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Natnael Moges Misganaw,1 Girum Sebsbie,2 Mekonen Adimasu,2 Fekadeselassie Belege Getaneh,3 Getachew Arage,1 Fisha Alebel GebreEyesus,4 Wubet Alebachew Bayih,1 Ermias Sisay Chanie,1 Berihun Bantie,5 Gashaw Kerebeh,1 Dires Birhanu,6 Tadeg Jemere,7 Anteneh Mengist,8 Amare Kassaw1 1Debre Tabor University, College of Health Science, Department of Paediatrics and Child Health Nursing, Debre Tabor, Ethiopia; 2Addis Ababa University, College of Health Science, School of Nursing and Midwifery, Department of Paediatrics and Child Health Nursing, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia; 3Wollo University, College of Health Science, School of Nursing and Midwifery, Department of Paediatrics and Child Health Nursing, Dessie, Ethiopia; 4Wolkite University, College of Medicine and Health Science, Department of Paediatrics and Child Health Nursing, Wolkite, Ethiopia; 5Debre Tabor University, College of Health Science, Department of Adult Health Nursing, Debre Tabor, Ethiopia; 6Dilla University, College of Health Science, Department of Paediatrics and Child Health Nursing, Dilla, Ethiopia; 7Debre Tabor University, College of Health Science, Department of Biomedical Science, Debre Tabor, Ethiopia; 8Debre Tabor University, College of Health Science, Department of Public Health, Debre Tabor, EthiopiaCorrespondence: Natnael Moges Misganaw, Email natumoges611@gmail.comBackground: Esophageal atresia is an upper gastrointestinal tract developmental abnormality in which the upper and lower esophagus do not connect. Esophageal atresia has a higher incidence of death in sub-Saharan Africa, ranging from 30% to 80%. In Ethiopia, infants with esophageal atresia had a higher mortality rate. The assessment of time to death and predictors of esophageal atresia can help to reduce newborn mortality.Objective: This study was aimed to investigate the time to death and predictors of neonates with esophageal atresia admitted to Tikur Anbessa Specialized Hospital, Ethiopia.Methods: An institutional-based retrospective follow-up study was conducted among 225 neonates diagnosed with esophageal atresia. The median survival time, Kaplan–Meier failure estimation curve, and Log rank test were computed. Bivariable and multivariable Cox regression hazards models were fitted to identify the predictors of time to death. Hazard ratio with a 95% confidence interval was calculated and p-values < 0.05 were considered statistically significant.Results: In the study, the incidence density rate of neonates diagnosed with esophageal atresia was 5.5 (95% CI, 4.7– 6.4) per 100-neonates day. The median time to death was 11 days (95% confidence interval (CI), 8.92– 13.08). Birth weight < 2500 g (adjusted hazard ratio (AHR)=1.49, 95% CI, 1.02 − 2.21), having sepsis (AHR=1.67,95% CI, 1.15– 2.44), being malnourished (AHR = 1.61, 95% CI, 1.03 − 2.58), esophageal atretic neonates without surgery (AHR = 3.72, 95% CI, 1.34– 10.38), diagnosis time at > 48 hours of admission (AHR = 1.48, 95% CI, 1.01– 2.15) and being dehydrated (AHR = 2.38, 95% CI, 1.63– 3.46) were significant predictors of time to death among esophageal atretic neonates.Conclusion: The findings in this study highlighted the necessity of early diagnosis, proper comorbidity treatment, and timely surgical intervention to reduce infant deaths due to esophageal atresia.Keywords: esophageal atresia, time to death, Ethiopia

Oats (Avena sativa L.) are a popular functional cereal grain due to their numerous health benefits. This review article summarized the information on the chemical composition and phytonutrients of oats grown in different countries. It also reviewed recently developed fermented oat products to highlight their potential for human health. Oats have an interesting nutritional profile that includes high-quality protein, unsaturated fats, soluble fiber, polyphenolic compounds, and micronutrients. Oat grain has a unique protein composition, with globulins serving as the primary storage protein, in contrast to other cereals, where prolamins are the main storage proteins. Oats have the highest fat content of any cereal, with low saturated fatty acids and high essential unsaturated fatty acid content, which can help reduce the risk of cardiovascular diseases. Oats are a good source of soluble dietary fiber, particularly β-glucan, which has outstanding functional properties and is extremely important in human nutrition. β-Glucan has been shown to lower blood cholesterol and glucose absorption in the intestine, thereby preventing diseases such as cardiovascular injury, dyslipidemia, hypertension, inflammatory state, and type 2 diabetes. Oats also contain high concentration of antioxidant compounds. Avenanthramides, which are unique to oats, are powerful antioxidants with high antioxidative activity in humans. Recognizing the nutritional benefits of oats, oat-based fermented food products are gaining popularity as functional foods with high probiotic potential.

Oat (Avena sativa) is well-known for its nutritional value and health-promoting properties. There are only a few oat-based value-added products on the market in Ethiopia, and this study attempted to develop a new product that is both nutritionally enhanced and sensory acceptable, therefore, the objective of this study was to optimize the nutritional and sensory properties of a beverage made from oat, lupine (Lupinus albus), stinging nettle (Urtica simensis), and premix. D-optimal mixture experimental design was used to generate 11 runs applying the following constraints: 60–70% toasted oat, 10–25% roasted and soaked de-bittered white lupine, 5–15% boiled stinging nettle leaves, and 10% premix (flour of toasted black cardamom (2.8%), malted wheat (2.8%), pumpkin (2.6%), spiced chili peppers (1.1%), and table salt (0.7%). Statistical model evaluation and optimization were carried out using Minitab 19 software. The nutritional composition of the product was assessed, and results show that increasing the proportion of oat flour in the blend resulted in a significant (p < 0.05) increase in fat, carbohydrate, gross energy, and mineral contents (Fe, Zn). An increase in lupine flour increased crude protein, crude fiber, gross energy, phytate, tannin, oxalate, and antinutrient to mineral molar ratios. In contrast increased in stinging nettle leaf powder increased the ash and beta-carotene contents. Sensory of 11 composite sample beverages and control (90% oat plus 10% premix) were also carried out by 50 untrained panelists. Consequently, eight responses were optimized: protein, fat, Fe, Zn, beta-carotene, taste, appearance, and overall acceptability. The optimal blending ratio obtained was 70% oats, 11.3% lupine, 8.7% stinging nettle flour, and 10.0% premix. The study's findings suggested that the optimal combination of these traditionally processed ingredients in a beverage can be considered a valuable food with the potential to improve diet quality.

Ayechew Ademas,1 Metadel Adane,1 Awoke Keleb,1 Gete Berihun,1 Mistir Lingerew,1 Tadesse Sisay,1 Seada Hassen,1 Melaku Getachew,1 Getu Tesfaw,2 Dejen Getaneh Feleke,3 Elsabeth Addisu,4 Leykun Berhanu,1 Masresha Abebe,1 Adinew Gizeyatu,1 Habtemariam Abate,5 Atimen Derso1 1Department of Environmental Health, College of Medicine and Health Science, Wollo University, Dessie, Ethiopia; 2Department of Pharmacy, College of Health Science, Debre Tabor University, Debre Tabor, Ethiopia; 3Department of Pediatrics and Child Health Nursing, College of Health Science, Debre Tabor University, Debre Tabor, Ethiopia; 4Department of Public Health, College of Medicine and Health Science, Wollo University, Dessie, Ethiopia; 5Department of Environmental Health Regulatory Directorate, Addis Ababa Food Medicines and Health Care Control Authority, Addis Ababa, EthiopiaCorrespondence: Ayechew Ademas Email aayechew19@gmail.comBackground: Coronavirus-2019 (COVID-19) is affecting many people. Chronic patients are highly vulnerable to contracting an infection. Most people recover within a week, but chronic patients can face severe illness or death. The increasing of cases, complications, and mortality demands compulsory preventive measures. Therefore, this study was designed to identify major preventive practices and associated factors.Methods: A facility-based cross-sectional study was employed from November to December 2020 among diabetics and HIV/AIDS follow-up clients in Dessie referral hospital. Data were entered into EpiData manager 4.6.0 version and exported to Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) version 25.0 for data cleaning and analysis. Logistic regression analysis was done and an adjusted odds ratio (AOR) with its 95% confidence interval (CI) was used for determining the strength of association.Results: Data were collected from 426 participants with a mean age of 46.54 years. The overall poor prevention practice rate of COVID-19 among diabetic and HIV/AIDS follow-up clients was 68.8% 95% CI (64.6– 72.8%). Factors significantly associated with poor prevention practice were femaleness (AOR; 1.61; 95% CI; 1.03– 2.51), illiterate [AOR; 2.59; 95% CI; 1.33– 5.09]), family size greater than four (AOR; 2.06; 95% CI; 1.32– 3.23), absence of health professional in the household (AOR; 1.79; 95% CI; 1.13– 2.84), not having health insurance (AOR; 1.85; 95% CI; 1.18– 2.89) and urban residence (AOR; 0.38; 95% CI; 0.18– 0.79).Conclusion: The overall proportion of prevention practice towards COVID-19 among diabetic and HIV/AIDS follow-up clients was poor. Illiteracy, having a family size greater than four, not having health professionals in the household, not having health insurance and urban residency were associated with poor prevention practices. Therefore, continuous health educations about good preventive behavioral practice should be enhanced by the health professionals.Keywords: behavioral practice, COVID-19, Ethiopia, prevention

Oat (Avena sativa) is an underutilized cereal grain in Ethiopia from the Poaceae grass family. This study aimed to investigate the proximate, mineral, and anti-nutrient composition of three landrace varieties commonly used in certain districts of the country and compare them with two improved varieties of oats in Ethiopia. The proximate and mineral composition was determined using the Association of Official Analytical Chemists (AOAC) standard methods. Phytate and tannin contents were determined using the spectroscopic method, and oxalate was analyzed using HPLC. The bioavailability of minerals was also estimated. Results showed significant (p < 0.05) differences in proximate, mineral, and anti-nutrient compositions among studied varieties. The moisture, crude protein, crude fat, crude fiber, ash, and total carbohydrate contents were in the range between 8.5-9.8, 11.9–15.8, 6.7–10.3, 2.1–3.5, 1.2–1.3, and 72.6–74.3 g/100 g DM, respectively. Iron, copper, zinc, magnesium, calcium, and potassium contents were 2.5–3.0, 0.2–0.4, 1.6–2.0, 62.4–89.1, 44.0–102.7, and 241.7–258.3 mg/100 g DM, respectively. The oxalate, tannin, and phytate contents ranged from 28.2-71.4, 38.8–51.5, and 269.6–293.0 mg/100 g DM, respectively. Except for a few varieties of oats, the molar ratios were below the critical values. Results showed that both the landraces and improved varieties studied are an excellent source of valuable nutrients. Thus, the production and utilization of this crop in a few geographical locations and communities should be further encouraged in the rest areas of the country to benefit from this underutilized but nutritious crop.

Background: Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) remains the leading cause of global morbidity and mortality. The incidence of HIV is disproportionately higher in Sub-Saharan regions, particularly the Southern African sub-region, which is the most affected region and accounts for 77% of all new HIV infections in the region. Thus, the aim of this study was to identify the determinants of HIV among reproductive-age women in Africa., Methods: This study was conducted among reproductive-age women in Africa, based on secondary data obtained from the Demographic Health Survey (DHS) conducted between 2010 and 2019. The outcome variable was HIV status, while individual- and community-level variables served as potential predictors. The model fit was assessed using Akaike's Information Criterion, Bayesian Information Criterion, and - 2 Log likelihood. Then, multilevel mixed-effects analysis was used. Intra-cluster correlation coefficient, median odds ratio, and proportional change in variance were used to measure heterogeneity between clusters., Results: A total of 292,810 unweighted and 293,773 weighted reproductive-age women in 26 African nations were included in this study. The overall prevalence of HIV among reproductive-age women in Africa was 4.34% (95% CI: 4.2, 4.4%). The highest percentage of HIV was found in Lesotho (23.98%), followed by South Africa (19.12%), and Mozambique (14.67%). However, the lowest HIV prevalence was found in Niger (0.54%), Senegal (0.59%), and Burundi (0.79%). Southern Africa has the highest HIV burden (18.5%), followed by Eastern Africa (6.1%), while Western African countries have the lowest HIV burden. Increasing maternal age, higher maternal education, women who were unemployed, a history of multiple sexual partners, women in a union, community-level educational status, community-level wealth index, African sub-region, and urban residence were found to be independent predictors of HIV infection in Africa., Conclusion: The burden of HIV has remained higher, highlighting the need for targeted public health intervention strategies to prevent the transmission of HIV among key populations., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2025 Gedefie, Muche, Mohammed, Ayres, Melak, Abeje, Bayou, Belege Getaneh, Asmare and Endawkie.)

Purpose: Postpartum women commonly experience sexual dysfunction; however, little is known regarding the effect of breastfeeding on sexual function and postpartum women's interest in treatment. We aimed to evaluate sexual function and genitourinary symptoms based on infant-feeding status and assess desire for treatment., Methods: Cross-sectional observational study of women 5-6 months postpartum following singleton delivery was performed. Participants were grouped based on self-reported infant-feeding status: (1) primarily breastfeeding (BF) and (2) primarily formula feeding (FF). Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI) and Day-to-day Impact on Vaginal Aging (DIVA) questionnaires and interest in treatment were compared., Results: In total, 125 women were included with 61 (49%) breastfeeding and 64 (51%) formula feeding. Compared to FF women, BF women were less likely to identify as African American (47% vs 79%; SD 0.8) or have Medicaid (28% vs 66%; SD 0.9). No other large differences were noted. BF women had significantly lower FSFI score indicating poorer sexual function (20.8 (IQR 10, 24) BF vs 24.5 (IQR 19.5, 27.8) FF, p = 0.009). Both cohorts reported low bother from vaginal symptoms and low interest in treatment of symptoms with BF cohort reporting higher interest in use of vaginal lubricants (69% BF vs 30% FF, SD 0.8). Factors associated with lower FSFI score were BF, perineal laceration, use of progesterone long-acting reversible contraception, and single relationship status., Conclusion: Both breastfeeding and formula feeding women experienced high rates of sexual dysfunction but low bother from vaginal symptoms and low interest in treatment. Further research is needed to explore these findings and assess postpartum sexual health., Competing Interests: Declarations. Conflict of interest: The authors have not disclosed any competing interests., (© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

Introduction: The World Health Organization recommends that children aged 6-23 months should consume a diversified diet, including fruits and vegetables, during each meal. However, low consumption of fruits and vegetables contributes to 2.8% of child deaths globally. The literature review indicates limited research on factors that affect zero vegetable or fruit consumption among children aged 6-23 months in East Africa. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the household- and community-level factors determining zero vegetable or fruit consumption among children aged 6-23 months in East Africa., Method: The study analyzed cross-sectional secondary data from the recent rounds of demographic and health surveys conducted in East Africa from 2015 to 2023. The weighted sample comprised 113,279 children aged 6-23 months. A multilevel mixed-effect analysis was used, measuring the random variation between the clusters based on the intra-cluster correction coefficient, median odds ratio, and proportional change variance. Adjusted odds ratio with a 95% confidence interval was reported while considering variables having a p < 0.05 as statistically significant., Results: The overall prevalence of zero vegetable or fruit consumption among children aged 6-23 months in East Africa was 52.3%, with Ethiopia showing the highest prevalence (85.9%). The factors associated with zero vegetable or fruit consumption were maternal educational level, number of household members, short birth interval, multiple births, sex of the household head, household wealth index, community-level maternal literacy, community-level wealth index, and countries., Conclusion: Considering the high overall prevalence of zero vegetable or fruit consumption among children aged 6-23 months in East Africa, overlooking this nutritional gap among children is a serious oversight. Therefore, efforts should be geared toward improving individual- and community-level maternal literacy. In particular, nutrition and public health organizations should support low-income communities to achieve vegetable or fruit consumption for infants and young children., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2024 Endawkie, Gedefie, Muche, Mohammed, Ayres, Melak, Abeje, Bayou, Belege Getaneh and Asmare.)

Importance: To study alternative voiding trial (VT) methods after urogynecologic surgery that may potentially decrease catheterization., Objective: The aim of the study is to compare voiding assessment based on a minimum spontaneous voided volume of 150 mL with the standard retrograde fill (RF) approach in women after urogynecologic procedures., Study Design: Women undergoing urogynecologic surgery were randomized to RF or spontaneous void (SV) groups. Women in the RF group had their bladders backfilled with 300 mL of saline before catheter removal, those in the SV group did not. To pass the VT, patients in the RF group were required to void 150 mL at one time within 60 minutes, and patients in the SV group had to do the same within 6 hours. The primary outcome was the VT failure rate. We also compared the false pass rate, urinary tract infections, satisfaction, and preference of VT method., Results: One hundred nine women were enrolled in the study, 54 had SV and 55 underwent RF. Baseline characteristics were not significantly different other than history of prior hysterectomy. There was no significant difference in procedures between the groups. There was no difference in VT failure rate between the groups-SV (7.4%) and RF (12.7%, P = 0.39). The false pass rate was 0 in each group. Urinary tract infection rates were similar between SV (14.8%) and RF (14.5%) groups ( P = 0.34). Patient satisfaction for VT method was not significantly different., Conclusions: Spontaneous VT was not superior to retrograde void trial. Therefore, we cannot recommend one method of VT after urogynecologic surgery.CondensationVoiding assessment based on minimum SV of 150 mL is comparable with VT with RF after surgeries for prolapse and urinary incontinence., Competing Interests: The authors have declared they have no conflicts of interest., (Copyright © 2022 American Urogynecologic Society. All rights reserved.)

Background: Anemia is a major health problem in the worldwide. Because of health and socioeconomic problems, the prevalence of anemia is higher in developing countries. However, there was a limited finding in our study area. Therefore, the aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of anemia and its associated factors among under-five age children in Shanan Gibe Hospital (SGH), Southwest Ethiopia., Methods: Institution based cross sectional study was conducted at SGH, Ethiopia using consecutive convenient sampling technique during 1 January to 30 April, 2021. Data was collected by interviewing and capillary blood was taken from the fingertip for hemoglobin determination by using HaemoCue digital photometer. Additionally, stool sample was processed using wet mount and formal-ether concentration technique. Then after, the data were entered to Epidata version 3.1 and analysed with Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 20. Factors associated with anaemia were assessed by bivariable and multivariable logistic regression model by considering P < 0.05 as statistical significance., Results: A total of 368 under five children were recruited to the study and the current prevalence of anemia was 48.9%. Of this anemia, 25.0% mild, 15.8% moderate and 8.2% were severely anemic. More ever, being rural resident (AOR = 6.11; 95% CI = 1.49-8.99, P = 0.002), family low income (AOR = 6.27, 95% CI = 1.35-11.43, P = 0.004), family size greater than five (AOR = 3.12; 95% CI =1.47-7.11, P = 0.002) and intestinal parasite infections such as Enteameoba histolytica (AOR =3.37; 95%CI = 2.16-11.31, P = 0.005), Hookworm (AOR = 6.09; 95%CI = 2.37-11.56, P = 0.001), and Trichuris trichuria (AOR = 2.79; 95%CI = 1.45-9.13, P = 0.002) (P < 0.05) were factors significantly associated with anemia among under five children., Conclusion: The current prevalence of anemia among under five age children is relatively high. On the other hand, the rural residence, large family size, low family income, infection with Enteameoba histolytica, hookworm and Trichuris trichuria were the identified factors associated with anemia among under five children. Therefore, there should be massive and routine deworming program in addition to imperative targeting anemia prevention, and nutritional supplementation to reduce the burden of anemia., (© 2021. The Author(s).)

Background: Hepatocellular cancer is the commonest liver cancer which contributes to a high incidence of morbidity and mortality in both developed and developing countries. Despite the anticipated high burden of the disease in the country, there is paucity of data on the associated risk factors and its pattern on imaging. The aim of this study was to assess Computed Tomography patterns and the risk factors of hepatocellular carcinoma., Methods: A cross-sectional, prospective study on patients with a diagnosis of HCC on Computed Tomography examination, at Tikur Anbessa Specialized Hospital from July, 2016 to July, 2017. All patients who had characteristic Computed Tomography features and those who were diagnosed by Fine needle aspiration cytology (FNAC)/biopsy and had Computed Tomography examination were included in the study. Risk factors identified were reviewed from patients' medical records., Result: A total of 70(n=70) patients were included in the study. The mean age was 50 ± 16 years. Fifty-seven (81.4%) of the participants were males, and 13(18.6%) were females. Forty-five (64.3%) of them came from urban areas and 25(35.7%) of them were from rural areas. The lesions were focal in 52(74.3%) and infiltrative in 18(25.7%) of the cases. Vascular invasion and distant metastases were seen in 49(70%) and 17(24.3%) respectively. Twenty-nine (41%) had negative hepatitis markers, and 13(19%) were not investigated for hepatitis infection., Conclusion: The majority of the patients presented with advanced disease such as vascular invasion and metastases. The major risk factors such as hepatitis infection were negative in significant number of patients. The risk factors in our setting should be studied further. Moreover, high-risk group selection and screening is essential to diagnose HCC early., (© 2020 Ferehiwot Getaneh, et al.)

Background: Malaria is a life-threatening disease associated with high morbidity and mortality. Helminths are among the most widespread infectious agents prevalent in tropical and subtropical regions of the developing world. Malaria and soil-transmitted helminthiasis (STHs) are coendemic and major public health problems in Ethiopia. The effects of helminth coinfection on malaria parasitemia remained poorly understood. Therefore, the objective of this study was to assess malaria parasitemia among malaria-monoinfected and malaria-soil-transmitted helminthiasis-coinfected febrile patients attending Sanja Hospital, Northwest Ethiopia., Methods: A cross-sectional study with parallel groups was conducted to assess malaria parasitemia among malaria-monoinfected and malaria-soil-transmitted helminthiasis-coinfected febrile patients in Sanja Hospital from January to March 2019. Double population proportion formula was used for sample size calculation, and convenient sampling technique was used to select 134 study participants. Data were entered and analyzed by using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 20. Descriptive statistics, independent t -test, and one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) were performed. A P value of <0.05 was considered as statistically significant., Results: From 134 malaria-positive study participants, 67 were malaria-monoinfected and 67 were malaria-STHs-coinfected patients. Out of 67 malaria STHs-coinfected patients, 54 (80.6%) were infected with hookworm followed by Ascaris lumbricoides 11 (16.4%) and Strongyloides stercoralis 2 (3%). The mean Plasmodium parasite density was significantly higher in malaria-STHs-coinfected patients than in patients infected with only Plasmodium parasite density was significantly higher in malaria-STHs-coinfected patients than in patients infected with only P value of <0.05 was considered as statistically significant. Plasmodium parasite density was significantly higher in malaria-STHs-coinfected patients than in patients infected with only F = 6.953, P value of <0.05 was considered as statistically significant., Conclusions: Infections with STHs, especially hookworm, were positively associated with Plasmodium parasite density. The current study finding also revealed that increased worm burden of hookworm as expressed by egg intensity had significantly increased Plasmodium parasite density. Plasmodium parasite density was significantly higher in malaria-STHs-coinfected patients than in patients infected with only Plasmodium parasite density was significantly higher in malaria-STHs-coinfected patients than in patients infected with only., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no competing interests., (Copyright © 2020 Fantahun Getaneh et al.)

Once referred to as "peculiar," tuft cells are enigmatic epithelial cells. Here, we reasoned that future functional studies could be derived from a complete account of the tuft cell ultrastructure. We identified and documented the volumetric ultrastructure at nanometer resolution (4-5 nm/pixel) of specific intestinal tuft cells. The techniques used were Serial Block-Face (SBF) and Automated Tape-collecting Ultra-Microtome (ATUM) Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM). Our results exposed a short (~15 µm) basal cytoplasmic process devoid of secretory vesicles. Volume rendering of serial sections unveiled several thin cytospinules (~1 µm). These cytospinules project from the tuft cell into the nuclei of neighboring epithelial cells. Volume rendering also revealed within the tuft cell an elegant network of interconnected tubules. The network forms a passage from the base of the microvilli to the rough endoplasmic reticulum. Based on their location and microanatomy, the tuft cells' cytospinules, and tubular network, might facilitate the exchange of molecular cargo with nuclei of neighboring cells, and the gut lumen.