Shear wave elastography accurately detects chronic changes in renal histopathology.

AIM: Renal biopsy is the gold standard for the histological characterization of chronic kidney disease (CKD), of which renal fibrosis is a dominant component, affecting its stiffness. The aim of this study was to investigate the correlation between kidney stiffness obtained by shear wave elastography (SWE) and renal histological fibrosis. METHODS: Shear wave elastography assessments were performed in 75 CKD patients who underwent renal biopsy. The SWE-derived estimates of the tissue Young's modulus (YM), given as kilopascals (kPa), were measured. YM was correlated to patients' renal histological scores, broadly categorized into glomerular, tubulointerstitial and vascular scores. RESULTS: Young's modulus correlates significantly with tubulointerstitial score (ρ = 0.442, P < .001) and glomerular score (ρ = 0.375, P = .001). Patients with no glomerular sclerosis showed lower mean YM measurements compared to those with glomerular sclerosis. The mean YM increased as the percentage of interstitial fibrosis and tubular atrophy increased. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) for SWE in differentiating between mildly and moderately impaired kidneys was 0.702. CONCLUSION: Shear wave elastography accurately detects chronic renal damage resulting from glomerular sclerosis, interstitial fibrosis and tubular atrophy, using the optimal cut-off YM value of ≥5.81 kPa.

Animal health constraints to livestock exports from the Horn of Africa.

The Horn of Africa (Djibouti, Ethiopia, Somalia, Eritrea) is home to the largest population of livestock in Africa and is the historic centre of the livestock trade to the Middle East and northern Africa. The recent resumption of livestock exports from the region has resulted in the handling of over one million head of cattle, sheep, goats and camels at one quarantine facility during a single year. Several of the importing countries for which the facility operates have differing hygiene requirements for the same diseases. Most of the animals handled in the facility come from pastoralist areas, which lack state Veterinary Services. The pathological conditions encountered during one year of monitoring were recorded and the impacts of some of the endemic diseases are discussed, together with particular import-limiting hygiene requirements on this trade.