations where caffeine may be beneficial.

Cure Glomerulonephropathy Pathology Classification and Core Scoring Criteria, Reproducibility, and Clinicopathologic Correlations.

Introduction: Cure Glomerulonephropathy (CureGN) is an observational cohort study of patients with minimal change disease (MCD), focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS), membranous nephropathy (MN), or IgA nephropathy. We developed a conventional, consensus-based scoring system to document pathologic features for application across multiple pathologists and herein describe the protocol, reproducibility, and correlation with clinical parameters at biopsy. Methods: Definitions were established for glomerular, tubular, interstitial, and vascular lesions evaluated semiquantitatively using digitized light microscopy slides and electron micrographs, and reported immunofluorescence. Cases with curated pathology materials as of April 2019 were scored by a randomly assigned pathologist, with at least 10% of cases scored by a second pathologist. Scoring reproducibility was assessed using Gwet's agreement coefficient (AC)1 statistic and correlations with clinical variables were performed. Results: Of 800 scored biopsies (134 MCD, 194 FSGS, 206 MN, 266 IgA), 94 were scored twice (11.8%). Of 60 pathology features, 46 (76.7%) demonstrated excellent (AC1>0.8), and 12 (20.0%) had good (AC1 0.6-0.8) reproducibility. Mesangial hypercellularity scored as absent, focal, or diffuse had moderate reproducibility (AC1 = 0.58), but good reproducibility (AC1 = 0.71) when scored as absent or focal versus diffuse. The percent glomeruli scored as no lesions had fair reproducibility (AC1 = 0.34). Strongest correlations between pathologic features and clinical characteristics at biopsy included interstitial inflammation, interstitial fibrosis, and tubular atrophy with estimated glomerular filtration rate, foot process effacement with urine protein/creatinine ratio, and active crescents with hematuria. Conclusions: Most scored pathology features showed excellent reproducibility, demonstrating consistency for these features across multiple pathologists. Correlations between certain pathologic features and expected clinical characteristics show the value of this approach for future studies on clinicopathologic correlations and biomarker discovery.

Genetic risk variants for childhood nephrotic syndrome and corticosteroid response.

Introduction: The etiology of most cases of nephrotic syndrome (NS) remains unknown, therefore patients are phenotypically categorized based on response to corticosteroid therapy as steroid sensitive NS (SSNS), or steroid resistant NS (SRNS). Genetic risk factors have been identified for SSNS from unbiased genome-wide association studies (GWAS), however it is unclear if these loci are disease risk loci in other forms of NS such as SRNS. Additionally, it remains unknown if these risk loci are associated with response to therapy. Thus, we investigated the association between SSNS risk loci and therapy response in a large, multi-race cohort of children along the entire spectrum of childhood-onset NS. Methods: We enrolled 1,000 patients with childhood-onset NS comprised of SSNS and SRNS. Genotyping was done using TaqMan and Direct Sanger Sequencing for 9 previously reported childhood SSNS risk loci. We compared the allele frequencies (AF) and variant burden between NS vs. controls and SRNS vs. SSNS. Results: All 9 risk loci were associated with NS compared with healthy controls (p = 3.5 × 10-3-<2.2 × 10-16). Variant burden greater than 7 was associated with risk of SRNS (OR 7.4, 95% CI 4.6-12.0, p = 8.2 × 10-16). Conclusion: Our study showed that genetic risk loci for childhood SSNS are associated with pattern of therapy response, may help predict disease outcome, and set the stage for individualized treatment of NS.

Assessment of the Needs of Nephrology Divisions to Implement Return of Clinically Significant Research Genetic Results: A Survey of Nephrotic Syndrome Study Network (NEPTUNE) Investigators.

Introduction: There is an increasing need to return genetic testing results to patients with kidney disease who were first genotyped on a research basis. Operationalizing this process in nephrology clinics is challenged by a limited number of genetic providers with whom to partner and a general lack of support services for all clinicians. Methods: We administered a survey in March 2022 to assess the current ability and ongoing needs of nephrology divisions to return clinically significant research genetic results to patients and to implement clinical genetic testing. This survey was distributed to institutions within the Nephrotic Syndrome Study Network (NEPTUNE) as part of the planning process for return of research genetic results to participants with pathogenic variants in Mendelian nephrotic syndrome genes. Results: Twenty-seven of 28 sites (96%) completed the survey. 59% (n = 16) of sites said they could handle return of research genetic results independently, with the rest expressing hesitation about the volume and complexity of patients and the limited resources and access to genetics services. 81% (n = 22) of these institutions did have a genetics clinic and 26% (n = 7) have a nephrology genetics clinic. However, 70% (n = 10) of these clinics have a waiting time over 1 month. 89% of divisions (n = 24) were conducting genetic testing and 96% of those (n = 23) used a kidney multi-gene panel. In 46% of divisions (n = 11), nephrologists were handling logistics of obtaining genetic testing samples themselves. Conclusion: We identified specific areas of support needed for return of clinically significant genetic results from research studies. While the surveyed nephrologists were conducting genetic testing, there were limitations in the support services available. This survey will help guide other research studies that wish to return genetic results to participants and also highlight the need for increasing support to effectively operationalize genetic testing in nephrology clinics.

Association of Urine Biomarkers With Acute Kidney Injury and Fluid Overload in Infants After Cardiac Surgery: A Single Center Ancillary Cohort of the Steroids to Reduce Systemic Inflammation After Infant Heart Surgery Trial.

To examine the association between three perioperative urine biomarker concentrations (urine cystatin C [uCysC], urine neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin [uNGAL], and urine kidney injury molecule 1 [uKIM-1]), and cardiac surgery-associated acute kidney injury (CS-AKI) and fluid overload (FO) in infants with congenital heart disease undergoing surgery on cardiopulmonary bypass. To explore how urine biomarkers are associated with distinct CS-AKI phenotypes based on FO status. DESIGN: Ancillary prospective cohort study. SETTING: Single U.S. pediatric cardiac ICU. PATIENTS: Infants less than 1 year old enrolled in the Steroids to Reduce Systemic Inflammation after Infant Heart Surgery trial (NCT03229538) who underwent heart surgery from June 2019 to May 2020 and opted into biomarker collection at a single center. Infants with preoperative CS-AKI were excluded. INTERVENTIONS: None. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Forty infants met inclusion criteria. Median (interquartile) age at surgery was 103 days (5.5-161 d). Modified Kidney Disease Improving Global Outcomes-defined CS-AKI was diagnosed in 22 (55%) infants and 21 (53%) developed FO. UCysC and uNGAL peaked in the early postoperative period and uKIM-1 peaked later. In unadjusted analysis, bypass time was longer, and Vasoactive-Inotropic Score at 24 hours was higher in infants with CS-AKI. On multivariable analysis, higher uCysC (odds ratio [OR], 1.023; 95% CI, 1.004-1.042) and uNGAL (OR, 1.019; 95% CI, 1.004-1.035) at 0-8 hours post-bypass were associated with FO. UCysC, uNGAL, and uKIM-1 did not significantly correlate with CS-AKI. In exploratory analyses of CS-AKI phenotypes, uCysC and uNGAL were highest in CS-AKI+/FO+ infants. CONCLUSIONS: In this study, uCysC and uNGAL in the early postoperative period were associated with FO at 48 hours. UCysC, uNGAL, and uKIM-1 were not associated with CS-AKI. Further studies should focus on defining expected concentrations of these biomarkers, exploring CS-AKI phenotypes and outcomes, and establishing clinically meaningful endpoints for infants post-cardiac surgery.

The case for treatment of monogenic SRNS with calcineurin inhibitors.

Currently, no evidence-based guidelines exist for treatment of children with monogenic steroid-resistant nephrotic syndrome. A retrospective study on 141 patients from Malakasioti et al. revealed that 27.6% responded to calcineurin inhibitor (CNI) treatment, and 75% of responders maintained stable kidney function. Virtually all CNI nonresponders developed progressive loss of kidney function. This study emphasized roles for CNIs in patients with monogenic steroid-resistant nephrotic syndrome, and the need for future studies to identify CNI response biomarkers.

Cytokine storm-based mechanisms for extrapulmonary manifestations of SARS-CoV-2 infection.

Viral illnesses like SARS-CoV-2 have pathologic effects on nonrespiratory organs in the absence of direct viral infection. We injected mice with cocktails of rodent equivalents of human cytokine storms resulting from SARS-CoV-2/COVID-19 or rhinovirus common cold infection. At low doses, COVID-19 cocktails induced glomerular injury and albuminuria in zinc fingers and homeoboxes 2 (Zhx2) hypomorph and Zhx2+/+ mice to mimic COVID-19-related proteinuria. Common Cold cocktail induced albuminuria selectively in Zhx2 hypomorph mice to model relapse of minimal change disease, which improved after depletion of TNF-α, soluble IL-4Rα, or IL-6. The Zhx2 hypomorph state increased cell membrane to nuclear migration of podocyte ZHX proteins in vivo (both cocktails) and lowered phosphorylated STAT6 activation (COVID-19 cocktail) in vitro. At higher doses, COVID-19 cocktails induced acute heart injury, myocarditis, pericarditis, acute liver injury, acute kidney injury, and high mortality in Zhx2+/+ mice, whereas Zhx2 hypomorph mice were relatively protected, due in part to early, asynchronous activation of STAT5 and STAT6 pathways in these organs. Dual depletion of cytokine combinations of TNF-α with IL-2, IL-13, or IL-4 in Zhx2+/+ mice reduced multiorgan injury and eliminated mortality. Using genome sequencing and CRISPR/Cas9, an insertion upstream of ZHX2 was identified as a cause of the human ZHX2 hypomorph state.

Hiding in plain sight: genetics of childhood steroid-resistant nephrotic syndrome in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Steroid-resistant nephrotic syndrome (SRNS) is the most severe form of childhood nephrotic syndrome with an increased risk of progression to chronic kidney disease stage 5. Research endeavors to date have identified more than 80 genes that are associated with SRNS. Most of these genes regulate the structure and function of the podocyte, the visceral epithelial cells of the glomerulus. Although individuals of African ancestry have the highest prevalence of SRNS, especially those from Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), with rates as high as 30-40% of all cases of nephrotic syndrome, studies focusing on the characterization and understanding of the genetic basis of SRNS in the region are negligible compared with Europe and North America. Therefore, it remains unclear if some of the variants in SRNS genes that are deemed pathogenic for SRNS are truly disease causing, and if the leading causes of monogenic nephrotic syndrome in other populations are the same for children in SSA with SRNS. Other implications of this lack of genetic data for SRNS in the region include the exclusion of children from the region from clinical trials aimed at identifying potential novel therapeutic agents for this severe form of nephrotic syndrome. This review underlines a need for concerted efforts to advance the genetic basis of SRNS in children in SSA. Such endeavors will complement global efforts at understanding the genetic basis of nephrotic syndrome.

Update on prognosis driven classification of pediatric AKI.

Acute kidney injury (AKI) affects a large proportion of hospitalized children and increases morbidity and mortality in this population. Initially thought to be a self-limiting condition with uniformly good prognosis, we now know that AKI can persist and progress to acute kidney disease (AKD) and chronic kidney disease (CKD). AKI is presently categorized by stage of injury defined by increase in creatinine, decrease in eGFR, or decrease in urine output. These commonly used biomarkers of acute kidney injury do not change until the injury is well established and are unable to detect early stage of the disease when intervention is likely to reverse injury. The kidneys have the ability to compensate and return serum creatinine to a normal or baseline level despite nephron loss in the setting of AKI possibly masking persistent dysfunction. Though these definitions are important, classifying children by their propensity for progression to AKD and CKD and defining these risk strata by other factors besides creatinine may allow for better prognosis driven discussion, expectation setting, and care for our patients. In order to develop a classification strategy, we must first be able to recognize children who are at risk for AKD and CKD based on modifiable and non-modifiable factors as well as early biomarkers that identify their risk of persistent injury. Prevention of initial injury, prompt evaluation and treatment if injury occurs, and mitigating further injury during the recovery period may be important factors in decreasing risk of AKD and CKD after AKI. This review will cover presently used definitions of AKI, AKD, and CKD, recent findings in epidemiology and risk factors for AKI to AKD to CKD progression, novel biomarkers for early identification of AKI and AKI that may progress to CKD and future directions for improving outcome in children with AKI.

Collapsing Focal Segmental Glomerulosclerosis in Siblings With Compound Heterozygous Variants in NUP93 Expand the Spectrum of Kidney Phenotypes Associated With Nucleoporin Gene Mutations.

Background: Focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS) is a major cause of end stage kidney disease, with the collapsing form having the worst prognosis. Study of families with hereditary FSGS has provided insight into disease mechanisms. Methods: In this report, we describe a sibling pair with NUP93 mutations and collapsing FSGS (cFSGS). For each brother, we performed next generation sequencing and segregation analysis by direct sequencing. To determine if the variants found in the index family are a common cause of cFSGS, we screened 7 patients with cFSGS, gleaned from our cohort of 200 patients with FSGS, for variants in NUP93 as well as for APOL1 high-risk genotypes. Results: We identified segregating compound heterozygous NUP93 variants (1) c.1772G > T p.G591V, 2) c.2084T > C p.L695S) in the two brothers. We did not find any pathogenic variants in the seven patients with cFSGS from our cohort, and as expected five of these seven patients carried the APOL1 high-risk genotype. Conclusion: To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of cFSGS in patients with NUP93 mutations, based on this report, mutations in NUP93 and other nucleoporin genes should be considered when evaluating a child with familial cFSGS. Determining the mechanisms by which these variants cause cFSGS may provide insight into the pathogenesis of the more common primary and virus-mediated forms of cFSGS.

Case Report: Unusual Aggregation of Different Glomerulopathies in a Family Resolved by Genetic Testing and Reverse Phenotyping.

Glomerular diseases (GDs) are a major cause of chronic kidney disease in children. The conventional approach to diagnosis of GDs includes clinical evaluation and, in most cases, kidney biopsy to make a definitive diagnosis. However, in many cases, clinical presentations of different GDs can overlap, leading to uncertainty in diagnosis and management even after renal biopsy. In this report, we identify a family with clinical diagnoses of postinfectious glomerulonephritis and IgA nephropathy in a parent and two children. Renal biopsies were initially inconclusive; however, genetic testing showed that the two individuals diagnosed at different points with IgA nephropathy carried novel segregating pathogenic variants in COL4A5 gene. We were only able to make the final diagnoses in each of the family members after genetic testing and reverse phenotyping. This case highlights the utility of genetic testing and reverse phenotyping in resolving clinical diagnosis in families with unusual constellations of different glomerulopathies. We propose that clustering of different glomerular disease phenotypes in a family should be an indication for genetic testing followed by reverse phenotyping.

Racial-ethnic differences in health-related quality of life among adults and children with glomerular disease.

INTRODUCTION: Disparities in health-related quality of life (HRQOL) have been inadequately studied in patients with glomerular disease. The aim of this study was to identify relationships between race/ethnicity, socioeconomic status, disease severity, and HRQOL in an ethnically and racially diverse cohort of patients with glomerular disease. METHODS: Cure Glomerulonephropathy (CureGN) is a multinational cohort study of patients with biopsy-proven glomerular disease. Associations between race/ethnicity and HRQOL were determined by the following: 1. Missed school or work due to kidney disease; 2. Responses to Patient Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS) questionnaires. We adjusted for demographics, socioeconomic status, and disease characteristics using multivariable logistic and linear regression. RESULTS: Black and Hispanic participants had worse socioeconomic status and more severe glomerular disease than White or Asian participants. Black adults missed work or school most frequently due to kidney disease (30% versus 16-23% in the other three groups, p=0.04), and had the worst self-reported global physical health (median score 44.1 versus 48.0-48.2, p<0.001) and fatigue (53.8 versus 48.5-51.1, p=0.002), compared to other racial/ethnic groups. However, these findings were not statistically significant with adjustment for socioeconomic status and disease severity, both of which were strongly associated with HRQOL in adults. Among children, disease severity but not race/ethnicity or socioeconomic status were associated with HRQOL. CONCLUSIONS: Among patients with glomerular disease enrolled in CureGN, the worse HRQOL reported by Black adults was attributable to lower socioeconomic status and more severe glomerular disease. No racial/ethnic differences in HRQOL were observed in children.

Evolutionary genetics and acclimatization in nephrology.

Evolutionary processes, including mutation, migration and natural selection, have influenced the prevalence and distribution of various disorders in humans. However, despite a few well-known examples, such as the APOL1 variants - which have undergone positive genetic selection for their ability to confer resistance to Trypanosoma brucei infection but confer a higher risk of chronic kidney disease - little is known about the effects of evolutionary processes that have shaped genetic variation on kidney disease. An understanding of basic concepts in evolutionary genetics provides an opportunity to consider how findings from ancient and archaic genomes could inform our knowledge of evolution and provide insights into how population migration and genetic admixture have shaped the current distribution and landscape of human kidney-associated diseases. Differences in exposures to infectious agents, environmental toxins, dietary components and climate also have the potential to influence the evolutionary genetics of kidneys. Of note, selective pressure on loci associated with kidney disease is often from non-kidney diseases, and thus it is important to understand how the link between genome-wide selected loci and kidney disease occurs in relation to secondary nephropathies.

Case Report: Novel Dietary Supplementation Associated With Kidney Recovery and Reduction in Proteinuria in a Dialysis Dependent Patient Secondary to Steroid Resistant Minimal Change Disease.

Minimal change disease (MCD) is the most common cause of nephrotic syndrome worldwide. For decades, the foundation of the treatment has been corticosteroids. However, relapse rate is high and up to 40% of patients develop frequent relapsing/steroid dependent course and one third become steroid resistant. This requires treatment with repeated courses of corticosteroids, and second and third line immunomodulators increasing the incidence of drug related adverse effects. More recently, there have been reports of a very small subset of Nephrotic Syndrome (NS) patients who are initially steroid sensitive and later become secondarily steroid resistant. The disease course in this small subset is often protracted leading ultimately to end stage kidney disease requiring dialysis or kidney transplantation. Unfortunately, patients with this disease course do not do well post transplantation because 80% of them will develop disease recurrence that will ultimately lead to graft failure. Few approaches have been tried over many years to reduce the frequency of relapses, and steroid dependence and there is absolutely no therapeutic intervention for patients who develop secondary steroid resistance. Nonetheless, their therapeutic index is low, evidencing the need of a safer complementary treatment. Several hypotheses, including an oxidative stress-mediated mechanism, and immune dysregulation have been proposed to date to explain the underlying mechanism of Minimal Change Disease (MCD) but its specific etiology remains elusive. Here, we report a case of a 54-year-old man with steroid and cyclosporine resistant MCD. The patient rapidly progressed to end stage kidney disease requiring initiation of chronic dialysis. Intradialytic parenteral nutrition (IDPN), albumin infusion along with a proprietary dietary supplement, as part of the supportive therapy, led to kidney function recovery and complete remission of MCD without relapses.

Longitudinal Changes in Health-Related Quality of Life in Primary Glomerular Disease: Results From the CureGN Study.

INTRODUCTION: Prior cross-sectional studies suggest that health-related quality of life (HRQOL) worsens with more severe glomerular disease. This longitudinal analysis was conducted to assess changes in HRQOL with changing disease status. METHODS: Cure Glomerulonephropathy (CureGN) is a cohort of patients with minimal change disease, focal segmental glomerulosclerosis, membranous nephropathy, IgA vasculitis, or IgA nephropathy. HRQOL was assessed at enrollment and follow-up visits 1 to 3 times annually for up to 5 years with the Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS). Global health, anxiety, and fatigue domains were measured in all; mobility was measured in children; and sleep-related impairment was measured in adults. Linear mixed effects models were used to evaluate HRQOL responsiveness to changes in disease status. RESULTS: A total of 469 children and 1146 adults with PROMIS scores were included in the analysis. HRQOL improved over time in nearly all domains, though group-level changes were modest. Edema was most consistently associated with worse HRQOL across domains among children and adults. A greater number of symptoms also predicted worse HRQOL in all domains. Sex, age, obesity, and serum albumin were associated with some HRQOL domains. The estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) was only associated with fatigue and adult physical health; proteinuria was not associated with any HRQOL domain in adjusted models. CONCLUSION: HRQOL measures were responsive to changes in disease activity, as indicated by edema. HRQOL over time was not predicted by laboratory-based markers of disease. Patient-reported edema and number of symptoms were the strongest predictors of HRQOL, highlighting the importance of the patient experience in glomerular disease. HRQOL outcomes inform understanding of the patient experience for children and adults with glomerular diseases.

APOL1 Long-term Kidney Transplantation Outcomes Network (APOLLO): Design and Rationale.

INTRODUCTION: Much of the higher risk for end-stage kidney disease (ESKD) in African American individuals relates to ancestry-specific variation in the apolipoprotein L1 gene (APOL1). Relative to kidneys from European American deceased-donors, kidneys from African American deceased-donors have shorter allograft survival and African American living-kidney donors more often develop ESKD. The National Institutes of Health (NIH)-sponsored APOL1 Long-term Kidney Transplantation Outcomes Network (APOLLO) is prospectively assessing kidney allograft survival from donors with recent African ancestry based on donor and recipient APOL1 genotypes. METHODS: APOLLO will evaluate outcomes from 2614 deceased kidney donor-recipient pairs, as well as additional living-kidney donor-recipient pairs and unpaired deceased-donor kidneys. RESULTS: The United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS), Association of Organ Procurement Organizations, American Society of Transplantation, American Society for Histocompatibility and Immunogenetics, and nearly all U.S. kidney transplant programs, organ procurement organizations (OPOs), and histocompatibility laboratories are participating in this observational study. APOLLO employs a central institutional review board (cIRB) and maintains voluntary partnerships with OPOs and histocompatibility laboratories. A Community Advisory Council composed of African American individuals with a personal or family history of kidney disease has advised the NIH Project Office and Steering Committee since inception. UNOS is providing data for outcome analyses. CONCLUSION: This article describes unique aspects of the protocol, design, and performance of APOLLO. Results will guide use of APOL1 genotypic data to improve the assessment of quality in deceased-donor kidneys and could increase numbers of transplanted kidneys, reduce rates of discard, and improve the safety of living-kidney donation.