Comparison of Foot Arch in Shod and Unshod Individuals in East Gojjam, Ethiopia: A Cross-Sectional Study.

BACKGROUND: The human foot has three arches. The medial longitudinal arch is the longest, the highest, and the most important. The development of a normal foot arch is greatly affected by genetic inheritance, differences in the environment, socioeconomic development, body weight, sex, ethnicity, and culture. The purpose of this study was to compare the arch type between shoe-wearing and barefooted individuals. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted. The data obtained were checked for clarity and consistency before analysis. The analysis was done using descriptive statistics and chi-square. p-values less than 0.05 were considered to be statistically significant. RESULT: From a total of 446 subjects, 217 (48.7%) were males, 131 (29.6%) were urban residents and 226 (50.6 %) were shoe wearers. From the total sample, 46.2%, 42.8%, and 11% are high, normal, and flat-arched individuals, respectively. Of the shoe wearers, 6.7% have a flat arch while 4.3% of the barefooted subjects are flat-arched. Of the total flat-arched subjects, 8.3% are males and 2.7% are females. Of the urban residents, 17.5% have a flat foot and 8.3% of rural residents were flat arched. Among the shoe wearers, 8.8% use closed-toe shoes, and 4.4% that wear sandals are flat-arched. CONCLUSION: The result indicates sex, type of shoes, wearing shoes, and being barefooted affected the development of the foot arch.

The role of sigmoid colon anatomic dimensions in the development of sigmoid volvulus, North-Western Ethiopia.

INTRODUCTION: Sigmoid colon anatomic dimensions have been studied to have roles in the occurrence of sigmoid volvulus; however, these studies are few in number and failed to control the confounding effect of acute sigmoid obstruction on the anatomic dimensions. The main objective of this study was to assess the role of sigmoid colon anatomic dimensions in the development of sigmoid volvulus controlling the effect of acute sigmoid obstruction on the anatomic dimensions. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study was carried out from Dec, 2019 to April, 2021 at Tibebe Ghion Specialized Hospital and Felege Hiwot Comprehensive Specialized Hospital, two referral hospitals in Bahir Dar city, North-Western Ethiopia to compare sigmoid anatomic dimensions among three independent groups of participants: patients with no history of sigmoid volvulus (I), those for whom elective surgery was done after non-surgical detorsion of sigmoid volvulus (II), and patients for whom emergency surgery was done for sigmoid volvulus (III). The anatomic dimensions were compared using fixed effects one-way ANOVA or Kruskal-Wallis H test at p-value ≤ .05 (two-sided) and Tukey method or Dunn-Bonferroni's test was used for post-hoc comparisons. RESULTS: A total of 66 consecutive eligible patients (22 for each of the three groups) were included and analyzed in the study. The means of anatomic dimensions (in cm) for groups (I, II, III) were: sigmoid colon length-SCL (35.91, 71.07, 80.86), meso-sigmoid height-MSH (17.11, 26.52, 28.86), meso-sigmoid maximal width-MSMW (9.70, 14.89,16.80), and meso-sigmoid root width-MSRW (8.34, 7.48, 8.11). SCL, MSH, MSMW, MSH/MSRW, and MSMW/MSRW were found to be statistically significantly different in patients with sigmoid volvulus. MSRW and MSH/MSMW were not different between the study groups. CONCLUSION: A long sigmoid colon with long and wide mesentery, but with a constant base is highly likely to predispose individuals to sigmoid volvulus.

The Size of Anterior Fontanelle and Its Determinants at Birth Among Neonates in Northern Ethiopia: A Cross-Sectional Study.

BACKGROUND: Fontanels are anatomical features of the infant human skull comprising any of the soft membranous gaps between the cranial bones that make up the calvaria of a neonate. Various factors are taught to be responsible for the differences in the size of the fontanel at birth. Accordingly, this study is performed to examine the size of the anterior fontanel, associated factors, and the clinical significance in Northern Ethiopia at birth. METHODS AND MATERIALS: A Cross-sectional study was conducted in a sample of 425 neonates. The data were analyzed using SPSS version 21. Descriptive and summary statistics were presented in the form of tables and figures. All the data were presented as mean ± S.D. The association between dependent variables and independent variables was explored by using Pearson's chi-square test and logistic regressions. P-values <0.05 were considered to be statistically significant. RESULTS: The mean anterior fontanel size for the study population was 3.07 cm with a 95% confidence interval (3.00, 3.14). For a unit increase of head circumference of a neonate, the odds of having abnormal fontanel increase by 52.6%. Term neonates were 74.4% less likely to have abnormal fontanel size than preterm. Vaginally delivered neonates were 64.2% less likely to have abnormal fontanel size than neonates born by caesarean section. Low birth weight neonates were at risk of abnormal fontanel size. The odds ratio of the normal weight of neonate at birth was 0.327473 [95%, CI, (0.153364, 0.6992422)]. CONCLUSION: Gestational age, mode of delivery, head circumference, and birth weight are the most important determinant factors associated with anterior fontanel size.

Facility-Related Factors Affecting Academic Performance of Medical Students in Human Anatomy.

INTRODUCTION: Medical students' academic performance plays an important role in producing qualified graduates who will become great practitioners and workforce for the country's health sector responsible for controlling, diagnosing, and treatment of diseases. The purpose of this study was to identify college facility-related factors affecting medical students' academic performance in the human anatomy course. METHODS: To achieve the objective of this study, a cross-sectional study design was carried out between January 13 and March 30, 2019. One hundred twenty study participants were recruited in the study. Data were collected using self-administered questioners. Binary and multinomial logistic regression were applied to analyze the data. RESULTS: A total of 120 participants were included in the study. Of which, 81 (67.5%) were male while 39 (32.5%) were females. Dormitory crowdedness (AOR 3.16 (95% CI: 0.83-2.01, p= 0.11), large class size (AOR = 2.36; 95% CI: 1.11-4.64 p = 0.005), inadequate classroom facilities (AOR = 1.56; 95% CI: 1.51-4.91, p = 0.001), low internet access (AOR = 1.99; 95% CI: 1.07-3.22, p = 0.015) and inadequate anatomy-teaching model (AOR = 2.63; 95% CI: 1.17-6.12, p =0.003) were significantly associated with low performance of students in human anatomy course exam. However, college library (AOR = 0.23; 95% CI: 0.1-0.48 p = 0.061) did not show significant association with academic performance (p = 0.61). CONCLUSION: Dormitory crowdedness, large class size, inadequate classroom facilities, low internet access, and inadequate anatomy-teaching models were independent factors, which affect the performance of medical students in the human anatomy course exam. However, there was no significant association between the college library and the performance of study participants in this particular course.

The Relationship Between Anthropometric Variables and Race Performance.

INTRODUCTION: The key elements of success in a given sports competition have become an area of interest for researchers. The reason for the success of Ethiopian runners was not proved scientifically. This study aimed at documenting the anthropometric parameters of 10,000 meter runners and to find out the association between such parameters and performances. METHODS: A descriptive field study was conducted. 32 elite 10,000 meter runners participated. The data were collected while the athletics team was preparing for the world athletics championship. The procedure was repeated three times for each individual. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS version 18. All the data were presented as mean ± S.D. The Pearson product-moment test was used to determine the correlation between the variables and finishing time. The level of significance for all statistical tests was set at p < 0.05. RESULTS: The experience of male and female athletes showed a negative association with finishing time. However, there was no statistically significant correlation between the age and running time in both sexes. A significant positive association of body weight to running time was observed in both sexes. Body height correlates positively to running time in males (p<0.05), but not in females. The length of the arm, the forearm, the leg in both sexes and length of the thigh in women had no significant association with finishing time. A smaller arm and calf circumferences have a positive effect on the performance of both sexes. Smaller thigh circumference showed a positive association with the performance of men. CONCLUSION: The age of the runners did not correlate with their performance. The anthropometric variables displayed significantly higher values in men than in women. Experienced athletes performed better in both sexes. Anthropometric parameters may be useful for selection, prediction, improving running performance besides for preventing injuries and health risk assessment.