ANTIMICROBIAL ACTIVITY OF TOPICAL FORMULATION CONTAINING EUGENIA CARYOPHYLLATA L. (KRUNFUD) AND MYRITUS COMMUNIS L. (ADES) ESSENTIAL OILS ON SELECTED SKIN DISEASE CAUSING MICROORGANISMS

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Insecticidal Activity of Some Traditionally Used Ethiopian Medicinal Plants against Sheep Ked Melophagus ovinus

Twelve medicinal plants and a commercially used drug Ivermectin were examined for insecticidal activity against Melophagus ovinus sheep ked at different time intervals using in vitro adult immersion test. The findings show that at 3.13 µL/mL, 6.25 µL/mL and 12.5 µL/mL concentration of Cymbopogon citratus, Foeniculum vulgare and Eucalyptus globulus essential oils respectively, recorded 100% mortalities against M. ovinus within 3 hour of exposure. Significantly higher insecticidal activity of essential oils was recorded (P=0.00) when compared to 10 μg/mL Ivermectin after 3-hour exposure of M. ovinus at a concentration of ≥1.57 μL/mL, ≥3 μL/mL, and ≥12.7 μL/mL essential oils of C. citratus, F. vulgare, and E. globulus, respectively. Among essential oils, C. citratus has showed superior potency at a three-hour exposure of the parasite (P=0.00) at a concentration of ≥0.78 μL/mL. Strong antiparasitic activity was recorded by aqueous extract of Calpurnia aurea (80% mortality) at a concentration of 200 mg/mL within 24 h among aqueous extracts of 9 medicinal plants. The results indicated all the four medicinal plants, particularly those tested essential oils, can be considered as potential candidates for biocontrol of M. ovinus sheep ked

Measuring people's views on health system performance: design and development of the People's Voice Survey

Todd Lewis and co-authors discuss development and use of the People's Voice Survey for health system assessment

Antibacterial activity of extracts from Myrtus communis L. (Ades) and Dodoneae angustifolia L.F. (Kitkita) using bioautography method

The increasing prevalence of antibacterial drug resistant organisms in our globe and high prevalence of infectious diseases in developing countries has led to new efforts in the search of bioactive compounds from complex chemical composition of plant extracts. A bioautographic agar overlay assay using Staphylococcus aureous as the indicator organism for the detection of antimicrobial compounds from ten extracts of Myrtus communis L. and Dodoneae angustifolia L was analyzed. Hexane, dichloromethane, acetone, methanol and water solvents are used as extractant and ethyl acetate: methanol: water, chloroform: ethyl acetate: acetic acid and benzene: ethanol: ammonia solvent systems were used to separate the components from all the extract of Myrtus communis L. and Dodoneae angustifolia L. Our results indicated that the extracts of Myrtus communis L.f. and Dodoneae angustifolia L had bioactive constituents responsible for their antibacterial potentials. Water solvents extracted small number of antibacterial compounds from both plants, followed by hexane extractant; while dichloromethane, acetone and methanol extractant shared similarities in bioactive compounds on bioautograms, and extracted the highest number of antibacterial compounds with variety of polarities. Chloroform: ethyl acetate: acetic acid solvent system separated the largest number of biologically active components in all extractants. As a high number of antibacterially active compounds were found in M. communis and D. angustifolia extracts of dichloromethane, acetone and methanol, we recommend assay guided fractionation, isolation and dosage formulation of these antibacterial compounds from these plants for clinical applications. Keywords/phrases: Antibacterial, Bioactive-compound, Bioautography, Dodonaea angustifolia, Myrtus communisEthiop. J. Biol. Sci., 10(1): 57-72, 201

Knowledge, practice and associated factors towards the prevention of COVID-19 among high-risk groups: A cross-sectional study in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

BackgroundCoronavirus disease (COVID-19) is a highly transmittable virus that continues to disrupt livelihoods, particularly those of low-income segments of society, around the world. In Ethiopia, more specifically in the capital city of Addis Ababa, a sudden increase in the number of confirmed positive cases in high-risk groups of the community has been observed over the last few weeks of the first case. Therefore, this study aims to assess knowledge, practice and associated factors that can contribute to the prevention of COVID-19 among high-risk groups in Addis Ababa.MethodsA cross-sectional in person survey (n = 6007) was conducted from 14-30 April, 2020 following a prioritization within high-risk groups in Addis Ababa. The study area targeted bus stations, public transport drivers, air transport infrastructure, health facilities, public and private pharmacies, hotels, government-owned and private banks, telecom centers, trade centers, orphanages, elderly centers, prison, prisons and selected slum areas where the people live in a crowded areas. A questionnaire comprised of four sections (demographics, knowledge, practice and reported symptoms) was used for data collection. The outcomes (knowledge on the transmission and prevention of COVID-19 and practice) were measured using four items. A multi variable logistic regression was applied with adjustment for potential confounding.ResultsAbout half (48%, 95% CI: 46-49) of the study participants had poor knowledge on the transmission mode of COVID-19 whereas six out of ten (60%, 95% CI: 58-61) had good knowledge on prevention methods for COVID-19. The practice of preventive measures towards COVID-19 was found to be low (49%, 95% CI: 48-50). Factors that influence knowledge on COVID-19 transmission mechanisms were female gender, older age, occupation (health care and grocery worker), lower income and the use of the 8335 free call centre. Older age, occupation (being a health worker), middle income, experience of respiratory illness and religion were significantly associated with being knowledgeable about the prevention methods for COVID-19. The study found that occupation, religion, income, knowledge on the transmission and prevention of COVID-19 were associated with the practice of precautionary measures towards COVID-19.ConclusionThe study highlighted that there was moderate knowledge about transmission modes and prevention mechanisms. Similarly, there was moderate practice of measures that contribute towards the prevention of COVID-19 among these priority and high-risk communities of Addis Ababa. There is an urgent need to fill the knowledge gap in terms of transmission mode and prevention methods of COVID-19 to improve prevention practices and control the spread of COVID-19. Use of female public figures and religious leaders could support the effort towards the increase in awareness

Measuring people's views on health system performance: Design and development of the people's voice survey.

Todd Lewis and co-authors discuss development and use of the People's Voice Survey for health system assessment

Measuring people's views on health system performance: Design and development of the People's Voice Survey.

Todd Lewis and co-authors discuss development and use of the People's Voice Survey for health system assessment

Select multicountry tools measuring population views on the health system in current use.

Select multicountry tools measuring population views on the health system in current use.</p

Implementation features of the People’s Voice Survey.

Implementation features of the People’s Voice Survey.</p