Acquired autoimmune Bartter syndrome in a patient with primary hypothyroidism.

We describe an unusual clinical presentation of autoimmune Bartter syndrome in a patient with primary hypothyroidism. A 65-year-old female patient was admitted with neuromuscular weakness associated with hypokalemia and metabolic alkalosis. She had a suboptimal response to potassium supplementation and potassium-sparing diuretic resulting in re-hospitalization with the same symptoms.

Suppurative dacroadenitis causing ocular sicca syndrome in classic Wegener's granulomatosis.

Wegener's granulomatosis (WG) is a multisystem vasculitic disorder which can commonly afflict various components of the eye. Here we describe some unusual ocular manifestations of the disease in one patient. A young male with history of upper respiratory tract symptoms including epistaxis, nasal stuffiness and maxillary sinus pain presented with bilateral lacrimal gland abscess and ptosis.

Necrotizing lymphadenitis in systemic lupus erythematosus: is it Kikuchi-Fujimoto disease?

Kikuchi-Fujimoto disease (KFD; also called Kikuchi disease) is a rare disorder clinically characterized by lymphadenopathy along with constitutional symptoms and several systemic features which may closely mimic infections, malignancies, and autoimmune diseases. Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is an autoimmune disorder which may have several clinical manifestations similar to KFD. Association of KFD with SLE is only rarely described, and whether this is a chance incidence or Kikuchi disease is a localized manifestation of SLE per se remains a matter of debate.

Bactericidal/permeability-increasing protein and cathepsin G are the major antigenic targets of antineutrophil cytoplasmic autoantibodies in systemic sclerosis.

Objective: To study the prevalence and antigenic specificity of antineutrophil cytoplasmic autoantibodies (ANCA) in patients with systemic sclerosis (SSc).

Methods: Sera from 68 patients with SSc were screened for ANCA by indirect immunofluorescence (IIF) assay and for antibodies to myeloperoxidase (MPO) by ELISA. All sera positive for ANCA on IIF were analyzed for reactivity against antigenic targets other than MPO [bactericidal/permeability-increasing protein (BPI), cathepsin G, lysozyme, elastase, PR3, and lactoferrin].