Assessment of knowledge and perceptions of human papillomavirus vaccine and its determinants among women who have eligible daughters in Debre Berhan City, Ethiopia: a cross-sectional study.

Introduction: Globally, cervical cancer(CC) is the second most commonly diagnosed cancer and the fourth leading cause of cancer-related deaths in women. Human papillomavirus (HPV) infection is the leading cause of CC. Persistent infection with HPV accounts for 90% of all CC cases. The human papillomavirus vaccine has the great potential to prevent HPV-related infections for millions of women and men. The current study aimed to assess knowledge and perceptions towards the HPV vaccine and its determinants among women who have eligible daughters in Debre Berhan City, Ethiopia. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted from April 2, 2023, to May 15, 2023. A multistage sampling procedure was used to recruit 607 women participants. Descriptive statistics were used to summarize socio-demographic data. Univariable and multivariable binary logistic regression analyses were performed to measure the associations between the dependent and independent variables. A p-value of <0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: More than three-fourths of the participants, 479 individuals (80%) were currently married, and 243(40.1%) had a diploma or higher education level. Of 456(75.12) participants reported, they had information about cervical cancer. For 449(73.9%) of the participants, television was the main evidence. The majority of 352(59.99%) participants knew the HPV vaccine could be offered to a female child aged 9-14 years old. Only 215(35.4%) participants think the HPV vaccine was safe and effective. Women who had a degree and above educational level were about 9 times more likely to have good knowledge about the HPV vaccine than study participants who did not read and write (AOR=9.21; 95% CI=2.82-12.16; p=0.004). Women who did not have information about the HPV vaccine before this study were about 80% less likely to have a positive perception of the HPV vaccine than participants who had earlier information about the HPV vaccine (AOR=0.8; 95%CI=0.63-0.49; P=003). Conclusion: Women had poor knowledge and perceptions about the HPV vaccine. Maternal marital status, age, and having information about the HPV vaccine were the only predictors of women's knowledge of the HPV vaccine.

In-vivo Immunomodulatory Activities of Essential Oils of Artemisia abyssinica and Lepidium sativum in Mice.

Background: Ethiopians use Artemisia abyssinica and Lepidium sativum as immunity enhancers. However, there is no scientific validation conducted so far regarding this claim. The aim of this study was to investigate the in-vivo immunomodulatory activities of essential oils of A. abyssinica and L. sativum in mice. Methods: The extraction was carried out using the earlier techniques. By hydro distilling fresh seeds and aerial portions of A. abyssinica and L. sativum, respectively, essential oils were obtained. Essential oils of both plants were tested at 100, 200 and 400 mg/kg. The rate of carbon clearance, humoral antibody titer, delayed type hypersensitivity response, spleen and thymus indices were evaluated in mice according to scientific protocols. The carbon clearance assay was determined using carbon ink. Sheep red blood cell was used as an antigen for other tests. Results: Essential oils of A. abyssinica and L. sativum at 400 mg/kg significantly increased the rate of carbon clearance from the body of mice (p<0.05). The maximum carbon clearance rate was achieved for A. byssinica essential oil at 400 mg/kg. Both essential oils raised the level of HAT to SRBC in comparison to the vehicle and cyclophosphamide administered groups. The largest (84.668±1.951) mean secondary HAT to SRBC was generated by L. sativum essential oil at 400 mg/kg (p<0.001). A. abyssinica essential oil at 200 and 400 mg/kg significantly increased the level of thymus index compared to the model group (p<0.05 and 0.01 respectively). The levamisole group experienced the highest increase in thymus index (p<0.001). Essential oil of L. sativum at 400 mg/kg also increased the level of thymus index. The spleen index in mice was improved by the essential oils only at the highest dose levels (400 mg/kg). Conclusion: It can be inferred that the essential oils of L. sativum and A. abyssinica have immunostimulant properties.

Surgical site infection and antimicrobial prophylaxis prescribing profile, and its determinants among hospitalized patients in Northeast Ethiopia: a hospital based cross-sectional study.

The inappropriate use of surgical antimicrobial prophylaxis is a common cause for increased risk of morbidity and mortality from surgical site infection in patients who underwent surgical procedures. The study aimed to evaluate surgical antimicrobial prophylaxis prescribing patterns, Surgical Site Infection (SSI), and its determinants in the surgical ward of Debre Berhan Comprehensive Specialized Hospital, northeast Ethiopia. A prospective cross-sectional study was conducted from October 1st 2022 to January 31st, 2023. Data collected from patient medical record cards and patient interviews were entered and analyzed using SPSS V26.0. The determinants of surgical site infection were determined from the multivariable logistic regression. P-value ≤ 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Ceftriaxone (70.5%) followed by a combination of ceftriaxone with metronidazole (21.90%) was the most frequently used prophylactic antibiotic. One hundred fifty-nine (78%) of patients were exposed to inappropriately used prophylactic antimicrobials and 62.2% of these were exposed to inappropriately selected antibiotics. One hundred twenty-six (61.9%) patients developed Surgical Site Infection (SSI). Duration of procedure longer than an hour and inappropriate use of antimicrobial prophylaxiswere the independent predictors for the occurrence of surgical site infections. Patients whose operation was lasted in longer than an hour were 3.39 times more likely to develop SSI compared to those whose operation was completed in less than an hour, AOR = 3.39 (95% CI: 1.24-9.30). Similarly, controlling the effect of other covariate variables, individuals who were given inappropriate antimicrobial prophylaxis were 6.67 times more likely to develop SSI compared to those given appropriate prophylaxis, AOR = 6.67 (95% CI: 1.05-42.49). The high rate of SSI requires due attention from clinicians as well as health policymakers. Duration of surgical procedure greater than an hour and inappropriate antimicrobial prophylaxis use was the independent predictor of surgical site infections.

Hepatoprotective effect of methanol extract of Agave americana leaves on paracetamol induced hepatotoxicity in Wistar albino rats.

BACKGROUND: Ethiopians locally treat liver illnesses with A. Americana. Available literature demonstrates this. However, there are few in-vivo investigations that provide supporting data. The aim of this study was to evaluate the hepatoprotective effects of methanolic extract of Agave americana leaves on rat liver damage caused by paracetamol. METHODS: The acute oral toxicity test was conducted in accordance with OECD-425 recommendations. The approach outlined by Eesha et al. (Asian Pac J Trop Biomed 4:466-469,  2011) was used to test the hepatoprotective activity. Wistar male rats weighing between 180 and 200 g were used, and six groups with seven animals each were formed. Group I received treatment with gum acacia (2%) at a dose of 2 ml/kg p.o. daily for 7 days. Rats in group II were treated with 2% gum acacia orally daily for seven days along with a single dose of paracetamol (2 mg/kg) p.o. on 7th day. Silymarin (50 mg/kg) was given orally to Group III for 7 days. Plant extract doses of 100 mg/kg, 200 mg/kg, and 400 mg/kg were administered orally to Groups IV -VI for seven days, respectively. All rats in groups III-VI were treated with paracetamol (2 mg/kg) 30 min following extract administration. Blood samples were obtained from the cardiac puncture after paracetamol had been used for 24 h to induce toxicity. Serum biomarkers (AST, ALT, ALP, and total bilirubin) were estimated. A histopathological investigation was also done. RESULTS: No toxicity symptoms or animal fatalities were recorded during the acute toxicity study. The values of AST, ALT, ALP, and total bilirubin were all substantially raised by paracetamol. Significant hepatoprotective effects were obtained by pretreatment with A. americana extract. Histopathological examination of the liver tissues of paracetamol control group represented the presence of marked foci of mononuclear infiltration in the hepatic parenchyma tissue, sinusoid, and around central vein, as well as disorganization of hepatic plates, necrosis, and fatty changes of hepatocytes. Pretreatment with A. americana extract reversed these alterations. Results of the methanolic extract of A. americana were comparable to Silymarin. CONCLUSION: The current investigation supports the hepatoprotective properties of Agave americana methanolic extract.

Acute and Subacute Toxicity Study of Essential Oil of Cymbopogon Martini in Mice.

Background: Local Ethiopians regularly use Cymbopogon martini for cosmetic purposes. The plant's safety, however, is not supported by any solid facts. This investigation aimed to evaluate the acute and subacute toxicities of C. martini essential oil in mice. Methods: The essential oil was analyzed using GC-MS. The approach outlined by Chinedu et al., 2013 has been used to calculate the median lethal dose. According to organization for economic cooperation and development (OECD) 407 standard, a 28-day repeated dose oral toxicity study was carried out on female mice. Three groups of ten experimental mice each were distributed at random. Group I received the same saline volume and was considered the control. Groups II and III were treated with doses of C. martini of 500 mg/kg and 1000 mg/kg, respectively, of body weight. Hematological and biochemical markers were assessed. The liver and kidney were taken out after the sacrifice using sodium pentobarbital for pathological analysis. Results: Geraniol (40.89%) was the predominant component in the essential oil composition of C. martini with cyclofenchene (13.91%), myrcene (9.34%), 2, 4, 6, octatriene, 2, 6, dimethyl (8.20%), and ocimene (5.93%) being present in small amounts. The LD50 of C. martini essential oil was discovered to be greater than 5000 mg/kg body weight. During a 4-week follow-up period, mice treated with C. martini, the essential oil, at doses of 500 mg/kg or 1000 mg/kg body weight showed no evidence of toxicity or mortality. Biochemical and hematological parameters were not significantly altered in mice treated with the essential oil of C. martini compared with the control group. Histopathological evaluation of the liver and kidney did not exhibit any adverse results. Conclusions: The essential oil of C. martini from Ethiopia is considered relatively safe and nontoxic.

Prevalence of hospital-acquired infections (HAIs) and associated factors in Ethiopia: a systematic review and meta-analysis protocol.

INTRODUCTION: Hospital-acquired infections (HAIs) are public health problems of global concern and are notably prevalent in developing countries. The prevalence of HAI and its associated factors are not well described in the context of Ethiopia. Currently, the nationwide prevalence of HAI and its corresponding associated factors have not been formally reported in Ethiopia. This review will provide an estimate of the prevalence of HAI and its associated factors. METHODS: Scholarly articles will be selected from the Embase, PubMed, Cochrane library, Hinary, Scopus, Web of Science and Google Scholar databases. Articles within the timeline of January 2000 to December 2020 will be included for review. Observational studies, randomised trials, surveys, surveillance reports, published and grey literature that reported the prevalence of HAI or factors associated with HAI reported as OR (95% CI) with no language restriction will be included in the analysis. Screening and selection of articles will be done using web-based Covidence software. The article's quality and risk of bias will be critically appraised using Johanna Briggs Institute quality appraisal checklist. Random effects model using the inverse variance method will be conducted to estimate the prevalence of HAI. To examine heterogeneity, the Q statistics and I2 statistics will be conducted. Publication bias will be investigated using Begg's correlation method and Egger's weighted regression test. All analyses will be performed with STATA (V.14) software. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: Ethical approval is not required for meta-analysis reviews as participants are not included. The review will be submitted for publication in peer-reviewed journals.