Silicon Status and its Relationship with Major Physico-Chemical Properties of Vertisols of Northern Highlands of Ethiopia

Silicon is an essential mineral element for higher silicophile plant species and animals. Literature states that one of the most important functions of Si is the stimulation of plant’s defense mechanism against abiotic and biotic stresses. In addition, Si fertilization has a more positive effect than liming on the chemical and physical properties of the soil. There are only a few studies in Ethiopia that present silicon status of some Ethiopian soils. Hence this study was initiated with the objective of understanding Si distribution in the soils of the northern highlands of Ethiopia. To this effect, 32 soil samples were collected from five agro ecological zones of Tigray. Si in all the samples was determined in the Laboratory of Ethiopian Geological Survey. This study revealed that Si contents ranged from 79.8 to 87.5 g Si kg-1 in the cultivated Vertisols of Adigudom, from 97.7 to 115.2 g Si kg-1in Axum, from 113.7 to 117.2 g Si kg-1in Maychew, from 130.0 to 133.9 g Si kg-1 in Shire and from 137.3 to 166.3 g Si kg-1in Wukro. The highest concentration was hence found in Wukro where the sand content amounted to 50% whereas the lowest level was obtained from soils of Adigudom where the clay content exceeded 60%. The Si contents in all the studied soils are lower than the documented ranges of 200 and 300 g Si kg-1. Significant correlation was found between silicon status and organic carbon 0.84*(

Effect of substrates on the yield, yield attribute and dietary values of oyster mushroom (pleurotus ostreatus) in the pastoral regions of Northern Ethiopia

Dry areas are vulnerable to climate change and are commonly hit by drought, which makes the inhabitants to rely on food aid. Mushroom cultivation is a profitable agribusiness that can improve the economic and food status of farmers in dry areas as an alternative technology. Research on the effect of substrates on the yield, yield attributes and dietary values of oyster mushroom (Pleurotus ostreatus) was conducted to identify the best substrates. The experiment included 23 treatments with three replications. The substrates were sawdust, rice straw, cottonseed hull & maize cob with 100%, 75%, 50% and 25% combination ratios. The substrates were chopped, moisturized and filled into 40 cm X 60 cm polyethylene bags and sterilized for one hour at 100 oC. The substrates were cooled and inoculated with 75g mushroom spawn, and were kept in a dark place to enhance mycelium growth. The substrates were transferred to a growing room, with full light, lower temperature and higher relative humidity for fructification after mycelium growth was completed. Data on yield attributes, fresh yield and dietary values were collected and analyzed. The fruiting bodies were picked after 22 - 35 days of inoculation. The treatments had significant effect on the number of days for mushroom growth, stalk length, pileus diameter and number of fruiting body, fresh yield, biological efficiency and dietary values (P < 0.05). All consumers significantly preferred mushroom grown on 100% maize cob substrate. The 100% cottonseed hull substrate gave the highest profit (133.25US$ 100kg-1 substrate). The study concluded that 100% cottonseed hull substrate was the best substrate for oyster mushroom production at small-scale level. It was also the best nutritive source of substrate for oyster mushroom growth. Mushroom grown on a 100% maize cob substrate was a tasty and protein rich mushroom. Therefore, producers should be encouraged to use this substrate for maximizing the yield, for changing the agricultural wastes into food in the form of mushroom and for improving their livelihood. Oyster mushroom could play a pivotal role in supporting the food self-sufficiency, hence it should be included as a component of food security assurance strategy for the country.Key words: mushroom, substrates, yield, pastoral, dietary value, agricultural waste, livelihoo

Does One Size Fit All? Drug Resistance and Standard Treatments: Results of Six Tuberculosis Programmes in Former Soviet Countries.

SETTING: After the collapse of the Soviet Union, countries in the region faced a dramatic increase in tuberculosis cases and the emergence of drug resistance. OBJECTIVE: To discuss the relevance of the DOTS strategy in settings with a high prevalence of drug resistance. DESIGN: Retrospective analysis of one-year treatment outcomes of short-course chemotherapy (SCC) and results of drug susceptibility testing (DST) surveys of six programmes located in the former Soviet Union: Kemerovo prison, Russia; Abkhasia, Georgia; Nagorno-Karabagh, Azerbaijan; Karakalpakstan, Uzbekistan; Dashoguz Velayat, Turkmenistan; and South Kazakhstan Oblast, Kazakhstan. Results are reported for new and previously treated smear-positive patients. RESULTS: Treatment outcomes of 3090 patients and DST results of 1383 patients were collected. Treatment success rates ranged between 87% and 61%, in Nagorno-Karabagh and Kemerovo, respectively, and failure rates between 7% and 23%. Any drug resistance ranged between 66% and 31% in the same programmes. MDR rates ranged between 28% in Karakalpakstan and Kemerovo prison and 4% in Nagorno-Karabagh. CONCLUSION: These results show the limits of SCC in settings with a high prevalence of drug resistance. They demonstrate that adapting treatment according to resistance patterns, access to reliable culture, DST and good quality second-line drugs are necessary

Brief communication: Low prevalence of HIV infection, and knowledge, attitude and practice on HIV/AIDS among high school students in Gondar, Northwest Ethiopia

HIV/AIDS is a major public health problem in Ethiopia. Therefore, a school based cross-sectional study was conducted in Gondar; Northwest Ethiopia to determine the seroprevalence of HIV infection and to assess Knowledge, attitude and practice related to HIV/AIDS. A total of 565 students were included in the study. The seroprevalence of HIV infection was 1.1%. Sexual contact with commercial sex worker or non-regular partner was reported by 16.7% of the students. Only 58.5% of those who practice sex used condoms. History of sexually transmitted diseases was reported by 10.7% of the sexually active students. The majority (96.6%) reported unprotected sex, unsafe blood transfusion, contaminated needles and mother to child transmissions as common ways of HIV transmission. Abstinence, faithfulness to one\'s partner and use of condom as means to prevent transmission of HIV was responded by 84.1%, 60.4% and 41.8% of the students, respectively. Over 82% demanded screening for HIV as a precondition for marriage and 97.2% agreed to have a VCT service. The findings of the study indicate that the prevalence of HIV infection is low among high school students in Gondar. The students had adequate knowledge about HIV/AIDS and VCT despite the risky practices. Continued health education is needed to bring behavioral changes.The Ethiopian Journal of Health Development Vol. 21 (2) 2007: pp. 179-18

Brief Communication: Comparison of formol-acetone concentration method with that of the direct iodine preparation and formol-ether concentration methods for examination of stool parasites

Background: Formol-ether concentration technique is taken as a gold standard method to detect most intestinal parasites; however, because of its low safety and hazardous impact a need for better technique has a paramount importance.Objective: To evaluate a formol- acetone concentration method in comparison with the conventional direct iodine preparation and formol- ether concentration methods in detecting intestinal parasites.Methods: A total of 382 stool samples were collected from Tseda elementary school children, in 2006. Samples were processed and examined using formol-acetone concentration, the direct iodine stained smear, and formol-ether concentration methods.Results: Formol-ether detected 79.1% of parasites followed by formol-acetone (73.6%) and direct iodine preparation (50.3%). Statistical (P< 0.05) difference was observed for the detection of over all positivity of any parasites between the two concentration methods. However, the sensitivity, specificity, and positive predicative value of formol-acetone were 88.1%, 81.3%, and 94.7%, respectively respective to formol-ether method. Almost similar detection ability was also observed by the two concentration methods for A. lumbricoids, H. nana, T. trichuira, and S. stercoralis. However, there was difference in the detection rate of hookworm and S. mansoni.Conclusions: for safety and hazard free laboratory set up, this new method might be used as an alternative choice for formol-ether concentration method. [Ethiop. J. Health Dev. 2010;24(2):148-151

An integrated approach for assessing flood impacts due to future climate and socio-economic conditions and the scope of adaptation in Europe

European Commission Seventh Framework Programm

The Value of Literacy Practices

The concepts of literacy events and practices have received considerable attention in educational research and policy. In comparison, the question of value, that is, ‘which literacy practices do people most value?’ has been neglected. With the current trend of cross-cultural adult literacy assessment, it is increasingly important to recognise locally valued literacy practices. In this paper we argue that measuring preferences and weighting of literacy practices provides an empirical and democratic basis for decisions in literacy assessment and curriculum development and could inform rapid educational adaptation to changes in the literacy environment. The paper examines the methodological basis for investigating literacy values and its potential to inform cross-cultural literacy assessments. The argument is illustrated with primary data from Mozambique. The correlation between individual values and respondents’ socio-economic and demographic characteristics is explored

Development of a scale to measure stigma related to podoconiosis in Southern Ethiopia

Background: Health-related stigma adds to the physical and economic burdens experienced by people suffering from neglected tropical diseases (NTDs). Previous research into the NTD podoconiosis showed significant stigma towards those with the disease, yet no formal instrument exists by which to assess stigma or interventions to reduce stigma. We aimed to develop, pilot and validate scales to measure the extent of stigma towards podoconiosis among patients and in podoconiosis-endemic communities. Methods: Indicators of stigma were drawn from existing qualitative podoconiosis research and a literature review on measuring leprosy stigma. These were then formulated into items for questioning and evaluated through a Delphi process in which irrelevant items were discounted. The final items formed four scales measuring two distinct forms of stigma (felt stigma and enacted stigma) for those with podoconiosis and those without the disease. The scales were formatted as two questionnaires, one for podoconiosis patients and one for unaffected community members. 150 podoconiosis patients and 500 unaffected community members from Wolaita zone, Southern Ethiopia were selected through multistage random sampling to complete the questionnaires which were interview-administered. The scales were evaluated through reliability assessment, content and construct validity analysis of the items, factor analysis and internal consistency analysis. Results: All scales had Cronbach’s alpha over 0.7, indicating good consistency. The content and construct validity of the scales were satisfactory with modest correlation between items. There was significant correlation between the felt and enacted stigma scales among patients (Spearman’s r = 0.892; p < 0.001) and within the community (Spearman’s r = 0.794; p < 0.001). Conclusion: We report the development and testing of the first standardised measures of podoconiosis stigma. Although further research is needed to validate the scales in other contexts, we anticipate they will be useful in situational analysis and in designing, monitoring and evaluating interventions. The scales will enable an evidencebased approach to mitigating stigma which will enable implementation of more effective disease control and help break the cycle of poverty and NTDs