Ken Jones, a leading amateur microscopist, specialises in video-filming pond-life. One of his videos captures the enigmatic and graceful movement of Volvox, and he has kindly allowed us to show some extracts from his film on this page. A single Volvox colony spins through the dark waters of a pond. Daughter cells are just visible inside. Micscape Editor's note.
Heart, liver, or kidney disease. Sometimes swelling can indicate a problem such as heart, liver, or kidney disease. Ankles that swell in the evening could be a sign of retaining salt and water because of right-sided heart failure. Kidney disease can also cause foot and ankle swelling.
As cirrhosis of the liver becomes severe, signals are sent to the kidneys to retain salt and water in the body. The excess salt and water first accumulates in the tissue beneath the skin of the ankles and legs because of the effect of gravity when standing or sitting. This accumulation of fluid is called peripheral edema or pitting edema.