Nutrition of Tef (Eragrostis tef) Recipes

Tef (Eragrostis tef (Zucc.) Trotter) grown in Ethiopia predominantly is used to make injera, flatbread or flat pancake like fermented bread. Globally it is being found in health food stores for its long least of health benefits. It is an excellent gluten-free flour alternative, and being used to make pie crusts, cookies, breads, and an assortment of other baked goods. Eighteen teff recipes was studied. Direct analytical techniques for determination of the carbohydrate, Kjeldahl method for protein and total dietary fiber were used, and Calories by calculation. Macronutrients (fat, protein, carbohydrate, and total dietary fiber) in the teff recipes were determined where on average 0.17, 0.08, 0.48, and 0.05 per gram of the recipe were found to be fat, protein, carbohydrate and total dietary fiber respectively. These recipes also found to have a capacity of providing 814 – 4649 calories of energy from a 231 – 1250 gram of the mix of which teff is contributing 27 – 152 grams. The recipes suffice the Codex standard for infants, and supply much more amount of carbohydrate than the minimum recommended for adult at different activity level. Similar attribute is seen for the total dietary fiber and calories content. Keywords: teff, recipes, teff recipes, teff nutritio

Nutritional Comparison of Feed Resources for Ruminant Animals Feeding in Ethiopia Using Relative Forage Quality

Feed resources are distinctive mixtures of forages that differ in their qualities. This study was conducted to explain forage quality and compare the feeds value nutritionally. The study was based on three feed types that are dry forages and roughages, energy supplements, and protein supplements. All samples were collected from different regions and research centers of Ethiopia. Representative samples of each feed materials collected from respective sites were prepared and made ready for standard methods of chemical analysis. Then, the relative forage qualities (RFQ) were calculated from chemical analysis result following standard equations and were analyzed using statistical package. In comparison of RFQ for each feed categories, the highest RFQ content was found to be 136.11, 137.86, 131.88, 157.53, 168.83, and 154.30 for thatch grass, sorghum stover, sorghum grain, moringa leaf, alfalfa, and noug seed cake respectively. In contrary, the lowest was found to be 118.69, 122.21, 51.16, 140.44, 98.56, and 93.90 in panicum, tef straw, cassava root, luceneana leaf, cowpea, and cotton seed cake respectively.  Crude protein (CP) content of feed resources which are prominent indicators in determining forage quality did not show to go with the RFQ. Understanding forage quality and also the factors that have an effect on its constituents can facilitate improve farm animal production by creating choices that optimize forage utilization. Therefore, combination of the protein supplements and energy supplements with the monocots will give correct feeding and daily protein/energy needs of farm animal grazing in the study area and the country Ethiopia at large. Keywords: monocots; protein supplements; energy supplements; nutritive value

Indexing Ethiopian Feed Stuffs Using Relative Feed Value: Dry Forages and Roughages, Energy Supplements, and Protein Supplements

Once hay is harvested, it is important to determine the nutrient composition so as to match feeds to animal requirements. Crude protein (CP) and relative feed values (RFV), to most livestock farmers, are the basis on how much hay to buy or feed livestock. Relative feed value (RFV) is a prediction of feeding value that combines estimated intake and estimated digestibility into a single index. Digestibility and intake estimates are calculated from the concentration of acid detergent fiber (ADF) and neutral detergent fiber (NDF). This study was designed to compare the values of different feed stuffs. This study was base on three feed types: Dry forages and roughages, Energy supplements, and Protein supplements. The RFV among the grasses natural pasture showed  the highest RFV (83%) and the list was seen on rhodus grass (63%); among the crop residues pulse straw was with the highest and the list being wheat straw [pulse straw was the only legume straw with RFV of 96%, between the stovers: maize stover was with the higher RFV (69%), and among the cereal straws barley straw had the highest RFV (68%) and the list was found in wheat straw (61%)]; among the energy supplements sorghum grain was with the highest (246%) and the list is found to be wheat short (130%). In the protein supplement feed stuffs among the foliages cassava leaf had have the highest RFV (223%) while the list was on luceana (101%), among the legumes alfalfa had the highest RFV (218%) and the list was on pigeon pea (95%), among the oil seed cakes linseed cake had the highest RFV (201%) and list was on noug seed cake (175%). Keywords: bran, foliages, grasses, oil seed cakes, peals, straws, stovers, legume

Assessing Households Vulnerability to Poverty in Rural Oromiya - Ethiopia

This study is based on secondary data from HICES and WMS 2004/5 collected by CSA. The study has tried to examine the extent of vulnerability to poverty of households in rural Oromiya. It further looks through the determinants of vulnerability to poverty.  An estimate of vulnerability to poverty shows that 17.93 percent of the non poor are highly vulnerable. The mean vulnerability for highly vulnerable households is found to be 0.62. The Logit model is used to investigate the determinants of vulnerability to poverty. From the estimation result of the model larger household sizes and illiterate head of household significantly increase the probability of the household to be vulnerable. Therefore ex ante measures to prevent households from becoming poor as well as ex post measures to alleviate those already in poverty should be combined in designing poverty reduction strategies. Keywords: Rural Households; Oromiya. Poverty Reduction; Vulnerability to poverty

Determinants of Vulnerability to Poverty in Female Headed Households in Rural Ethiopia

The purpose of the study is to examine the vulnerability to poverty of female headed households by way of making comparisons with their male counterparts in rural Ethiopia It further looks through the determinants of vulnerability to poverty in female headed households It is based on the Ethiopian Rural Household Survey from 1999- 200 On average 38 percent of households out of the total sampled households are highly vulnerable to poverty and 16 38 percent of the non poor are highly vulnerable to poverty But based on the recent data used for this study only 35 26 percent of households in rural Ethiopia are poor This shows that expected poverty is much higher than the point in time estimates of poverty which connotes the importance of forward looking poverty analysis The mean vulnerability for all households is also high This means the households have a higher probability to be poor or remain poor The mean vulnerability for Female Headed Households is higher than that of Male Headed Households This shows that Female Headed Households are more vulnerable to poverty than Male Headed Households Hence gender-sensitive poverty alleviation policies that enhance endowments such as those that increase livestock ownership land productivity education level and ability to control fertility should be the key ingredients of a poverty reduction strategy in rural Ethiopi

Transcriptome-wide identification and expression analysis of the NAC gene family in lowland bamboo [Oxytenanthera abyssinica (A.Rich) Munro] under abiotic stresses

NAC (NAM, no apical meristem, ATAF and CUC) is one of the largest gene families of the plant-specific transcription factors (TF). NAC TFs have immense involvement in plant growth and developmental processes and have particular importance in enhancing plant resistance to multiple abiotic stresses. NAC members have unique structural makeup and a range of biological activities. Despite their enormous roles in plants, comprehensive study on identification, characterization and expression profiling of NACs under abiotic stress is lacking in Lowland bamboo [Oxytenanthera abyssinica (A.Rich) Munro]. Thus, this study aimed to identify NAC members, characterize their protein properties, construct their phylogenetic relationships and more importantly, establish their expression profiling under abiotic stress. From this abiotic stress-induced transcriptome, 220 lowland bamboo TFs with intact and complete NAC DNA binding domains (PF01849) were identified. Following their identification, analysis of functional annotation, protein characterization, phylogenetic relationships and expression profiling were conducted. The analysis presented up-regulation of 142 unigenes in response to abiotic stress, the association of 26 unigenes directly to stress response and the involvement of 92 unigenes in genetic information processing and 29 in environmental information processing according to KEGG analysis. These results suggest the most likely involvement of NACs in lowland bamboo stress response and adaptation. As a species best survived in a moisture-stressed environment, this study has provided valuable information that could shed light on further functional analysis research efforts aiming to exploit NACs in developing stress-resilient bamboo and related plants

Milk yield and quality of crossbred dairy cows fed with different levels of vetch (Vicia dasycarpa) hay and concentrate on a basal diet of fresh cut napier grass (Penissetium purpureum)

This study was conducted to examine the effect of different levels of vetch hay (Vicia dasycarpa) supplementation on feed intake, milk yield and milk composition of 50:50 Boran-Freisian crossbred dairy cows fed a basal diet of napier grass (Penissetium purpureum). Five crossbred dairy cows at an early stage of lactation with average milk yield of 6 – 8 liters/cow/day and body weight of 390 ±15 kg (mean±STD) were arranged in a 5*5 latin square design. In the first 4 treatments, napier grass was fed ad libitum as basal diet, while in T5 (the control diet) native hay was the basal diet. In treatment 1, 2 and 3 vetch hay was supplemented at 20% (2.4 kg), 30% (3.6 kg) and 40% (4.8 kg) replacement of the total daily DM intake, respectively. In T4 and T5 concentrate mix (55% wheat bran, 43% noug seed cake (Gizotia abysinica) and 2% salt) was supplemented at the rate of 0.5 kg per liter of milk produced. Total dry matter intake differed among treatments in the order of T4>T3=T5>T2>T1. Milk yield was greater for concentrate supplemented treatments compared with the vetch supplemented ones, and was similar (P>0.05) among the different level of vetch supplemented groups. Milk fat and protein were not affected (P>0.05) by treatments. In general this study indicated that optimum milk production (8.81 liter/cow/day) can be obtained with the use of napier grass supplemented with 2.4 kg/cow/day vetch hay dry matter

Ethiopian medicinal plants used for their anti-inflammatory, wound healing or anti-infective activities: protocol for systematic literature review and meta-analysis

Objectives Medicinal plants are used globally as alternative medicines in the management of a range of disease conditions and are widely accepted across differing societies. Ethiopia hosts a large number of plant species (>7000 higher plant species), of which around 12% are thought to be endemic, making it a rich source of plant extracts potentially useful for human health. The aim of this review is to evaluate Ethiopian medicinal plants for their anti-inflammatory, wound healing, antifungal or antibacterial activities. Methods and analysis The guidance of the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-analysis Protocols (PRISMA-P) statement will be used. This review will consider all controlled studies of anti-inflammatory and wound healing properties (both in vivo and in vitro) and in vitro anti-infective properties of medicinal plants found in Ethiopia. Data sources will be EMBASE, PubMed/Medline, Scopus and Google Scholar. Guidance documents on good in vitro methods and checklists for reporting in vitro studies will be used for quality assessment of in vitro studies. The risk of bias tool for animal intervention studies (the SYRCLE RoB tool) will be used to assess the validity of studies. The main outcomes will be percent inhibition of inflammation, time of epithelisation and tissue tensile strength in wounds and microbial growth inhibition. Ethics and dissemination The findings of this systematic review will be disseminated by publishing in a peer-reviewed journal and via conference presentations. Ethical clearance was obtained from the Brighton and Sussex Medical School, Research Governance & Ethics Committee (RGEC) and Addis Ababa University, College of Health Science, Institutional Review Board

Financial risks of care seeking for malaria by rural households in Jimma Zone, Oromia Region, Southwest Ethiopia: a cross-sectional study

Objectives Despite major progress in the prevention and control of malaria in recent years, the disease remains a major cause of morbidity in Ethiopia. Malaria also imposes substantial socioeconomic costs on households. The aim of this study is to estimate the financial risk of seeking malaria service for rural households across socioeconomic statuses in the Jimma Zone, Oromia Region. Design A facility-based cross-sectional survey. Setting Jimma Zone, Oromia Region, Southwest Ethiopia. Participants A total of 221 patients with malaria from 10 public health facilities were interviewed between September 2018 and December 2019. Primary and secondary outcome measures The main outcome measures capture the financial risks associated with malaria services, specifically catastrophic and impoverishing health expenditures. Catastrophic health expenditure (CHE) occurs when healthcare costs reach 10% of a household’s monthly income, whereas impoverishment occurs when a household’s monthly income falls below the national poverty level after paying for health service. Descriptive statistics were used to summarise the expenditure patterns associated with malaria services. All costs were gathered in Ethiopian birr and reported in 2019 US$. Results The average cost of receiving malaria services was US$4.40 (bootstrap 95% CI: 3.6 to 5.3), with indirect costs accounting for 52% of total costs. Overall, at the 10% threshold, 12% (bootstrap 95% CI: 8.1% to 16.7%) of patients with malaria incurred CHE: 40% (bootstrap 95% CI: 26.7% to 55.6%) of the household in the poorest quintile experienced CHE, but none from the richest quintile did. The proportion of households living in poverty increased by more than 2-3% after spending on malaria-specific health services. Conclusion Healthcare seeking for malaria imposes a substantial financial risk on rural households, particularly for the poorest and most vulnerable. Malaria policies and interventions should therefore seek to alleviate both the direct costs and productivity losses associated with the disease, especially among the poor.publishedVersio

Antibacterial activity of methanol extracts of the leaves of three medicinal plants against selected bacteria isolated from wounds of lymphoedema patients

Background: Patients with lymphoedema are at high risk of getting bacterial and fungal wound infections leading to acute inflammatory episodes associated with cellulitis and erysipelas. In Ethiopia, wound infections are traditionally treated with medicinal plants. Methods: Agar well diffusion and colorimetric microdilution methods were used to determine the antibacterial activity of methanol extracts of the three medicinal plants against Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus pyogenes, Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Shewanella alage, methicillin-resistant S. aureus ATCC®43300TM, Staphylococcus aureus ATCC25923, Escherichia coli ATCC25922, Klebsiella pneumoniae ATCC700603, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa ATCC37853. Results: The methanol extract of L. inermis leaves showed high activity against all tested bacterial species, which was comparable to the standard drugs. Similarly, the extracts of A. indica showed activity against all tested species though at higher concentrations, and higher activity was recorded against Streptococcus pyogenes isolates at all concentrations. However, the extract of A. aspera showed the lowest activity against all tested species except Streptococcus pyogenes isolates. The lowest minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) was recorded with the extract of L. inermis against E. coli isolate and S. aureus ATCC 25923. Conclusion: Methanol extracts of L. inermis, A. indica, and A. aspera leaves exhibited antimicrobial activity against selected bacterial isolates involved in wound infections, of which the methanol extracts of L. inermis exhibited the highest activity. The results of the present study support the traditional use of plants against microbial infections, which could potentially be exploited for the treatment of wound infections associated with lymphoedema