Introduction: Non-communicable disease contributes to over 42 million deaths worldwide and it is estimated that 86% of non-communicable disease-related mortalities happen in low and middle-income countries. Understanding health-seeking behaviors like initiating care at the right time, with the right provider and maintaining regularity of care seeking is a prelude for a successful management of non-communicable diseases. Therefore, the aim of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to assess the pooled prevalence of health-seeking behavior for non-communicable disease and associated factors worldwide. Method: Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis checklist guideline was followed for this review and meta-analysis. Electronic data base, PubMed, EMBASE, Medline, Web of science, Google scholar and Science direct were used to retrieve studies reported in English language with publication year since 2018 worldwide. Studies reporting proportion of health-seeking behavior for non-communicable disease were evaluated. The pooled prevalence, odds ratio and confidence interval were calculated using Stata version 17 software. The quality of studies included in this review was checked using modified Newcastle-Ottawa scale for observational study checklist. Result: Ten studies which involved 63,498 patients with non-communicable disease were included in this review. The pooled estimated proportion of health-seeking behavior among non-communicable diseases patients from health facilities were 56% (95% CI: 44–68). Older age > 60, urban residency, being of female gender, high educational status, getting support during treatment, knowledge on non-communicable disease, having more than one non-communicable disease, presences of health insurance and middle and upper economic class were factors positively associated with health-seeking behavior for non-communicable diseases. Conclusion: Despite the fact that more than half of patients with non-communicable diseases have health-seeking behavior in health facilities, still, there are a considerable number of individuals with non-communicable diseases having no health-seeking behavior worldwide. Therefore, organizations working for the welfare of human betterment would do well in implementing strategies that could improve health-seeking behavior that would help to reduce the burdens on health systems and prevent premature death from non-communicable diseases.

Introduction: Cancer is a disease characterized by uncontrolled cell growth that can invade and spread to other body parts. Drugs used for chemotherapy can cause damage to non-cancer cells and lead to a low blood cell count. There are controversial findings regarding the differences in the counts of blood cell types. Studies on the counts of blood cell types before and after chemotherapy are limited. Therefore, this study aimed to address this gap.Methods: A retrospective study was conducted on 354 patients from 1 September 2022 to 1 October 2022 to compare blood cell type profiles in pre-and post-operative periods. A chi-squared test and paired t-test were performed to analyze the data.Results: Data were collected from 354 patients. The mean age of the respondents was 41.26 (±16.67) years. At the initial diagnosis, 167 patients (47%) were categorized as having stage III cancer, while 159 patients were categorized as having stage IV cancer. Before and after chemotherapy the mean heamoglobin level is 12.95 g/dL and 12.30 g/ dL respectively and the prevalence of anemia among cancer patients before chemotherapy and after chemotherapy was 25.14% (95%:20.88, 29.94) and 35.54% (95%: 30.75; 40.73), respectively. The mean value of neutrophils before and after chemotherapy was 52.72 and 50.82%, respectively. The frequency of neutropenia among cancer patients was 22.32% (95% 18.26; 26.96) before chemotherapy and 27.97% (95%:23.52; 32.88) after chemotherapy, and the mean value of lymphocytes before and after chemotherapy was 37.50 and 34.29%, respectively. Lymphopenia among the study participants was 16.38% (95%:12.87; 20.62) before chemotherapy and 17.51% (95%13.88, 21.84) after chemotherapy. Among patients with stomach, rectal, and bone cancers, there was no significant difference in the counts of all blood cell types before and after chemotherapy. The mean reduction in platelets was 23. 51 × 10³cells/mm³ (p = 0.001). For red blood cells (RBCs), the mean decrease was 0.63 × 10⁶cells/mm³ (p = 0.08), and for white blood cells (WBCs), it was 2.49 × 10⁶ cells/mm³ (p = 0.012).Conclusion and recommendation: After chemotherapy, all hematological parameters showed a decrease, indicating that chemotherapy significant impacted the levels of these hematological parameters. Therefore, replacement therapy should be considered after chemotherapy.

Background: WHO statistics show that someone attempts suicide every three seconds and commits suicide every 40 seconds somewhere in the world. There is a scarcity of aggregate evidence in Ethiopia. The aim of this review was to assess the pooled prevalence of suicidal ideation, attempts, and associated factors among adult HIV/AIDS patients in Ethiopia to fill this gap. Methods: We extensively searched the bibliographic databases of PubMed, MEDLINE, Scopus, Google Scholar, and the Web of Science to obtain eligible studies. Further screening for a reference list of articles was also done. The Microsoft Excel Spreadsheet was used to extract data, and Stata 17 was used for analysis. To check heterogeneity, the Higgs I2 and Cochran’s Q tests were employed. Sensitivity and subgroup analysis were implemented. To detect publication bias, Egger’s test and funnel plots were used. Results: The pooled prevalence of suicidal ideation and attempts among adult HIV/AIDS patients in Ethiopia was 20.3 with a 95% CI (14, 26.5) and 11.1 with a 95% CI (6.6, 15.5), respectively. Living alone (AOR 4.98; 95% CI: 2.96–8.37), having comorbidity or other opportunistic infection (AOR 4.67; 95% CI: 2.57–8.48), female sex (AOR 2.86; 95% CI: 1.76, 4.62), having WHO clinical stage III of HIV (AOR 3.69; 95% CI: 2.15, 6.32), having WHO clinical stage IV of HIV (AOR 5.43; 95% CI: 2.81, 10.53), having co-morbid depression (AOR 5.25; 95% CI: 4.05, 6.80), having perceived HIV stigma (AOR 2.53; 95% CI: 1.67, 3.84), and having family history of suicidal attempt (AOR 2.79; 95% CI: 1.38, 5.66) were significantly associated with suicidal ideation. Being female (AOR 4.33; 95% CI: 2.36, 7.96), having opportunistic infections (AOR 2.73; 95% CI: 1.69, 4.41), having WHO clinical stage III of HIV (AOR 3.78; 95% CI: 2.04, 7.03), having co-morbid depression (AOR 3.47; 95% CI: 2.38, 5.05), having poor social support (AOR 3.02; 95% CI: 1.78, 5.13), and having WHO clinical stage IV (AOR 7.39; 95% CI: 3.54, 15.41) were significantly associated with suicidal attempts. Conclusion: The pooled magnitude of suicidal ideation and attempt was high, and factors like opportunistic infection, WHO clinical stage III of HIV, WHO clinical stage III of HIV, and co-morbid depression were related to both suicidal ideation and attempt. Clinicians should be geared towards this mental health problem in HIV patients during management.

Background: Cervical cancer remains a leading cause of cancer-related mortality among women in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), where access to laboratory-based screening is limited. Point-of-care (POC) HPV testing enables rapid, near-patient diagnostics that support same-day screen- and treat strategies; however, the evidence base across SSA remains fragmented. Methods: We conducted a scoping review following the Arksey and O’ Malley and the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) framework. Ten electronic databases and grey literature sources (2000–2025) were searched for studies evaluating POC HPV tests in SSA. Data on platform characteristics, diagnostic performance, feasibility, acceptability, barriers, facilitators, and sustainability were extracted and synthesized. Results: Thirty-one unique studies from 15 SSA countries evaluated seven POC HPV platforms (Xpert HPV, careHPV™, AmpFire HPV, LAMP (DARQ), ScreenFire, 8-HPV OncoE6/E7, OncoE6™). Xpert HPV consistently demonstrated high sensitivity for CIN2 + lesions (71–97%) and CIN3 + lesions (68–99%) based on histology-confirmed lesions, with moderate specificity (59–71%) when using biopsy-confirmed histopathology as the reference standard. OncoE6™ exhibited high specificity (98–99%) but lower sensitivity (31–57%). CareHPV performance varied widely (sensitivity 54–97%, specificity 54–94%) and, as with other POC HPV platforms, was influenced by HIV status, sample type, and clinical setting. Acceptability among women was high, especially for self-sampling and rapid results; provider acceptability was supported by minimal training requirement. Evidences from implementation studies suggest that POC HPV testing is operationally feasible in SSA, though key barriers include test costs, supply chain interruptions, and challenges in patient follow-up. Facilitators for feasibility and scale-up include integration with HIV/TB services, community-based outreach, and streamlined workflows. However, data on large-scale implementation, cost-effectiveness, and sustainability remain limited. Conclusion: POC HPV testing in SSA demonstrates adequate diagnostic performance and high acceptability, and feasibility under programmatic conditions. In settings with healthcare infrastructure similar to that of Ethiopia, successful scale-up of POC HPV testing will require integration with the existing health services, strengthened quality assurance, providers training, and robust patient follow-up mechanisms. Future research should focus on implementation trials, cost-effectiveness, effective triage strategies, and long-term sustainability.

Introduction: People living with human immune virus (HIV) are confronting multiple psychosocial and economic issues influenced by the illness. People on anti-retro viral drugs (ART) were at risk for discontinuation of medications during corona viral disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. COVID-19 outbreak made people living with HIV (PLWH) to experience critical challenges and barriers to optimal care. The experience of people living with HIV such as stigma and discrimination, economic problem, psychosocial problem before the emergency of COVID-19 were studied but there is lack of understanding on the lived experience of people living with HIV in the context of COVID-19 in Ethiopia particularly in Tach Gayint. This study aimed to explore the lived experience of people on ART in context of COVID-19 in Tach Gayint district. Methods and materials: Phenomenological study design conducted with 16 study participants from March 12-April 12/2021. Data were collected using in-depth interview using interview guide and digital recorder. The investigator took note in addition to digital record. Interviews were transcribed word for word and translated conceptually. Analysis followed Reading of transcriptions, develop and apply coding, displaying data, data reduction and interpretation. Atlas.ti-7 software used to facilitate analysis. The quality of data was assured by the principles of credibility, dependability, conformability and transferability. Result: The study explored psychological experience, change in social interaction, and economic experience and ART drug interruption as the main themes including other sub-themes. Most participants perceived the severity of COVID-19 on them. Lack of participation in social activities due to fear of contracting and the participants experienced dying and loss of income. This extreme fear pushed some participants to interrupt their daily ART intake especially during lock down period. Personal, familial and community context contributed for these distressing experiences. Conclusion and recommendation: This study reported participants’ psychosocial, economic experiences including ART drug interruptions. The government should design policies and interventions to alleviate their personal, household and community problems, which were the caused for the mentioned hostile experiences.

Introduction: The World Health Organization (WHO) has not confirmed the eradication of the COVID-19 pandemic or the development of a cure. Ongoing research is necessary to update public understanding, attitudes, and behaviors. Therefore, this study aims to evaluate the knowledge, attitudes, and practices related to COVID-19 among students in Ethiopia. Objective: To estimate the pooled proportions and associated factors of knowledge, positive attitude, and prevention practice toward COVID-19 among students in Ethiopia. Methods: The study followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) guidelines and was registered on the PROSPERO database. Data extraction was done using an Excel spreadsheet, and analysis was conducted using STATA. The quality of the articles was assessed using the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) grading approach. A narrative summary and random-effects model with a 95% confidence interval were used. Heterogeneity and publication bias were also assessed. The results were presented using a forest plot and tables. Result: Out of 2089 studies reviewed, only 16 met the inclusion criteria. The pooled proportions of COVID-19 good knowledge, positive attitude, and good prevention practice among students in Ethiopia were found to be 62.68% [95% CI 50.96–74.40, I2 = 98.93%], 60.22% [95% CI 51.64–68.80, I2 = 97.68%], 48.47% [95% CI, 44.16–52.78, I2 = 91.45%] respectively. Factors that affected knowledge included marital status, family size, sex, study year, and residency. Knowledge and residency were identified as predictors of attitude. Determinants of practice included knowledge, attitude, sex, study program, and residency. Conclusion: The pooled proportion of students in Ethiopia with good knowledge, positive attitudes, and good practices regarding COVID-19 was low. Policymakers, the Ministry of Health, Public Health Institutions, and other stakeholders should intensify their efforts on COVID-19 and develop interventions aimed at females, rural residents, and extension students. The protocol was registered on the PROSPERO database with ID = CRD42023478234.