Food adulteration is the intentional addition of foreign or inferior substances to original food products for a variety of reasons. It takes place in a variety of forms, like mixing, substitution, hiding poor quality in packaging material, putting decomposed food for sale, misbranding or giving false labels, and adding toxicants. Several analytical methods (such as chromatography, spectroscopy, electronic sensors) are used to detect the quality of foodstuffs. This review provides concise but detailed information to understand the scope and scale of food adulteration as a way to further detect, combat, and prevent future adulterations. The objective of this review was to provide a comprehensive overview of the causes, risks, and detection techniques associated with food adulteration. It also aimed to highlight the potential health risks posed by consuming adulterated food products and the importance of detecting and preventing such practices. During the review, books, regulatory guidelines, articles, and reports on food adulteration were analyzed critically. Furthermore, the review assessed key findings to present a well-rounded analysis of the challenges and opportunities associated with combating food adulteration. This review included different causes and health impacts of food adulteration. The analytical techniques for food adulteration detection have also been documented in brief. In addition, the review emphasized the urgency of addressing food adulteration through a combination of regulatory measures, technological advancements, and consumer awareness. In conclusion, food adulteration causes many diseases such as cancer, liver disease, cardiovascular disease, kidney disease, and nervous system-related diseases. So, ensuring food safety is the backbone of health and customer satisfaction. Strengthening regulations, taking legal enforcement action, enhancing testing, and quality control can prevent and mitigate the adulteration of food products. Moreover, proper law enforcement and regular inspection of food quality can bring about drastic changes.

Background: Co-infection with HIV challenges treatment of tuberculosis (TB) and worsens the outcome. This study aimed to assess the outcome of TB treatment and its predictors among HIV infected patients at Mizan-Tepi University Teaching Hospital (MTUTH), Ethiopia. Methods: Medical records of 188 TB/HIV co-infected patients who attended the TB clinic of MTUTH from September 2012 to December 2015 were reviewed from March 14 to April 1, 2016. The primary endpoints of the study were treatment outcome of TB and its predictors. Data were analyzed by Statistical Package for Social Sciences version 21. Multivariable binary logistic regression analysis was carried out to identify predictors of treatment outcome. Statistical significance was considered at p-value <0.05. Result: The treatment outcomes of TB patients included in this study were 18 (9.57%) cured, 20 (10.64%) defaulted, 24 (12.77%) died, 39 (20.74%) completed the treatment, and 87 (46.28%) transferred out. A successful treatment outcome was achieved in 57 (30.32%) patients. Initial World Health Organization (WHO) clinical stage III (COR: 2.60; 95%CI: 1.17–5.76) and stage IV (COR: 4.00; 95%CI: 1.29–12.40) were associated with unfavorable outcome. Both WHO stages (III, IV) at the time of HIV diagnosis were independent predictors of poor treatment outcome (AOR: 3.08; 95%CI: 1.14–8.38; AOR: 5.80; 95%CI: 1.36–24.71 respectively). However, smear positive TB was an independent predictor of a favorable treatment outcome (AOR: 2.50; 95%CI: 1.13–5.51). Conclusion: This study revealed that treatment outcome of TB patients was unsatisfactory, which signals a need for improved care. Advanced WHO clinical stages were predictors of poor outcome, while smear positive TB favors good outcome.

Healthcare systems in both developing and developed countries were not free from prescription errors. One of the effects of prescription errors is irrational prescribing. According to the estimation of the World Health Organization (WHO), greater than 50% of medicines are prescribed and dispensed irrationally. On the other hand, research on drug use patterns in the private healthcare sector is scarce. This study aimed to assess prescription Completeness and Drug use Pattern using WHO prescribing indicators in Private Community Pharmacies in Lemi-Kura sub-city. Based on the WHO prescribing indicators, a retrospective cross-sectional technique was employed to examine the completeness and drug-prescription patterns. The study was conducted from April to May 2021. Prescriptions, kept for 1 year that was prescribed from March 2020 to March 2021, by private healthcare sectors, were analyzed. A systematic random sampling technique was employed to select prescriptions obtained from private health facilities. Data were analyzed using SPSS® version 26.0 software. Of a total of 1000 prescriptions, 1770 drugs were prescribed and the average number of drugs per prescription was 1.77. Prescriptions for two drugs account for 38% of these, while prescriptions for three drugs account for 15%. Age, sex, and card number were written on 99.0%, 99.2%, and 41.8% of prescriptions, respectively. The patient's name was written on every prescription. Even though the availability of other therapeutic information on the prescription made it appear greater, only 44.2% of prescriptions included the dosage form of medications. The generic name was used for the majority of the medications (67.8%). Furthermore, assuming that each prescription was for a single patient, 71% of patients received antibiotics, and 2% received injectable medicines. The National List of Essential Medicines-Ethiopia was used in 99.6% of the prescriptions. On the basis of the finding of this study, the prescribing and prescription completeness indicator showed deviation from the standard recommended by WHO. This situation could be critical since a similar pattern is reported from public healthcare sectors, which might imply the extent of non-adherence to WHO core drug use standards. Consequently, it could play a considerable role in increasing prescription errors in Ethiopia. Hence, in-service training for prescribers should be provided to improve adherence to basic prescription writing.

Background: Hyperemesis gravidarum is one of the problems encountered among pregnant women due to persistent and excessive vomiting starting before the end of the 22nd week of gestation. The current study aimed to assess the prevalence of hyperemesis gravidarum and associated factors among pregnant women at comprehensive specialized hospitals in northwest Ethiopia. Methods: A multi-facility-based cross-sectional study was conducted at comprehensive specialized hospitals from 1st June 2022 to 30th July 2022. The data were entered using EPI Data Version 4.6 statistical software and analyzed using SPSS Version 26. Descriptive statistics such as frequency, mean, and percentage were calculated. Univariable and multivariable binary logistic regression analyses were carried out to identify the associated factors of hyperemesis gravidarum. Results: In all, 404 study participants were enrolled. About 16.8% of pregnant women were found to have hyperemesis gravidarum. Age < 20 year (AOR = 3.170; 95% CI: 1.119, 8.980), study participants who cannot read and write (AOR = 5.662; 95% CI: 2.036, 15.7470), grade 1–8 (AOR = 4.679; 95% CI: 1.778, 12.316), and grade 9–10 (AOR = 8.594; 95% CI: 3.017, 24.481), being housewife (AOR = 6.275; 95% CI: 1.052, 37.442), living in urban area (AOR = 2.185; 95% CI: 1.035, 4.609), having previous hyperemesis gravidarum (AOR = 2.463; 95% CI: 1.210, 5.012), having family history of hyperemesis gravidarum (AOR = 2.014; 95% CI: 1.002, 4.047), unplanned pregnancy (AOR = 2.934; 95% CI: 1.030, 8.351), having recent abortion (AOR = 2.750; 95% CI: 1.010, 7.483), and gravidity (AOR = 1.956; 95%CI: 1.023, 3.737) were factors associated with hyperemesis gravidarum. Conclusion: The prevalence of hyperemesis gravidarum is higher. Low maternal age, lower educational level, being a housewife, being an urban resident, having previous hyperemesis gravidarum, having a family history, having an unplanned pregnancy, and having a recent abortion were significantly associated with hyperemesis gravidarum.

The inventory management of essential medicines is a crucial aspect of health care delivery, particularly in resource-limited settings. Access to these medicines must be ensured to meet the health needs of the population, demanding effective control of their inflow, outflow, and stock levels. Poor inventory management can lead to significant disruption in the supply chain, ultimately affecting patient care and safety. The aim of this study was to assess inventory Management Performance of Essential Medicines in Public Health Facilities of Jimma Zone, Southwest Ethiopia.A facility-based descriptive cross-sectional mixed-method study was conducted using an observational checklist, semi-structured and structured questionnaires, and triangulation. Twenty public health facilities were randomly included in the study. The quantitative data were coded and analyzed using SPSS version 20. The qualitative data were analyzed using thematic analysis techniques. Out of 20 health facilities, 14 (70%) experienced stock out of 8 (66.6%) essential medicines at least once, and all health facilities experienced emergency orders of varying terms within the previous six months. The result indicated a range of reasons for stock outs of essential medicines, including insufficient medicine supply 11 (55%), stock out at re-supply point 8 (40%), drug expiration 7 (35%), and order modifications at the replenishment point 6 (30%). The mean accuracy of bin card records was 188(78.3%), whereas the mean accuracy of Report and Resupply Form reports was 87.37% with a mean discrepancy of 0.13. Of all completed Report and Resupply Form reports, 56 (93.3%) were sent on time to suppliers. Essential medicines’ inventory management performance was inadequate, characterized by prolonged stock outs, frequent emergency orders, and the need to improve storage conditions. Infrastructure-related problems, data management issues, insufficient human resource development, and the inability to integrate digital technology into the inventory management system were the key challenges identified.