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Hayelom Berhe,1 Wanzahun Godana,2 Negussie Boti Sidamo,2,3 Gebremaryam Temesgen Birgoda,4 Lielt Gebresillasie,5 Sultan Hussen,2 Selamawit Gebeyehu2 1Department of Nursing, Hossana College of Health Science, Hossana, Ethiopia; 2School of Public Health, College of Medicine and Health Science, Arba Minch University, Arba Minch, Ethiopia; 3Department of Public Health, PHARMA College, Wolaita Sodo Campus, Wolaita Sodo, Ethiopia; 4Departments of Midwifery, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, Arba Minch University, Arba Minch, Ethiopia; 5Department of Nursing, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, Wolaita Sodo University, Wolaita, EthiopiaCorrespondence: Gebremaryam Temesgen Birgoda; Negussie Boti Sidamo, Email degnesh31@gmail.com; Hanehalid@gmail.comBackground: HIV/AIDS remains one of the world’s serious public health challenges. Patients with limited support from their family and community often experience social damage, poor adherence, compliance and are prone to additional psychosocial problems. This study aimed to assess the level of perceived social support and factors among adults living with HIV/AIDS.Methods: Facility-based mixed study (sequential explanatory) design was conducted among 423 adults living with HIV/AIDS attending chronic care follow-up at public hospitals in Gamo zone, southern Ethiopia. Respondents were selected by systematic sampling technique. The bivariable and multivariable ordinal logistic regression was used to determine associated factors. All assumptions applied to ordinal logistic regression including multicollinearity, proportional odds, model fitness and pseudo R2 were checked. Level of significance was declared at p-values < 0.05 and 95% CI.Results: Proportion of perceived social support of participants was 128 (30.7%), 197 (47.2%) and 92 (22.1%) with low, moderate and high levels of perceived social support, respectively. Females [(APOR = 2.42, 95% CI:(1.63– 3.58), P < 0.001)], no formal education [(AOR = 0.49, 95% CI: (0.30– 0.789), P = 0.004)], fair adherence [(APOR = 2.07, 95% CI: (1.17– 3.49), P = 0.006)], no comprehensive knowledge about HIV [(APOR = 0.40, 95% CI: (0.26– 0.62), P < 0.001)], and no disclosure status [(APOR = 0.64, 95% CI: (0.43– 0.95), P = 0.028] were significantly associated with perceived social support. Qualitative findings revealed that disclosure and adherences involving income generation activities are beneficial to perceived social support.Conclusion: This study showed that one from three of the participants had low perceived social support. Low perceived social support was associated with adherence, disclosure status of individual, educational status and knowledge about HIV/AIDS. Family, friends, health care providers and significant others should provide necessary support and inform people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) about social support.Keywords: perceived social support, HIV/AIDS, adults, adherence

Negussie Boti Sidamo,1 Sultan Hussen,1 Tamiru Shibiru,2 Meseret Girma,1 Mulugeta Shegaze,1 Abera Mersha,3 Teshale Fikadu,1 Zeleke Gebru,1 Eshetu Andarge,1 Mustefa Glagn,1 Selamawit Gebeyehu,1 Bilcha Oumer,4 Gebremaryam Temesgen5 1School of Public Health, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, Arba Minch University, Arba Minch, Ethiopia; 2School of Medicine, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, Arba Minch University, Arba Minch, Ethiopia; 3School of Nursing, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, Arba Minch University, Arba Minch, Ethiopia; 4Department of Midwifery, College of Health Sciences, Arba Minch, Ethiopia; 5Department of Midwifery, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, Arba Minch University, Arba Minch, EthiopiaCorrespondence: Negussie Boti SidamoSchool of Public Health, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, Arba Minch University, Arba Minch, EthiopiaEmail Hanehalid@gmail.comBackground: Since the occurrence of the COVID-19 pandemic, different public health measures have been implemented to prevent and control the further spread of the disease. However, barriers that influence the effective implementation of public health measures were not explore in Ethiopia especially in study Area. Therefore, this study tried to fill this gap by exploring the barriers to effective implementation of public health measures for prevention and control of the COVID-19 pandemic in the Gamo Zone of southern Ethiopia.Methods: The study employed a qualitative study with a phenomenology approach among purposely selected 30 individuals in the community and selected institutions. Key informant interview was used to collect the data. The data were transcribed verbatim and translated into the English language. The transcribed data were read several times to clearly understand the content for further analysis. The analysis of the data was conducted based on the modified Tanahashi framework.Results: The study identified different barriers under five main themes: accessibility, acceptability, availability, contact and use, and effective implementation of public health measures related to barriers. The main barriers to effective implementation of public health measures were resistance to change, negligence, lack of community engagement, insufficient training for front line workers, poor supportive supervision, poor law enforcement, and lack of continuous community awareness creation. Beside, acceptability related barriers like cultural and religious norms and availability related barriers like shortage of personal protective equipment and shortage of skilled health professional have also lion share barriers for implementation of the public health measures.Conclusion: The study identified different personal, institutional, and societal level barriers for effective implementation of public health measures for the COVID-19 pandemic. Therefore, proper and targeted continuous community awareness creation with further mandatory law enforcement activities should be implemented by the concerned bodies to mitigate individual and societal level barriers. In addition, the government with relevant stakeholders should give due attention to equip and protect the frontline professionals by availing the necessary logistic and provision of continuous capacity-building activities.Keywords: COVID-19, effective implementation, public health measures, modified Tanahashi model, barriers, Gamo zone

Negussie Boti,1 Sultan Hussen,1 Gistane Ayele,1 Abera Mersha,2 Selamawit Gebeyehu,1 Mekidm Kassa,1 Tesfaye Feleke,1 Gebremaryam Temesgen3 1School of Public Health, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, Arba Minch University, Arba Minch, Ethiopia; 2School of Nursing, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, Arba Minch University, Arba Minch, Ethiopia; 3Department of Midwifery, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, Arba Minch University, Arba Minch, EthiopiaCorrespondence: Negussie Boti Tel +251-920-997-752Email Hanehalid@gmail.comBackground: Mental health disorders have identified as being one of the public health issues throughout the world. Recent evidence reveals that more than 21 million people diagnosed with schizophrenia. However, there is little information about community perception and attitude towards people with Schizophrenia in Ethiopia.Objective: The aim of this study was to assess the community perception and attitude towards people with Schizophrenia among residents of Arba Minch Zuria Districts, Southern Ethiopia.Methods: A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted among 617 randomly selected adults. Interviewer-administered standard tool was used to collect the data. Descriptive statistics like frequency, mean, and median computed. A binary logistic regression model used to identify factors affecting community perception and attitude towards people with schizophrenia.Results: Of the study population, 469 (76%) of respondents had good perception and 390 (63.2%) had positive attitudes towards people with schizophrenia. The study participants identified talkativeness and self-neglect behaviors as the most common manifestations of schizophrenia. Besides, this study identified substance misuse and head injury as the perceived cause and spiritual or traditional methods as a preferred treatment for people with schizophrenia. Moreover, the study participants preferred spiritual or traditional methods for the treatment of schizophrenia. Young age [AOR=2.03, 95% CI: 1.21, 3.40], females [AOR=2.32, 95% CI: 1.58, 3.41], good perception towards people with schizophrenia [AOR=4.95, 95% CI: 3.25, 7.54] and no formal educational status [AOR=2.75, 95% CI: 1.33, 5.70], and primary education [AOR=3.72, 95% CI: 1.87, 7.39] were significantly associated with the attitude towards people with schizophrenia.Conclusion: The findings of this study indicate that approximately one-third of the residents had unfavorable attitudes towards people with schizophrenia. Therefore, giving special attention to male, elders and those who were educated, and individuals who have poor perceptions of people with schizophrenia is crucial.Keywords: perception, attitude, schizophrenia, Arba Minch Zuria District, Southern Ethiopia

Kidanemariam Alem,1 Sefinew Gebeyehu,2 Yibeltal Arega3 1Department of Biostatistics, School of Public Health, College of Health Sciences, Mekelle University, Mekelle, Ethiopia; 2Department of Statistics, College of Natural and Computational Sciences, Adigrat University, Adigrat, Ethiopia; 3Department of Statistics, College of Natural and Computational Sciences, University of Gondar, Gondar, EthiopiaCorrespondence: Kidanemariam Alem Email kidanemariam2012@gmail.comObjective: The aim of this study was to identify the risk factors and treatment types for asthma severity among adult patients by applying a retrospective study design.Materials and Methods: The symptoms of asthma and corresponding medication prescription were addressed by descriptive statistics, and an ordinal logistic regression model was applied to identify the risk factors of asthma severity based on the data obtained from chronic follow-up of 422 adult asthma patients from September 11, 2012, to July 8, 2016, at the University of Gondar Teaching Hospital (UOGTH).Results: From 422 study units, the more commonly presenting asthma symptoms were coughing and wheezing expressed by 52.13% and 50.9%, respectively. For the treatment type given to the patients, oxygen and prednisolone were highly distributed drugs to the patients in chronic illness, medication and follow-up clinic of the University of Gondar Teaching Hospital (UOGTH) which were expressed by 73.5% and 35.5%, respectively. The proportional odd logit model was used to analyse asthma severity in patients; patients who were female (OR=1.68), a rural resident (OR=1.56), regular physical exercise (OR=2.39), allergen to pet (OR=3.17), had asthma in childhood (OR=2.27), had a family history (OR=1.89), and had depression (OR=2.31) were more likely to increase asthma severity than others, and patients who were in case with regular cooker, dry season was less likely to increase asthma severity.Conclusion: Generally, the study presented the most common asthma symptoms and treatment types correspondingly. The study also showed that demographic, environmental, genetic, and health-related factors have a significant effect on asthma severity.Keywords: asthma severity, risk factors, symptom, medication, ordinal logistic regression

Objective The main objective of this study was to determine the prevalence and factors associated with unfavourable maternal outcomes among pregnant women with pre-eclampsia with severity features (PEWSF) at Abebech Gobena Maternal and Children’s Health and St. Peter’s Hospital, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, 2023.Design A hospital-based cross-sectional study was conducted from 1 January 2023 to July 2023. The data was collected using a structured and pre-tested questionnaire through face-to-face interviews and a review clinical chart. Data was entered using EpiData V.4.6 and analysed using SPSS V.26.0 statistical software. Binary logistic regression analysis was run to identify predictors of maternal outcome.Setting Two hospitals in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.Participants 348 pregnant women with PEWSF were included.Outcome measures Unfavourable maternal outcome was defined as mothers with PEWSF that develop at least one complication, that is, eclampsia, abruption placenta, Haemolysis, Elevated Liver Enzymes and Low Platelet Count (HELLP) syndrome, acute renal failure, disseminated intravascular coagulation, cardiac failure, stroke, postpartum haemorrhage, pulmonary oedema and death.Results The overall prevalence of unfavourable maternal outcomes was 33.9% (N=118) (95% CI=28.7 to 38.8). Abruptio placenta (17.2%), HELLP syndrome (15.5%) and postpartum haemorrhage (13.8%) were common complications that occurred among mothers with PEWSF. Age above 35 years (adjusted OR (AOR) (95% CI)=2.70 (1.31 to 5.59)), rural residence (AOR (95% CI)=1.94 (1.07 to 3.53)), unemployment (AOR (95% CI)=0.35 (0.20 to 0.62)), severe blood pressure on admission (AOR (95% CI)=2.32 (1.03 to 5.19)) and complain of severe headache (AOR (95% CI)=1.91 (1.16 to 3.16)) were significant associates of unfavourable maternal outcomes.Conclusions The prevalence of unfavourable maternal outcomes was high compared with other studies in Ethiopia. Maternal age, residence, occupation, blood pressure on admission and severe headache have shown a statistically significant association with unfavourable maternal outcomes. Socioeconomic development and early identification of severe signs and symptoms of pre-eclampsia are needed to reduce unfavourable outcomes.

BackgroundPreeclampsia is a new onset of hypertension and either proteinuria or end-organ failure after 20 weeks of gestation. It is a prevalent cause of perinatal mortality, morbidity, and neonatal complications in developing nations including Ethiopia. Thus, the aimed to assess the prevalence and determinants of adverse perinatal outcomes among women with preeclampsia with severity features (PEWSF) at two selected public hospitals in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, 2023.MethodA cross-sectional study was carried out among 348 mothers between January 1, 2023, and July 1, 2023. A structured, pre-tested questionnaire was used to gather data from in-person interviews and a review of the patient's medical record. The statistical program Epi-Data version 4.6 was used to enter the data, and SPSS version 26.0 was used for analysis. Binary logistic regression analysis was used to find factors that were associated with unfavorable perinatal outcomes. A p-value of less than 0.05 was used to declare the significance level.ResultThe overall prevalence of unfavorable perinatal outcomes was 59.2% (95% CI: 54.0–63.8). Among the complications, low birth weight, prematurity, NICU admission, and a low fifth-minute APGAR score, encompass 48.9%, 39.4%, 20.4%, and 14.7%, respectively. No formal education [OR = 5.14, 95% CI: (1.93–13.63)], unemployment [OR = 0.42, 95% CI: (0.24–0.73)], referral cases [OR = 2.03, 95% CI: (1.08–4.06), inadequate antenatal care (ANC) contact [OR = 3.63, 95% CI: (1.22–10.71)], and family history of hypertension [OR = 1.99, 95% CI: (1.03–3.85)] have shown a statistically significant association with unfavorable perinatal outcomes.ConclusionIn this study, the prevalence of unfavorable perinatal outcomes was high compared to other studies in Ethiopia. Level of education, occupation, mode of admission, ANC contact, and family history of hypertension were significant predictors of unfavorable perinatal outcomes. Socio-economic development, improving referral systems, and adequate antenatal care contact are needed to improve unfavorable outcomes. Additionally, antenatal screening and specialized care for high-risk mothers, e.g., those with a family history of hypertension are recommended.

Abstract Background Tuberculosis is the oldest infectious disease and it is still the leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Even though several primary studies have been conducted on the incidence of tuberculosis among HIV-infected individuals in Ethiopia, national-level tuberculosis incidence is unknown. Therefore, this study is aimed to assess the TB incidence rate and its predictors among HIV-infected individuals after the initiation of ART in Ethiopia. Methods We conducted an extensive search of literature as indicated in the guideline of reporting systematic review and meta-analysis (PRISMA). The databases used were PubMed, Google Scholar, and HINARI literature. We used the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) Meta-Analysis of Statistics Assessment and Review Instrument for critical appraisal of studies. The meta-analysis and Meta regressions were conducted using STATA 14 software. Met-analysis and meta-regression were computed to present the pooled incidence rate and predictors of tuberculosis among HIV-infected patients after initiation of ART with a 95% confidence interval. Results Among a total of 189 studies, 11 studies were included in this analysis. The estimated pooled incidence rate of TB per 100-person year observation (PYO) among HIV-infected patients after initiation of ART therapy was 4.8(95% CI 3.69–5.83). In subgroup analysis, the estimated pooled incidence of tuberculosis showed a slight difference between adults and children after initiation of ART treatment, which was 4.3 (95% CI 2.96, 5.71) and 5.0 (95% CI 3.51, 6.50), respectively. Significantly pooled estimates of predictors of TB incidence by a meta-analysis were being anemic (2.30, 95% CI 1.75, 3.02); on clinical stages III and IV (2.26, 95% CI 1.70, 3.02); and not on cotrimoxazole preventive therapy (CPT) (2.16, 95% CI 1.23, 3.72). Besides, a meta-regression revealed that CD4

Soil acidity is among the major limiting factors for common bean nodulation and productivity. Therefore, field experiments were conducted to investigate the effects of the application of phosphorus (P), lime, and compost on nodulation and dry-matter accumulation of common bean under field conditions at Areka during the long rainy season (belg) and short rainy season (meher). Three rates of compost (0, 5 and 10 t ha-1), three rates of lime (0, 0.64 and 1.28 t ha-1) and three rates of phosphorus (0, 23 and 46 kg P2O5 ha-1) were laid out as a randomized complete block design in a factorial arrangement and replicated three times. All data on nodulation and aboveground drymatter were collected. Results showed that the combined application of P at rates of 46 kg P2O5 ha-1 and lime at rates of 1.28 t ha-1 resulted in the maximum number of total and effective nodules during the long rainy season. Similarly, application of the highest rates of compost along with the highest rates of lime increased the aboveground dry biomass yield significantly over the control during both seasons. Finally, it can be concluded that the application of compost, lime and phosphorus can boost biomass accumulation and nodulation of common bean in acid soils.

The objective of this study was to explore the contents of moral and character education for children and the pedagogy or approach employed by parents and teachers to teach character and moral education for children. The study was conducted in 18 schools found in East Gojjam, West Gojjam and Awi administrative zones. Preprimary and primary school teachers (N = 272) and one of the parents of children (N = 272) participated in the study. Concurrent mixed design was employed and quantitative and qualitative data were gathered using questionnaire and document analysis respectively. Descriptive statistics was employed to analyze the quantitative data and thematic analysis was applied to analyze qualitative data. The study found that among the six categories of character (caring, honesty, emotional intelligence, responsibility and respect) parents emphasized on teaching children to be honest (M = 2.6,SD = 0.46) and responsible M = 2.48,SD = 0.38) to their actions and behaviors. Teachers give high emphasis for teaching children to be respecting and caring to others and to Fairness (M = 2.62, SD = 0.43) and Respect (M = 2.63,SD = 0.37). Advising is the most frequently used common approache used by parents and teachers. Besides, using fairy tales with animal characters and songs are mostly found to be important approaches to teach character education about right and wrong behaviors to children. The study reveals that there are pieces of moral and character contents included across different subjects. Yet, there is a challenge in providing character and moral education as a separate subject in schools and failure of parents and teachers to be good role models for children. This implies that the Ministry of Education shall plan character and moral education to be offered as a separate subject for preprimary and primary school children and parents and teachers need to work in collaboration to teach character and moral education for children.

Pissodes nemorensis Germar (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) is native to North America, where it causes significant damage to young trees of various Pinus species. In North America, it can be associated with the pitch canker pathogen, Fusarium circinatum, that kills young trees and causes cankers on established trees. Pissodes nemorensis was first detected in South Africa in 1942 and has since been responsible for significant damage to local pine plantations. In South Africa, P. nemorensis is present throughout all pine-growing areas, and is often associated with trees that are stressed by factors such as hail damage and poor species-site matching. It also causes primary damage, by killing growing shoots of pines, resulting in forking or branching of tree leaders. With the recent appearance of the pitch canker fungus in South African nurseries, there is much concern that P. nemorensis will become associated with this pathogen here. The management of R nemorensis is essential to avoid losses to South African pines, but has received little attention. We review the available information on the biology, phenology, host preference, and damage potential of P. nemorensis. Other economically important species of Pissodes are considered where relevant. We also refer to our observations of the pest in the field and laboratory in South Africa, and present the options for the management of P. nemorensis under South African conditions and priorities for future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Przewalski's horse (Equus ferus przewalskii) is an endangered equid native to the steppes of central Asia. After becoming extinct in the wild multiple conservation efforts convened to preserve the species, including captive breeding programs, reintroduction and monitoring systems, protected lands, and cloning. Availability of a highly contiguous reference genome is essential to support these continued efforts. We used Oxford Nanopore sequencing to produce a scaffold-level 2.5 Gb nuclear assembly and 16,002 bp mitogenome from a captive Przewalski's mare. All assembly drafts were generated from 111 Gb of sequence from a single PromethION R10.4.1 flow cell. The mitogenome contained 37 genes in the standard mammalian configuration and was 99.63% identical to the domestic horse (Equus caballus). The nuclear assembly, EquPr2, contained 2,146 scaffolds with an N50 of 85.1 Mb, 43X mean depth, and BUSCO quality score of 98.92%. EquPr2 successfully improves upon the existing Przewalski's horse reference genome (Burgud), with 25-fold fewer scaffolds, a 166-fold larger N50, and phased pseudohaplotypes. Modified basecalls revealed 79.5% DNA methylation and 2.1% hydroxymethylation globally. Allele-specific methylation analysis between pseudohaplotypes revealed 226 differentially methylated regions in known imprinted genes and loci not previously reported as imprinted. The heterozygosity rate of 0.165% matches previous estimates for the species and compares favorably to other endangered animals. This improved Przewalski's horse assembly will serve as a valuable resource for conservation efforts and comparative genomics investigations., Competing Interests: Conflicts of interest The author(s) declare no conflicts of interest., (© The Author(s) 2024. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of The Genetics Society of America.)

Background: There are few studies that have evaluated the provision of compassionate care in Ethiopian contexts. One probable factor could be a lack of validated tools for assessing compassionate care in Ethiopia., Objective: To adapt the Compassionate Care Assessment Tool into the Amharic version and to assess its reliability and validity for application in obstetric services of the Ethiopian context., Method: Four hundred ten mothers who gave birth at the four referral hospitals in North West Amhara participated in this study. Using SPSS version 23.0 and SPSS Amos 26 and by applying principal axial factoring, the Compassionate Care Assessment Tool was assessed for structural reliability and validity. Cronbach's alpha was used to evaluate internal consistency and reliability. Factor loadings, composite reliability, average variance extracted and square root of the average variance extracted were used to test convergent and discriminant validity., Results: Three factors with thirteen items were identified that explained 69.87% of the variation in the Compassionate Care Assessment Tool. Cronbach's alpha was 0.917. In the confirmatory factor analysis, all items had factor loadings more than 0.6, and the average variance extracted was greater than 0.5. Composite reliability values were above 0.7, and the square root of the average variance extracted for each element was greater than the correlation of each factor with other factors in the model., Conclusion: The three factors and the thirteen items of the tool have shown internal consistency in the exploratory factor analysis. The factor loadings and the average variance extracted confirmed the convergent validity of the tool, while composite reliability and the square root of the average variance extracted values confirmed discriminant validity. Thus, the Amharic version of the Compassionate Care Assessment Tool was found to have excellent internal consistency as well as adequate structural, convergent, and discriminant validity among obstetric service users in Ethiopia., Competing Interests: The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article., (© The Author(s) 2024.)

Background: The Ethiopian government implemented a national community health program, the Health Extension Program (HEP), to provide community-based health services to address persisting access-related barriers to care using health extension workers (HEWs). We used implementation research to understand how Ethiopia leveraged the HEP to widely implement evidence-based interventions (EBIs) known to reduce under-5 mortality (U5M) and address health inequities., Methods: This study was part of a six-country case study series using implementation research to understand how countries implemented EBIs between 2000-2015. Our mixed-methods research was informed by a hybrid implementation science framework using desk review of published and gray literature, analysis of existing data sources, and 11 key informant interviews. We used implementation of pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV-10) and integrated community case management (iCCM) to illustrate Ethiopia's ability to rapidly integrate interventions into existing systems at a national level through leveraging the HEP and other implementation strategies and contextual factors which influenced implementation outcomes., Results: Ethiopia implemented numerous EBIs known to address leading causes of U5M, leveraging the HEP as a platform for delivery to successfully introduce and scale new EBIs nationally. By 2014/15, estimated coverage of three doses of PCV-10 was at 76%, with high acceptability (nearly 100%) of vaccines in the community. Between 2000 and 2015, we found evidence of improved care-seeking; coverage of oral rehydration solution for treatment of diarrhea, a service included in iCCM, doubled over this period. HEWs made health services more accessible to rural and pastoralist communities, which account for over 80% of the population, with previously low access, a contextual factor that had been a barrier to high coverage of interventions., Conclusions: Leveraging the HEP as a platform for service delivery allowed Ethiopia to successfully introduce and scale existing and new EBIs nationally, improving feasibility and reach of introduction and scale-up of interventions. Additional efforts are required to reduce the equity gap in coverage of EBIs including PCV-10 and iCCM among pastoralist and rural communities. As other countries continue to work towards reducing U5M, Ethiopia's experience provides important lessons in effectively delivering key EBIs in the presence of challenging contextual factors., (© 2023. The Author(s).)

This study was conducted to assess the psychometric properties of the Barkin Index of Maternal Functioning (BIMF) in an Ethiopian context. Data were obtained from 202 women with a child less than 1 year of age. Narrow standard deviations characterized responses to most BIMF items, but a handful of items had wider standard deviations associated with bimodality. Most interitem correlations were < |.15|, and 13 of the 20 BIMF items did not load satisfactorily on any factor in exploratory factor analyses. Two factors emerged from the remaining items, one with three items and the other with four. Although poor reliability results relating to internal (interitem) and temporal consistency could be attributed to limited variability in the data, a number of concerns are raised about the BIMF itself, including its content validity, instructions, response options, and usefulness in healthcare settings. Suggestions are made for improving the assessment of maternal functioning in Ethiopia and other contexts. More generally, this research demonstrates that researchers should not assume that the psychometric properties and appropriateness of scales will remain robust when those scales are used in contexts that differ from the contexts in which they were created.

A cross-sectional study was conducted to explore the prevalence of Trypanosome infections in cattle and within the tsetse flies from December 2020 to May 2021 in Dabo Hana district, Buno Bedelle Zone, Southwest Ethiopia. A total of 415 blood samples were examined utilizing Buffy coat and Giemsa-stained thin blood smear techniques. Vector distribution and tsetse fly infection rate were studied by deploying 60 traps in four purposively chosen villages of the district. The prevalence of Trypanosomes was 10.6% and 6.5% in cattle and in tsetse flies, respectively. Trypanosoma congolense (59.1%) in cattle and T. vivax (62.5%) in tsetse flies, were the foremost common species distinguished in the area. A significant difference (P ≤ 0.05) was observed in the prevalence of bovine Trypanosomosis between body condition scores of cattle. However, differences were not significant between coat color, sex, and age categories (P > 0.05). The mean PCV values of Trypanosome-infected cattle (22.6 ± 0.6) were significantly (P < 0.05) lower than those of non-infected cattle (25.6 ± 0.3). Out of 1441 flies caught, 1242 (86.2%) were Glossina, 113 (7.84%) were Stomoxys, and 86 (5.97%) were Tabanus. Of 1242 Glossina, 85% were G. tachinoides and the remaining 15% were G. m. sub-morsitans. This finding revealed that, three Trypanosoma species are circulating in cattle as well as in tsetse flies. It is recommended that, sustainable and integrated tsetse and Trypanosomosis control practices should be implemented to foster live stock health and agricultural development in the district. Other sensitive methods should be employed to determine the true picture of infection in the area., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no competing interests., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

The prevalence of hypertension in diabetic patients is nearly twice that of non-diabetic patients. The presence of both hypertension and diabetes accelerates complications and raises the risk of death. Thus, identifying determinants of hypertension in diabetic patients is critical for preventing the development of devastating acute and chronic complications, as well as diabetes-related death., Methods and Materials: A case-control study was carried out in public hospitals of Gamo Zone, Southern Ethiopia. To select study participants, a systematic random sampling technique was used. The KOBO toolbox was used to collect data, which was then exported to the IBM SPSS version 25 software package for analysis. Bivariate and multivariable logistic regression analyses were performed to identify factors associated with hypertension in diabetes patients, and variables in the multivariable logistic regression analysis with a P value less than 0.05 were declared significantly associated at a 95% CI., Results: In this study, age greater than or equal to 50 years [adjusted odd ratio (AOR)=4.08, 95% CI (1.41, 11.82)], higher body mass index [AOR=3.23, 95% CI (1.40, 7.66)], and higher waist to hip ratio [AOR=2.15, 95% CI (1.12, 4.13)] were significantly associated with hypertension in diabetic patients., Conclusions: This study found that factors associated with hypertension among diabetic patients included older age (>50 years), a high waait to st#to#hip ratio, and a higher body mass index. The concerned health authorities and healthcare providers in the study area should focus on those identified factors to prevent hypertension among diabetic patients., Competing Interests: All author declares that they have no competing interests., (Copyright © 2023 the Author(s). Published by Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc.)

Background: Delays in care have been recognized as a significant contributor to maternal mortality in low-resource settings. The non-pneumatic antishock garment is a low-cost first-aid device that can help women with obstetric haemorrhage survive these delays without long-term adverse effects. Extending professionals skills and the establishment of new technologies in basic healthcare facilities could harvest the enhancements in maternal outcomes necessary to meet the sustainable development goals. Thus, this study aims to assess utilization of non-pneumatic anti-shock garment to control complications of post-partum hemorrhage and associated factors among obstetric care providers in public health institutions of Southern Ethiopia, 2020., Methods: A facility-based cross-sectional study was conducted among 412 obstetric health care providers from March 15 -June 30, 2020. A simple random sampling method was used to select the study participants. The data were collected through a pre-tested interviewer-administered questionnaire. A binary logistic regression model was used to identify determinants for the utilization of non-pneumatic antishock garment. STATA version 16 was used for data analysis. A P-value of < 0.05 was used to declare statistical significance., Results: Overall, 48.5% (95%CI: 43.73, 53.48%) of the obstetric care providers had utilized Non pneumatic antishock garment for management of complications from postpartum hemorrhage. Training on Non pneumatic antishock garment (AOR = 2.92; 95% CI: 1.74, 4.92), working at hospital (AOR = 1.81; 95% CI: 1.04, 3.16), good knowledge about NASG (AOR = 1.997; 95%CI: 1.16, 3.42) and disagreed and neutral attitude on Non pneumatic antishock garment (AOR = 0.41; 95%CI: 0.24, 0.68), and (AOR = 0.39; 95% CI: 0.21, 0.73), respectively were significantly associated with obstetric care provider's utilization of Non-pneumatic antishock garment., Conclusions: In the current study, roughly half of the providers are using Non-pneumatic antishock garment for preventing complications from postpartum hemorrhage. Strategies and program initiatives should focus on strengthening in-service and continuous professional development training, thereby filling the knowledge and attitude gap among obstetric care providers. Health centers should be targeted in future programs for accessibility and utilization of non-pneumatic antishock garment., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Background: The survival rate from breast cancer is lowest in African countries and the distribution of breast self-examination practice of and its determinants are not well investigated in Ethiopia. Therefore, this systematic review and meta-analysis was designed to determine the pooled prevalence of breast self-examination and its associated factors among women in Ethiopia., Methods: Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guideline was followed for this systematic review and meta-analysis. The databases used were; PUBMED, Cochrane Library, Google Scholar, CINAHL, African Journals Online, Dimensions and Summon per country online databases. Search terms used were; breast self-examination, breast cancer screening, early detection of breast cancer and Ethiopia. Joanna Briggs Institute Meta-Analysis of Statistics Assessment and Review Instrument (JBI-MAStARI) was used for critical appraisal of studies. The meta-analysis was conducted using STATA 15 software. The pooled meta-analysis was computed to present the pooled prevalence and relative risks (RRs) of the determinate factors with 95% confidence intervals (CIs)., Results: We identified 2,637 studies, of which, 40 articles (with 17,820 participants) were eligible for inclusion in the final meta-analysis. The pooled estimate of breast self-examination in Ethiopia was 36.72% (95% CI: 29.90, 43.53). The regional distribution breast self-examination ranged from 21.2% (95% CI: 4.49, 37.91) in Tigray to 61.5% (95% CI: 53.98, 69.02) in Gambela region. The lowest prevalence of breast self-examination was observed among the general population (20.43% (95% CI: 14.13, 26.72)). Women who had non-formal educational status (OR = 0.4 (95% CI: 0.21, 0.77)), family history of breast cancer (OR = 2.04 (95% CI: 1.23, 3.39)), good knowledge of breast self-examination (OR = 4.8 (95% CI: 3.03, 7.6)) and favorable attitude toward breast self-examination (OR = 2.75, (95% CI: 1.66, 4.55)) were significantly associated with practice of breast self-examination., Conclusions: Only a third of women in Ethiopia practiced breast examination despite WHO guidelines advocating for this practice among all women of reproductive age. Intervention programs should address the factors that are associated with breast self-examination. Population specific programs are needed to promote breast self-examination., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Background: Non-adherence to anti-TB treatment is one of the crucial challenges in improving tuberculosis (TB) treatment outcomes and reducing healthcare costs. The poor adherence to anti-TB treatment among patients with TB is a major problem in Ethiopia. This study aimed to assess the level of and associated factors for non-adherence to anti-TB therapy among patients with tuberculosis in the Gamo Gofa Zone., Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted at Gamo Gofa Zone from July 20 - August 30, 2017. A multi-stage sampling technique was used. The study included 289 patients who were on anti-TB treatment. Data were collected by trained data collectors using a structured and pre-tested questionnaire through interviews. A multiple logistic regression model was fitted using SPSS 23 to identify factors associated with non-adherence to anti-TB treatment at a 5% significance level., Results: We found that 16.5% of the participants were non-adherent for anti-TB treatment. Failure to disclose one's TB status to his or her family (AOR = 31.7; 95% CI: 9.1-111.1), having no information on the expected adverse events (AOR = 31.1; 95% CI: 7.5-128.3), past anti-TB treatment history (AOR = 5.3; 95% CI: 1.5-18.8) and a smoking cigarette (AOR = 11.7; 95% CI: 3.2-43.03) were found to be associated with a higher odds of being non-adherent to anti-TB treatment., Conclusions: The level of non-adherence to anti-TB treatment among TB patients was high. Health care providers should counsel TB patients on the expected adverse events and measures to be taken when patients face the expected adverse events. They should also counsel their patients to disclose their TB status to his or her family and for ceasing cigarette smoking.

Background: Negative perception and attitude of community prevents many people with depression and their caregivers from seeking help and receiving adequate treatment due to fear of social reaction and may try to hide the illness. The reasons for negative attitudes are not consistent across communities or cultures. Therefore, understanding the level of community perception and attitude towards people with depression is important to develop an intervention to reduce the impact of mental illness., Methods: A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted among 617 randomly selected adults. The data was collected using structured, pre-tested, and interviewer-administered questionnaires. Descriptive statistics like frequency, mean, and median were performed. Bi-variable and multivariable logistic regression analyses were performed to identify the factors that affect the community attitude towards people with depression., Results: Of the study population, 325(52.7%) had a good perception and 246(39.9%) had a positive attitude towards people with depression. The majority of study participants frequently identified as the perceived cause of depression was substance misuse, loss of loved one, and conflict within a family. In addition, psychosocial treatment was the most preferred treatment for people with depression in the study area. Marital status and educational status were significantly associated with the community attitude towards people with depression., Conclusion: Giving special attention to people with substance misuse, loss of loved one, and conflict within a family is very vital for the prevention of depression. In addition, future mental health promotion activities should focus on cause and common manifestation of depression to improve the attitude toward people with depression., (Copyright: © 2020 Negussie Boti, et al.)

Objective: The objective of this study was to assess workplace stress and associated factors among health care professionals working in public health care facilities in Bahir Dar city, Northwest Ethiopia, 2017., Results: Out of the expected 294 study participants, 253 respondents had participated in the study making the response rate 86.1%. In this study the prevalence of workplace stress was found to be 48.6%. Educational status (AOR: 3.227, 95% CI [(1.358, 7.673) and working experience (AOR: 2.11,95, 95% CI [1.046, 4.260]) were the factors associated with workplace stress. The current study concluded that the prevalence of workplace stress was high among the study participants. Therefore, this study recommended that the health care facilities should work to identify other sources of workplace stress and further large-scale researches need to be done.

Monokine induced by IFN-gamma (Mig; CXC chemokine ligand 9) is an IFN-gamma-inducible CXC chemokine that signals through the receptor CXCR3 and is known to function as a chemotactic factor for human T cells, particularly following T cell activation. The mig gene can be induced in multiple cell types and organs, and Mig has been shown to contribute to T cell infiltration into immune/inflammatory reactions in peripheral tissues in mice. We have investigated the expression and activities of Mig and CXCR3 in mouse cells and the role of Mig in models of host defense in mice. Murine (Mu)Mig functioned as a chemotactic factor for resting memory and activated T cells, both CD4(+) and CD8(+), and responsiveness to MuMig correlated with surface expression of MuCXCR3. Using mig(-/-) mice, we found that MuMig was not necessary for survival after infections with a number of intracellular pathogens. Surprisingly, however, we found that mig(-/-) mice showed reductions of 50-75% in Abs produced against the intracellular bacterium Francisella tularensis live vaccine strain. Furthermore, we found that MuMig induced both calcium signals and chemotaxis in activated B cells, and that B cell activation induced expression of MuCXCR3. In addition, IFN-gamma induced the expression of mumig in APCs, including CD8 alpha(+) and CD8 alpha(-) dendritic cells. Together, our data suggest that Mig and CXCR3 may be important not only to recruit T cells to peripheral inflammatory sites, but also in some cases to maximize interactions among activated T cells, B cells, and dendritic cells within lymphoid organs to provide optimal humoral responses to pathogens.