Socio-demographic correlates of mental and behavioural disorders of children in Southern Ethiopia

Objective: To describe the magnitude and socio-demographic correlates of specific mental and behavioural disorders.Design: A cross-sectional survey.Setting: Butajira district, southern Ethiopia.Participants: The Amharic version of the Diagnostic Instrument for Children and Adolescents (DICA) was used to interview parents of 1,477 children.Main outcome measures: Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), Disruptive behaviour disorders, mood and anxiety disorders.Results: Using a multivariate logistic model, age was significantly associated with ADHD. Children between 10 and 14 years of age had more than three-fold increased risk of ADHD compared to younger children: adjusted odds ratio and 95% confidence interval (OR, 95%CI) = 3.17 (1.16, 8.67), p=0.02. Residence in urban area was also significantly associated with ADHD: adjusted OR (95% CI) = 2.84 (1.14-7.07), p=0.03. Disruptive behaviour disorders were significantly associated with increasing age: adjusted OR (95% CI)= 4.24 (1.43, 12.6). Mood and anxiety disorders were not significantly associated with any of the sociodemographic variable studied.Conclusion: The study shows that age and residence in urban areas are significant correlates of behavioural disorders in children

HIV self-testing practices among Health Care Workers: feasibility and options for accelerating HIV testing services in Ethiopia

Introduction: HIV is still an enormous global burden and it is also causing loss of huge health care workers (HCWs) on the already limited human resource capacity in health care services in Sub-Saharan Africa. Variety of methods of accelerating HIV testing is required to increase the rate of HIV testing and expand treatment services. Therefore, this study was aimed to find out the prevalence, feasibility and options of HIV self-testing practices in Ethiopia. Methods: A cross-sectional study design triangulated with qualitative method was conducted from February to May, 2012. The data was collected using a semi-structured pretested questionnaire and in-depth interview, at government and private health centers or clinics and hospitals. During the data collection all the available healthcare workers (HCWs) which encompass the internship students including: Medical, Health Officer, Nurses, Midwives and Laboratory students, and health professionals working in the selected health institutions were involved.Results: A total of 307 HCWs were included in the analysis and we found that 288(94.4%) of them were ever tested for HIV, of which majority 203 (70.5%) were tested by themselves though 244(80%) of the HCWs had motivation or interest to be tested by themselves. Generally, of the ever tested only 85(29.5%) were tested by the help of health care providers/counselors other than self. Regarding the place where the HCWs had the test, majority 136 (69.4%) tested by themselves at the health facility and the rest were tested at their home, office, market and church. The main reason stated for self-testing was the need for confidentiality for the test result, which was mentioned by 205(82%). Moreover, 35(14.0%) claims lack of time to access the ordinary counseling and testing services. Conclusion: This study depicts high rate of HIV self-testing practice among HCWs. This shows that HIV self-testing can be considered as one pillar to increase the HIV-testing services and a means for the HIV prevention and control policy, through increasing HIV testing uptake and awareness of HIV status. However, the implementation may require the role of different stakeholders and decision makers with further study to extend the options.Key words: HIV, VCT, self-test, health care workers, Ethiopi

Study on the assessment of drug resistance on Trypanosoma vivax in Tselemti woreda , Tigray, Ethiopia

The study was conducted at Tselemti Woreda, Tigray region, Northern Ethiopia, some 1200 kms away from the capital, from November 2002 to April 2003. In the first phase of this study, questionnaire survey was carried out to assess livestock production constraints. Subsequently, a study on the occurrence of drug resistance to diminazene aceturate and isomethamidum chloride of Trypanosoma vivax isolate in artificially infected goats were conducted. Results of the questionnaire survey revealed that 95.7% of the interviewees replied that trypanosomosis is a series problem in their areas. Apart from this, under dosing of trypanocidal drugs appeared a common practice in the areas surveyed. Drug sensitivity test conducted on 18 artificially infected goats revealed that T. vivax developed resistance to the curative doses of diminazene aceturate (3.5 mg/kg b.wt) and isomethamidum chloride (0.25 mg/kg b.wt). No relapses were seen for those animals treated with diminazen aceturate at a dose of 7 mg/kg b.wt and 0.5 mg/kg b.wt of isomethamidum chloride. Sanative pair between diminazene aceturate and isometamidum chloride was also confirmed by the occurrence of no relapses after first treatment with diminazene aceturate (at 3.5 mg/kg) and isomethamidum chloride (0.25 mg/kg) and a second treatment with 0.25 mg/kg isomethamidum chloride and 3.5 mg/kg diminazene aceturate, respectively. During the 90 days of trial period there was no statistical significant difference (P>0.05) in mean PCV of the five groups before and after treatment: (26+1.23), (27.5+1.33), (26.5+2.03), (29.8+2.12) and (25.5+ 3.06) for groups I, II, III, IV and V respectively. Generally diminazene aceturate at dose of 7 mg/kg and isomethamidum chloride at dose of 0.5 mg/kg b.wt were most effective in terms of curing infections as well as improving PCV and body weight. It was concluded that where there are indications for drug resistance against isomethamidum and diminazene aceturate the use of trypanocidal drugs should be supervised, the principle of sanative pairs has to be applied and chemotherapy needs to be integrated with other methods like vector (tsetse and biting flies) control. Keywords: Diminazene-aceturate, drug-resistance, goats, isomethamidumchloride, trypanosomosis, Tselemti

Systemic Sclerosis – case report

A case of Systemic Sclerosis is hereby reported, with brief review of  literature emphasizing the clinical characteristics and management.  Systemic Sclerosis is a connective tissue disorder affecting the skin, blood vessel, and visceral organs. Data relating to the occurrence of scleroderma is sparse or underreported in Liberia. This is a case report of a patient suffering from scleroderma seen at the Jackson F. Doe Regional Referral Hospital, Tappita, Nimba County, Liberia in May, 2018. The goal was to  document the clinical occurrence of scleroderma in Liberia. Literature was reviewed using key words including scleroderma, sclerosis, Liberia, West Africa. Data bases searched were AJOL and Pubmed. Clinical manifestations of systemic scleroderma arise from the diffuse deposition of collagen in the skin and visceral organs coupled with vascular injury and immunologic abnormalities. The skin becomes taut resulting in claw like appearance of fingers and a mask like appearance of the face. There are associated orofacial changes resulting in decrease in facial profile, rigidity of tongue and microstomia.Keywords: Systemic Sclerosis, clinical features, case report

Communication skills of physicians during patient interaction in an in-patient setting at Tikur Anbessa Specialized Teaching Hospital (TASH), Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, 2009

Background: Physician-patient relationship is foremost among the numerous qualities needed for sound patient care. In the Ethiopian clinical setting, a vast majority of patients complain that physicians do not interact with them properly. Objective: Assess behavior of physicians (verbal and nonverbal) when interacting with patients. Methods: Randomly selected physicians were observed in doctor-patient interactions in an inpatient setting using a standardized check list at Tikur Anbessa Hospital in November, 2009.Mean comparison of total scores of each category as well as mean interaction and biomedical exam times were made using Pearson’s Chi square, and Student’s T test. Results: 211 interactions were observed. 22.7% were consultants, 49.7% were residents and 26.5% were interns. Mean total score of observed behavior ranged from poor to satisfactory across category and showed statistically significant variations. Average interaction time was 7.87 minutes while average biomedical exam time was 5.05 minutes. The means showed a significant variation (p=0.001 at 95% CI). Conclusion: The study has shown that there is a reasonable ground to suggest that physician-patient interaction has deficiencies. Due attention should be given to improve communication skills of physicians

Anomalous magnetic ordering in PrBa_2Cu_3O_{7-y} single crystals: Evidence for magnetic coupling between the Cu and Pr sublattices

In Al-free PrBa_2Cu_3O_{7-y} single crystals the kink in the temperature dependence of magnetic susceptibility chi_{ab}(T), connected with Pr antiferromagnetic ordering, disappears after field cooling (FC) in a field H || ab-plane. The kink in chi_c(T) remains unchanged after FC in H || c-axis. As a possible explanation, freezing of the Cu magnetic moments, lying in the ab-plane, caused by FC in H || ab, hinders their reorientation and, due to coupling between the Pr and Cu(2) sublattices, ordering of the Pr^{3+} moments. A field induced phase transition and a field dependence of the Pr^{3+} ordering temperature have been found for both H || c and H || ab.Comment: 11 pages (LaTex with elsart.sty), 5 EPS figs. Accepted to Physica

Unprotected sex, sexually transmitted infections and problem drinking among female sex workers in Ethiopia

Background: A description of the pattern of use of alcohol and other substances among female sex workers (FSWs) is particularly important because of the high prevalence of HIV in this particular group and their potential for transmitting HIV infection to other groups. However, there is currently lack of systematic studies from developing countries like Ethiopia regarding alcohol use visa vis unprotected sex and STIs. Objective: To describe the association of risky sexual behaviour with alcohol use and problem drinking among female sex workers in Ethiopia. Methods: A total of 2,487 female sex workers aged between of 15 and 49 years were randomly sampled from seven urban centres in Ethiopia and interviewed regarding their sexual behavior and substance use. Results: About 12% of FSWs included in this study reported having unprotected sex during the 12 months prior to the interview. A history of vaginal ulcer or discharge experienced by the FSWs was reported by 5% of the study subjects. Those who reported occasional use of alcohol were found to have a two-fold increase in the odds of havingunprotected sex compared to non-users: adjusted OR (95% CI) = 2.06 (1.28, 3.33). Those who responded positively to at least one question from the four - item questionnaire known as CAGE, and which is used as an indicator for problem drinking, had a 50% increased odds of unprotected sex compared with zero scorers: adj. OR (95% CI) = 1.48 (1.07, 2.05). Those who reported alcohol use on a daily basis were found to have a two-fold increased odds of having sexually transmitted infections (STIs) compared to the non-users of alcohol: adj. OR (95% CI) = 2.50 (1.35, 4.64). Compared to those who were not literate, educational attainment was associated with a lower odds of reporting vaginal discharge or ulcers in those that have attended elementary education: adj. Or (95% CI) = 0.56 (0.35, 0.89.), and secondary education: adj. OR (95% CI) = 0.59 (0.37, 0.93). Conclusion: Unprotected sex and symptoms of STIs were associated with alcohol use, problem drinking and lower educational attainment. The Ethiopian Journal of Health Development Vol. 20 (2) 2006: 93-9

Duration of low temperature storage, clove topping and gibberellic acid on garlic sprouting and seedling vigor

Dormancy of garlic (Allium sativum L.) creates a problem in use of freshly harvested garlic bulbs. Thus, pre-planting treatment of garlic cloves is an important agronomic concern for inducing and improving sprouting behavior of garlic. Glasshouse experiment was conducted at Haramaya University to evaluate the effect of cold storage (7°C) durations (10, 20, 30 days and one stored at room temperature that is 21°C for 30 days), clove topping (whole and cut) and gibberellic acid concentrations (0, 125, 250 and 375 mg/l) and distilled water treatment as second control on sprouting behavior of improved garlic variety (‘Tseday’). The treatments were laid out in factorial arrangement with three replications using completely randomized design (CRD). For cloves stored at ambient temperature (0 day) and non-topped, gibberellic acid application (250 and 375 mg/l) showed a significant increase in sprouting percentage, speed of sprouting and shoot dry mass of garlic as compared to 125mg/l GA3 treated and the controls. On the other hand, for topped cloves stored at ambient temperature (0 day), 10 and 20 days cold storage, gibberellic acid treatment did not show a significant influence on these characteristics as compared to the controls. The interaction effect of 30 days cold stored and topped cloves significantly increased pseudo-stem height (40.51%) compared to the lowest values recorded for the non-cold treated and non-topped cloves. The 30 days cold stored and topped cloves soaked in water significantly increased sprouting percentage over the period of 19 days after planting, speed of sprouting (four fold) and above ground shoot dry mass (79.41%) compared to the lowest values recorded for the non-cold treated and non-topped cloves not soaked in water and gibberellic acid (GA3). Hence, it can be concluded that 30 days cold storage, topping and soaking in water could enhance early sprouting of the garlic variety tested under glasshouse condition.Keywords: Clove topping, Dormancy, Garlic, Gibberellic acid, Sprouting percentage, Storage condition

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