Utilization of insecticide treated nets in Arbaminch Town and the malarious villages of Arbaminch Zuria District, Southern Ethiopia

Introduction: Malaria causes an overwhelmingly large number of cases and deaths round the globe every year. Insecticide treated nets (ITNs) have become important tools that provide a simple, but effective means of preventing malaria in highly endemic areas. Methods: A community-based cross-sectional study design was used to investigate possession, utilization, and factors affecting possession and utilization of ITNs in Arbaminch Town and the malarious villages of Arbaminch Zuria District, southern Ethiopia from 22nd January to 1st February 2007 on a sample of 454 households. Data were collected using structured, pretested, interviewer-administered questionnaire. Data entry and analysis was performed using SPSS 11.0 for windows. Univariate, bivariate and multivariate analyses were carried out. Results: The coverage for any net and ITN was 75.1% and 58.8% respectively; the utilization rate for any net and ITN by any member of the household the night prior to the study was 71% and 73% respectively. Both coverage and utilization were higher in rural areas than in urban areas. The proportion of pregnant women and children under five years who slept under ITNs the night preceding the study was 35% and 40.3% respectively. Education and income of head of households, place of residence of households and presence of high risk groups in the household were found to be predictors of net possession. Sex and income of head of households, and presence of radio in the households were predictors of utilization of nets by any household member. Education of head of households and place of residence ofhouseholds were predictors of utilization of nets by high risk groups.Conclusions: A wide gap exists between coverage and utilization of ITNs. Use of ITNs by high risk groups is far below the Abuja target. Appropriate BCC interventions are required to narrow the gap between coverage andutilization of ITNs and to escalate use of ITNs by high-risk groups

Utilization of nutmeg (Myristica fragrans Houtt.) seed hydrodistillation time to produce essential oil fractions with varied compositions and pharmacological effects

© 2020 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. The intent of this study was to utilize distillation timeframes (DT) of nutmeg (Myristica fragrans) essential oil (EO) to generate fractions with differential chemical compositions and bioactivity. Ten fractions were captured at the following distillation timeframes: 0.0–0.5, 0.5–1.0, 1.0–2.5, 2.5–5.0, 5.0–10, 10–30, 30–60, 60–90, 90–120, and 120–240 min. In addition, a control EO was collected from a straight 0–240 min non-stop distillation. ANOVA and advanced regression modeling revealed that the produced EO fractions possess substantial variation in the concentration of potentially desired compounds. The concentrations (%) of α-phellandrene, 3-carene, p-cymene, limonene, α-thujene, α-pinene, camphene, sabinene, β-pinene, and myrcene decreased, while the concentrations (%) of α-terpinene, γ-terpinene, terpinolene, and myristicin increased in later DT fractions. Nutmeg EO showed some antimalarial activity against Plasmodium falciparum D6, but did not exhibit significant antifungal activity. In general, nutmeg seed oil yields increased with an increase of DT. These results may be utilized by industries using nutmeg EO

Essential Oil Yield, Composition, and Bioactivity of Sagebrush Species in the Bighorn Mountains

Sagebrush (Artemisia spp.) are dominant wild plants in large areas of the U.S., Canada and Mexico, and they include several species and subspecies. The aim was to determine if there are significant differences in essential oil (EO) yield, composition, and biological activity of sagebrush within the Bighorn Mountains, U.S. The EO yield in fresh herbage varied from 0.15 to 1.69% for all species, including 0.25–1.69% in A. tridentata var. vaseyana, 0.64–1.44% in A. tridentata var. tridentata, 1% in A. tridentata var. wyomingensis, 0.8–1.2% in A. longifolia, 0.8–1% in A. cana, and 0.16% in A. ludoviciana. There was significant variability in the EO profile between species, and subspecies. Some EO constituents, such as α-pinene (0–35.5%), camphene (0–21.5%), eucalyptol (0–30.8%), and camphor (0–45.5%), were found in most species and varied with species and subspecies. The antioxidant capacity of the EOs varied between the species and subspecies. None of the sagebrush EOs had significant antimicrobial, antimalarial, antileishmanial activity, or contained podophyllotoxin. Some accessions yielded EO with significant concentrations of compounds including camphor, eucalyptol, cis-thujone, α-pinene, α-necrodol-acetate, fragranol, grandisol, para-cymene, and arthole. Therefore, chemotypes can be selected and possibly introduced into culture and be grown for commercial production of these compounds to meet specific industry needs

EFFECT OF PLANTING DATE, NITROGEN RATE, AND HYBRID ON SUNFLOWER

Sunflower is a potential crop for the southeastern United States for production of cooking oil or biodiesel. In 2007, we evaluated the effect of planting date (PD, 20 April, 20 May, and 20 June), nitrogen (N) application rate (0, 67, 134, and 202 kg ha−1), and hybrid (‘DKF3875’, ‘DKF2990’, ‘DKF3510’, and ‘DKF3901’) on sunflower productivity and oil profile in four Mississippi locations, Newton, Starkville, and two sites in Verona. There was a trend of increased oleic acid concentration with earlier planting dates, especially in hybrids with lower oleic acid concentration. Earlier planting dates of ‘DKF3901’ and ‘DKF2990’ (the hybrid with the lowest oleic acid) actually had 200 to 300 g kg−1 higher concentration of oleic acid when grown in Mississippi vs. the original seed of the same hybrids used for planting and produced at a more northern latitude. This and a recent study in Mississippi suggest that modern hybrids could provide ample yields even when the N fertilization is relatively low

Evaluating Natural Products for Control of Black Spot Disease on Roses

Black spot caused by the fungus Diplocarpon rosea Wolf. is the most widespread disease in ornamental roses. Frequent applications of environmentally non-benign chemical fungicides are necessary to effectively prevent and control this disease. Ecological and environmental concerns about frequent fungicide applications are growing, and public demand for safer alternatives to fungicides is increasing. This study evaluated water extracts and essential oils from holy basil (Ocimum gratissimum L.), sweet basil (Ocimum basilicum L.), English thyme (Thymus vulgaris L.), and ‘Scotch’ spearmint (Mentha x gracilis Sole) for suppression and control of black spot disease in roses as compared with a commonly used fungicide. The results revealed that weekly treatments with essential oils of ‘Scotch’ spearmint and English thyme produced significantly lower black spot rating as compared with a water control, and the fungicide treatment had lower black spot rating than all treatments, except the ‘Scotch’ spearmint essential oil and the English thyme essential oil. Our results demonstrate that essential oils of English thyme and ‘Scotch’ spearmint hold promise as biopesticides for control of black spot on roses as an alternative to chemical fungicides. The use of essential oils for suppression or control of black spot on roses would benefit environmental health, and minimize human exposure to pesticides in general

Prevalence of and factors associated with regular khat chewing among university students in Ethiopia

Ayalew Astatkie,1 Meaza Demissie,2 Yemane Berhane,2 Alemayehu Worku2,3 1School of Public and Environmental Health, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, Hawassa University, Hawassa, Ethiopia; 2Addis Continental Institute of Public Health, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia; 3School of Public Health, College of Health Sciences, Addis Ababa University, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia Purpose: Khat (Catha edulis) is commonly chewed for its psychostimulant and euphorigenic effects in Africa and the Arabian Peninsula. Students use it to help them study for long hours especially during the period of examination. However, how regularly khat is chewed among university students and its associated factors are not well documented. In this article we report on the prevalence of and factors associated with regular khat chewing among university students in Ethiopia. Methods: We did a cross-sectional study from May 20, 2014 to June 23, 2014 on a sample of 1,255 regular students recruited from all campuses of Hawassa University, southern Ethiopia. The data were collected using self-administered questionnaires. We analyzed the data to identify factors associated with current regular khat chewing using complex sample adjusted logistic regression analysis. Results: The prevalence of current regular khat chewing was 10.5% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 6.1%–14.9%). After controlling for sex, religion, year of study, having a father who chews khat, cigarette smoking and alcohol drinking in the adjusted logistic regression model, living off-campus in rented houses as compared to living in the university dormitory (adjusted odds ratio [95% CI] =8.09 [1.56–42.01]), and having friends who chew khat (adjusted odds ratio [95% CI] =4.62 [1.98–10.74]) were found to significantly increase the odds of current regular khat use. Conclusion: Students living outside the university campus in rented houses compared to those living in dormitory and those with khat chewing peers are more likely to use khat. A multipronged prevention approach involving students, the university officials, the surrounding community, and regulatory bodies is required. Keywords: current regular khat chewing, peer pressure, living arrangement, university student