Effect of food insecurity on mental health of patients with tuberculosis in Southwest Ethiopia: a prospective cohort study.

Objective: The objective of this study is to investigate the effect of food insecurity on the mental health of patients with tuberculosis (TB) in Ethiopia.

Design: A prospective cohort study.

Setting: Health centres and hospitals located in Jimma zone, Southwest Ethiopia.

Substance use disorders and adherence to antituberculosis medications in Southwest Ethiopia: a prospective cohort study.

Objectives: In Ethiopia, little is known about the association between substance use disorders and adherence to antituberculosis (anti-TB) medications. Therefore, the objective of this study was to assess the effect of substance use disorders on adherence to anti-TB medications in Southwest Ethiopia.

Design: Prospective cohort study.

Magnitude and predictors of khat use among patients with tuberculosis in Southwest Ethiopia: A longitudinal study.

Introduction: Tuberculosis (TB) is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in low and middle-income countries. Substance use negatively affects TB treatment outcomes. Our recent study has found that khat use predicted poorer adherence to anti-TB medications.

Khat induced psychotic disorder: case report.

Background: Khat (Catha edulis) is a stimulant leaf khat comes from a tree which grows in countries bordering the Red Sea which are along the east coast of Africa and in west Asia. The psycho- active component within these leaves is cathinone. In Ethiopia, Khat is chewed routinely by users for its euphoric effects and as a recreational drug, and chewing khat has an important role as well in both traditional and religious ceremonies.

Tobacco dependence among people with mental illness: a facility-based cross sectional study from Southwest Ethiopia.

Background: Tobacco smoking is a health care issue in developed as well as in developing countries. Tobacco smoking among people with mental illness is significantly higher than in the general population. Tobacco smoking has negative effects on physical, mental and financial well-being of people with mental illness but little is known about tobacco dependence among mental health service users in sub-Saharan African countries, including Ethiopia.

Mental distress and associated factors among undergraduate students at the University of Hargeisa, Somaliland: a cross-sectional study.

Background: Mental distress is a common finding among University students. Empirical research has confirmed that the University student population has a higher prevalence of mental disorder than the general population. However, no previous study has examined the mental health conditions of students in Somaliland.

Empathy without borders? Cross-cultural heart and mind-reading in first-year medical students.

Background: This cross-cultural study was designed to examine cultural differences in empathy levels of first-year medical students.

Methods: A total of 257 students from the academic year 2010/11, 131 at Jimma University, Ethiopia, and 126 at the Ludwig Maximilian University, Munich, Germany, completed the Balanced Emotional Empathy Scale (BEES), the Reading the Mind in the Eyes (RME-R) test, and a questionnaire on sociodemographic and cultural characteristics. Furthermore, we conducted a qualitative analysis of the students' personal views on the definition of empathy and possible influencing factors.

The impact of culture on sex assignment and gender development in intersex patients.

The appearance of the external genitalia is the major determinant of the social sex, which is announced at or shortly after birth. In the absence of normal development of the external genitalia, definitive gender assignment and its announcement have to be postponed. While over the past 20 years the pathogenesis of most disorders causing abnormal development of the genitalia have been elucidated, our knowledge regarding the impact of these defects upon the psychosexual development is rather rudimentary.