Food insecurity among people with severe mental disorder in a rural Ethiopian setting: a comparative, population-based study

Aim. In low-income African countries, ensuring food security for all segments of the population is a high priority. Mental illness is associated consistently with poverty, but there is little evidence regarding the association with food insecurity. The aim of this study was to compare the levels of food insecurity in people with severe mental disorders (SMD) with the general population in a rural African setting with a high burden of food insecurity. Method. Households of 292 community-ascertained people with a specialist-confirmed diagnosis of SMD (including schizophrenia and bipolar disorder) were compared with 284 households without a person with SMD in a rural district in south Ethiopia. At the time of the study, no mental health services were available within the district. Food insecurity was measured using a validated version of the Household Food Insecurity Access Scale. Disability was measured using the World Health Organisation Disability Assessment Schedule 2.0. Result. Severe household food insecurity was reported by 32.5% of people with SMD and 15.9% of respondents from comparison households: adjusted odds ratio 2.82 (95% confidence interval 1.62 to 4.91). Higher annual income was associated independently with lower odds of severe food insecurity. When total disability scores were added into the model, the association between SMD and food insecurity became non-significant, indicating a possible mediating role of disability. Conclusion. Efforts to alleviate food insecurity need to target people with SMD as a vulnerable group. Addressing the disabling effects of SMD would also be expected to reduce food insecurity. Access to mental health care integrated into primary care is being expanded in this district as part of the Programme for Improving Mental health carE (PRIME). The impact of treatment on disability and food insecurity will be evaluated

Study of growth and physiological characters in stay-green QTL introgression Sorghum bicolor (L.) lines under post-flowering drought stress

This experiment was carried out to evaluate the growth, physiological and yield traits of stay-green (Stg) QTL introgression sorghum lines, which were developed by the Ethiopian Institute of Agricultural Research in collaboration with ICRISAT between 2006 and 2008, under induced post-flowering drought stress. It involved a total of 12 genotypes including seven Stg QTL introgression lines, two Stg donor parents and three senescent recurrent parents. It was organized in a split plot design with three replications under well-watered and induced drought stress growing conditions at Melka Werer, Ethiopia during the post-rainy season of 2014. Analysis of variance revealed that the effect of moisture regimes on all measured traits was significant (P > 0.05). Differences among the genotypes and genotypeby- water regime interaction were also significant (P > 0.05) for all the traits considered. Postflowering drought stress was observed to significantly reduce most of the growth, physiological and yield related traits. The Stg introgression lines Meko/B35-selection 120, Teshale/B35-selection 2 and Teshale/E36-1 showed better drought stress tolerance properties than the rest of the genotypes based on the measured growth and physiological traits. These introgression lines also showed better grain yield than their recurrent parents under post-flowering drought stress and can be used as new versions of the existing varieties (served as recurrent parents) and for future breeding programs. Furthermore, leaf chlorophyll content, assimilation rate, transpiration rate, water use efficiency, root length and root dry weight were found to have strong correlation and can be used to screen genotypes for post-flowering drought tolerance

Impact of integrated district level mental health care on clinical and social outcomes of people with severe mental illness in rural Ethiopia: an intervention cohort study

There is limited evidence of the safety and impact of task-shared care for people with severe mental illnesses (SMI; psychotic disorders and bipolar disorder) in low-income countries. The aim of this study was to evaluate the safety and impact of a district-level plan for task-shared mental health care on 6 and 12-month clinical and social outcomes of people with SMI in rural southern Ethiopia

Social psychiatry and psychiatric epidemiology functional impairment among people with severe and enduring mental disorder in rural Ethiopia: a cross-sectional study

Purpose: Evidence regarding functional impairment in people with severe mental disorders (SMD) is sparse in low and middle-income countries. The aim of this study was to identify factors associated with functional impairment in people with enduring SMD in a rural African setting. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted at the baseline of a health service intervention trial. A total of 324 participants were recruited from an existing communityascertained cohort of people with SMD (n= 218), and attendees at the Butajira General Hospital psychiatric clinic (n= 106). Inclusion criteria defined people with SMD who had ongoing need for care: those who were on psychotropic medication, currently symptomatic or had a relapse in the preceding two years. The World Health Organization Disability Assessment schedule (WHODAS-2.0) and the Butajira Functioning Scale (BFS), were used to assess functional impairment. Multivariable negative binomial regression models were fitted to investigate the association between demographic, socio-economic and clinical characteristics, and functional impairment. Results: Increasing age, being unmarried, rural residence, poorer socio-economic status, symptom severity, continuous course of illness, medication side effects and internalized stigma were associated with functional impairment across self reported and caregiver responses for both the WHODAS and the BFS. Diagnosis per se was not associated consistently with functional impairment. Conclusion: To optimize functioning in people with chronic SMD in this setting, services need to target residual symptoms, poverty, medication side effects and internalized stigma. Testing the impact of community interventions to promote recovery will be useful. Advocacy for more tolerable treatment options is warranted

Response of stay-green quantitative trait locus (QTL) introgression sorghum lines to post-anthesis drought stress

An experiment was carried out to evaluate the response of sorghum stay-green quantitative trait locus (QTL) introgression lines under induced post-flowering drought stress. The QTL introgression was done in 2006 to 2008 from known stay-green lines to the locally adapted varieties through marker assisted backcrossing. The field experiment was carried out in 2009/2010 and involved two irrigation levels and 14 genotypes organized in a split plot design with three replications. Analysis of variance showed significant difference among the genotypes for all the measured nine morpho-physiological quantitative characters. Significant differences were also observed in leaf area, head exsertion, grain yield and hundred seed weight for irrigation indicating that the two irrigation levels were able to differentiate the genotypes for these characters. Genotype-by-irrigation interaction was significant only for head weight and 100 seed weight. In general, a yield reduction of up to 49% was observed in an induced post-flowering moisture deficit. Grain yield had strong positive correlation with head weight (r=0.66) and hundred seed weight (r=0.52) under conditions of moisture deficit. Most of the stay-green introgression lines included in this experiment maintained at least 25% of their green leaf area until maturity though some showed early leaf senescence, but there was no associated increase in grain yield. Possible reasons are discussed.Keywords: Drought, introgression, post-anthesis, QTL, stay green, sorghum.African Journal of Biotechnology, Vol 13(49) 4492-450

Geospatial modeling of conservation tillage and nitrogen timing effects on yield and soil properties

Crop growth simulation can complement field research for adapting and targeting practices to diverse production areas. Two simulated experiments of 30-year duration were conducted with CERES and CROPGRO to evaluate the effects of fertilizer N practices and conservation tillage (CT) alternatives on maize (Zea mays L.) grain yield, soil organic C and soil organic N for seven technology extrapolation domains (TED) in Ethiopia. Mean maize grain yield was 663 kg ha more with three compared two N applications per season for high rainfall TED in western Ethiopia. Tillage did not affect response to N. Averaged across TED, maize yield was 33% more with a combination of conservation tillage, rotation and additional N application (CT) compared maize monoculture with conventional tillage and the recommended N rate (CP), primarily because of crop rotation. Maize grain yield increased over time with the conservation tillage under rotation (CT) but declined under CP. Soil organic C and N declined over time, but the rate of decline was lower with CT compared to CP. Stored soil organic C and N were 8543 and 594 kg ha more with CT compared with CP respectively, averaged over the 30 years. First order stochastic dominance analysis from maize grain partial net returns showed that maize rotation dominated maize monoculture. Second order stochastic dominance analysis for partial net return indicated the absence of an unambiguous dominant of conservation tillage for a farmers’ preference of low risk to higher net return or high net return to low risk

Integrating modelling and phenotyping approaches to identify and screen complex traits: transpiration efficiency in cereals

Following advances in genetics, genomics, and phenotyping, trait selection in breeding is limited by our ability to understand interactions within the plant and with the environment, and to identify traits of most relevance to the target population of environments. We propose an integrated approach that combines insights from crop modelling, physiology, genetics, and breeding to characterize traits valuable for yield gain in the target population of environments, develop relevant high-throughput phenotyping platforms, and identify genetic controls and their value in production environments. This paper uses transpiration efficiency (biomass produced per unit of water used) as an example of a complex trait of interest to illustrate how the approach can guide modelling, phenotyping, and selection in a breeding programme. We believe that this approach, by integrating insights from diverse disciplines, can increase the resource use efficiency of breeding programmes for improving yield gains in target populations of environments

Integrating modelling and phenotyping approaches to identify and screen complex traits : transpiration efficiency in cereals

Following advances in genetics, genomics, and phenotyping, trait selection in breeding is limited by our ability to understand interactions within the plants and with their environments, and to target traits of most relevance for the target population of environments. We propose an integrated approach that combines insights from crop modelling, physiology, genetics, and breeding to identify traits valuable for yield gain in the target population of environments, develop relevant high-throughput phenotyping platforms, and identify genetic controls and their values in production environments. This paper uses transpiration efficiency (biomass produced per unit of water used) as an example of a complex trait of interest to illustrate how the approach can guide modelling, phenotyping, and selection in a breeding program. We believe that this approach, by integrating insights from diverse disciplines, can increase the resource use efficiency of breeding programs for improving yield gains in target populations of environments