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Gebre Teklu,1 Mikias Negash,2 Tsegay Asefaw,1 Feven Tesfay,1 Gebreslassie Gebremariam,1 Gebreyohannes Teklehaimanot,1 Mistire Wolde,2 Aster Tsegaye2 1Department of Medical Laboratory Science, College of Health Sciences, Mekelle University, Mekelle, Ethiopia; 2Department of Medical Laboratory Sciences, College of Health Sciences, Addis Ababa University, Addis Ababa, EthiopiaCorrespondence: Gebre Teklu Email gebreteklu30@gmail.comAster Tsegaye Email tsegayeaster@yahoo.comBackground: The adverse health effects of chronic gasoline exposure may be related to impairment of the hematopoietic system with bone marrow suppression, an increased risk of blood cell morphology abnormality and developing cancer.Objective: To assess the effect of gasoline exposure on hematological parameters among gas station workers in Mekelle City, Tigray Region, Northern Ethiopia.Methods: This cross-sectional study was carried out on 43 subjects (exposed group) and 77 subjects (unexposed group) with matched age and sex. Socio-demographic characteristics and duration of exposure data were collected using a structured questionnaire and an observation checklist. Sysmex XP-300 was used for hematological analysis and stained peripheral blood smear was examined for any abnormality. Data were entered and analyzed using SPSS version 23.Results: Of exposed individuals, 28/43 (65.1%) and 49/77 (63.6%) of controls were males. The average exposure time was 5.19± 4.38 years, with an average working hour of 11.74± 1.89 hours/day. The mean RBC count (1012/L), HCT (%), HGB (g/dl) and platelets count (109/L) of the exposed group were significantly lower (4.88± 0.573, 43.29± 3.71, 15.04± 1.33 and 248.95± 58.19) compared with controls (5.35± 0.533, 44.95± 3.10, 15.59± 1.26 and 292.45± 62.17) at p< 0.05, respectively. The MCH (pg) (30.48± 2.06 vs 29.52± 1.66) and MCHC (g/dl) (34.83± 0.988 vs 34.32± 0.927) were significantly higher in the exposed group compared with controls (p< 0.05). HCT, RBC, HGB and platelet counts were significantly decreased with increased years of exposure (p< 0.05). The peripheral blood film examination revealed basophilic stippling and macrocytosis in 9.3% of the exposed group.Conclusion: Long-term exposure to gasoline at gas stations affected RBC parameters and platelet count. A significant negative correlation was noted between duration of exposure and HGB, HCT and platelet count, warranting implementation of protective measures at gas stations.Keywords: gas station, gasoline, hematological parameters, petroleum

Background Anemia is a common complication of HIV/AIDS in children. There is lack of evidence on anemia prevalence among children living with HIV/AIDS on highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) in Tigray regional state, which the current study aimed to generate. Methods An institution-based cross-sectional study was conducted on 241 children living with HIV/AIDS on HAART attending the antiretroviral therapy (ART) clinic of Mekelle hospital from November 2018-January 2019. Socio-demographic data were collected using a structured pretested questionnaire. Participants’ hemoglobin level was utilized to determine the prevalence of anemia. WHO cut-off values for Hgb were used to categorise the severity of anemia. Microscopic examination was performed for morphological classification of anemia. Results Among the participants, 7 % (n = 16) were anemic in this study. Of these, 56 %, 19 %, and 25 % had mild, moderate, and severe anemia, respectively. Morphologically, normocytic-normochromic anemia was found the most common type of anemia in this study. Conclusions The prevalence of anemia among participants was low in this study. However, a considerable proportion of participants had severe anemia, requiring regular monitoring of anemia status in these patients for better clinical outcomes and quality of life improvements.

BackgroundVolatile organic compounds such as gasoline and other fuels are associated with a wide variety of deleterious health effects including liver and kidney diseases. Gasoline station workers are exposed to a mixture of hydrocarbons during dispensing. However, no published studies investigated the liver and renal function tests of gasoline station workers in Ethiopia. Therefore the aim of this study was to assess liver and renal function tests among gasoline station workers.MethodA comparative cross sectional study was conduct from January 2018 to April 2018 at Mekelle city, Tigray region, Northern Ethiopia. Liver and renal function tests were analyzed on gasoline exposed (n = 43) and controls (n = 47) by Pentra C400 automated clinical chemistry analyzer. Student independent t-test and one way-ANOVA statistical methods were employed using SPSS Ver23. P-value < 0.05 was regarded as statistically significant.ResultThe mean level of ALT, AST, Urea, creatinine, and uric acid was significantly higher among gasoline stations workers when compared to control study participants. There was also a significant increase in ALT, AST, Urea, creatinine and uric acid among gasoline stations with above 6 years exposure when compared with those exposed for ≤2 and3-6years.ConclusionThese findings suggest that increasing liver and renal parameters may be associated with exposure to gasoline and it is dependent on time of exposure to gasoline.

Background. Drugs of abuse could interfere with the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis, causing impaired functions of the gland and associated functions of target organs. Drugs of abuse tend to cause changes in the endocrine system, and these changes could be physiological, molecular, biochemical, genetic, and cellular. Method. A case-control study design was conducted from a total of 171 male consented study participants (148 drug abusers and 23 controls). The serum gonadal and cortisol hormone levels were assayed using the electrochemiluminescence immunoassay method. Socio-demographic variables were collected using a semi-structured questionnaire by the interview method. Nonparametric statistical tools (Mann–Whitney test and median) were used to compare the groups. In all cases, P<0.05 was considered statistically significant. Result. The median age for drug abusers and control groups was 27, and the age difference between drug abusers and control group was not statistically important. The median estradiol levels among chronic khat chewers (39.4 pg/ml), marijuana (44 pg/mL), and users of heroin (40.2 pg/mL) were significantly higher than control groups (23 pg/mL), P<0.003. However, the median luteinizing hormone levels among chronic khat chewers (5 IU/L), marijuana users (5 IU/L), and heroin users (5.6 IU/L) were significantly lower than those of control groups (6.2 IU/L), P<0.02. The median testosterone levels among chronic khat chewers (6.1 ng/mL), marijuana users (6.3 ng/mL), and heroin users (6.6 ng/mL) were significantly lower than control groups (8.0 ng/mL), P<0.003. However, cortisol and follicle stimulating hormone did not show statistically significant difference between users of khat, marijuana, and heroin compared with the control group. Conclusion. The drug abuser group had significantly lower testosterone and luteinizing hormone levels compared with control groups. Drug abuse has been shown to affect gonadal hormones in an unusual physiological phenomenon. These findings reveal the need for intervention programs to solve these problems.