Organochlorine, organophosphorus, and carbamate pesticide residues in an Ethiopian Rift Valley Lake Hawassa: occurrences and possible ecological risks.

Currently, pesticide production and use are on the rise globally. This trend is certain to continue in the coming decades with residues posing risks to the environment and human health even at low levels. Although various aspects of pesticides and their possible implications have widely been studied, such studies have mostly been carried out in developed countries leaving the rest of the world with little scientific information. We present here the results of a study on the occurrences, concentrations, and ecological risks of 30 pesticide residues (PRs) in water and sediment samples from a tropical freshwater Lake Hawassa in the Ethiopian Rift Valley. A total of 54 composite samples of water and sediment were collected from three sampling sites on three occasions. The samples were prepared by quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged, and safe (QuEChERS) technique, and analyzed using GC-MS at Bless Agri Food Laboratory Service located in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The study applied the risk quotient (RQ) method to scrutinize the risks posed to aquatic biota by the detected PRs. The results showed occurrences of 18 and 20 PRs in the water and sediment samples, respectively. The majority, 78 and 75% of the detected PRs in water and sediment samples, respectively represent the organochlorine chemical class. Concentrations of heptachlor epoxide were significantly (p ≤ 0.001) higher than those of the remaining pesticides in both matrices. Of the pesticides detected, 77% were present in water and 83% in sediment samples and pose a serious risk (RQ ≥ 1) to the Lake Hawassa biota. This calls for further research to investigate the risks to human health posed by the PRs. The findings of this study can contribute to the development of global protocols, as they support the concerns raised about the ecological and public health impacts of PRs on a global level.

Awareness and Disposal Practices of Medicines among the Community in Hawassa City, Ethiopia.

Despite the enormous benefits medicines provide to humanity, their improper disposal frequently leads to detrimental consequences on the environment. Lack of awareness and malpractices concerning expired, leftover, or unused (ELU) medicines have become concerns worldwide. This study assessed community awareness and practices regarding the disposal of ELU medicines in Hawassa City, Ethiopia. A community-based descriptive cross-sectional survey design was used among the urban population of Hawassa City. Multistage sampling procedures were employed to select 405 household (HH) respondents, and purposive sampling techniques were used to select key experts (KEs) and key informants (KIs). A pretested questionnaire was designed for HHs, KEs, and KIs. The results of the study showed that analgesics and antibiotics, used in 52 and 27% of the HHs, respectively, were the most commonly consumed medicines in this city. The vast majority (95.5%) of the HHs did not store expired medicines but disposed of them. Only 10% of the HHs were well informed on how to dispose of ELU medicines. Most (70%) KEs and KIs revealed that there were no awareness-creation mechanisms for the safe disposal of ELU medicines. A significantly high (p < 0.05) percentage (76%) of the HH respondents who were well informed on how to dispose of ELU medicines had higher education, but most (95%) of them indicated that they would not be willing to be involved in "ELU-take-back" programs even if there had been such a mechanism. Field observations confirm significant amounts of medical waste improperly discarded in various areas, including the shores of Lake Hawassa near Hawassa City. The study has shown that awareness of the management of ELU medicines is critically lacking in the community of Hawassa City, posing environmental and human health risks. Moreover, the majority of households practice unsafe disposal of ELU medicines, leading to human health threats and environmental risk.

Suboptimal Knowledge and Care of Patients with Acute Coronary Syndrome Among Nurses Working in Selected Hospitals in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia 2021.

Background: Acute Coronary Syndrome is the leading cause of morbidity and mortality in developing nations including Ethiopia. As frontline healthcare providers, nurses need to be prudent in handling cases of acute coronary syndrome. However, nurses' knowledge and practice of acute coronary syndrome are not well-known across Ethiopia. Thus, this study aimed to assess knowledge, practice, and associated factors regarding the care of acute coronary syndrome among acute care nurses working at selected hospitals in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Methods: Institution-based descriptive cross-sectional study design was conducted from February to March among 252 purposively selected nurses working in tertiary hospitals of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. A pretested and structured questionnaire was used for data collection. Data were entered into Epi-Data 4.6 and exported to SPSS version 25. Both descriptive and inferential statistics were used to describe and test the association between selected variables. P-values < 0.05 were declared as significant factors for the outcome variable. Results: Out of 252 nurses, (52%) had good knowledge, and (44.4%) had good practice towards care of Acute Coronary Syndrome. Being a master's degree [AOR=3.801, (95% CI:1.314-10.996), P =0.014] and having guidelines [AOR= 10.998, (95% CI:2.478-48.805), P =0.002] were significantly associated with nurse's good knowledge of ACS. While having a master's degree [AOR=4.258, (95% CI:1.676-10.820), P=0.002] and getting in-service training [AOR= 1.902, (95% CI:1.022-3.539), P = 0.042] were significantly associated with nurse's good level of practice. Conclusion: In this study, nurses had inadequate knowledge and practice regarding the care of Acute Coronary Syndrome. Nurses' educational level, presence of clinical practice guidelines, and getting training were determinant factors associated with good knowledge and practice. Therefore, organizational and nursing educational support are needed to improve this gap by providing short- and long-term training, and updated evidence-based clinical practice guidelines should be available for all acute care nurses.

Postabortion contraceptives uptake and its associated factors among clients visiting abortion care services in public hospitals in West Shewa Zone, Oromia regional state, Ethiopia, 2021.

Background: Postabortion contraception is the initiation and use of postabortion contraceptive methods immediately after an abortion. It is a critical approach for preventing unwanted pregnancy, alleviating its complications, and avoiding repeated abortions by promoting immediate postabortion contraceptives provision. Objective: To assess the level of postabortion contraceptives uptake and its associated factors among clients visiting abortion care services in public hospitals in West Shewa Zone, Oromia regional state, Ethiopia. Methods and materials: An institutional-based cross-sectional study was conducted in public hospitals in the West Shewa Zone from 1 March 2021 to 30 May 2021, among 227 proportionally allocated clients based on the proportion of the client served in the previous 3 months of the study period. Data were collected through face-to-face interviews using semi-structured and pretested questionnaire from women who received the abortion services. Bivariable and multivariable logistic regression were used to assess the association of independent variables with postabortion contraceptive uptake. Findings with p-value of 0.05 at 95% confidence interval were considered as statistically significant. Results: The overall postabortion contraception uptake among abortion service clients in public hospitals was 164 (74%) while about 42% of them used long-term contraceptive methods. Postabortion contraceptive uptake was significantly associated with media exposure to postabortion family planning information (adjusted odds ratio: 3.4 (95% confidence interval: 1.03-11.27)) and counseling on postabortion family planning (adjusted odds ratio: 20.48 (95% confidence interval: 5.02-83.64)). Conclusion: Level of postabortion contraceptive method uptake in West Shewa was low as compared to the national target. Greater attention should be given on providing postabortion contraceptive counseling to increase the postabortion contraceptive uptake.

Unsafe Infant Feeding Practice and Associated Factors Among HIV Positive Mothers Attending PMTCT in Ethiopia: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Introduction: Infant feeding practices can have an impact on the health of infants born to HIV-positive mothers. Breastfeeding has significant health advantages for newborns even while it increases the risk of HIV transmission from an HIV-positive mother to her child. One-third to half of child HIV infections in African settings may be linked to breastfeeding. This study was intended to investigate the level of unsafe infant feeding practice and associated factors among HIV positive mothers attending PMTCT at selected governmental hospitals in Afar regional state, Ethiopia, 2022. Methods: A cross-sectional study was done among 423 HIV positive mothers from February 15 to March 15, 2022 in Afar regional state at selected PMTCT providing governmental hospitals. The proportional allocation was done for samples to be taken from Asayta, Dupti and Mohammed Akle hospitals. A systematic sampling technique was performed to select the study participants. Epidata version 3.1 was used for data entry, and SPSS software version 23 was used for statistical analysis. Results: The majority, 296 (70.0%), of mothers with HIV-positive were aged between 25 and 34 years. The level of unsafe infant feeding practice among HIV-positive mothers was 153 (36.2%). About 270 (63.8%) mothers exclusively breastfed their infants. In multivariable logistic regression analysis, PNC follow-up (AOR=1.814, 95% CI: (1.127, 2.919)), ART follow-up (AOR=1.987, 95% CI: (1.128, 3.501)), and HIV disclosure status (AOR=2.324, 95% CI: (1.470, 3.673)) were significantly associated with unsafe infant feeding practice among HIV-positive mothers. Conclusion: The level of unsafe infant feeding practice among HIV-positive mothers was high. PNC follow-up, ART follow-up, and HIV disclosure status were significantly associated with unsafe infant feeding practice among HIV-positive mothers. Comprehensive health educations need to be provided for HIV-positive mothers to reduce this problem.

Examining the associations between testosterone and biomarkers as men age.

OBJECTIVES: Testosterone concentrations in men decline with advancing age. However, the cause of the decline is yet to be fully elucidated. Therefore, the aims of this study were to examine the associations between chronic diseases such as obesity and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) with total testosterone (TT) and sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG), using a large nationally-representative data set (National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey; NHANES). METHODS: NHANES is a cross-sectional survey, physical examination, and laboratory evaluation of a nationally-representative sample of a non-institutionalized United States population. Male participants aged ≥18 years during the NHANES 2013-2014 and NHANES 2015-2016 survey periods were selected for this analysis. The analysis included the following data: body mass index (BMI), oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT), homeostatic model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR), insulin, glucose, and age. RESULTS: An overweight or obese condition was significantly inversely associated with TT and SHBG, even after adjusting for other variables. Several variables associated with T2DM (OGTT, HOMA-IR, insulin, and glucose) were also inversely associated with TT; however, only the associations between OGTT and insulin with TT remained significant after adjusting for the other variables. Insulin and HOMA-IR levels were significantly inversely associated with SHBG; however, only the association between SHBG and pre-diabetic HOMA-IR levels remained significant after adjusting for the other variables. OGTT became significantly associated with SHBG after adjusting for the other variables. Age was significantly inversely associated with TT, but positively associated with SHBG, even after adjusting for other variables. CONCLUSION: The results of the present study, which is the largest to date, indicate that a marker of obesity, BMI, and some markers of T2DM are both independently and significantly inversely associated with TT and SHBG.

Woody species diversity and regeneration status of Sub-Alpine forest of Mount Adama exclosure site, Northwestern highlands of Ethiopia.

Forests provide a wide range of ecosystem services. Despite these facts, the expansion of agriculture and settlement at the expense of forest resources has threatened the forest resources and results in biodiversity loss. To halt this problem, various conservation practices that believed to restore the degraded lands and biodiversity of the country have been implemented. Area exclosure is among the conservation strategies that have been used to restore the degraded lands in Mount Adama forest. However, its role in woody species regeneration in Mount Adama was not investigated. Thus, the objective of the study was to evaluate the impact of area exclosure on woody plant species composition, regeneration status, structure and diversity in Mount Adama. A systematic transect sampling method was used to collect vegetation data. Hence, 53 plots with 400 m2 area were laid along 11 transects. Then, within the main plots, five subplots with 1 m2 were laid to determine the abundance and frequency of seedlings. The results showed that about 31 woody species that belong to 30 genera and 19 families including four endemic species were identified. The majority (67.74%) of the species were categorized under shrub habitat, while the remaining 19.35% and 12.90% were trees and lianas or climbers, respectively. Asteraceae family was dominant by contributing 4 species followed by Rosaceae and Solanaceae each contributed 3 species. Hypericum revolutum was the dominant species with 53.38 important value index followed by Erica arborea and Hagenia abyssinica with 49.12 and 40.05, respectively. The overall Shannon- Wiener diversity index and Shannon evenness in the exclosure site were 2.6 and 0.73, respectively. Furthermore, the number of seedlings and saplings were higher in the exclosure than the untreated site. The results of the study evidently showed that area exclosure that implemented in Mount Adam successfully contributed to the biodiversity restoration. Therefore, further conservation efforts targeting species with low IVI values are needed for sustainable management and ecological recovery of the area.

Low Subjective Cardiovascular Disease Risk Perceptions among Hypertensive Patients in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

Background: Accurate cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk appraisal is essential for hypertensive patients to identify correctly their risk status and take efficient behavioral measures timely to avoid major adverse outcomes. However, hypertensive patients' risk perceptions of CVD events in Ethiopia are unknown. Thus, the study aimed to compare the subjective CVD risk perception level of patients with the nonlaboratory Framingham Risk Score (nl-FRS). Methods: A cross-sectional design was used. The Attitudes and Beliefs about Cardiovascular Disease Risk Questionnaire and the nl-FRS were used to compare subjective versus objective measures of CVD risk. Agreement between participants' risk perceptions and the nl-FRS were examined using the kappa statistic. Bivariate chi-square test and multinomial logistic regression analyses were run to identify factors associated with risk perceptions. The statistical significance was set at a p-value < 0.05 level. Results: Participants (n=377) had a mean age of 53.61 ± 12.80-years, range (18-82 years), 51.2% were males, 42.7% had less than high school education, 45.1% achieved target BP control, and mean HTN duration was 8.01 ± 6.07 years. The majority (58.62%) of the participants had a low subjective risk perception of CVD events (mean 17.79, 95% CI: 17.43-18.15). Approximately three-fourths (72.4%) had a moderate nl-FRS risk calculation (mean, 13.84, 95% CI: 13.36-14.33). Agreement between participants perceived-risk and the nl-FRS was poor (kappa = 0.0002, standard error = 0.023, p =0.99). Participants' CVD risk-perception inaccuracy was also high (76%) primarily due to underestimation. Hypertension duration, frequency of physician visits, and level of diabetes control were significant predictors of CVD risk underestimation. Conclusion: Hypertensive patients had inaccurate and low subjective risk perceptions of CVD events compared to moderate objective risks identified using the nl-FRS. Planned education on HTN and CVD risk factors is essential to improve patients' CVD risk perception to reduce adverse CVD events.

Parental communication on sexual and reproductive health issues to their adolescents and affecting factors at Asella town, Ethiopia: a community-based, cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: Parents' communication on sexual and reproductive health issues with their adolescent plays a great role in preventing morbidity and mortality associated with sexual behavior. However lack of parent to adolescent communication was a serious problem in Ethiopia resulted in teenage pregnancy, unsafe abortions, sexually transmitted infections, school problems, and other sexual risk behaviors. Parents have high responsibility on cultivating their son and daughter regarding to sexual and reproductive health issues. Therefore, the objective of this study was to determine the magnitude of parent's communication with their adolescents and affecting factors in Ethiopia. METHODS: A community-based, cross-sectional study was conducted on 347 respondents. A systematic sampling method was used to select the study participants. Data were collected by trained interviewers using a structured questionnaire, entered into Epi-Info version 7.1.2 and exported to SPSS version 23 for analysis. Descriptive statistics, bivariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were used. Variables at P-value < 0.05 were considered as significant associations. RESULTS: Slightly more than one-fifth of the parents (21.3%) had communicated with their adolescents on sexual and reproductive health issues. Associated factors like: being knowledgeable [AOR = 3.08, 95% CI: 1.89-5.39] and being having positive attitudes [AOR 3.03, 95% CI: 1.37-6.70] towards sexual reproductive health issues were significantly associated with communication. CONCLUSION: Overall a low proportion of parental communication with their children was identified on sexual and reproductive health issues. This was affected by multidimensional factors to determine their discussion. Thus, promotion of parent to adolescent communication, parents training and addressing the importance of parent to young people communication along with health care providers was important.

Parent communication on sexual and reproductive health (SRH) with their adolescent is one of the potential sources of information for adolescents on the issues. Agreed that adolescents in Ethiopia are faced with increasing SRH-related risks, it is important to understand how parents communicate about SRH to their adolescents from the parents' perspectives. A community based cross-sectional study targeting parents was conducted at eight (8) kebeles of Asella town, Arsi zone, Ethiopia based on an interview survey. Three hundred forty seven (347) parents having children of 10­19 years in the selected household were included. The majority of the parents, 82.4%, agreed on the need for discussions with their adolescents and 72% had a good knowledge of SRH issues. However in this study, the level of parent-adolescent discussion on SRH issues was very low, 23.1%. The find showed that the main reason for not talking with their adolescents; perceived it may initiate adolescent for sexual practice, culturally unacceptable, shame/taboo, lack of awareness and being too busy. Also, the probability of discussion was found to be significantly higher among parents who had completed some form of education, parents who had good knowledge and positive attitude towards SRH issues as compared with those who didn't have good knowledge and positive attitude on the topic. This study suggests conducting qualitative research investigating the socio-cultural context within which the SRH communications happen.

Burden and Determinants of Chronic Kidney Disease Among Diabetic Patients in Ethiopia: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Background: Chronic kidney disease (CKD) among diabetic patients is becoming a global health burden with a high economic cost to health systems. The incidence of CKD is higher in low-income countries such as Ethiopia. In Ethiopia, there is no national representative evidence on the burden and determinants of CKD among patients with diabetes. Therefore, this review aimed to estimates the pooled burden and determinants of CKD among patients with diabetes. Methods: Published articles from various electronic databases such as Pub Med, Google Scholar, CINAHL, Scopes, Cochrane library, the Web of Science, and African Journals Online were accessed. Also, unpublished studies from Addis Ababa digital library were identified. We included all observational studies (cross-sectional, case-control, and cohort) in the review. Data were extracted on the Microsoft Excel spreadsheet and analyzed using STATA 14.1 version. A random-effects model was used to estimate the pooled estimate with a 95% confidence interval (CI). Forest plots were used to visualize the presence of heterogeneity and estimate the pooled burden and determinants of chronic kidney disease among diabetic patients. The presence of publication bias was assessed by funnel plots and Egger's statistical tests. Results: Published (297) and unpublished (2) literature were identified from several databases and digital libraries, of which twelve articles were selected for final meta-analysis. Significant heterogeneity was observed across studies (I2 = 85.2%), which suggests a random-effects model to estimate pooled burden. The analysis found that the pooled burden of CKD among patients with diabetes was 18.22% (95% CI: 15.07-21.38). Factors such as hypertension (OR = 2.65, 95%, CI: 1.38, 5.09), type of DM (OR = 0.33, 95%, CI: 0.14-0.76), and duration of DM (OR = 0.51, 95%, CI: 0.34-0.77) were found to have significant association with CKD. Conclusion: The current review revealed a higher burden of CKD among patients with diabetes in Ethiopia. The presence of hypertension, type II diabetes, and duration of diabetes for a longer duration were found to be independent determinants of CKD among patients with diabetes. For better control of chronic kidney disease, integrated management of hypertension and DM should be designed with a special focus on chronic diabetic patients.

The Prevalence of Necrotizing Enterocolitis and Associated Factors Among Enteral Fed Preterm and Low Birth Weight Neonates Admitted in Selected Public Hospitals in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia: A Cross-sectional Study.

Necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) remains to be the most critical and frequent gastrointestinal disorder understood in neonatal intensive care units (NICU). The presented study was intended to assess the prevalence of NEC and associated factors among enteral Fed preterm and low birth weight neonates. Institution based retrospective cross-sectional study was conducted on 350 enteral Fed preterm and low birth weight neonates who were admitted at selected public hospitals of Addis Ababa from March 25/2020 to May 10/2020. The data were collected through neonates' medical record chart review. A total of 350 participants were enrolled in to the study with the response rate of 99.43%. One hundred eighty-four (52.6%) of them were male. The majority 123 (35.1%) of them were (32 + 1 to 34) weeks gestational age. The prevalence of NEC was (25.4%) (n = 89, [95% CI; 21.1, 30.0]). Being ≤28 weeks gestational age (AOR = 3.94, 95% CI [2.67, 9.97]), being (28 + 1 to 32 weeks) gestational age (AOR = 3.65, 95% CI [2.21, 8.31]), birth weight of 1000 to 1499 g (AOR = 2.29, 95% CI [1.22, 4.33]), APGAR score ≤3 (AOR = 2.34, 95% CI [1.32, 4.16]), prolonged labor (AOR = 2.21, 95% CI [1.35, 6.38]), maternal chronic disease particularly hypertension (AOR = 3.2, 95% CI [1.70, 5.90]), chorioamnionitis (AOR = 4.8, 95% CI [3.9, 13]), failure to breath/resuscitated (AOR = 2.1, 95% CI [1.7, 4.4]), CPAP ventilation (AOR = 3.7, 95% CI [1.50, 12.70]), mixed milk (AOR = 3.58, 95% CI [2.16, 9.32]) were factors significantly associated with NEC. Finally, the prevalence of NEC in the study area was high. So that, initiating the programs that could minimize this problem is required to avoid the substantial morbidity and mortality associated with NEC.

The knowledge and practice towards COVID-19 pandemic prevention among residents of Ethiopia. An online cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: The disease from the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) has been considered as an international concern and a pandemic starting from the declaration of the World Health Organization (WHO) as an outbreak disease. OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study is to assess the prevention of knowledge and practices towards the COVID-19 pandemic among the residents of Ethiopia. METHODS: An online cross-sectional study was conducted among a sample of Ethiopian residents via social platforms of the author's network with popular social media such as Facebook, Telegram, and email. The snowball sampling was employed to recruit participants. In doing so, we collected the responses of 341 participants successfully from April 15 to 22, 2020. The collected data were analyzed by STATA version 14 software and descriptive statistics were employed to summarize the knowledge and practices of the community towards the COVID-19 pandemic. RESULTS: The majority of respondents 80.5% were male. About 91.2% of the participants heard about the COVID-19 pandemic. Moreover, out of 341 participants 90.0%, 93.8% of them knew that the COVID-19 pandemic was prevented by maintaining social distance and frequent handwashing, respectively. This shows that the prevention knowledge of the participants towards the COVID-19 by maintaining social distance and frequent handwashing was high. However, out of 341 participants only 61%,84% of them practiced social distance and frequent handwashing toward COVID-19, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The majority of the participants knew the ways to protect themselves from the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), but there was a great problem of changing this prevention knowledge to practices. This shows that there is an action gap between having prevention knowledge of the COVID-19 and implementing it into practices to tackle the spread of the COVID-19 among communities. Therefore, the concerned body should be focused on providing awareness and education for the community regarding the implementation of prevention knowledge to practices.

Impact of antenatal care on neonatal mortality among neonates in Ethiopia: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: As compared to other regions of the world, Sub Saharan Africa (SSA) is the region with the highest neonatal mortality and is the region showing the least progress in the reduction of newborn death. Despite better progress made in reducing neonatal mortality, Ethiopia contributes the highest rate of neonatal death in Africa. In Ethiopia, findings from few studies were inconsistent and there is a need to systematically pool existing data to determine the impact of antenatal care on neonatal mortality among mother-neonate pairs in Ethiopia. METHODS: Published articles from various electronic databases such as Medline, Hinari, Pub Med, Cochrane library, the Web of Science, and Google Scholar were accessed. Also, unpublished studies from library catalogs were identified. All observational studies that were conducted on the association between antenatal care follow-up and neonatal mortality among neonates in Ethiopia were included. Data were extracted on the Microsoft Excel spreadsheet and analyzed using STATA 14.1 version. A random-effects model was used to estimate the pooled estimate with a 95% confidence interval (CI). Forest plots were used to visualize the presence of heterogeneity and estimate the pooled impact on antenatal care on neonatal mortality. The presence of publication bias was assessed by funnel plots and Egger's statistical tests. RESULTS: Initially, a total of 345 studies were accessed. Finally, 28 full-text studies were reviewed and fourteen studies fulfilled inclusion criteria and included in the final meta-analysis. The overall pooled estimate indicates the odds of neonatal death among neonates from women with antenatal care were 65% lower than those neonates from women who had no antenatal care follow-up (OR: 0.35, 95% CI: 0.24, 0.51). CONCLUSIONS: In this systematic review and meta-analysis, lack of ANC follow-up increase the probability of neonatal mortality as compared to having ANC follow-up. Thus, we will recommend for more coverages of appropriate antenatal care where risk groups can best be identified and managed.

Knowledge and Attitude of Self-Monitoring of Blood Pressure Among Adult Hypertensive Patients on Follow-Up at Selected Public Hospitals in Arsi Zone, Oromia Regional State, Ethiopia: A Cross-Sectional Study.

BACKGROUND: Self-monitoring of blood pressure (BP) among hypertensive patients is an important aspect of the management and prevention of complication related to hypertension. However, self-monitoring of BP among hypertensive patients on scheduled follow-up in hospitals in Ethiopia is unknown. The aim of the study was to assess knowledge and attitude of self-monitoring of BP among adult hypertensive patients. METHODS: A cross-sectional survey was conducted on 400 adult hypertensive patients attending follow-up clinics at four public hospitals of Arsi Zone, Oromia Regional State, Ethiopia. The data were collected from patients from March 10, 2019 to April 8, 2019 by face-to-face interview using a pretested questionnaire and augmented by a retrospective patients' medical records review. The data were analyzed using the SPSS version 21.0 software. RESULTS: A total of 400 patients were enrolled into the study with the response rate of 97.6%. The median age of the participants was 49 years (range 23-90 years). More than half (225 [56.3%]) were male. The majority (160 [40%]) were married and more than two-thirds (282 [70.5%]) were Oromo by ethnic background. About 206 (51.5%) had attended primary education. The proportion of patient's knowledge toward self-monitoring of BP and the practice of self-monitoring of BP among hypertensive patients was 31.5% (n=126 [95% CI; 26.5, 36.5]) and 7.75% (n=31 [95% CI; 5.3, 10.5]) respectively. The multivariable logistic regression analysis revealed; higher education (AOR=2.73, 95% CI [1.33, 13.88)], governmental employed (AOR=1.52, 95% CI [1.06, 6.48]), having an income of >3500 Ethiopian Birr (AOR=2.16, 95% CI [1.56, 7.39]), duration of hypertension >6 years (AOR=1.87, 95% CI [1.21, 6.37]), having health insurance (AOR=3.56, 95% CI [1.39, 10.53]), having co-morbidities (AOR=3.93, 95% CI [1.35, 10.32]), receiving a health professional recommendation toward self-monitoring of BP (AOR=6.08, 95% CI [2.45, 15.06]), and having an awareness of hypertension-related complication (AOR=3.94, 95% CI [1.34, 11.44]) were factors significantly associated with self-monitoring of BP. CONCLUSION: In this study, the proportion of knowledge of self-monitoring of BP and the practice of self-monitoring of BP among hypertensive patients on follow-up were low. Educational programs on self-monitoring of BP including teaching through demonstration may be needed to be in place.

Mother to Child Transmission of HIV and Associated Factors Among HIV Exposed Infants at Public Health Facilities, Dessie Town, Ethiopia.

BACKGROUND: Vertical transmission of Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) is the primary route of infection among children. Ethiopia is among the top ten countries in the world with the highest burden of HIV infections among children. Therefore we aimed to assess mother to child transmission (MTCT) of HIV and associated factors among HIV exposed infants (HEIs). METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted using retrospective data collected from HEIs paired with their mothers who had received the services in prevention of mother to child transmission (PMTCT) programs from January 2014 to December 2017 in public health facilities in Dessie town. Data of a total of 313 HEIs paired with their mothers were obtained by using semi-structured data extraction proforma from their medical records. The data were processed in Epi-info version 7.1.2.0 and analyzed using SPSS version 22. Crude and adjusted odds ratios with their 95% confidence intervals and p-value were used to identify significant factors. RESULTS: The prevalence of HIV among exposed infants was 3.8%. Absence of maternal antenatal care visit (AOR = 4.6, 95% CI: 1.17-17.99), home delivery (AOR = 4.2, 95% CI: 1.04 -16.76), absence of antiretroviral intervention to the mother (AOR= 5.7, 95% CI: 1.10-29.36), and failure to initiate nevirapine prophylaxis for the infant (AOR = 5.3, 95% CI: 1.11 -25.44) were significant factors of MTCT of HIV. CONCLUSION: Prevalence of MTCT of HIV was low (3.8%) in Dessie town public health facilities. Having ANC visit, delivery at health facility, maternal ARV drug intake, and infant ARV prophylaxis were the significant protective factors against MTCT of HIV. Promoting ANC service utilization among pregnant women and providing counseling as well as setting up linkage with PMTCT and giving ARV intervention to all HIV positive pregnant women and timely initiation of NVP prophylaxis to all HEIs should be recommended by the minister of health and health facilities.

Ethnoveterinary medicinal plants: Preparation and application methods by traditional healers in selected districts of southern Ethiopia.

AIM: The aim was to document the ethnoveterinary medicinal plants, their preparation, and application methods used by traditional healers in treating different animal diseases, in four districts with different culture and languages in southern Ethiopia. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Information of ethnoveterinary medicinal plants was obtained through in-depth direct interview with the local healers and field observations. A descriptive statistics was used to analyze the reported ethnoveterinary medicinal plants and associated indigenous knowledge. The informant consensus factor (ICF) was calculated for each category of diseases to identify the agreements of the informants on the reported cures. Preference ranking was used to assess the degree of effectiveness of certain medicinal plants against most prevalent animal diseases in the area. RESULTS: The healers had a very high intention to keep their traditional knowledge secrete and none of them was ready to transfer their knowledge either freely or on incentive bases to other people; they need to convey their knowledge only to their selected scions after getting very old. A total of 49 plant species used to treat 26 animal ailments were botanically classified and distributed into 34 families. The most commonly used plant parts for remedy preparations were leaves (38.8%), followed by whole roots (20.4%). Calpurnia aurea (Ait.) Benth was the most preferred effective treatment against external parasite and skin problem, which is the most prevalent disease with the highest ICF (0.68). CONCLUSION: The study suggests that the community of the study districts depend largely on ethnoveterinary medicinal plants for the treatment of different animal ailments though the healers have a very high intention to keep their traditional knowledge secrete. Commonly reported plant species need to be tested for their antimicrobial activities in vitro and validated their active ingredients in order to recommend effective preparations and treatments to this community.