Determinants of hypertension among adults living in Bole Sub-city, Addis Ababa

Complications of hypertension account for 9.4 million deaths world wide every year. Evidences indicated that hypertension and elevated blood pressure are increasing partly due to increase in determinants. In Addis Ababa, there is limited information on determinants of hypertension among adults. Hence, this study aimed to assess determinants of hypertension among adults living in Bole Sub-city, Addis Ababa. Community based unmatched case-control study was conducted. Simple random sampling technique was used to select 122 cases and 244 controls. Data were collected using interviewer administered structured questionnaire and measurement of blood pressure, weight and height. Binary logistic regression model was used for data analysis. A total of 348 adults were included in the study with 95% response rate. The study showed that age (AOR=7.68, 95% CI: 2.31–25.48), average family monthly in come (AOR=6.39, CI: 1.60-25.55), family history of hypertension (AOR=4.50, CI: 1.14-17.62), body mass index (AOR=3.76, CI: 1.49-9.48), physical activity (AOR=3.66, CI: 1.21–11.07), tobacco use (AOR=8.99,CI:2.02-39.86), salt consumption (AOR=5.22, CI: 1.47-18.48), stress (AOR=5.18, CI:2.42–11.09), knowledge (AOR=8.82, CI: 3.14-24.72) and diabetic mellitus (AOR=8.42, CI: 1.44-48.97) were significantly associated with hypertension. Cases had higher exposure to risk factors of hypertension than controls. Age, average family monthly income, physical activity, saltcon sumption, diabetic mellitus, stress, tobacco use, body mass index, family history of hypertension and knowledge were associated with hypertension. There is a need to health education to prevent tobacco use, regular exercise, reduce salt consumption and other life style modifications to reduce hypertension

The Afrotropical breeding grounds of the Palearctic-African migratory painted lady butterflies (Vanessa cardui)

Migratory insects are key players in ecosystem functioning and services, but their spatiotemporal distributions are typically poorly known. Ecological niche modeling (ENM) may be used to predict species seasonal distributions, but the resulting hypotheses should eventually be validated by field data. The painted lady butterfly (Vanessa cardui) performs multigenerational migrations between Europe and Africa and has become a model species for insect movement ecology. While the annual migration cycle of this species is well understood for Europe and northernmost Africa, it is still unknown where most individuals spend the winter. Through ENM, we previously predicted suitable breeding grounds in the subhumid regions near the tropics between November and February. In this work, we assess the suitability of these predictions through i) extensive field surveys and ii) two-year monitoring in six countries: a large-scale monitoring scheme to study butterfly migration in Africa. We document new breeding locations, year-round phenological information, and hostplant use. Field observations were nearly always predicted with high probability by the previous ENM, and monitoring demonstrated the influence of the precipitation seasonality regime on migratory phenology. Using the updated dataset, we built a refined ENM for the Palearctic-African range of V. cardui. We confirm the relevance of the Afrotropical region and document the missing natural history pieces of the longest migratory cycle described in butterflies.This work was funded by the National Geographic Society (grant WW1-300R-18); by the British Ecological Society (grant LRB16/1015); by the Research and Conservation Projects of the Fundació Barcelona Zoo; by the grant PID2020-117739GA-I00/MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033 of the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation and the Spanish State Research Agency to G.T.; by the grant LINKA20399 from the Spanish National Research Council iLink program to G.T., C.P.B., N.E.P., and R.V.; by fellowship FPU19/01593 of the program Formación de Profesorado Universitario (FPU) to A.G.-B.; by the Turkana Basin Institute, National Geographic Society, and Whitley Fund for Nature to D.J.M.; and by grant 2018-00738 of the New Frontiers in Research Fund (Government of Canada) to G.T. and C.P.B.Significance Abstract Results Field Surveys, Larval Hostplants, and Field-Based Model Validation Monitoring Results and Population Dynamics across Regions A Refined Model for the Afrotropical Region Discussion The Afrotropical Breeding Grounds of V. cardui: Multiple Generations Shift South Toward the Tropics Diversity and Phenology of Larval Hostplants in the Afrotropics The Ecological Relevance of Delimiting Spatiotemporal Distributions in Migratory Insects Conclusion Methods December-January Field Surveys and Year-Round Monitoring Spatiotemporal Ecological Niche Modeling Data, Materials, and Software Availability Acknowledgments Supporting Information Reference

Diversity, Distribution, and Habitat Association of Anuran Species from Keffa, Southwest Ethiopia

The aim of the current study was to provide a description of the species composition and habitat association of anuran species found in the Keffa area of southwest Ethiopia, among the least studied natural areas in Ethiopia. Data were gathered in both the rainy and dry seasons. Opportunistic observations, audio, and visual encounters were used to perform the survey. To capture different frog species, drift fence and pitfall trap techniques were used. Three habitat types—wetlands, agricultural land, and riverine forests—were explored for the frog species. A total of 3672-person field hours were spent and 5678 individuals of 26 different anuran species from eight different families were recorded. Of these, six species were new records for the Keffa area. Species determination was assessed using morphology and validated with genetic barcoding. The mitochondrial 16S rRNA and COI gene sequence analysis have been used in molecular systematic analyses of the frog species. The Leptopelis ragazzii that was discovered to be present in the earlier study was actually Leptopelis vannutellii, as evidenced by DNA sequencing. The Hyperolius individuals were initially categorized as H. nasutus, but after conducting DNA barcoding, they were found to be H. microps. At least three potential new candidate species (Leptopelis sp. 1, Leptopelis sp. 2, and Phrynobatrachus sp. 1) were discovered. Hyperoliidae was the most abundant family from the recorded anurans, followed by Phrynobatrachidae, while Conrauidae was the least abundant. Most species were found in the wetland habitat, followed by riverine forest, while agricultural land had the least. Wetlands had the highest values for the Shannon diversity index (2.131), followed by agricultural land (1.58) and riverine forests (1.459). The environmental variables revealed that temperature had a considerable negative impact, while precipitation had a non-significantly positive relationship with anuran abundance. The Keffa area is rich in frog species, accounting for 35% of the country’s batrachofauna. However, the habitats have been fragmented and ruined by agricultural expansion, water drainage from the wetlands, and the conversion of horticulture to field crops. We recommend that non-governmental organizations, districts, regional officials, and local people in and around Keffa actively engage in wetland and forest conservation and protection

Genetic and morphometric analyses of historical type specimens clarify the taxonomy of the Ethiopian Leptopelis gramineus species complex (Anura, Arthroleptidae)

Frogs of the genus Leptopelis have diversified in the Ethiopian Highlands to occupy forests and montane grasslands both east and west of the Great Rift Valley. Genetic studies revealed that the endemic species Leptopelis gramineus (Boulenger, 1898) comprises multiple unnamed taxa. A careful examination of historical type specimens is, however, needed to fully resolve the taxonomy of the group. Here we use mitochondrial DNA and morphological analyses on a large sample of recently-collected Ethiopian Leptopelis, as well as century-old type specimens to demonstrate that the recently resurrected L. montanus Tiutenko & Zinenko, 2021 (previously Pseudocassina ocellata Ahl, 1924) is a junior synonym of L. rugosus (Ahl, 1924) and corresponds to the taxon found west of the Great Rift Valley, not east as previously thought. Our results show that populations inhabiting the mountains and plateaus east of the Rift constitute a distinct and undescribed species. We provide a re-description of L. rugosus and describe two new species inhabiting the Highlands east of the Great Rift Valley. We provide an identification key, as well as a description of the calls of the members of the Leptopelis gramineus species complex

Taxonomic revision of grass frogs (Ptychadenidae, Ptychadena) endemic to the Ethiopian highlands

Frogs of the genus Ptychadena that inhabit the Ethiopian highlands serve as a model system to understand biogeography, diversification, and adaptations to high elevations. Despite recent studies focusing on the systematics of this group, the taxonomy of the Ptychadena neumanni species complex remains only partially resolved, owing largely to the morphological resemblance of its members. Here, the taxonomy of this historically problematic group of frogs is revised by integrating morphological and molecular analyses on both century-old type specimens and more recently collected material. Based on these multiple lines of evidence, the P. neumanni species complex is shown to be more speciose than previously thought and four new species are described. With the aim of clarifying and stabilizing the taxonomy of the group, six species are also re-described and morphological and acoustic identification keys are provided. This study also establishes species distribution maps and reveals important differences in range size between the members of the P. neumanni complex, calling for adapted conservation measures across the Ethiopian highlands