Pseudopregnancy in a doe and its hormonal therapy

A female Saanen goat, weighing about 65kg with a body condition score of 3 out of 5, and a history of distended abdomen and udder enlargement for a prolonged period with no subsequent kidding was visited for pregnancy checkup. Physical examination of the abdomen revealed abdominal distention with presence of fluid felt up on ballottement as well as udder enlargement. Subsequent examination by abdominal ultrasonography confirmed presence of massive clear anechoic uterine fluid with hyperechoic trabeculae, with no other pregnancy features such as placentomes and fetal structures, leading to the final diagnosis of hydrometra / pseudopregnancy. The doe was subsequently treated with IM injections of 2 doses of synthetic prostaglandin PGF2ï�¡ - Estrumate® which contains 250µg/ml of cloprostenol at 12 days interval that effectively resolved the problem based on physical and sonographic evidences during a follow up visit. Early detection and hormonal therapy of pseudopregnancy in dairy goats could help to prevent economic loss from keeping the doe without reproduction

Modern contraceptive methods knowledge and practice among blind and deaf women in Ethiopia. A cross-sectional survey

Abstract Background Evidences from various parts of the world reveal that women with disabilities are facing widespread barriers in accessing public services. Service providers and program managers do not grasp the relevance of their work and interventions in addressing the sexual and reproductive health needs of women with disabilities. The present study therefore aimed to assess family planning knowledge and practice among women with sensory disabilities. Methods A mixed method approach using quantitative and qualitative methods was employed to collect the data. The study included 326 blind and deaf women using respondent driven sampling technique and 29 purposely selected key informants. We carried out the study from August 2016–April 2017. The quantitative data were analyzed using SPSS and the qualitative analysis was done using Open code software version 4.02 and triangulated with the quantitative findings. Results The findings showed that nearly two third of the respondents of were sexually active. The majority (97.2%) of study respondents had heard about FP methods, however the level of comprehensive knowledge on modern contraceptive methods was 32.5%. The prevalence of unwanted pregnancy was 67.0% and abortion was 44%. Almost half of sexually active respondents ever used modern contraceptive methods, yet the contraceptive prevalence at the time of survey was 31.1%. Implants were the most commonly used (51%) contraceptive method among current users. Conclusions The use of modern contraceptive methods among women with sensory disabilities was low. Thus, the government and concerned organizations need to address the attitudinal, social, and physical barriers women with sensory disabilities are facing while seeking, accessing to and using family planning services

Sero-prevalence and risk factors of hepatitis C virus infection among pregnant women in Bahir Dar city, Northwest Ethiopia: cross sectional study

Viral hepatitis during pregnancy is associated with high risk of maternal complications and has become a leading cause of fetal death. So the main objective of this study is to determine the prevalence of hepatitis C viral infections among pregnant women attending the antenatal clinic in Bahir Dar health institutions, Ethiopia. This was institutional based cross-sectional study that included 318 pregnant women who attended the antenatal clinic in Bahir Dar health institutions from January 2013 to June 2013. Appropriate data was gathered from study participants. Sero-prevalence of hepatitis C virus was determined by detecting immunoglobulin of HCV using ELISA kit. Data was entered and analyzed with SPSS version 16 statistical software. The overall prevalence of hepatitis C virus among pregnant women was 0.6%. None of the expected risk factors had significant outcome. In conclusion, prevalence of the Hepatitis C virus among pregnant women attending in Bahir Dar health institutions was low and expected variables were not statistically significant

Risk factors for multidrug resistant tuberculosis patients in Amhara National Regional State.

Background: Multidrug resistant tuberculosis(MDR-TB) is becoming a major threat to tuberculosis control programs in Ethiopia.Objectives: To determine risk factors of MDR-TB patients in Amhara National Regional State, Ethiopia.Methods: Case-control study was conducted from May 2013 to January 2014. Resistance to rifampicin and isoniazid were done molecularly using line probe assay. TB patients infected with MDR-M.tuberculosis and non MDR-M.tuberculosis strain were considered as cases and controls, respectively. Data was collected using structured questionnaire with face to face interview. Patients’ clinical record review was also done.Multivariate analysis was computed to determine the risk factors of MDR-TB.Results: A total of 153 MDR-TB and equal number of non MDR-TB patients’ participated in the study. Patients who had TB treatment failure (AOR=13.5,CI=2.69-70), cavitations on chest x-ray (AOR=1.9,CI=1.1-3.38) and contact with MDR-TB patients (AOR=1.4,CI=0.19-0.39) were more likely to be MDR-TB patients. Low monthly income (AOR=1.1,CI=0.34-0.47),alcohol consumption (AOR=1.5,CI=0.2-0.98) and young age (AOR=2.9,CI=1.07-7.68) were the other risk factors of MDR-TB.Conclusions: TB treatment failure, cavitation on chest X-ray, contact with MDR-TB patients and low socioeconomic status were important risk factors for development of MDR-TB. Therefore, strict adherence to directly observed therapy, appropriate management of TB patients and advice on the value of nutrients are helpful to control the spreading of MDR-TB.Key words: Risk factors, MDR-TB, Ethiopia

The status of rabies in Ethiopia: A retrospective record review

Background: Rabies, a viral disease that affects all warm-blooded animals, is widespread in many regions of the world. Human rabies, transmitted by dogs is an important public health issue in Ethiopia. To-date, effective rabies control program still remains to be a reality and needs to be strengthened..Objective: Reviewing of recorded data to generate information on the status of rabies in Ethiopia for the year 2001-2009.Methods: A retrospective data were used from the Ethiopian Health and Nutrition Research Institute rabies case record book registered between 2001 and 2009.Results: The fatal human cases during the period of study were 386 humans with annual range of 35 to 58. The over all post exposure treatment for humans was 17,204 within and around Addis Ababa. During the same period, 20,414 suspected rabid animals were clinically examined; nevertheless, only 10%were positive for rabies. Among 3,460 animal brains investigated in the laboratory with FAT, 75% were confirmed as rabies positive. The production and distribution of anti-rabies vaccine reached 130,673 treatment doses for human vaccine and 85,055 doses for animal vaccine respectively in the period of 2001-2009.Conclusion: The recorded data showed the underestimate of rabies diagnosis, post exposure prophylaxis and fatal human cases, which could be attributed due to the absence of national rabies surveillance system. Therefore, It is of paramount importance to assess and map the national picture of rabies within a given time interval to launch a national rabies control strategy. [Ethiop. J. Health Dev. 2010;24(2):127-132

Effects of elevated ambient temperature on embryo implantation in rats

Implantation is a crucial step in mammalian reproduction as it is a gateway to further embryonic development and successful pregnancy. Changes in the environmental factors, such as temperature have adverse effects on reproduction. However, the impact of elevated temperature on the implantation process is not well defined. The objective of this study was to investigate the possible effect of elevated ambient temperature on implantation time and rate. The results revealed that exposure to elevated ambient temperature leads to a delayed implantation and reduced number of implantation sites in Sprague Dawley rats. Moreover, the exposure to elevated temperature resulted in change in the progesterone and estradiol patterns during the implantation time. These findings indicate that elevated temperature disturbs the implantation process.Key words: Elevated temperature, implantation time, number of implantation sites, progesterone and estradiol

Study on knowledge, attitude and dog ownership patterns related to rabies prevention and control in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

The study was conducted from May 2003 to August 2003 in Addis Ababa with the objective of understanding the distribution of stray and owned dogs, dog ownership patterns and attitudes of people towards rabies and its prevention and control methods. A total of 2390 households were selected from 6 Sub Cities of Addis Ababa using stratified random sampling and were interviewed using structured questionnaires. From the total households interviewed, 969 (40.5%) of them were known to own one or more dogs, and the total number of owned dogs was estimated to be 225,078. Male dogs make up 1042 (78.4%) of the total owned dogs. Almost half of all the dogs 463 (47.8%) were tied only for some time during the day whereas 320 (33.1%) of the dogs were not tied at all and freely move from place to place and contribute to high dog bites in human beings and for the widespread occurrence of canine rabies in Addis Ababa. Six hundred fifty five (67.6%) of the interviewed households who owned dogs had a well fenced house. Most of the owned dogs 856 (88.4%) get their food from their owners and only 321 (33.3%) of the owners reported that they let their dogs to be vaccinated while the majority of the owners 644 (66.5%) do not let their dogs vaccinated regularly. A significant proportion of the interviewed households 2,323 (97.2%), (P < 0.05) indicated that they have the knowledge that dogs, cats and other animals can transmit rabies to humans and 1,752 (73.4%) of the households replied that rabies can be transmitted through bite, scratch and lick to open wounds. Analysis of the list of 2400 post exposure human antirabies treatments recorded at the EHNRI Zoonoses Laboratory from February 2002 to October 2003 showed that the most common animals involved in biting people were dogs. A total of 2198 (91.6%) people were bitten by dogs during the same period and most of them, 2053 (85.5%) were bitten on their hands and legs. All the above data indicated the need for a strong and coordinated rabies control activities to be conducted in the city

Trans-scrotal ultrasonography and breeding soundness evaluation of bulls in a herd of dairy and beef cattle with poor reproductive performance

The present study was undertaken to determine the fertility soundness of unselected bulls used for breeding based on a standard breeding soundness evaluation technique (BSE) and trans-scrotal ultrasonography (TSU). A total of 8 bulls, with the mean age of 5½ years (ranged from 3½ - 8 years) and the mean weight of 651.5kg (ranged from 480-840 kg) were evaluated. Three bulls were Friesian Sahiwal, 2 Brangus and the rest were Brahman-KK (Kedah Kelantan) cross, Simmental-KK cross and KK breed (one from each). Out of the total bulls examined, 3 (37.5%) were found to be unfit to be used for breeding due to their physical unsoundness and/or poor semen quality. The use of TSU has revealed the presence of testicular lesions in 3 bulls. The finding of TSU (suggestive of testicular degeneration) in one bull was reflected by a poor semen quality of the BSE results. Despite the presence of lesions of idiopathic unilateral hydrocele and bilateral fibrotic foci lesion in the other two bulls, the BSE findings for semen quality were not compromised. In conclusion, there was enough evidence to support our hypothesis that the observed drop in the reproductive performance of the herd was partly the result of using bulls with poor breeding soundness for fertility

Effects of resynchronization with progesterone and prostaglandin F2• on estrus response and pregnancy rate in beef cattle

This experiment was designed to compare the estrus response and pregnancy rate of cows first synchronized using CIDR with cows that were resynchronized after failing to display estrus. Estrus response and pregnancy rate were also compared between cows resynchronized with either CIDR or prostaglandin F2• (PGF2•). Initially, 140 Brangus cows were synchronized with CIDR. About 30 days after Artificial Insemination (AI), cows were checked for pregnancy using ultrasound and those that remain open were divided into two groups and resynchronized with either CIDR or two injections of PGF2• at 11 days interval. All cows were observed visually for estrus response for a period of 2 h at 12 h interval, starting immediately after CIDR removal or after the second injection of PGF2•. Cows were in estrus when they mounted if at least 3 times during the period of observation. Following removal of CIDR and second injection of PGF2•, cows were inseminated 60 and 70 h later, respectively. There were no significant differences (p>0.05) in estrus response and pregnancy rate between cows initial synchronization and resynchronization with CIDR protocol. Although, statistically not significant there was relatively higher percentage of estrus response (81.6 vs. 70%) and pregnancy rate (30.6 vs. 28.0%) in cows resynchronized with CIDR than cows resynchronized with PGF2•