Bread Wheat (Triticum aestivum) Response for Blended (Micro-nutrient Containing) Fertilizer Application in Debub Ari Woreda of South Omo, Southern Ethiopia

The soils of the study area are deficient with sulphur and boron in addition to nitrogen and phosphorous. So, the experiment aimed at evaluating the effect of sole and combined application of blended fertilizer, and recommended nitrogen and phosphorous rate on wheat yield and yield components. The experiment conducted into two consecutive years (2014 1nd 2015) of main season in Debub-Ari woreda, South Ethiopia. Nine treatments (two blended fertilizers, and recommended rate of nitrogen and phosphorous) were used and treatments were replicated three times and arranged in randomized complete block design. The significant effect of fertilizers were observed on wheat yield and yield components. The application of 200 kg (14N-21 P2O5-6.5S-1.2Zn-0.5B) per ha and the remaining  nitrogen (41 kg urea /ha-1 ) top dressed, resulted 36.8 and 57% grain yield and harvest index improvement. Farmers in the area will be benefited, if applied blended fertilizer depending on soil test result. Keywords: Blended fertilizer; Micro-nutrient; Bread wheat; Grain yield; Harvest inde

Diversity, relative abundance and distribution of medium and large-sized mammals in Mago National Park, southern Ethiopia

Most medium- and large-sized mammals have declined in Ethiopia, even within protected areas. However, there is still a lack of information to determine their status. Thus, the objective of this study was to investigate the diversity, relative abundance, and distribution of medium- and largesized mammals in Mago National Park, Southern Ethiopia. A stratified systematic sampling design was used to establish line transects along the three main habitat types, namely: Woodland, Acacia savanna, and Riverine forest. A total of 45 line transects were established throughout the whole habitat, with transect lengths varying from 1.5 to 5 km, depending on the size and topography of the habitat. The data were analysed via EstimateS (EstimateS v. 9.1) and species diversity indexes in R version 3.6.2. Twenty-eight medium- and large-sized mammalian species, including six globally threatened species:the endangered Loxodanta african and Lycaon pictus, and the vulnerable Panthera pardus, Acinonyx jubatus, Nanger soemmerringii, and Panthera leo, were recorded in the area, belonging to eight families and five orders. During both the dry and wet seasons, the highest species diversity (H' = 2.81 and H' = 2.96), respectively, was recorded in Woodland habitat, whereas species diversity was the lowest ( H' = 2.5 and H'= 2.67), respectively, in Riverine forest. In terms of abundance, Tragelaphus imberbis (1773 ± 86, 12%) was the most abundant species, while Vulpes chama was the least abundant species (104 ± 13), representing only less than 1% of the total population. Therefore, Mago National Park harbours a high species diversity of medium- and largesized mammals and could provide baseline information for the responsible bodies of the Park and for researchers who wish to conduct related ecological studies in the area

The association of children’s nutritional status to maternal education in Zigbaboto, Guragie Zone, Ethiopia

Abstract: A cross-sectional study intended to assess the association of the nutritional status of children aged 6-59 months in relation to the literacy status of their mothers was undertaken in Zigbaboto village, Guragie Zone, Southern Ethiopia, during March-April, 1996. The study was based on 231 children and the overall prevalences of stunting, underweight and wasting were 46.7%, 44.2%, and 13.0%, respectively. A bivariate analysis based on height-for-age showed a high prevalence of stunting in children of illiterate mothers (52.2%) than children of literate mothers (22.2%). This difference is noted to be statistically significant (P<0.05). A multivariate analysis also demonstrated that within the given literacy status, income (that is mainly based on possessions of agricultural products and livestock), prenatal follow-up of the mother, and household size did not show any statistical significance on the nutritional status of the study children. The findings underscored the importance of maternal education for a better achievement of nutritional status than any other variable and has important implications for policy and for further investigation in a similar community. [Ethiop. J. Health Dev. 1999;13(1):55-61

Factors contributing to positive and negative deviances in child nutrition

Abstract: A cross sectional study investigating factors leading to positive and negative deviance in child nutrition, was conducted between March and April 1996 at Zigbaboto, Gurage Zone. Among 400 children aged 6-59 months, 231 children were randomly selected and categorized into negative deviants (lower tercile), median growers (middle tercile) and positive deviants (upper tercile) based on local distribution of height for age. Over 20 variables presumed to affect nutritional status of children were then collected and analyzed to see their associations to each category. The prevalence of malnutrition was also determined using the NCHS standard. The results indicated that 46.8% were stunted, 44.2% were under-weight and 13.0% were wasted. Of the over 20 variables, only nine variables showed significant differences at least among two categories. Religion, maternal education, maternal age, and income distinguished negative deviants from median growers. Prenatal follow-up, age of the child, and duration of breast feeding distinguished median growers from positive deviants. Only two variables, maternal body mass index and maternal height differentiated both positive and negative deviants from median growers. In conclusion our study revealed that factors responsible for positive and negative deviances are not necessarily the converse of each other implying that indepth assessment of factors leading to optimum nutrition is required before intervention strategies are considered. [Ethiop. J. Health Dev. 1998;12(2):69-73

Knowledge and self-care practice of leprosy patients at ALERT Hospital, Ethiopia

Summary Introduction: In addition to multi-drug treatment, patient self-care practice is crucial for the successful treatment of the disease. This study assessed the knowledge and self-care practices of leprosy patients at ALERT leprosy referral hospital in Ethiopia. Methods: A total of 424 leprosy patients were interviewed using pre-tested structured questionnaires. The questionnaires included core points such as sociodemographic characteristics, knowledge of leprosy and self-care practices. Bloom’s cut off point was used to describe the knowledge and self-care practices of the respondents and statistical significance was assessed at 95% confidence interval with 5% of level of significance. Results: The knowledge score of the respondents was poor for 276 (65·1%) and good for 148 (34·9%). The level of knowledge varied significantly with respect to age group (p , 0·01), sex (p , 0·01), marital status (p ¼ 0·003), educational status (p , 0·01) and income (p , 0·01). About 77·4% of interviewed patients had poor self-care practices and only 22·6 of patients had a good self-care practice score (p , 0·01). Age (p ¼ 0·002), previous disability due to leprosy (p , 0·01), knowledge of leprosy (p ¼ 0·038) and income (P ¼ 0·028), were significantly associated with poor selfcare practice. Conclusion: Although leprosy treatment, disability prevention and rehabilitation programs have been run in the country for decades, poor leprosy self-care practice and poor leprosy knowledge has been confirmed in this study. Therefore, the leprosy program should re-visit its strategy and mode of delivery to improve the leprosy knowledge and leprosy self-care practices of patients

Socio-demographic and Haematological Determinants of Breast Cancer in a Tertiary Health Care and Teaching Hospital in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

AbstractBackground: Breast cancer is the major cause of cancer deaths among women globally. Socio-demographic and haematological characteristics are among the determinants of breast cancer, and these characteristics are supposed to be monitored during early diagnosis and treatment of cases.Objective: The objective of this study was to assess socio-demographic and haematological profile of patients with breast cancer at Tikur Anbessa Specialized Hospital.Methods: Case controlled study was conducted among 230 cases and 230 controls from May 2018 to June 2019. Descriptive analysis was made to assess socio-demographic characteristics and independent sample t- test was performed to compare the mean haematological parameters.Results: The mean age was 42.8 + 12.1 years and 39.3 + 11.1 years for cases and controls, respectively. About 43.5% of the cases and 14.8% of the controls were not able to read and write. About 76.1% of the cases and 67.4% of the controls were married. The mean values of Haemoglobin, Red Blood cell, Packed Cell Volume for the cases were 13.1 + 1.6g/dl; 4.6 + 0.54x1012/L; and 38.7 + 4.5 %, respectively. These were significantly lower than those of the controls (14.0 + 1.3g/dl, 4.8 + 0.47 x 1012/L, 40.5 + 3.5%, respectively). Mean platelet count was higher among the cases, whereas total White Blood cell count was almost similar.Conclusion and recommendations: Majority of the cases were less than 40 years of age and were not able to read and write. Most of the RBC parameters of cases were significantly lower than the controls. Therefore, attention should be given for exposed groups and those with the designated haematological abnormalities. [Ethiop. J. Health Dev. 2021; 35(2):125-132]Keywords: Breast cancer, Haematological parameters, Socio-demographic factors, Ethiopi

Evaluation of two estrus synchronization protocols in dairy cattle at North Shoa zone Ethiopia

This study was initiated to change the hesitation of the farmer on the effectiveness of estrus synchronization under their (Ethiopian small holder) livestock management system using two synchronization protocols. Non-pregnant animals with normal reproductive tract and that fulfilled the preconditions for estrus synchronization were considered for treatment & assigned into two synchronization protocols (single PGF2α injection; and double PGF2α injection). Among 94 (27 heifer and 67 cows) synchronized cows using one and two injections of PGF2α protocols 26 heifers and 63 cows (89/94.7%) were exhibited estrus by visual observation and rectal palpation the remaining 5 (5.3%) did not illustrate heat. The overall pregnancy was 59.6 % with overall birth 94.3 %. High pregnancy was obtained in the double injection of PGF2α treatment group (63.1 %) than animals treated with one shot protocol 55.8 % there were statistically significant difference between treatments (p<0.05). Higher pregnancy was obtained from cross breed animals than local breeds. More over most of the animals come to estrus greater than 96 hrs. There was also significant difference between technicians on detecting the CL and conception. The estrus response, conception rate, pregnancy rate and calving rate was higher in both protocols so producers or farmers can use either the two protocols to achieve remarkable result but tight follow-ups and more resources are need to be exploited at farmer level

Removal of arsenic (V) from aqueous solutions using chitosan-red scoria and chitosan-pumice blends

In different regions across the globe, elevated arsenic contents in the groundwater constitute a major health problem. In this work, a biopolymer chitosan has been blended with volcanic rocks (red scoria and pumice) for arsenic (V) removal. The effect of three blending ratios of chitosan and volcanic rocks (1:2, 1:5 and 1:10) on arsenic removal has been studied. The optimal blending ratio was 1:5 (chitosan:volcanic rocks) with maximum adsorption capacity of 0.72 mg/g and 0.71 mg/g for chitosan:red scoria (Ch-Rs) and chitosan:pumice (Ch-Pu), respectively. The experimental adsorption data fitted well a Langmuir isotherm (R-2 > 0.99) and followed pseudo-second-order kinetics. The high stability of the materials and their high arsenic (V) removal efficiency (similar to 93%) in a wide pH range (4 to 10) are useful for real field applications. Moreover, the blends could be regenerated using 0.05 M NaOH and used for several cycles without losing their original arsenic removal efficiency. The results of the study demonstrate that chitosan-volcanic rock blends should be further explored as a potential sustainable solution for removal of arsenic (V) from water

Assessment of Respiratory Symptoms and Lung Function among Workers Exposed to Cotton Dust at Arba Minch Textile Factory, Arba Minch, Southern Ethiopia, 2017

Background: Textile industry is considered as a number one priority sector by the Ethiopian governmen

Intimate Partner Violence, prevalence and its consequences: a community-based study in Gambella, Ethiopia

AbstractIntroductionIntimate partner violence is defined as any behavior by a current or past male intimate partner during marriage, cohabitation, or any other formal or informal union that causes physical, sexual, or psychological harm. Men are the most common perpetrators of this against women. It affects almost one-third of all women worldwide.ObjectiveThis study aimed to assess the prevalence, consequences, and factors associated with intimate partner violence among partnered women in Gambella town.MethodsA community-based, cross-sectional study design was employed. A systematic random sampling technique was used to select the study participants. Data was collected using a pretested, structured questionnaire. The data were entered and analyzed using SPSS software version 25. The bivariate and multivariate logistic regression method was used to identify factors associated with intimate partner violence. Variables with a p-value &lt;0.05 were considered significantly associated with intimate partner violence.ResultsThe overall prevalence of intimate partner violence in the lifetime and the last 12 months was 58.8, 95% CI (54.0, 63.6), and 51.8, 95% CI (46.7, 56.8), respectively. More than half (53.3%) of the violence resulted in physical injury, while 32.9% were separated from their partners whereas, mother’s history of exposure to IPV [AOR: 1.8, 95% CI (1.03–3.27), p &lt; 0.05], respondent’s age [AOR: 3.4, 95% CI (1.8, 6.5), p &lt; 0.001], substance use [AOR:2.5, 95% CI (1.5–4.1), p &lt; 0.001], disagreement on sexual intercourse [AOR:3.2, 95% CI (1.8–5.7), p &lt; 0.01], monthly family income [AOR:0.32, 95% CI: (0.16–0.63), p &lt; 0.01] and family size [AOR:2.8, 95% CI: (1.6–4.8), p &lt; 0.01] were significantly associated with IPV.ConclusionThe study indicated that the prevalence of intimate partner violence was very high. Age of the woman, family size, substance use, economic status, were among factors significantly associated with intimate partner violence. Therefore, responsible stakeholders should respond to the deep-rooted and highly complicated gender inequality by implementing preventive measures