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Microfilarial parasites can obstruct the lymphatic tree giving rise to varying lymphatic and extra-lymphatic symptoms. Renal manifestations can range from asymptomatic proteinuria, chyluria, and nephrotic syndrome, to acute glomerulonephritis. The diagnosis of filariasis is usually made by the demonstration of the parasite in the peripheral blood smear, with or without eosinophilia. The renal involvement by this parasite has been sparsely reported in the literature. We hereby report five cases of filariasis detected on histopathological examination of renal biopsies, performed for other indications, along with a brief report of the additional histological findings. Three native and two graft biopsies were included. All our patients were male, with a mean age of 47 years (range 37 to 66 years). The serum creatinine ranged from 1.2 to 12.9 mg/dL. The mean 24-hour urinary protein was 3.6 gm/day. Peripheral blood eosinophilia was not recorded in any case, however, ESR was raised in all cases. Urine examination revealed varying proteinuria, with hematuria in two cases. Histological examination revealed microfilaria in all five biopsies, along with focal segmental glomerulosclerosis in two cases, combined cellular and humoral rejection, minimal change disease and acute tubular necrosis in one case each respectively. All patients were treated with diethylcarbamazine 6mg/kg/day or 12 days, in addition to the renal medications. Diagnosing the parasite is crucial as the patient is likely to benefit due to the timely treatment of the disease. Reporting this case series highlights an interesting finding in nephropathology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ankylosing Spondylitis (AS) is a chronic inflammatory arthritis that typically manifests in young males and may present with extraarticular manifestations. Takayasu aortoarteritis (TA) is a large vessel vasculitis that predominantly affects young and middle-aged females. Despite the limited number of studies examining the potential association between these two diseases, we report a unique case of an individual with ankylosing spondylitis and ulcerative colitis who subsequently developed Takayasu aortoarteritis. This progression ultimately led to the development of secondary renal amyloidosis, attributed to a combination of inflammatory pathologies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A 59-year-old woman presented with swelling in the frontal region of her scalp, along with a mild headache. A CT scan revealed a mass in the frontal region of the scalp, as well as a swelling in the left submandibular region. Fine-needle aspiration (FNA) and cytology smears confirmed the presence of adenoid cystic carcinoma (ADCC) with metastasis to the frontal lobes. Further imaging showed metastases in the mediastinal lymph nodes, lungs, and skeletal system. Treatment options for metastatic ADCC are limited, but surgical resection and postoperative radiotherapy are commonly used. The prognosis for metastatic ADCC is poor. [Extracted from the article]

Background: Nonlupus rheumatic diseases regularly involve solid organs, including the kidney. Renal lesions can be either a manifestation of the same systemic disease, a side effect of drug therapy, or an unrelated renal disease. Our aim was to evaluate the spectrum of renal histopathological lesions found in this group of patients. Methods: Native renal biopsies of patients with systemic rheumatic disorders received between January 2014 and August 2019 were reviewed, along with their immunofluorescence findings. The clinical data were recorded from the Hospital Information System. Patients with systemic lupus erythematosus were excluded. Results: Eighty-one clinically diagnosed cases of nonlupus rheumatic diseases were studied (age range 8-70 years, mean 42.8 years, male: female ratio 1:1.3). The most common systemic autoimmune disease was anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibodies-associated vasculitis (n = 21) followed by immunoglobulin-A (IgA) vasculitis (Henoch-schonlein purpura) (n = 12) and rheumatoid arthritis (n = 10). The most common histopathological lesion was pauci-immune crescentic glomerulonephritis (n = 26), followed by IgA nephropathy (n = 12) and amyloidosis (n = 8). All patients were treated as per the standard therapeutic regimens. Conclusion: A diverse group of renal lesions can be found in patients with rheumatic disorders. The diagnosis of such lesions aids the clinician in the decision-making for either intensifying or reducing the drug therapy and in predicting the prognosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fabry disease (FD) is a rare, lysosomal storage disorder characterized by multi-organ accumulation of predominantly globotriaosylceramide (GL3) and its metabolite. Resulting renal, cardiac, and cerebrovascular complications are crucial causes of morbidity and mortality in FD. Enzyme replacement therapy (ERT) shows promising outcomes for these patients, provided that therapy is initiated early. Thus, precise and early diagnosis of the disease is a pivotal factor determining the corollary of the disease. We report two cases of young adult males who presented to the nephrology department with proteinuria. A kidney biopsy was performed in both cases, which was suggestive of FD. The final conclusive diagnosis of FD was provided by electron microscopy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Diffuse alveolar hemorrhage is known to be a devastating clinical condition with myriad etiologies. The immediate post-transplant period is plagued by immunosuppression, surgical complications, and nosocomial sources of infection. Diffuse alveolar hemorrhage in this setting is usually attributed to infection. In this case report, an unusual cause of diffuse alveolar hemorrhage due to anti-thymocyte globulin used as an induction agent is described, and an approach to DAH in the immediate post-transplant setting is discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Phaeohyphomycosis is a rare fungal infection in renal transplant recipients. We describe here five cases of phaeohyphomycosis in renal transplant recipients, two with deep-seated unusual sites of infection. All patients received antifungals, and surgical excision was done where feasible. Outcomes included complete resolution of infection in three, partial resolution in one, and mortality in one case. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The mortality of kidney transplant recipients (KTR) affected with coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) is reported to be higher than the general population. There is a scarcity of data on the pattern and outcome of COVID-19 in KTRs in developing country like India. Materials and Methods: It was a retrospective study conducted in a tertiary care center in North India. The detailed data on the Covid-19 affected KTR admitted to our center from March 2020 to March 2021 was obtained from computerized records. Clinical and biochemical characteristics of the survivors and nonsurvivors were studied. The factors affecting the mortality in this cohort were analyzed. Results: Of the 35 participants, 25 (71.4%) were males. The mean age was 53.06 ± 11.84 years. Overall, mortality was 17.1% (Six out of 35). There was a significant difference in the oxygen saturation at presentation, computed tomography severity scores, level of inflammatory markers, level of serum albumin, and the absolute lymphocyte count (ALC) between the survivors and nonsurvivors (P < 0.05). On univariate regression analysis, serum C-reactive protein, ferritin, albumin, and ALC were found to be significantly predicting mortality in COVID-19 affected KTR. Conclusions: Mortality rate in COVID-19 affected KTR is higher than in the general population. Clinical, biochemical, and radiological parameters can be helpful in predicting the adverse outcome. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Meningeal melanocytoma is a rare benign tumor, most frequently located in the posterior fossa and spinal canal. Localized tumors present as leptomeningeal masses and range from well-differentiated melanocytomas to lesions of intermediate malignancy and overtly malignant melanomas. Spinal meningeal melanocytoma has a benign course and is amenable for gross total resection. The outcome is favorable following complete resection. Meningeal melanocytoma may occasionally be associated with histological benign leptomeningeal spread and aggressive clinical course in spite of the absence of malignant transformation. We report a case of intraspinal melanocytoma in a 57-year-old female, which clinically as well as radiologically mimicked other spinal lesions. The final diagnosis was confirmed on histopathology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Membranous nephropathy is known to be associated with number of autoimmune diseases. Occurrence of PLA2R positive membranous nephropathy with sjogren's syndrome and chronic inflammatory demyelinating neuropathy (CIDP) is quite rare. Role of PLA2R antigen in autoimmune diseases like sjogren's syndrome and CIDP is largely unknown. Choice and initiation of immunosuppression if required may also be governed by the presence of other autoimmune diseases along with PLA2R positive membranous nephropathy [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]