Dynamic of a two-strain COVID-19 model with vaccination.

COVID-19 is a respiratory illness caused by an ribonucleic acid (RNA) virus prone to mutations. In December 2020, variants with different characteristics that could affect transmissibility emerged around the world. To address this new dynamic of the disease, we formulate and analyze a mathematical model of a two-strain COVID-19 transmission dynamics with strain 1 vaccination.

Effects of agricultural pesticides on the susceptibility and fitness of malaria vectors in rural south-eastern Tanzania.

Background: Agricultural pesticides may exert strong selection pressures on malaria vectors during the aquatic life stages and may contribute to resistance in adult mosquitoes. This could reduce the performance of key vector control interventions such as indoor-residual spraying and insecticide-treated nets. The aim of this study was to investigate effects of agrochemicals on susceptibility and fitness of the malaria vectors across farming areas in Tanzania.

The Centres for Disease Control light trap (CDC-LT) and the human decoy trap (HDT) compared to the human landing catch (HLC) for measuring Anopheles biting in rural Tanzania.

Background: Vector mosquito biting intensity is an important measure to understand malaria transmission. Human landing catch (HLC) is an effective but labour-intensive, expensive, and potentially hazardous entomological surveillance tool. The Centres for Disease Control light trap (CDC-LT) and the human decoy trap (HDT) are exposure-free alternatives.

Strain Characterisation for Measuring Bioefficacy of ITNs Treated with Two Active Ingredients (Dual-AI ITNs): Developing a Robust Protocol by Building Consensus.

Durability monitoring of insecticide-treated nets (ITNs) containing a pyrethroid in combination with a second active ingredient (AI) must be adapted so that the insecticidal bioefficacy of each AI can be monitored independently. An effective way to do this is to measure rapid knock down of a pyrethroid-susceptible strain of mosquitoes to assess the bioefficacy of the pyrethroid component and to use a pyrethroid-resistant strain to measure the bioefficacy of the second ingredient. To allow robust comparison of results across tests within and between test facilities, and over time, protocols for bioefficacy testing must include either characterisation of the resistant strain, standardisation of the mosquitoes used for bioassays, or a combination of the two.

Prevalence and associated factors of anemia among adolescent girls in Ethiopia: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Anemia is the reduction of red blood cells in size and numbers and an indicator of both poor nutrition and poor health. It is a major global public health problem. Anemia in adolescents and young adults can have negative effects on their cognitive performance and growth.

Systematic review of the entomological impact of insecticide-treated nets evaluated using experimental hut trials in Africa.

Resistance of anopheline mosquitoes to pyrethroid insecticides is spreading rapidly across sub-Saharan Africa, diminishing the efficacy of insecticide-treated nets (ITNs) - the primary tool for preventing malaria. The entomological efficacy of indoor vector control interventions can be measured in experimental hut trials (EHTs), where hut structures resemble local housing, but allow the collection of mosquitoes that entered, exited, blood-fed and/or died. There is a need to understand how the spread of resistance changes ITN efficacy and to elucidate factors influencing EHT results, including differences in experimental hut design, to support the development of novel vector control tools.

Effects of undernutrition on opportunistic infections among adults living with HIV on ART in Northwest Ethiopia: Using inverse-probability weighting.

Background: Opportunistic infections (OIs) are the leading causes of hospitalization, morbidity, and mortality (accounting for 94.1% of all deaths) in people living with human immunodeficiency virus (PLHIV). Despite evidence suggested that undernutrition significantly increases the risk of OIs in PLHIV, to our knowledge, no study has examined the actual effects of undernutrition on OIs in this population, particularly in low-income countries.

Time to lost to follow-up and its predictors among adult patients receiving antiretroviral therapy retrospective follow-up study Amhara Northwest Ethiopia.

Antiretroviral therapy lowers viral load only when people living with HIV maintain their treatment retention. Lost to follow-up is the persistent major challenge to the success of ART program in low-resource settings including Ethiopia. The purpose of this study is to estimate time to lost to follow-up and its predictors in antiretroviral therapies amongst adult patients.

Weight change after antiretroviral therapy initiation among adults living with HIV in Northwest Ethiopia: a longitudinal data analysis.

Objectives: The first objective was to explore weight change in the first 2 years after antiretroviral therapy (ART) initiation in adults living with HIV. The second objective was to identify the predictors of weight change over time among adults living with HIV on ART.

Design: An institution-based retrospective longitudinal study was conducted.

Does undernutrition increase the risk of lost to follow-up in adults living with HIV in sub-Saharan Africa? Protocol for a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Introduction: Undernutrition is considered a marker for poor prognosis among people living with HIV (PLHIV), particularly in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), where undernutrition and HIV are both highly prevalent. Evidence suggests that undernutrition (body mass index <18.5 kg/m) is one of the main factors that significantly increases the risk of lost to follow-up (LTFU) in PLHIV.

Impact of environmental transmission and contact rates on Covid-19 dynamics: A simulation study.

The emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic has been a major social and economic challenge globally. Infections from infected surfaces have been identified as drivers of Covid-19 transmission, but many epidemiological models do not include an environmental component to account for indirect transmission. We formulate a deterministic Covid-19 model with both direct and indirect transmissions.

Seroprevalence of Dengue and Chikungunya antibodies among blood donors in Dar es Salaam and Zanzibar, Tanzania: a cross-sectional study.

Background: The potential shift of major causes of febrile illnesses from malaria to non-malarial febrile illnesses, including arboviral diseases such as chikungunya and dengue, is of concern. The last outbreaks of these infections were reported in 2018 and 2019 for chikungunya in Zanzibar and dengue in Dar es Salaam. We conducted a cross-sectional study that involved serological testing of stored blood samples from the blood banks in Temeke Referral Hospital in Dar es Salaam and the National Blood Bank Unit in Zanzibar.

Antiseizure medication nonadherence and its associated factors among Epileptic patients in Ethiopia, a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: The majority of patients with epilepsy in resource-poor countries never receive proper treatment, and those who are started on anti-seizure medications quickly discontinue them. Medication noncompliance is extremely common, with estimates ranging from 26 to 79 percent. Non-adherence to antiseizure medications is associated with poor seizure control, increased morbidity, increased hospitalization time, poor quality of life, increased health care costs, and increased mortality in adults.

Luteolin: a blocker of SARS-CoV-2 cell entry based on relaxed complex scheme, molecular dynamics simulation, and metadynamics.

Natural products have served human life as medications for centuries. During the outbreak of COVID-19, a number of naturally derived compounds and extracts have been tested or used as potential remedies against COVID-19. Tetradenia riparia extract is one of the plant extracts that have been deployed and claimed to manage and control COVID-19 by some communities in Tanzania and other African countries.

Prevalence of intestinal parasitic infection and its associated factors among primary school students in Ethiopia: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Introduction: Intestinal parasitic infection are a major public health concern affecting both children and adolescents in Ethiopia. The aim of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to determine pooled prevalence and associated factors of intestinal parasitic infection in this target group.

Method: We systematically retrieved available articles on the prevalence of intestinal parasitic infection following database searches using PubMed, Scopus, Cochrane Library, and Science Direct between March 1 and May 27, 2020.

Molecular epidemiology of Brucella species in mixed livestock-human ecosystems in Kenya.

Brucellosis, caused by several species of the genus Brucella, is a zoonotic disease that affects humans and animal species worldwide. Information on the Brucella species circulating in different hosts in Kenya is largely unknown, thus limiting the adoption of targeted control strategies. This study was conducted in multi-host livestock populations in Kenya to detect the circulating Brucella species and assess evidence of host-pathogen associations.

Solvent effects on host-guest residence time and kinetics: further insights from metadynamics simulation of Toussaintine-A unbiding from chitosan nanoparticle.

Solvents play an important role in host-guest intermolecular interactions. The kinetics and residence time of Toussaintine-A (TouA) unbinding from chitosan was investigated by means of well-tempered metadynamics and thermodynamic integration using two solvents, polar aprotic (DMSO), and polar protic (water). The kinetic rates were found to be strongly dependent on the solvent polarity; hence, the unbinding rate proceeded much faster in DMSO compared to water.

Effects of undernutrition on mortality and morbidity among adults living with HIV in sub-Saharan Africa: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Undernutrition is one of the most common problems among people living with HIV, contributing to premature death and the development of comorbidities within this population. In Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), the impacts of these often inter-related conditions appear in a series of fragmented and inconclusive studies. Thus, this review examines the pooled effects of undernutrition on mortality and morbidities among adults living with HIV in SSA.

Incidence and predictors of surgical site infection following cesarean section in North-west Ethiopia: a prospective cohort study.

Background: Following delivery by caesarean section, surgical site infection is the most common infectious complication. Despite a large number of caesarean sections performed at Debre Markos Referral Hospital, there was no study documenting the incidence of surgical site infection after caesarean section. Therefore, this study aimed to estimate the incidence of surgical site infection following caesarean section at Debre-Markos Referral Hospital in Amhara region, North-west Ethiopia.

Removal of Naturally Occurring Strontium by Nanofiltration/Reverse Osmosis from Groundwater.

Removal of naturally occurring strontium (Sr) from groundwater is vital as excessive exposure may lead to bone growth problems in children. Nanofiltration/reverse osmosis (NF/RO) is commonly used in groundwater treatment due to the high effectiveness and simple maintenance of these pressure driven membrane processes. In this research, a pilot-scale NF/RO system was used to desalinate a natural groundwater sample containing high Sr concentration (10.

Modeling the predictors of stunting in Ethiopia: analysis of 2016 Ethiopian demographic health survey data (EDHS).

Background: Despite continued efforts to address malnutrition, there is minimal reduction in the prevalence rates of stunting in developing countries, including Ethiopia. The association between nutritional and socioeconomic factors collected from a national survey in Ethiopia and stunting have not been rigorously analyzed. Therefore, this study aims to model the effect of nutritional and socioeconomic predictors using 2016 Ethiopian Demographic Health Survey (EDHS) data.

Potential of anaerobic co-digestion in improving the environmental quality of agro-textile wastewater sludge.

Sludge from textile effluent treatment plants (ETP) remains a challenge for many industries due to inefficient and limited waste management strategies. This study explores the potential of using anaerobic digestion (AD) to improve the environmental quality of textile ETP sludge. The AD of ETP sludge is affected by the low C/N ratio (3.

Correction to: High burden of undernutrition among primary school-aged children and its determinant factors in Ethiopia; a systematic review and meta-analysis.

An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via the original article.

Data synthesis for crop variety evaluation. A review.

Crop varieties should fulfill multiple requirements, including agronomic performance and product quality. Variety evaluations depend on data generated from field trials and sensory analyses, performed with different levels of participation from farmers and consumers. Such multi-faceted variety evaluation is expensive and time-consuming; hence, any use of these data should be optimized.