Hygienic Handling and Processing of Raw Beef Meat at Slaughter Houses and Meat Stalls in Gojjam Area, Ethiopia

A cross sectional study was conducted to assesses human resource capabilities, sanitation of slaughter houses and processing materials; and hygienic indicator microorganisms and specific foodborne pathogens. Observation survey was undertaken at all slaughter houses and meat-stalls; while interview data were collected from 54 slaughter house butchers. At the same time 21 meat samples were collected from 4, 8, 4 and 5 randomly selected meat stalls of Bure, Debremarkos, Dejen and Fenoteselam respectively from April to August. Slaughter house workers were not professionally trained and certified; most of them were not used aprons, hair cover and gumboots; and all had no overall cloth. The entire abattoirs had no clear division for slaughtering process, which undertaken simply on the ground and hanging were take place on simply constructed wood. Relatively Debremarkos (46.15%) abattoir had better sanitary standard, and followed with Fenoteselam (23.08%), Bure (15.38%) and Dejen (7.69%). The mean count of Enterobacteriaceae was not significantly (P≥0.05) different; but Escherichia coli, and Salmonella and Shigella species were significantly (P<0.05) different between places. From the total 33 bacterial isolates Escherichia coli (0.762) and Proteus vulgaris (0.381) were found in a higher ratio as compared with Salmonella Species (0.19), Shigellaflexneri (0.143) and Klebsiella pneumonia (0.095). In general the result of this study indicates poor hygienic handling practices of the raw meat production, so this could result in public health risk to the consumers. Hence it needs improved hygienic practice at all levels in the raw meat production industry

Availability of Adequately Iodized Salt at Household Level and Associated Factors in Dire Dawa, Eastern Ethiopia

In Ethiopia, Iodine Deficiency Disorder has been recognized as a serious public health problem for the past six decades. In 2011, an estimated 12 million school-age children were living with inadequate iodine, and 66 million people were at risk of iodine deficiency. One out of every 1000 people is a cretin mentally handicapped, due to a congenital thyroid deficiency, and about 50000 prenatal deaths are occurring annually due to iodine deficiency disorders. Only 5.7% of the households were using iodized salt in Dire Dawa city Administration, which is below the legal requirement.This study assessed availability of adequately iodized salt at household level and associated factors in Dire Dawa town, East Ethiopia. Community based cross-sectional study was carried out among households in Dire Dawa town during March 16-26, 2015. Multistage sampling technique was used. Data were collected using a pretested and structured questionnaire by a face-to-face interview technique. Bivariate and multivariate analyses were performed to check associations and control confounding. A total of 694 participants were participated. The availability of adequately iodized salt (≥15 parts per million) in the study area was 7.5% (95% CI; 5.6-9.5). Multivariate result showed that health information about iodized salt (AOR=8.96, 95% CI; 4.68-17.16) (p=0.03), good knowledge about iodized salt (AOR=9.23, 95% CI; 3.34-25.5) (p=0.01) and using packed salt (AOR=3.99, 95% CI; 1.48-10.73) (p=0.006) were associated with availability of adequately iodized salt at household level. Availability of adequately iodized salt at household level was very low. Hence, households should be sensitized about importance of iodized salt and its proper handling at the household level

Modeling the probability of giving birth at health institutions among pregnant women attending antenatal care in West Shewa Zone, Oromia, Ethiopia: A cross sectional study

Background: Although ante natal care and institutional delivery is effective means for reducing maternal morbidity and mortality, the probability of giving birth at health institutions among ante natal care attendants has not been modeled in Ethiopia. Therefore, the objective of this study was to model predictors of giving birth at health institutions among expectant mothers following antenatal care.Methods: Facility based cross sectional study design was conducted among 322 consecutively selected mothers who were following ante natal care in two districts of West Shewa Zone, Oromia Regional State, Ethiopia. Participants were proportionally recruited from six health institutions. The data were analyzed using SPSS version 17.0. Multivariable logistic  regression was employed to develop the prediction model.Results: The final regression model had good discrimination power (89.2%), optimum sensitivity (89.0%) and specificity (80.0%) to predict the probability of giving birth at health institutions. Accordingly, self efficacy (beta=0.41), perceived barrier (beta=-0.31) and perceived susceptibility (beta=0.29) were significantly predicted the probability of giving birth at health institutions.Conclusion: The present study showed that logistic regression model has predicted the probability of giving birth at health institutions and identified significant predictors which health care providers should take into account in promotion of institutional delivery.Key word: Institutional delivery, intention, ANC, probabilit

HIV-positive status disclosure and associated factors among children in North Gondar, Northwest Ethiopia

Introduction. Clinical reports have indicated positive outcomes associated with disclosure of HIV-positive status in children. This study assessed the level and associated factors of HIV-positive status disclosure to HIV-infected children in northwest Ethiopia. Methods. Institution-based cross-sectional study was conducted among HIV-positive children from March to April 2012. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire by face-to-face interview technique. Bivariate and multivariate analyses were performed. Results. Of the 428 children, 169 (39.5%) were disclosed their HIV-positive status. The mean age of HIV-positive status disclosure was at 10.7 (±2.3) years. Having a nonbiological parent (, 95% CI: 1.22, 14.04), child’s age older than 10 years (, 95% CI: 4.5, 15.53), and death of a family member (, 95% CI: 1.16, 3.6) were significantly and independently associated with disclosure of HIV-positive status to infected children. Conclusions. The rate of disclosure of HIV-positive status to infected children still remains low in North Gondar. Hence, it is important to target children living with their biological parents and having young parents and children younger than 10 years. The guideline for disclosure of children with HIV/AIDS should be established in an Ethiopian context

Lactobacillus acidophilus: effects on the pharmacokinetics of marbofloxacin in rats

Background: Probiotics are currently produced commercially and widely used for improving human and animal health. They modulate the gut environment through secretion and production of different molecules and enzymes. Hence, they play a major role in changing the pharmacokinetics of an orally administered drug. Purpose: To determine the effect of Lactobacillus acidophilus (KCTC 3140) on the pharmacokinetics of marbofloxacin.Materials and Methods: Five male and five female 8-week old healthy Sprague Dawley rats were treated with 109 CFU/ml of L. acidophilus daily for seven days via the intra-gastric route. Marbofloxacin (20 mg/kg) was administered orally at the beginning and the end of the experiment. The plasma concentration of marbofloxacin was measured using high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Results: The area under the curve (AUC) of marbofloxacin declined from 5.78 µg.h/ml to 2.57 µg.h/ml after treatment with L. acidophilus. Similarly, the maximum plasma concentration (Cmax) of the drug decreased from 2.4 µg/ml to 1.2 µg/ml and the Tmax increased from 0.54 to 0.73 h. The elimination half-lives of marbofloxacin before and after treatment with L. acidophilus were 1.19 h and 0.69 h, respectively. The study was conducted by separating the male and female rats; no significant difference was observed between the sexes. Conclusion: The treatment of rats with L. acidophilus decreased the plasma AUC and Cmax after oral administration of marbofloxacin. Hence, studying the interaction of a probiotic with an antibiotic drug is essential prior to co-administration of the probiotic with the oral antibiotic

A participatory approach for hydrometeorological monitoring in the Blue Nile River Basin of Ethiopia

The monitoring of hydrological and meteorological variables from watersheds is one of the principal tasks of hydrology and water resources management. Hydrological and meteorological data are the basis of hydrological science (Rodda 1995; Vorosmarty et al. 2001). High-quality hydrological data are also needed to support decisions on rainwater management strategies and water allocation practices (Gomani et al. 2010)

Landscape pattern analysis using GIS and remote sensing to diagnose soil erosion and nutrient availability in two agroecological zones of Southern Mali

Background Soil is a basic natural resource for the existence of life on earth, and its health is a major concern for rural livelihoods. Poor soil health is directly associated with reduced agricultural land productivity in many subSaharan countries, such as Mali. Agricultural land is subjected to immense degradation and the loss of important soil nutrients due to soil erosion. The objective of the study was to diagnose the spatial distribution of soil erosion and soil nutrient variations under diferent land use in two agroecological zones of Southern Mali using the Geographical Information System (GIS) software, the empirically derived relationship of the Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation, in-situ soil data measurement and satellite products. The soil erosion efect on agricultural land productivity was discussed to highlight the usefulness of soil and water conservation practices in Southern Mali. Results The results of the land use and land cover change analysis from 2015 to 2019 revealed signifcant area reductions in water bodies, bare land, and savanna woodland for the beneft of increased natural vegetation and agricultural land. There was signifcant variation in the annual soil loss under the diferent land use conditions. Despite recordings of the lowest soil erosion rates in the majority of the landscape (71%) as a result of feld-based soil and water conservation practices, the highest rates of erosion were seen in agricultural felds, resulting in a reduction in agricultural land area and a loss of nutrients that are useful for plant growth. Spatial nutrient modelling and mapping revealed a high defciency and signifcant variations (p<0.05) in nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), potassium (K), and carbon (C) in all land use and land cover types for the two agroecologies. Conclusions The study highlighted the inadequacies of existing feld-based soil and water conservation practices to reduce soil erosion and improve landscape management practices. The fndings of the study can inform land management planners and other development actors to strategize and prioritize landscape-based intervention practices and protect catchment areas from severe erosion for the enhanced productivity of agricultural felds

Implications of COVID-19 in high burden countries for HIV/TB: A systematic review of evidence

Background: The triple burden of COVID-19, tuberculosis and human immunodeficiency virus is one of the major global health challenges of the twenty-first century. In high burden HIV/TB countries, the spread of COVID-19 among people living with HIV is a well-founded concern. A thorough understanding of HIV/TB and COVID-19 pandemics is important as the three diseases interact. This may clarify HIV/TB/COVID-19 as a newly related field. However, several gaps remain in the knowledge of the burden of COVID-19 on patients with TB and HIV. This study was conducted to review different studies on SARS-CoV, MERS-CoV or COVID-19 associated with HIV/TB co-infection or only TB, to understand the interactions between HIV, TB and COVID-19 and its implications on the burden of the COVID-19 among HIV/TB co-infected or TB patients, screening algorithm and clinical management. Methods: We conducted an electronic search of potentially eligible studies published in English in the Cochrane Controlled Register of Trials, PubMed, Medrxiv, Google scholar and Clinical Trials Registry databases. We included case studies, case series and observational studies published between January, 2002 and July, 2020 in which SARS-CoV, MERS-CoV and COVID-19 co-infected to HIV/TB or TB in adults. We screened titles, abstracts and full articles for eligibility. Descriptive and meta-analysis were done and results have been presented in graphs and tables. Results: After removing 95 duplicates, 58 out of 437 articles were assessed for eligibility, of which 14 studies were included for descriptive analysis and seven studies were included in the meta-analysis. Compared to the descriptive analysis, the meta-analysis showed strong evidence that current TB exposure was high-risk COVID-19 group (OR 1.67, 95% CI 1.06–2.65, P = 0.03). The pooled of COVID-19/TB severity rate increased from OR 4.50 (95% CI 1.12–18.10, P = 0.03), the recovery rate was high among COVID-19 compared to COVID-19/TB irrespective of HIV status (OR 2.23, 95% CI 1.83–2.74, P \u3c 0.001) and the mortality was reduced among non-TB group (P \u3c 0.001). Conclusion: In summary, TB was a risk factor for COVID-19 both in terms of severity and mortality irrespective of HIV status. Structured diagnostic algorithms and clinical management are suggested to improve COVID-19/HIV/TB or COVID-19/TB co-infections outcomes

Heterostructured composite of NiFe-LDH nanosheets with Ti4O7 for oxygen evolution reaction

Developing oxygen evolution reaction (OER) electrocatalyst based on earth-abundant materials holds great promise for ascertaining water-splitting to surmount its deprived kinetics. In this regard, NiFe-LDH (layered double hydroxide) receives considerable attention owing to their layered structure. However, they still suffer from poor electronic conductivity and structural stability. We combined NiFe-LDH nanosheets with Magnéli phase Ti4O7 into a heterostructured composite. A series of analyses reveal that decorating Ti4O7 facilitates charge transfer to enhance the conductivity of NiFe-LDH-Ti4O7. During electrochemical measurement, Ni2+ is transformed to metastable Ni3+ (Ni (OH)→ NiOOH) before the OER onset potential. Thus, the presence of Ni3+ as the main active sites could improve the chemisorption of OH− to facilitate OER. As a result, the NiFe-LDH-Ti4O7 catalyst delivers as low as onset potential (1.43 V). Combining the holey structure (NiFe-LDH and Ti4O7) and the defect engineering generated on NiFe-LDH-Ti4O7 as a synergistic effect improves the OER performance. The inclusion of Ti4O7 in the composite leads to more vacancy sites, as evidenced by the extended X-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS) analysis. The obtained defective structure with a low coordination environment would improve the electronic conductivity and facilitate the adsorption process of H2O onto metal cations, thereby increasing the intrinsic catalytic activity of NiOOH. The strong coupling of NiFe-LDH and Ti4O7 also increases the stability, and the heterostructured composite helps maintain the structural robustness of the LDH

Assessment of Contour Bunding Technology for Improved Land and Water Management in Mali : Technical Document Produced for the CGIAR Program on Water, Land and Ecosystem (WLE), Research Report No. 63

This research was carried out in three agro-climatic regions of Mali (Mopti, Koulikoro and Sikasso) to assess contour bunding technology (CBT) for improved land and water management. Reference was made to existing literature and field surveys were conducted following georeferencing and quantification of existing land and water management technologies. Farmers’ perceptions towards the use of the most commonly applied technologies were assessed. Results indicate that CBT is widely adopted in farmers’ fields to improve the management of land and water resources. CBT was first introduced in 1993 by the Institut d’Economie Rurale (IER) in Mali and Centre de Coopération Internationale en Recherche Agronomique pour le Développement (CIRAD). Up until 2013 the total area of farmland covered with CBT in the three regions was1750 ha. There is a lot of variation in CBT distribution across the three regions with the implication that its adoption increases when the production system is more favourable and there is more rainfall. Farmers have positive perceptions towards the application of CBT in their farmlands. Large proportions of farmers (81%) perceived that soil and water were conserved at a very high or high rate with the use of CBT. In the area of CBT application gullies were reduced at a rate of 73%. Similarly soil fertility was maintained at a rate of 84% at a very high or high rate. Furthermore, with the availability of existing land and water management practices in their farmland 82% of the farmers’ responded with success stories mainly to do with better water availability, improvements in crop yield and soil fertility