The role of phenotypic and genetic basis of livestock selection for climate change adaptation and mitigation: A review

Livestock are not only suffering from climate change, but also contribute to climate change through the direct and indirect release of greenhouse gases (CH4, N2O and CO2). Characterization, identification and conservation of heat tolerant livestock breeds are basics for future challenging climate. Properties of the skin, hair, coat color, coat type, sweating, respiration capacity, tissue insulation, surface area relative to body weight, endocrinological profiles and metabolic heat production are important factors involved for heat tolerance. Selection based on these phenotypic characteristics is play indispensible for climate change adaptation and mitigation.  Molecular information is used to know the candidate gene for heat tolerance, their action, specific function and location on chromosomes thereby important for modification of gene and selection of heat tolerant breed and feed efficient animals. Genomic information also used to identify genes that regulated during a stressful event can lead to the identification of animals that are genetically superior for coping with stress. Marker assisted selection and proteomics may also be valuable in selection for secondary traits linked to adaptation, such as the genes for high levels of blood urea and ruminal ammonia in certain genotypes, associated with adaptation to low-quality C4 grasses. Scientific research results demonstrated that heat tolerance is heritable trait and variable between/within livestock breeds, thereby variation and heritability of the trait opens the window for selection of heat tolerant animals. Therefore, the combined genomic selection using genome wide DNA markers that predict tolerance to heat stress and phenotypic selection could be accelerated breeding of highly productive and heat tolerant livestock breeds. Further research should be conducted on characterization, identification of indigenous breeds at molecular level and on identification of responsible genes/genomic regions associated with thermoregulation, feed and production efficiency in order to develop suitable adaptive and mitigation strategies to counter environmental stresses

Biotechnological advances for climate change adaptation and mitigation in the case of goat production – A review

Climate change influences goat production directly and indirectly thru its effect on reducing the quality and quantity of feed resources, and increasing spatial and temporal distribution of infectious diseases. The advances of biotechnology now a day’s opened an avenue to improve the nutritive value and digestibility of fibrous feeds by using biological methods (e.g., white rot fungi) and through recombinant DNA engineering techniques. Moreover, supplementation of probiotics, enzymes, antibiotics and organic acids modulate the activities and composition of the rumen microbial ecosystem thereby reduce lactic acid content, improve nutrient digestibility, reduce methanogenesis, optimize voluntary fatty acid profiles, and decrease ruminal ammonia production and protein degradation. All these effects increase productive performances and reduce methane emission from goat production. Genetic engineering and introgression of genes between adapted and non-adapted populations have been used to improve the diseases resistance of goat. Vaccines are used to control infectious diseases, increase productivity by modulating hormones or the immune system functions. Immuno-castration and ectoparasite control are also important biotechnological tools. Immunological and molecular techniques diagnostic technologies (PCR, RT-PCR, microarray, proteomic technique, biosensors, fluorescent-in-situ-hybridisation (FISH) and nanotechnologies) are used to detect and identify diseases and their causal agents. However, the aforementioned biotechnological tools are not yet well developed in developing countries like Ethiopia. Therefore, review, evaluation, and implementation of biotechnological tools in goat production in developing countries is paramount to increase production and productivity, and realize the potential use of biotechnology for climate change adaptation and mitigation

Utilization of Health Management Information System and Associated Factors in Hadiya Zone Health Centers, Southern Ethiopia

Background: Health Information systems are increasingly important for measuring and improving the quality and coverage of health services. Reliable and timely health information is vital for operational and strategic decision making that save lives and enhances health. In Ethiopia information quality and use remain weak, particularly at district health offices and primary health care facilities to facilitate decision making. Therefore this study will be designed to greatly signal the current status of Health Management Information System (HMIS) in study area.Objective: To assess the utilization of health management information systems and associated factors at health centers in Hadiya zone, Southern Ethiopia, 2014.Methods: A cross sectional study was conducted in health institutions by interviewing units/departments of health centers from April to June, 2014. Quantitative data was collected using structured questionnaires, check lists, observation and interview guide by trained data collectors. Data was analyzed using SPSS version 20 and descriptive and logistic regression analysis was carried out.Results: The finding of the study revealed that utilization of health management information was 242(69.3%) in all the study units/departments of health centers. Health center units/department had key indicators (AOR=3.67; 95%CI: 2.11, 6.39), completeness of data format (AOR=3.42; 95%CI: 1.65, 7.08), consistency of data (AOR=1.91; 95%CI: 1.05, 3.48) were found to be significantly associated with utilization of health information system at 95% level of significance. Conclusion: Health center units/departments had key indicators, completeness of data and consistency of data were predictors of utilization of health management information system. Therefore, in-service training and updating of staff involved in Health Management Information System (HMIS) at district, strengthening health information system inputs, timely and concrete feedbacks with establishment of functional Health Management Information System (HMIS)

Evaluation of Different Agricultural Lime Sources for their Agronomic Effectiveness, Yield of Food Barley and Faba Bean and Acid Soil Properties in the Central Highlands of Ethiopia

አህፅሮት አሲዳማ አፈርን በኖራ ማከም የአፈርን ጤናማነትና ለምነት ቀጣይ ለማድረግ  ምርጥ የአፈር አያያዝ ዘዴ ሆኖ ተገኝቷል፡፡ ይሁን እንጂ የኖራ ፍቱን ውጤታማነት የሚለካው በምንጩ/የተገኘበት ቦታ፣ ስርቱ/ኬሚካላዊ ይዘቱ፣ የንፁህነትና የድቀት ደረጃውን ግምት ውስጥ በማስገባት ነው፡፡ የዚህ ጥናት ዓላማ በአገርቷ የተለያዩ ቦታዎች  የሚመረቱ ለእርሻ ግብዓት የሚዉሉ ኖራዎችን ብቃት ለመገምገም ነው፡፡ የኖራዎቹም የብቃት ማረጋገጫ የተሠራው በሆለታ ግብርና ምርምር ማዕከል የአፈር ላቦራቶሪ ነው፡፡ ከብቃት ማረጋገጫ ሥራው በኋላ በማዕከሉ የሙከራ ማሣና በሮብ-ገበያ የአርሶአደር ማሣ ላይ የኖራዎቹ ውጤት በአፈሩ ባህርይና በሰብል ምርት ላይ የሚያመጣው ለውጥ ተገምግሟል፡፡ ትርቲመንቶቹ አራት የኖራ ዓይነቶችና አንድ ኮንትሮል (ምንም ዓይነት ኖራ የሌለው) ሲሆኑ በራንደማይዝድ ኮምፕልት ብሎክ ዲዛይን በሦስት ድግግሞሽ ተሞክሯል፡፡ የጥናቱ ውጤት የሚያሳየው አራቱም ኖራዎች ለእርሻ ግብዓት የሚዉሉ መሆናቸው ነው፡፡ የጥናቱ ውጤት በተጨማሪ የሚያሳየው ስታቲስትካል ልዩነት ባለው መልኩ በኖራዎቹ መካከል በአፈር ባህርይና በሰብል ምርት ላይ ከፍተኛ ውጤት ባይገኝም፣ ከኮንትሮል (ምንም ዓይነት ኖራ ከሌለው) ጋር ስነፃፀር ከፍተኛ ውጤት ተገኝቷል፡፡ይህ ግኝት የሚያሣየው በአገርቷ የሚመረቱ የእርሻ ኖራዎች የአገርቷን አስዳማ አፈር ለማከም ምቹ እንደሆኑና ምርታማነትን እንደሚጨምሩ ታውቋል፡፡ ስለዚህ በምዕራብ፣ሰሜን ምዕራብ እና መካከለኛ የአገርቷ ክፍል የሚኖሩ የገንዘብ ውስንነት ያለባቸውና ከሩቅ ሥፍራ ኖራዎችን ለማጓጓዝ የማይችሉ አርሶአደሮች ከቅርባቸው ያለውን በመጠቀም አስዳማ አፈራቸውን ማከም እንደሚችሉ ነው፡፡   Abstract  The potentials of lime to restore soil health and fertility of the acidic soils is one of the best options of sustainable soil fertility management practices. However, the liming effects depend on its source, composition, purity, and fineness. The study initiated to evaluate the effectiveness of different lime materials produced in Ethiopia. Lime samples collected from different producing factories and were characterized at Holeta Agricultural Research Centre. Following characterization on station and on-farm experiments were conducted to evaluate crop and soil response for the different lime sources. The treatments comprised of four different lime materials and control laid out in randomized complete block design with three replications. The result showed that all lime sources fulfill the standards of agricultural lime. The result also showed that there were significant differences between and among lime sources on soil properties as well as crop yield but highly significant between the control treatments. This implies that the lime materials can be suitably used nationally to ameliorate soil acidity and increase crop productivity. Thus, the resource-poor farmers dwelling in western, northwestern, and central highlands who cannot afford to transport the lime sources from far distances can make use of the lime sources near to areas as there is no significant difference

Perioperative care capacity in East Africa : results of an Ethiopian national cross-sectional survey

Acknowledgments The authors thank all hospitals who participated in the survey, all anesthesia providers, surgeons, obstetricians, nurses, and hospi- tal management staff who provided data voluntarily, and those who helped coordinate the study in their area.Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Facilitators of co-leadership for quality care.

Olive Cocoman and colleagues argue that national leadership for quality of care requires working in a co-leadership model such that quality and programme units have equal standing and clearly defined individual roles and responsibilitie

Opportunities to sustain a multi-country quality of care network: Lessons on the actions of four countries Bangladesh, Ethiopia, Malawi, and Uganda

The Quality of Care Network (QCN) is a global initiative that was established in 2017 under the leadership of WHO in 11 low-and- middle income countries to improve maternal, newborn, and child health. The vision was that the Quality of Care Network would be embedded within member countries and continued beyond the initial implementation period: that the Network would be sustained. This paper investigated the experience of actions taken to sustain QCN in four Network countries (Bangladesh, Ethiopia, Malawi, and Uganda) and reports on lessons learned. Multiple iterative rounds of data collection were conducted through qualitative interviews with global and national stakeholders, and non-participatory observation of health facilities and meetings. A total of 241 interviews, 42 facility and four meeting observations were carried out. We conducted a thematic analysis of all data using a framework approach that defined six critical actions that can be taken to promote sustainability. The analysis revealed that these critical actions were present with varying degrees in each of the four countries. Although vulnerabilities were observed, there was good evidence to support that actions were taken to institutionalize the innovation within the health system, to motivate micro-level actors, plan opportunities for reflection and adaptation from the outset, and to support strong government ownership. Two actions were largely absent and weakened confidence in future sustainability: managing financial uncertainties and fostering community ownership. Evidence from four countries suggested that the QCN model would not be sustained in its original format, largely because of financial vulnerability and insufficient time to embed the innovation at the sub-national level. But especially the efforts made to institutionalize the innovation in existing systems meant that some characteristics of QCN may be carried forward within broader government quality improvement initiatives

Organic–inorganic hybrid salt and mixed ligand Cr(III) complexes containing the natural flavonoid chrysin: Synthesis, characterization, computational, and biological studies

Organic–inorganic hybrid salt and mixed ligand Cr(III) complexes (Cr1 and Cr2) containing the natural flavonoid chrysin were synthesized. The metal complexes were characterized using UV-Vis, Fourier-transform infrared, MS, SEM-EDX, XRD, and molar conductance measurements. Based on experimental and DFT/TD-DFT calculations, octahedral geometries for the synthesized complexes were suggested. The powder XRD analysis confirms that the synthesized complexes were polycrystalline, with orthorhombic and monoclinic crystal systems having average crystallite sizes of 21.453 and 19.600 nm, percent crystallinities of 51% and 31.37%, and dislocation densities of 2.324 × 10−3 and 2.603 × 10−3 nm-2 for Cr1 and Cr2, respectively. The complexes were subjected to cytotoxicity, antibacterial, and antioxidant studies. The in vitro biological studies were supported with quantum chemical and molecular docking computational studies. Cr1 showed significant cytotoxicity to the MCF-7 cell line, with an IC50 value of 8.08 μM compared to 30.85 μM for Cr2 and 18.62 μM for cisplatin. Cr2 showed better antibacterial activity than Cr1. The higher EHOMO (−5.959 eV) and dipole moment (10.838 Debye) values of Cr2 obtained from the quantum chemical calculations support the observed in vitro antibacterial activities. The overall results indicated that Cr1 is a promising cytotoxic drug candidate

First PCR Confirmed anthrax outbreaks in Ethiopia-Amhara region, 2018-2019.

BackgroundAnthrax is a disease that affects humans and animals. In Ethiopia, anthrax is a reportable disease and assumed to be endemic, although laboratory confirmation has not been routinely performed until recently. We describe the findings from the investigation of two outbreaks in Amhara region.MethodsFollowing reports of suspected outbreaks in Wag Hamra zone (Outbreak 1) and South Gondar zone (Outbreak 2), multi-sectoral teams involving both animal and public health officials were deployed to investigate and establish control programs. A suspect case was defined as: sudden death with rapid bloating or bleeding from orifice(s) with unclotted blood (animals); and signs compatible with cutaneous, ingestion, or inhalation anthrax ≤7 days after exposure to a suspect animal (humans). Suspect human cases were interviewed using a standard questionnaire. Samples were collected from humans with suspected anthrax (Outbreak 1 and Outbreak 2) as well as dried meat of suspect animal cases (Outbreak 2). A case was confirmed if a positive test was returned using real-time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR).ResultsIn Outbreak 1, a total of 49 cows died due to suspected anthrax and 22 humans developed symptoms consistent with cutaneous anthrax (40% attack rate), two of whom died due to suspected ingestion anthrax. Three people were confirmed to have anthrax by qPCR. In Outbreak 2, anthrax was suspected to have caused the deaths of two livestock animals and one human. Subsequent investigation revealed 18 suspected cases of cutaneous anthrax in humans (27% attack rate). None of the 12 human samples collected tested positive, however, a swab taken from the dried meat of one animal case (goat) was positive by qPCR.ConclusionWe report the first qPCR-confirmed outbreaks of anthrax in Ethiopia. Both outbreaks were controlled through active case finding, carcass management, ring vaccination of livestock, training of health professionals and outreach with livestock owners. Human and animal health authorities should work together using a One Health approach to improve case reporting and vaccine coverage