Quality of life (QoL) is increasingly being considered as an important measure of how disease affects patients’ lives, especially for long-term diseases like chronic kidney disease (CKD). Even though there is no statistically significant association between stages of CKD and QoL, it is decreased in patients with early stages of the disease. Hence, this study aimed to assess QoL and its predictors among patients with CKD at Tikur Anbessa Specialized Hospital (TASH). A cross sectional study was conducted at the nephrology clinic of TASH. A total of 256 patients were recruited through systematic random sampling. Data were collected using the Medical Outcomes Study Short Form 36-Items (SF-36). The data were entered into Epi Info 7.2.2.2 and analyzed using SPSS version 20.0 statistical software. Descriptive statistics like frequency, percent, mean and standard deviation were used to summarize patients’ baseline characteristics. Student’s unpaired t-test and ANOVA were conducted to compare two groups and more than two groups in the analysis of QoL, respectively. Multivariable linear regression was employed to investigate the potential predictors of QoL. Quality of life was decreased in all stages of CKD. A reduction in physical functioning (p = 0.03), bodily pain (p = 0.004), vitality (p = 0.019) and social functioning (p = 0.002) was observed progressively across stages of CKD. High income status and greater than 11g/dl hemoglobin level were found to be predictors of all high score SF-36 domains. High family income (β 15.33; 95%CI: 11.33–19.33, p<0.001), higher educational status (β 7.9; 95%CI: 4.10–11.66, p<0.001), and hemoglobin ≥11g/dl (β 8.36; 95%CI: 6.31–10.41, p<0.001) were predictors of better QoL in the physical component summary, whereas absence of CKD complications (β 2.75; 95%CI: 0.56–4.94, p = 0.014), high family income (β 10.10; 95%CI: 5.10–15.10, p<0.001) and hemoglobin ≥11g/dl (β 4.54, 95%CI: 2.01–7.08, p = 0.001) were predictors of better QoL in the mental component summary. In this setting, QoL decreased in CKD patients in the early stages of the disease. Study participants with low income and hemoglobin level were considered to have worse quality of life in both physical and mental component summaries.

The issue of resistance in malarial infection makes development of novel drugs a necessity. An alternative source for discovering such drugs is natural products. Croton macrostachyus H. (Euphorbiaceae) is used in Ethiopian folklore medicine for the treatment of malaria and found to possess antimalarial activity in vitro. However, no further scientific investigations have been carried out to substantiate the claim. This study therefore aimed at investigating the in vivo antiplasmodial activity of 80% methanol extract and solvent fractions of the leaves of Croton macrostachyus H. in rodent model of malaria.

Rumex abyssinicus Jacq (Polygonaceae) is widely used in Ethiopia for treatment of wound and other diseases. Although reports are available in the literature on some of the claimed activities, nothing has so far been reported about the wound healing activity of R. abyssinicus. Thus, this work was initiated to investigate the wound healing and anti-inflammatory activities of 80 % methanol extract of the rhizomes of R. abyssinicus in mice. Following extraction of the rhizomes of the plant with 80 % methanol, the extract was formulated as ointment (5 % & 10 % w/w) with simple ointment base B.P. The ointment was then evaluated for wound healing activity using excision and incision wound models. Parameters, including wound contraction, epithelization time and hydroxyproline content were determined using the excision model, whereas tensile strength was measured from the incision model. In parallel, anti-inflammatory activity of the rhizome was evaluated with carrageenan induced hind paw edema model by dissolving the 80 % methanol extract in 1 % carboxyl methyl cellulose and administering orally in various doses (250, 500 and 750 mg/kg). Wound treated with 5 % and 10 % (w/w) hydroalcoholic extract ointment exhibited significant wound healing activity in both models, as evidenced by increased wound contraction, shorter epithelization time, higher tissue breaking strength and increased hydroxyproline content. The hydroalcoholic extract also produced dose-related significant reduction (p < 0.05–0.001) of inflammation. The results of this study demonstrated that the hydroalcoholic extract of the rhizomes of R. abyssinicus facilitated wound healing at least in part via its anti-inflammatory activity, supporting its traditional claim as a wound healing agent.

Non-typhoidal Salmonella (NTS) is an important public health problem worldwide. Consumption of animal-derived food products and direct and/or indirect contact with animals are the major routes of acquiring infection with NTS. Published information, particularly on the serotype distribution of NTS among human patients with gastroenteritis and associated risk factors, is scarce in Ethiopia. This study investigated the prevalence, risk factors, serotype distribution and antimicrobial susceptibility of Salmonella species among diarrheic out-patients attending health centers in Addis Ababa and patients with various gastrointestinal complaints at Tikur Anbessa Specialized Hospital (TASH). Stool samples were cultured for Salmonella species according to the WHO Global Foodborne Infections Network laboratory protocol. Salmonella serotyping was conducted using slide agglutination and microplate agglutination techniques. Antibiotic susceptibility testing was performed using the disk diffusion method according to Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute guidelines. A total of 59 (6.2 %) stool samples, out of 957 were culture positive for Salmonella species. Fifty-five (7.2 %) of 765 diarrheic patients from health centers and 4 (2.1 %) of 192 patients from TASH were culture positive for Salmonella species. Multivariable logistic regression analysis after adjusting for all other variables revealed statistically significant association of Salmonella infection with consumption of raw vegetables (OR = 1.91, 95 % CI = 1.29–2.83, χ2 = 4.74, p = 0.025) and symptom of watery diarrhea (OR = 3.3, 95 % CI = 1.23–8.88, χ2 = 10.54, p = 0.005). Eleven serotypes were detected, and the most prominent were S. Typhimurium (37.3 %), S. Virchow (34 %), and S. Kottbus (10.2 %). Other serotypes were S. Miami, S. Kentucky, S. Newport, S. Enteritidis, S. Braenderup, S. Saintpaul, S. Concord and S. V:ROUGH-O. Resistance to three or more antimicrobials was detected in 27 (40.3 %) of the isolates. Resistance to five or more antimicrobials was detected in 17 (25.4 %). Resistance to individual antimicrobials was found at varying proportions: streptomycin (50; 74.6 %), nitrofurantoin (27; 40.3 %), sulfisoxazole (26; 38.8 %), kanamycin (23; 34.3 %), cephalothin (12; 17.9 %), and ampicillin (11; 16.4 %) respectively. Two S. Kentucky, one S. Typhimurium and one S. Concord isolates were multi-drug resistant to more than 10 antimicrobials. The study demonstrated significant association of Salmonella infection with consumption of raw vegetables. There was no significant association of Salmonella infection with co-occurring parasites. The study also showed the dominance of S. Typhimurium and S. Virchow in primary health care units. Overall, prevalence of MDR was low compared to previous studies. Although their proportion was low, S. Kentucky and S. Concord demonstrated wider spectrum of MDR. Continuous monitoring of circulating serotypes, antimicrobial resistance profile and characterization on molecular resistance determinants is essential for proper treatment of patients and for identifying potential environmental origins of antimicrobial resistance.