Circulating factor associated with increased glomerular permeability to albumin in recurrent focal segmental glomerulosclerosis

Article Abstract:

A chemical circulating in the plasma may be responsible for focal segmental glomerulosclerosis. Focal segmental glomerulosclerosis is a kidney disease characterized by scarring of the glomeruli, which are the part of the kidney that filters blood. Researchers took serum samples from 100 patients with focal segmental glomerulosclerosis and tested them in an assay using rat glomeruli. The permeability of rat glomeruli to the protein albumin was 0.18 when exposed to the patients' serum, compared to 0.06 when exposed to the serum of healthy volunteers. Some serum samples from patients with focal segmental glomerulosclerosis caused the permeability of rat glomeruli to jump to 0.50 or higher. Several patients were treated with plasmapheresis, a procedure in which plasma is replaced. Following plasmapheresis, their plasma lost the ability to increase the permeability of rat glomeruli. This indicates that a chemical in plasma may contribute to focal segmental glomerulosclerosis.

Physiological aspects, Glomerulonephritis, Blood proteins

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Rapid emergence of a focal epidemic of Lyme disease in coastal Massachusetts

Article Abstract:

Lyme disease, characterized by a rash, joint pain and fatigue, is caused by a bacteria transmitted by deer tick bites. Potentially serious complications of Lyme disease include neurological and heart damage. Two Massachusetts island communities having epidemics of Lyme disease were studied to examine the geographical progression of the infected deer ticks into a community of year-round residents. It was found that between 1980 and 1987 residents residing close to a nature preserve had a 35 percent infection rate. Residents living closest to the preserve had an infection rate of 66 percent and developed late manifestations of the disease. Infection rates were highest during June, followed by October. As the deer population increased, the tick population became larger as well. Researchers conclude that the spread of Lyme disease is rapid in this community, and advise physicians to be aware of Lyme disease outbreaks in other communities with a large number of deer.

Statistics, Massachusetts, Ticks, Seasonal variations (Diseases)

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An epidemiologic study of Lyme disease in southern Sweden

Article Abstract:

The incidence of Lyme disease in southern Sweden is high, with the most common symptoms including rash, arthritis, and neurologic complications. During a one-year period, researchers compiled data on all new cases of Lyme disease in a southern region of Sweden containing approximately 2 million residents. There were 1,471 patients who developed the disease, resulting in an incidence of 69 cases per 100,000 inhabitants per year. The incidence was highest among children aged 5 to 9 and adults aged 60 to 74. Rashes were the most common symptom, occurring in 77% of the cases. The second most common symptom, which occurred more in children than adults, was infection of the nervous system with the spirochete that causes the disease. Seventy-nine percent of the people recalled being bitten by a tick. The most common area of the tick bite was the head and neck in children, and the lower body in adults.

Sweden

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