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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]

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]

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]