Predictors of Treatment Seeking Intention among People with Cough in East Wollega, Ethiopia Based on the Theory of Planned Behavior: A Community Based Cross -Sectional Study

Background: Early treatment seeking for cough is crucial in the prevention and control of Tuberculosis. This study was intended to assess treatment seeking intention of people with cough of more than two weeks, and to identify its predictors.Methods: A community based cross-sectional study was conducted among 763 individuals with cough of more than two weeks in East Wollega Zone from March 10 to April 16, 2011. Study participants were selected from eighteen villages by cluster sampling method. Data collection instruments were developed according to the standard guideline of the theory of planned behavior. The data were analyzed with SPSS 16.0. Multiple linear regression was used to identify predictors.Results: Mean score of intention was found to be 12.6 (SD=2.8) (range of possible score=3-15). Knowledge (β=0.14, 95%CI: 0.07-0.2), direct attitude (β=0.31, 95%CI: 0.25-0.35), belief-based attitude (β=0.03, 95%CI: 0.02-0.06) and perceived subjective norm (β=0.22, 95%CI: 0.13 -0.31) positively predicted treatment seeking intention. However, perceived behavioral control and control belief were not significantly associated with treatment seeking intention (p>0.05). Being smoker (β=-0.97, 95%CI:-1.65- (-0.37)) and higher family income (β=-0.06, 95%CI:-0.07-(-0.01) were significantly associated with lower treatment seeking intention.Conclusion: TPB significantly predicted treatment seeking intention among the study participants. Attitude and silent beliefs held by the respondents play an important role and should be given emphasize in prevention and control of Tuberculosis.Keywords: Tuberculosis, Cough, Intention, Treatment, Theory of Planned Behavio

Self-cleaning on a higher order mode in ytterbium-doped multimode fiber with parabolic profile

We experimentally demonstrate polarization-dependent Kerr spatial beam self-cleaning into the LP11 mode of an Ytterbium-doped multimode optical fiber with parabolic gain and refractive index profiles

Gender inequality and the sexual and reproductive health status of young and older women in the Afar Region of Ethiopia

The main purpose of this research was to analyze gender context in the Afar region of Ethiopia and propose a set of strategies or actions to improve adolescent and youth health. Using a pre-established gender analysis framework, an explorative qualitative study was conducted in five districts. Sixteen key informants and eight focus group discussions were conducted among adult women and men of young adolescents and youth. The study revealed that younger and older women are the most disadvantaged groups of the society. This is due to the high workload on women and girls (housekeeping, building a house and taking care of cattle and children), they also are less valued, have no control over resources and have no part in decision making, including their personal life choices. As a result, they rarely access school and health facilities. They are forced get married according to arranged marriage called “absuma.” As such, they suffer from multiple reproductive health problems. Women have poor decision-making autonomy, lack control over resources, have limited participation in socio-economic practices, and experience child and early forced marriage, and this poor service utilization has exposed them to the worst sexual and reproductive health outcomes

Isolation and Characterization of Chi-like \u3ci\u3eSalmonella\u3c/i\u3e Bacteriophages Infecting Two \u3ci\u3eSalmonella enterica\u3c/i\u3e Serovars, Typhimurium and Enteritidis

Salmonella enterica Serovar Typhimurium and Salmonella enterica Serovar Enteritidis are well-known pathogens that cause foodborne diseases in humans. The emergence of antibiotic-resistant Salmonella serovars has caused serious public health problems worldwide. In this study, two lysogenic phages, STP11 and SEP13, were isolated from a wastewater treatment plant in Jeddah, KSA. Transmission electron microscopic images revealed that both phages are new members of the genus “Chivirus” within the family Siphoviridae. Both STP11 and SEP13 had a lysis time of 90 min with burst sizes of 176 and 170 PFU/cell, respectively. The two phages were thermostable (0 ◦C ≤ temperature \u3c 70 ◦C) and pH tolerant at 3 ≤ pH \u3c 11. STP11 showed lytic activity for approximately 42.8% (n = 6), while SEP13 showed against 35.7% (n = 5) of the tested bacterial strains. STP11 and STP13 have linear dsDNA genomes consisting of 58,890 bp and 58,893 bp nucleotide sequences with G + C contents of 57% and 56.5%, respectively. Bioinformatics analysis revealed that the genomes of phages STP11 and SEP13 contained 70 and 71 ORFs, respectively. No gene encoding tRNA was detected in their genome. Of the 70 putative ORFs of phage STP11, 27 (38.6%) were assigned to functional genes and 43 (61.4%) were annotated as hypothetical proteins. Similarly, 29 (40.8%) of the 71 putative ORFs of phage SEP13 were annotated as functional genes, whereas the remaining 42 (59.2%) were assigned as nonfunctional proteins. Phylogenetic analysis of the whole genome sequence demonstrated that the isolated phages are closely related to Chi-like Salmonella viruses

Podoconiosis and soil-transmitted helminths (STHs): double burden of neglected tropical diseases in Wolaita zone, rural southern Ethiopia

Background Both podoconiosis and soil-transmitted helminth (STH) infections occur among barefoot people in areas of extreme poverty; however, their co-morbidity has not previously been investigated. We explored the overlap of STH infection and podoconiosis in Southern Ethiopia and quantified their separate and combined effects on prevalent anemia and hemoglobin levels in podoconiosis patients and health controls from the same area. Methods and Principal Findings A two-part comparative cross-sectional study was conducted in Wolaita zone, southern Ethiopia. Data were collected from adult patients presenting with clinically confirmed podoconiosis, and unmatched adult neighborhood controls living in the same administrative area. Information on demographic and selected lifestyle factors was collected using interviewer-administered questionnaires. Stool samples were collected and examined qualitatively using the modified formalin-ether sedimentation method. Hemoglobin level was determined using two different methods: hemoglobinometer and automated hematology analyzer. A total of 913 study subjects (677 podoconiosis patients and 236 controls) participated. The prevalence of any STH infection was 47.6% among patients and 33.1% among controls (p<0.001). The prevalence of both hookworm and Trichuris trichiura infections was significantly higher in podoconiosis patients than in controls (AOR 1.74, 95% CI 1.25 to2.42, AOR 6.53, 95% CI 2.34 to 18.22, respectively). Not wearing shoes and being a farmer remained significant independent predictors of infection with any STH. There was a significant interaction between STH infection and podoconiosis on reduction of hemoglobin level (interaction p value = 0.002). Conclusions Prevalence of any STH and hookworm infection was higher among podoconiosis patients than among controls. A significant reduction in hemoglobin level was observed among podoconiosis patients co-infected with hookworm and ‘non-hookworm STH’. Promotion of consistent shoe-wearing practices may have double advantages in controlling both podoconiosis and hookworm infection in the study area

The “Big Six”: Hidden Emerging Foodborne Bacterial Pathogens

Non-O157 Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) are emerging serogroups that often result in diseases ranging from diarrhea to severe hemorrhagic colitis in humans. The most common non-O157 STEC are O26, O45, O103, O111, O121, and O145. These serogroups are known by the name “big six” because they cause severe illness and death in humans and the United States Department of Agriculture declared these serogroups as food contaminants. The lack of fast and efficient diagnostic methods exacerbates the public impact of the disease caused by these serogroups. Numerous outbreaks have been reported globally and most of these outbreaks were caused by ingestion of contaminated food or water as well as direct contact with reservoirs. Livestock harbor a variety of non-O157 STEC serovars that can contaminate meat and dairy products, or water sources when used for irrigation. Hence, effective control and prevention approaches are required to safeguard the public from infections. This review addresses the disease characteristics, reservoirs, the source of infections, the transmission of the disease, and major outbreaks associated with the six serogroups (“big six”) of non-O157 STEC encountered all over the glob

Recent Activities on Tristan da Cunha Island: Geodetic Installations, Local Tie Measurements and their Analysis

During 2017 a team from the University of Luxembourg and the National Oceanography Centre, Liverpool, established a permanent Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) station and two new tide gauges on Tristan da Cunha Island in the South Atlantic Ocean. These installations were funded through various projects at both collaborating institutions under the umbrella of the International GNSS Service (IGS) Tide Gauge Benchmark Monitoring (TIGA) Working Group and the Global Geodetic Observing System (GGOS) focus area on Sea Level Change, Variability and Forecasting. While this was the first scientific installation of a GNSS station on the main island within the Tristan da Cunha archipelago, IGS station GOUG, located on Gough Island which lies 412 km to the south, has been in operation since 1998. Unfortunately GOUG was decommissioned in 2018. Sea level observations on Tristan da Cunha have a longer history than GNSS with various tide gauges having been in operation since 1984. Tristan da Cunha also hosts a Doppler Orbitography and Radiopositioning Integrated by Satellite (DORIS) station which was established in 2012 after a previous installation was upgraded and moved to the current site. The antenna TCTA is located on the concrete monument of the previous DORIS antenna. Furthermore, in order for future International Terrestrial Reference Frame (ITRF) computations to fully benefit from the proximity of the sensors, the geodetic ties between the respective antennas (and reference markers in case of the tide gauges) need to be determined at the millimeter level using various terrestrial surveying methods and a local benchmark network. This contribution provides details of the activities on Tristan da Cunha including the installations, the established benchmark network, the terrestrial surveys of the geodetic ties and the analysis of these measurements in order to geometrically link the GNSS and DORIS antennas to each other as well as to the tide gauges

Prevalence and risk factors of Hepatitis C among individuals presenting to HIV testing centers, Hawassa city, Southern Ethiopia

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Hepatitis C virus (HCV), either alone or in combination with Human Immunodeficiency virus (HIV), constitutes a major public health concern. This study was conducted to describe the prevalence and risk factors for HCV infection in people with and without HIV infection.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Blood samples and data on socio-demographic and risk factors for HCV infection were collected from consecutive 400 HIV- positive and 400 HIV- negative individuals attending HIV testing centers in Hawassa city, from October to December, 2008. All sera were tested for antibody to HCV infection (anti-HCV) using enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Sera positive for anti-HCV were further tested for viral ribonucleic acid (RNA) levels using real-time polymerase chain reaction.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The rate of anti-HCV positivity was 10.5% in the HIV- infected individuals compared with 6% in the HIV negative group (p = 0.002). HCV-RNA was detected in 9.1% of anti-HCV positive samples and rates were comparable between HIV- infected and HIV<b>- </b>non<b>-</b>infected individuals. There was no significant difference in odds of HCV infection in participants with and without HCV risk factors in either HIV sero-group.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>HIV infected individuals had significantly higher rate of anti-HCV although most of them showed no evidence of viraemia. Hence, while priority should be given for HIV infected patients, testing those with anti-HCV for HCV-RNA remains important.</p

Vertical land movements and sea level changes on South Georgia, South Atlantic Ocean: Results from 7 years of geodetic and oceanographic observations on a remote island

South Georgia Island in the South Atlantic Ocean, is a small remote land mass that supports various ground-based instrumental observations (Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS), tide gauge, meteorological and seismic) in an otherwise largely under sampled oceanic region. Moreover, the South Atlantic Ocean plays an important role in global ocean circulation, con-necting the deep thermohaline circulation of the North Atlantic and Indian Oceans, whilst also linking to the Antarctic Circumpolar Current in the South, where the lack of continental barriers allows a free exchange of water between the major ocean basins. Hence, South Georgia po-tentially lies within a region susceptible to climatic changes before these can be felt further afield. In 2013 and 2014 a total of five GNSS stations were installed covering the area of the main island (approximately 170 x 50 km) with two of those being located close to the King Edward Point (KEP) Research Station and the GLOSS tide gauge (ID 187). Furthermore, precise levelling campaigns in 2013, 2014, 2017 and 2020 supported the analysis of local ground instabilities near the tide gauge. Through these activities the tide gauge datum within the Permanent Ser-vice for Mean Sea Level (PSMSL) has been established, which in turn, makes the derived KEP mean sea level (MSL) record highly valuable for long-term studies and satellite altimetry cali-brations. In this study, we will present the vertical land movement estimates from seven years of GNSS observations, five precise levelling campaigns, and will discuss their impact on the sea level record from the KEP tide gauge and nearby satellite altimetry sea surface heights. Our results confirm uplift all over South Georgia Island while the area at KEP and particularly the jetty with tide gauge are subsiding relative to the rest of the island. Using this information we correct the MSL record for the vertical land movements and investigate its signals together with those from nearby satellite altimetry tracks