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Reta Dewau,1 Elsabeth Addisu,2 Tilahun Dessie,3 Tesfaye Birhane,2 Sisay Eshete Tadesse,4 Amare Muche,2 Yitbarek Wasihun Feleke,5 Baye Akele,6 Melaku Yalew,2 Kemal Ahmed Seid,7 Yitayish Damtie,2 Bereket Kefale,2 Zinet Abegaz Asfaw,2 Bezawit Adane,1 Wondwosen Mebratu,1 Ayechew Ademas,8 Niguss Cherie,2 Assefa Andargie,1 Muluken Genetu Chanie,9 Asnakew Molla,9 Metadel Adane8 1Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, Wollo University, Dessie, Ethiopia; 2Department of Reproductive health, School of Public health, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, Wollo University, Dessie, Ethiopia; 3Department of Paediatrics, School of Medicine, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, Wollo University, Dessie, Ethiopia; 4Department of Public Health Nutrition, School of Public Health, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, Wollo University, Dessie, Ethiopia; 5Department of Health Education, School of Public health, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, Wollo University, Dessie, Ethiopia; 6Department of Clinical Laboratory, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, Wollo University, Dessie, Ethiopia; 7Department of Infectious Disease, School of Public health, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, Wollo University, Dessie, Ethiopia; 8Department of Environmental Health, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, Wollo University, Dessie, Ethiopia; 9Department of Health Service Management, School of public health, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, Wollo University, Dessie, EthiopiaCorrespondence: Elsabeth Addisu, Email elsabethko@gmail.comBackground: Vaccines are a powerful choice to stop disease outbreaks, including covid-19. However, people are hesitant to take vaccinations due to uncertainty about side effects. So, this study aimed to assess covid-19 vaccine side-effect and its associated factors among healthcare workers in Dessie comprehensive specialized hospital, in Ethiopia.Methods: An institution-based cross-sectional study was conducted at Dessie Comprehensive and Specialized Hospital among 351 vaccinated healthcare workers from April 25 to May 25, 2021. Self-administrated questionnaires were used by consented health workers. Variance inflation factor (VIF) was used to assess the multicollinearity of independent variables. Bivariable and multivariable binary logistic regression were used to identify significant factors of vaccine side effects. The adjusted odds ratio (AOR) with a 95% confidence interval (CI) was reported as the effect size. Statistical significance was considered at p-value < 0.05.Results: Overall, of vaccinated healthcare workers, 56.98% (95% CI, 50.86– 61.26%) experienced at least one side effect. The majority of the side effects were fever (44.44%), headache (39.03%), fatigue (27.35%), injection site pain (25.93%), and nausea (24.22%). Healthcare workers with (≥ 10 years) of work experience (AOR: 3.74, 95% CI, 1.32– 10.59), Hesitancy to take the first dose of the Covid-19 vaccine (AOR: 3.01, 95% CI, 1.82– 4.99), underlying chronic disease (AOR: 14.41, 95% CI, (5.07– 40.92)), being on antihypertensive medication (AOR: 0.15; 95% CI (0.02– 0.93)), and unsafe perception of vaccine safety (AOR:3.50; 95% CI, 1.43– 8.57) were independent factors of Covax vaccine side effect development.Conclusion: Overall, common vaccine side effects were identified in healthcare workers who have taken the Covax vaccine. Healthcare workers with (≥ 10 years) of work experience, Hesitancy to take the first dose, unsafe perception of vaccine safety, and underlined chronic disease were predictors of vaccine side effect occurrence. So, providing vaccine-related information to the community to be vaccinated is mandatory to reduce hesitancy and flaws regarding vaccine safety.Keywords: Covid-19, vaccine side effects, associated factors, health care workers, Ethiopia

Aregash Abebayehu Zerga,1 Afework Mulugeta Bezabih,2 Amaha Kahsay Adhanu,2 Sisay Eshete Tadesse1 1School of Public Health, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, Wollo University, Dessie, Ethiopia; 2Department of Nutrition and Dietetics, College of Health Sciences, Mekelle University, Mekelle, EthiopiaCorrespondence: Aregash Abebayehu Zerga Email Aregusina@gmail.comIntroduction: Worldwide, metabolic syndrome is a common problem among T2DM patients. Even though the International Diabetes Federation recommended waist circumference as a diagnostic tool for metabolic syndrome, the appropriate indices and cut-off point remain controversial.Objective: To assess obesity indices in identifying metabolic syndrome among type 2 diabetes mellitus patients in Dessie Referral Hospital, North east Ethiopia.Methods: A hospital-based cross-sectional study was conducted among 363 consecutively selected T2DM in Dessie Referral Hospital from February to March 2017. Data were collected by interviewer-administered questionnaire. Height, weight, waist circumference, hip circumference, lipid profile, blood glucose levels and blood pressure were taken. Descriptive statistics were computed. Receiver operator characteristic curve analysis with a 95% confidence interval and p-value < 0.05 was used to identify the discriminate ability of each index, while the optimal cut point of each index was determined by Youden’s index.Results: A total of 330 study participants were included in the study. Based on ATP III definition, the magnitude of metabolic syndrome among T2DM patients was 59.4% (53.6– 64.5%). Waist to height ratio (optimal cut point=0.54, AUC=0.85) and waist circumference (optimal cut point= 83 cm, AUC=0.75) were the best predictor of metabolic syndrome for women and men, respectively. For the entire study participant, waist to height ratio (optimal cut point=0.51, AUC=0.79) was the best predictor of metabolic syndrome among type 2 diabetes patients.Conclusion and Recommendation: Waist to height ratio and waist circumference was the best predictor of metabolic syndrome for women and men, respectively. So, appropriate indices optimal cut-off point should be included to diagnose metabolic syndrome among T2DM.Keywords: metabolic syndrome, type 2 diabetes, Dessie Referral Hospital, obesity indices

Sisay Eshete Tadesse, Tefera Chane Mekonnen Department of Public Health, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, Wollo University, Dessie, EthiopiaCorrespondence: Sisay Eshete Tadesse Email sisliyu21@gmail.comBackground: Under-nutrition among under-five children is a global public health problem. Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia were the home for three-fourth of the world’s stunted children. There is a disparity in the prevalence and associated factors of under-nutrition across regions and cities.Objective: To assess the prevalence and associated factors of stunting among children 6– 59 months in Delanta district.Methods: A community-based cross-sectional study design was conducted among 342 systematically selected children aged 6– 59 months from April to May 2017 G.C. The sample size was calculated by single population proportion formula. Data were collected by a structured questionnaire, SECA weight measurement, and height measuring board. After collection, data were entered into Epi data version 3.1 for cleaning and transferred to SPSS version 24.0 for analysis. Anthropometric data were analyzed using WHO Anthro 2005 software. Descriptive statistics were done and the result was reported by frequency, percentile, and mean ± standard deviation. Variables having a p-value

Abstract Background In resource- poor settings, verbal autopsy data are often reviewed by physicians in order to assign the probable cause of death. But in addition to being time and energy consuming, the method is liable to produce inconsistent results. The aim of this study is to evaluate the performance of the InterVA 3.2 model for establishing pulmonary tuberculosis as a cause of death in comparison with physician review of verbal autopsy data. Methods A population-based cross-sectional study was conducted from March to April, 2012. All adults aged ≥14 years and died between 01 January 2010 and 15 February 2012 were included in the study. Data were collected by using a pre-tested and modified WHO designed verbal autopsy questionnaire. The verbal autopsy interviews were reviewed by the InterVA model and the physicians. Cohen’s kappa statistic, receiver operating characteristic curves, sensitivity, and specificity values were applied to compare the agreement between the InterVA model and the physician review. Results A total of 408 adult deaths were studied. The proportion of tuberculosis-specific mortality was established to be 36.0% and 23.0% by the InterVA model and the physicians, respectively. The InterVA model predicted pulmonary tuberculosis as a cause of death with the probability of 0.80 (95% CI: 0.75-0.85). In classifying all deaths as tuberculosis and non-tuberculosis, the sensitivity and specificity values were 0.82 and 0.78, respectively. A moderate agreement was found between the model and physicians in assigning pulmonary tuberculosis as a cause of deaths [kappa= 0.5; 95% CI: (0.4-0.6)]. Conclusions This study has revealed that the InterVA model showed a more promising result as a community-level tool for generating pulmonary tuberculosis-specific mortality data from verbal autopsy. The conclusion is believed to provide policymakers with a highly needed piece of information for allocating resources for health intervention.

Abstract Background DprA is a widely conserved bacterial protein and has been shown to confer an important function during transformation in competent cells, possibly through protection of incoming DNA. B. subtilis DprA (called Smf) and has been shown to play an important role during transformation with chromosomal DNA, but its mode of action is unknown. Results We show that B. subtilis DprA/Smf is more important for transformation with plasmid DNA than with chromosomal DNA. A functional Smf-YFP fusion localized as discrete foci to the cell pole in a subset of cells grown to competence, dependent on the ComK master transcription factor. Smf-YFP foci colocalized with ComGA-CFP. However, a considerable number of cells having high ComK activity contained Smf dispersed throughout the cytosol and lacked a polar Smf assembly. The absence of polar Smf-YFP foci in these cells strongly correlated with the absence of ComGA-CFP foci, and comGA mutant cells mostly lacked polar Smf-YFP foci. Smf formed polar assemblies in the absence of RecA, and RecA formed dynamic threads after addition of DNA in a smf deletion strain. Upon addition of DNA, Smf-YFP foci relocalized from the poles to the cell centre, dependent on the presence of RecA protein. Conclusion Our data show that Smf is recruited to the polar competence machinery, and that polar Smf assembly requires a functional DNA uptake complex. High ComK levels drive expression of Smf in 20% of all cells grown to competence, but not all competent cells contain a polar DNA uptake machinery, showing that ComK activity is necessary but not sufficient to achieve assembly of the uptake machinery in all cells. Smf and RecA localize independently of each other, in agreement with our finding that Smf is much more important for plasmid transformation than RecA, but RecA influences the dynamic localization pattern of Smf. Our data show that DprA/Smf acts downstream of the DNA uptake machinery, and support the idea that Smf protects incoming ssDNA, possibly in conjunction with RecA.