Determination of reference physiological values for working donkeys of Ethiopia

This study was undertaken with the aim of determining reference physiological values for working Ethiopian donkeys in four districts of Oromiya regional state by taking vital signs (body temperature, pulse and respiration rate) and gut sounds from a total of 130 apparently healthy donkeys. The mean values of body temperature obtained in this study for young, adult, and old donkeys were 37.90±0.74oC, 37.80±0.78oC and 37.70±0.63oC, respectively. For female and male donkeys it was 37.88±0.79oC and 37.83±0.73oC, respectively. The mean values of pulse rate per minute for young, adult and old donkeys were 55.40±9.93, 47.60±5.47 and 47.60±5.47, respectively. For female and male donkeys it was 51.62±11.32 and 49.69±8.59, respectively. Pulse rate and heart rate had strong correlation (r=0.824; p0.05) difference in nostril movement, abdominal movement and tracheal sound between daytime (morning Vs noon), age group and sex. However, strong and positive correlation (r=0.80;

Disrespect and abuse during childbirth in Western Ethiopia: Should women continue to tolerate?

BACKGROUND: Healthcare coverage in Ethiopia has improved dramatically in recent decades. However, facility-based delivery remains persistently low, while maternal mortality remains high. This paper presents the prevalence and associated factors of disrespect and abuse (D&A) during childbirth in public health facilities of western Oromia, Ethiopia. METHOD: A facility-based cross-sectional study was conducted among 612 women from February 2017 to May 2017. Exit interview with the mothers were conducted upon discharge from the maternity ward. We measured D&A during childbirth using seven dimensions. Multivariable logistic regression model was used to assess the association between experience of D&A and client characteristics and institutional factors. RESULT: Three quarters (74.8%) of women reported experiencing at least one form of D&A during their facility childbirth. The types of D&A experienced by the women were; physical abuse (37.1%), non-dignified care (34.6%), non-consented care (54.1%), non-confidential care (40.4%), neglect (25.2%), detention (2.9%), and discrimination (13.2%). Experiences of D&A were 1.6 times more likely to be reported by women delivering at hospitals than health centers (OR: 1.64, 95% CI: 1.01, 2.66). Women without a companion throughout their delivery were almost 10 times more likely than women who had a companion to encounter D&A (OR: 9.94, 95% CI: 5.72, 17.28). On the other hand, women with more than 1,368-birr (USD 57) monthly income were less likely to experience any type of D&A (OR: 0.36, 95% CI: .21, .65). CONCLUSION: Three in four women reported experiencing at least one form of D&A during labor and delivery. This demonstrates a real disconnect between what the health system intends to achieve and what is practiced and calls for fundamental solutions in terms of both improving quality of facility-based delivery and ensuring women's right to receive health care with dignity

Characterization of Site-Directed Mutants in the lac Permease of Escherichia coli. 1. Replacement of Histidine Residues

Wild-type lac permease from Escherichia coli and two site-directed mutant permeases containing Arg in place of His35 and His39 or His322 were purified and reconstituted into proteoliposomes. H35-39R permease is indistinguishable from wild type with regard to all modes of translocation. In contrast, purified, reconstituted permease with Arg in place of His322 is defective in active transport, efflux, equilibrium exchange, and counterflow but catalyzes downhill influx of lactose without concomitant H+ translocation. Although permease with Arg in place of His205 was thought to be devoid of activity, sequencing of lac Y in pH205R reveals the presence of two additional mutations in the 5' end of the gene, and replacement of this portion of lac Y with a restriction fragment from the wild-type gene yields permease with normal activity. Permeases with Asn, Gln, or Lys in place of His322, like H322R permease, catalyze downhill influx of lactose without H+ translocation but are unable to catalyze active transport, equilibrium exchange, or counterflow. Unlike H322R permease, however, the latter mutants catalyze efflux at rates comparable to that of wild-type permease, although the reaction does not occur in symport with H+. Finally, as evidenced by flow dialysis and photoaffinity labeling experiments, replacement of His322 appears to cause a marked decrease in the affinity of the permease for substrate. The results confirm and extend the contention that His322 is the only His residue in the permease involved in lactose/H+ symport and that an imidazole moiety at position 322 is obligatory. In addition, the observations are consistent with the idea that His322 functions as a component of a catalytic triad that is important for lactose/H+ symport. Next, the role of Glu325 is examined in detail, and in the near future, evidence is presented supporting the hypothesis that His322 and Glu325 are ion-paired.