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Goitom Mebrahtu,1 Mary M Moleki,2 Oliver Okoth Achila,3 Yemane Seyoum,4 Elias T Adnoy,5 Martin Ovberedjo6 1Division of Clinical Services, Ministry of Health, Asmara, Eritrea; 2Department of Health Studies, University of South Africa (UNISA), Pretoria, South Africa; 3Department of Clinical Laboratory Services, Orotta School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Asmara, Eritrea; 4Department of Internal Medicine, Orotta School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Asmara, Eritrea; 5Public Health Unit, Orotta School of Medicine and Health Science, Asmara, Eritrea; 6Eritrea Country Office, World Health Organisation (WHO), Asmara, EritreaCorrespondence: Oliver Okoth Achila Email oliverachila@gmail.comBackground: Recent research suggests that poor adherence to antihypertensive medication (AHM) is a major problem in the management of hypertension. This study was therefore designed to evaluate the frequency of AHM and associated risk factors in patients attending a national referral hospital in Asmara, Eritrea.Methods: A total of 335 respondents (females: 222 (66.3%) participated in this cross-sectional study. Adherence to Medication was evaluated using a modified version of the Medication Adherence Report Scale (MARS). Additional data were abstracted from patients’ medical records and a WHO STEPwise questionnaire.Results: The mean (±SD) age of the study participants was 59.65 (± 12.20) years (females: 56.82 (± 9.95) vs males: 57.17 (± 9.60) years, p-value=0.001). Similarly, the median (IQR) for diastolic blood pressure (DBP) and systolic blood pressure (SBP) were 85.00 mmHg (IQR: 80.00– 90.00 mmHg) and 145.00 mmHg (IQR: 130.00– 160.00 mmHg), respectively. Overall, 246 (73.4%) and 244 (72.8%) participants had poor knowledge and poor adherence to AHM, respectively. In the multivariate analysis, factors associated with increased odds of poor adherence to AHM included sex (females: adjusted odds ratio (aOR): 4.95; 95% CI: 1.52– 16.11, p value=0.008); employment status (Ref: employed/NGO) (self-employed: aOR: 1.95; 95% CI: 0.45– 8.48, p-value=0.373) (housewife: aOR: 0.13; 95% CI: 0.04– 0.413, p-value=0.001) (unemployed: aOR: 1.38; 95% CI:0.32– 5.98; p-value=0.670); lack of attendance of health talk at the clinic (aOR: 2.33; 95% CI: 1.17– 4.63; p-value=0.016); high cost of transportation (yes: aOR: 6.87; 95% CI: 3.25– 14.52; p-value< 0.001); knowledge (poor: aOR: 6.23; 95% CI: 2.36– 18.05, p-value< 0.001) and hypertension stage (Stage 3: aOR: 5.55; 95% CI, 1.44– 21.37, p-value=0.013). Low level of knowledge regarding hypertension-related complications or associated risk factors was also noted.Conclusion: The high level of poor adherence to anti-hypertension medications and low level of knowledge on hypertension should raise concern. Overall, decentralization of health care services and educational support are vital intervention pathways in this population.Keywords: Eritrea, knowledge, hypertension, medication adherence

Nigusie Walelgn,1 Gebre Yitayih Abyu,1 Yeshaneh Seyoum,1 Samuel Derbie Habtegiorgis,2 Molla Yigzaw Birhanu2 1Department of Adult Health Nursing, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, Bahirdar University, Bahirdar, Ethiopia; 2Department of Public Health, College of Health Sciences, Debre Markos University, Debre Markos, EthiopiaCorrespondence: Molla Yigzaw Birhanu; Samuel Derbie Habtegiorgis Email mollayigzaw33@gmail.com; kasadr21@gmail.comIntroduction: Stroke is one of the commonest non-communicable disease types that has a great public health impact both in developed and developing countries. However, in Ethiopia, the long-term survival status of stroke patients is not very understood. This study aimed at assessing survival status and predictors of mortality among stroke patients at Felege Hiwot comprehensive specialized hospital from September 1, 2014, to August 31, 2019, Bahirdar, North West Ethiopia.Methods: An institutional-based retrospective cohort study was conducted using 368 registered stroke patients between September 1, 2014, and August 31, 2019. We used Kaplan–Meier together with a Log-rank test to compare the survival rate of the study participants using categorical variables and to compare covariate and both bi-variable and multivariable Cox proportional hazards regression analysis model was conducted to identify predictors of mortality among stroke patients. The association between outcome and independent variables was expressed using an adjusted hazard ratio (AHR) with a 95% confidence interval and statistical significances were declared at P-value of < 0.05.Results: Fifty-six (15.2%) of the 368 stroke patients included in the study died, and 312 (84.8%) were correctly censored. The overall survival rate was 72.2% at 51 months of follow-up with a median survival time of 0.26 months. Age greater than 65 (AHR 6.31, 95% CI 1.75– 22.74), body temperature > 7.1 degree centigrade (AHR = 7.14, 95% CI: 2.76– 18.5), potassium level below < 2 mmol/l (AHR = 2, 95% CI: 1.9– 23.53) and creatinine level > 1.2 mg/dl (AHR = 7.85, 95% CI: 2.7– 22.6) were predictive predictors of mortality.Conclusions: In the follow-up of 51 months, significant mortality occurred. Important predictive predictors of survival status were identified. Interventions should be focused on health education and awareness creation of the community for the early management of stroke.Keywords: stroke, survival status, predictors, mortality, Ethiopia

Explores the historical, political and socioeconomic contexts within which African children acquire their education in a major international language. Maintains that while such languages assist in the transfer of science and technology, compared to native languages, they are limited in their capacity to serve indigenous educational objectives. (nine references) (Author/CK)

Faecal microbiota plays a critical role in human health, but its relationship with nutritional status among schoolchildren remains under-explored. Here, in a double-blinded cluster-randomized controlled trial on 380 Cambodian schoolchildren, we characterize the impact of six months consumption of two types of rice fortified with different levels of vitamins and minerals on pre-specified outcomes. We investigate the association between the faecal microbiota (16SrRNA sequencing) and age, sex, nutritional status (underweight, stunting), micronutrient status (iron, zinc and vitamin A deficiencies, anaemia, iron deficient anaemia, hemoglobinopathy), inflammation (systemic, gut), and parasitic infection. We show that the faecal microbiota is characterised by a surprisingly high proportion of Lactobacillaceae. We discover that deficiencies in specific micronutrients, such as iron and vitamin A, correlate with particular microbiota profiles, whereas zinc deficiency shows no such association. The nutritional intervention with the two rice treatments impacts both the composition and functions predicted from compositional analysis in different ways. (ClinicalTrials.gov (Identifier: NCT01706419))., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

This study set out to investigate the beliefs of academics regarding the importance of curriculum internationalization in Ethiopian research universiti es. A convergent-parallel mixed-method design was used to achieve this purp ose. Quantitative data was gathered from 415 randomly chosen academics taken from a sample frame of 6808 through a questionnaire. Using a semi-structured interview, 16 purposefully chosen individuals provided qualitative data. The questionnaire's construct, face, content, and pilot test validity were examined. Moreover, triangulation, use of multiple methods, external audits, and low inference descriptors were employed for the qualitative instrument. Descriptive statistics (frequency, percent, mean, and standard deviation) and inferential statics (Chi-square, Cramer's-V test, and one-way ANOVA) were used to examine the quantitative data. Bell's "Spectrum of Acceptance of Internationalizing Curriculum," integrated with Ellingboe's "Great Divide," was used to identify the positions of the academics in their beliefs. The qualitative data was analyzed using descriptive statements and presented thematically based on research questions. Hence, major findings revealed that academics' representations based on their demographic variables were not as expected; their variation was practically not significant among universities; the majority of academics had crossed Ellingboe's "Great Divide"; significant differences among disciplines and/or universities were not observed in this study. Finally, urging academics to actively integrate international perspectives into their curricula, elevating curriculum internationalization of higher education to a national priority, and undertaking extensive national research emerged as key recommendations for the Ethiopian Research Universities, Ethiopian Ministry of Education, and future research endeavors, respective ly., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (© 2024 The Authors.)

The microbiota significantly impacts digestive epithelium functionality, especially in nutrient processing. Given the importance of iron for both the host and the microbiota, we hypothesized that host-microbiota interactions fluctuate with dietary iron levels. We compared germ-free (GF) and conventional mice (SPF) fed iron-containing (65 mg/Kg) or iron-depleted (<6 mg/Kg) diets. The efficacy of iron privation was validated by iron blood parameters. Ferritin and Dmt1, which represent cellular iron storage and transport respectively, were studied in tissues where they are abundant: the duodenum, liver and lung. When the mice were fed an iron-rich diet, the microbiota increased blood hemoglobin and hepcidin and the intestinal ferritin levels, suggesting that the microbiota helps iron storage. When iron was limiting, the microbiota inhibited the expression of the intestinal Dmt1 transporter, likely via the pathway triggered by Hif-2α. The microbiota assists the host in storing intestinal iron when it is abundant and competes with the host by inhibiting Dmt1 in conditions of iron scarcity. Comparison between duodenum, liver and lung indicates organ-specific responses to microbiota and iron availability. Iron depletion induced temporal changes in microbiota composition and activity, reduced α-diversity of microbiota, and led to Lactobacillaceae becoming particularly more abundant after 60 days of privation. By inoculating GF mice with a simplified bacterial mixture, we show that the iron-depleted host favors the gut fitness of Bifidobacterium longum .

Folate (vitamin B9) and cobalamin (vitamin B12) deficiencies potentially affect millions of people worldwide, leading to different pathologies. In Ethiopia, the diet is characterized by high consumption of fermented cereal-based foods such as injera, a good source of folate but not of cobalamin, which is only found in foods of animal origin that are rarely consumed. Some of the bacteria responsible for the fermentation of cereals can synthesize cobalamin, but whether or not fermented cereal food products contain cobalamin remains underexplored. The objective of this study was to assess the folate and cobalamin content of injera collected from various households in Ethiopia at different stages of production. Global (16S rRNA gene sequencing) and specific (real-time PCR quantification of bacteria known for folate or cobalamin production) bacterial composition of these samples was assessed. UPLC-PDA was used to identify the cobalamin to see whether the active or inactive form was present. Surprisingly, teff flour contained 0.8 μg/100 g of cobalamin, most probably due to microbial contamination from the environment and the harvesting process. While fermentation increased the folate and cobalamin content in some households, their levels decreased in others. Conversely, cooking consistently reduced the level of the vitamins. Fresh injera contained, on average, 21.2 μg/100 g of folate and 2.1 μg/100 g of cobalamin, which is high, but with marked variation depending on the sample. However, the form of cobalamin was a corrinoid that is biologically inactive in humans. Injera fermentation was dominated by lactic acid bacteria, with significant correlations observed between certain bacterial species and folate and cobalamin levels. For example, a high proportion of Fructilactobacillus sanfranciscensis, a known folate consumer, was negatively correlated with the folate content of injera. On the contrary, Lactobacillus coryniformis, known for its cobalamin synthesis ability was present in high proportion in the cobalamin-rich samples. These findings highlight the complex interrelationship between microorganisms and suggest the involvement of specific bacteria in the production of folate and cobalamin during injera fermentation. Controlled fermentation using vitamin-producing bacteria is thus a promising tool to promote folate and cobalamin production in fermented food., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Scope: Fighting obesity and associated comorbidities through dieting is not always sustained and results in a subsequent weight gain, a phenomenon referred to as weight cycling. Diet is among the most important factors in modifying the composition of gut microbiota. The objective of this work is to determine whether weight cycling affects the composition and the predicted function of mouse fecal bacteria on a long-term basis., Methods and Results: Mice fed for 40 weeks with either high fat (HF), low fat (LF), or cycled diets (starting and ending by one of the two diets, and the reverse) exhibit a bacterial profile specific to each of the four groups. A higher proportion of Firmicutes and Bacteroidota phyla are observed in mice on Hf and LF diet, respectively. The proportion of functions dedicated to amino acid metabolism is higher in mice on HF or LF/HF diets, whereas the mice on LF or HF/LF diets have a higher proportion of functions involve in carbohydrate metabolism and vitamin B biosynthesis., Conclusion: Compared to continuous HF or LF diets, cyclic diet specifically alters the composition and function of the mouse fecal microbiota, suggesting that fight against weight gain should be considered on a long-term basis., (© 2022 The Authors. Molecular Nutrition & Food Research published by Wiley-VCH GmbH.)

Background: Vitamin A supplementation (VAS) has been implemented in over 82 countries globally, primarily because of its beneficial effect in preventing child mortality. Secular reductions in child mortality and the implementation of alternative programs to promote vitamin A intake have led to questions on the need for national VAS programs., Objectives: This study aimed to estimate child mortality changes related to VAS using current, scale-back, and scale-up coverage scenarios., Methods: Data related to demographic characteristics, fertility, intervention coverage, anthropometry, child mortality and cause-of-death structure were integrated into the Lives Saved Tool (LiST). We estimated the cause-specific (LiST model) and all-cause mortality reductions related to VAS based on evidence from recent meta-analyses., Results: Between 2008 and 2018, VAS coverage declined in most sub-Saharan African (SSA) countries. In 2019 alone, 12% and 24% reductions in all-cause mortality related to VAS were expected to avert from 105,332 to 234,704 child deaths, respectively, in SSA; whereas the cause-specific mortality model (LiST) estimated that 141,670 child deaths were averted in 2019. Estimates of VAS-related child mortality reductions were highly variable among countries. Our scaling-back scenario led to highly variable country-level results, with expected increases in mortality rates, from a low of 0.04/1000 live births to as high as 49.3/1000 live births, suggesting that some countries could start considering scaling back, while others need to scale up., Conclusions: Excess child mortality that would be preventable by VAS has declined, but is still significant in many SSA countries. While scale-up of VAS is needed for most of the countries, scaling back can also be considered in some countries. Policy decisions, however, should be guided by more recent data on food consumption, vitamin A statuses, child health, and vitamin A fortification coverage., (© The Author(s) 2022. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the American Society for Nutrition.)

The consumption of rice bran has been shown to have a positive effect on nutritional status and prevention of chronic diseases related to hundreds of metabolites with bioactivity. Consumption after fermentation can lead to specific beneficial effects, yet is lacking complete characterization when fermented with diverse strains. The objective of this study was to examine the effect of fermentation on the rice bran metabolite profile. Bacterial probiotics ( Bifidobacterium longum, Limosilactobacillus fermentum, Lacticaseibacillus paracasei, Lacticaseibacillus rhamnosus and, Escherichia coli ) were used to ferment rice bran alone or after incubation with yeast probiotic Saccharomyces boulardii . Fermented rice bran was methanol extracted and analyzed by UPLC-MS/MS. The metabolome of the two fermentation types was deeply modified when compared with non-fermented rice bran. The two-step fermentation provided alternative substrate to the bacteria in a few cases. Key metabolites of high nutritional value (essential amino acids, vitamins) and gut health (arabinose, maltotriose) were identified., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2022 Seyoum, Humblot, Baxter, Nealon, Weber and Ryan.)

Grazing exclosures have been promoted as an effective and low-cost land management strategy to recover vegetation and associated functions in degraded landscapes in the tropics. While grazing exclosures can be important reservoirs of biodiversity and carbon, their potential in playing a dual role of conservation of biodiversity and mitigation of climate change effects is not yet established. To address this gap, we assessed the effect of diversity on aboveground carbon (AGC) and the relative importance of the driving biotic (functional diversity, functional composition and structural diversity) and abiotic (climate, topography and soil) mechanisms. We used a dataset from 133 inventory plots across three altitudinal zones, i.e., highland, midland and lowland, in northern Ethiopia, which allowed local- (within altitudinal zone) and broad- (across altitudinal zones) environmental scale analysis of diversity-AGC relationships. We found that species richness-AGC relationship shifted from neutral in highlands to positive in mid- and lowlands as well as across the altitudinal zones. Structural diversity was consistently the strongest mediator of the positive effects of species richness on AGC within and across altitudinal zones, whereas functional composition linked species richness to AGC at the broad environmental scale only. Abiotic factors had direct and indirect effects via biotic factors on AGC, but their relative importance varied with altitudinal zones. Our results indicate that the effect of species diversity on AGC was altitude-dependent and operated more strongly through structural diversity (representing niche complementarity effect) than functional composition (representing selection effect). Our study suggests that maintaining high structural diversity and managing functionally important species while promoting favourable climatic and soil conditions can enhance carbon storage in grazing exclosures., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Eritrea is an East African multiethnic country with an intermediate endemicity for hepatitis B. Our aim was to establish the most prevalent genotypes of hepatitis B virus (HBV) among patients with liver disease. A total of 293 Eritrean patients with liver disease who were hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) positive were enrolled. All sera were tested for liver transaminases, HBV DNA viral load, and hepatitis B seromarkers including HBsAg, anti-HBcAb (total), HBeAg, and anti-HBeAb. Those reactive for HBsAg and anti-HBc (total) were further tested for HBV genotyping. The median (interquartile range) of HBV DNA viral load and ALT levels were 3.47 (1.66) log IU/mL and 28 (15.3) IU/L, respectively. Using type-specific primer-based genotyping method, 122/293 (41.6%) could be genotyped. Irrespective of mode of occurrence, HBV genotype D (21.3%) was the predominant circulating genotype, followed by genotypes C (17.2%), E (15.6%), C/D (13.1%), and C/E (10.7%). Genotypes C/D/E (7.4%), A/D (4.9%), D/E (4.1%), A (2.5%), and B, A/E, B/E, and A/D/C (0.8%) were also present. HBV in Eritrea is comprised of a mixture of HBV genotypes. This is the first study of HBV genotyping among patients with liver disease in Eritrea.

Background: Understanding the natural history of chronic hepatitis B (CHB) virus infection is important for determining optimal management and predicting prognosis in patients. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of different phases of CHB infection among Eritrean patients and to identify the proportion of patients who are eligible for treatment according to the latest American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (AASLD) guidelines., Methods: This cross-sectional study enrolled 293 CHB patients (213 males and 80 females) between Jan 2017 and Feb 2019. The patients were classified into immune-tolerant, immune-active, and inactive CHB phases of the infection, which is based on the results of Hepatitis B virus (HBV) serological panel (HBsAg, anti-HBc total, HBeAg, and anti-HBe), ALT levels, and HBV DNA viral load. The 2018 AASLD guidelines were also used to identify patients who needed treatment., Results: The mean age of the patients was 41.66 ± 13.84 years. Of these, 3 (1.0%) were at the immune tolerant phase, 58 (19.8%) at the immune-active CHB phase, and 232 (79.2%) at the inactive CHB phase. As most subjects (93%) were HBeAg-negative, based on AASLD guidelines, only 5 (1.7%) were currently eligible for treatment., Conclusions: Our data show that CHB patients in Eritrea were predominantly in the inactive CHB phase. Although initiating antiviral therapy is not recommended in these patients, periodic assessment of liver function and disease severity should be considered in patients older than 40 years. The immune-tolerant phase had the fewest patients, most of whom were aged above 20 years, attesting to the success of incorporating HBV vaccine in the national childhood immunization program since 2002. Our study shows that adopting AASLD treatment guidelines with adjustments to suit the local setting is a suitable option in the management of Eritrean CHB patients.

Iron deficiency is the most frequent nutritional deficiency in the world with an estimated 1.4 billion people affected. The usual way to fight iron deficiency is iron fortification, but this approach is not always effective and can have undesirable side effects including an increase in the growth and virulence of gut bacterial pathogens responsible for diarrhea and gut inflammation. Iron is mainly absorbed in the duodenum and is tightly regulated in mammals. Unabsorbed iron enters the colonic lumen where many microorganisms, referred to as gut microbiota, reside. Iron is essential for these bacteria, and its availability consequently affects this microbial ecosystem. The aim of this review is to provide further insights into the complex relationship between iron and gut microbiota. Given that overcoming anemia caused by iron deficiency is still a challenge today, gut microbiota could help identify more efficient ways to tackle this public health problem.

Background: Twice-weekly maintenance hemodialysis sessions in patients with end stage renal disease are commonly practiced due to economic constraints in developing countries including Eritrea. To ameliorate the paucity of data on the subject, our study aims to shed light on the patterns of intradialytic complications exclusively in patients undergoing twice-weekly hemodialysis in the country., Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted from March 01 to July 31, 2018 at Dialysis Unit of Orotta National Referral Hospital, Asmara, Eritrea in patients with end stage renal disease undergoing twice-weekly hemodialysis. Hemodialysis sessions were assessed for intradialytic complications. Data were fed into and analyzed using Epi-Info and Microsoft Excel., Results: A total of 29 patients were included in the five-month study period. Males were 19 (65.5%) and females were 10 (34.5%). More than half of the patients had diabetes. Out of the total 573 hemodialysis sessions, 176 (30.7%) of them involved one or more intradialytic complication. Hypotension was the most common complication occurring in 10% of the sessions followed by nausea and vomiting (5.24%), hypertension (5.06%), muscle cramps (4.71%), and headache (4.54%). Other complications such as back pain, chest pain, fever, chills and itching occurred in less than 3% of the sessions. There was no death immediately associated with the complications. Half of the intradialytic complications occurred in patients with diabetes. There was a positive correlation between intradialytic hypotension and diabetes, ultrafiltration volume as well as eating during hemodialysis. Use of central line catheter as a vascular access was associated with higher complication rate., Conclusion: Twice-weekly hemodialysis for end stage renal disease patients probably has similar intradialytic complications as the "standard" thrice-weekly frequency. Although twice-weekly hemodialysis schedule is certainly unsuitable for some patients, its advantage of preserving residual kidney function can prevent excessive interdialytic weight gain and thus lowering the risk of intradialytic hypotension related with higher ultrafiltration rate. Being the first study in the country on dialysis complications, we recommend further large scale research in the future.

Rapid physical growth and the onset of menstruation during adolescence can increase the risk of iron deficiency (ID) and related adverse effects. However, little is known about the risk of anemia and ID among adolescent girls in Ethiopia. Therefore, we aimed to determine the prevalence of ID, low iron stores, and anemia and characterize selected risk factors in Huruta, Arsi Zone, Oromia Region, Ethiopia. A cross-sectional study was conducted among non-pregnant adolescent girls (15-19 years of age; n = 257). Data on household socio-demographic characteristics, anthropometric measurements, and women's dietary diversity score (WDDS) were collected. Hemoglobin (Hb) and serum ferritin (SF), C-reactive protein (CRP), and α-1-acid-glycoprotein (AGP) concentrations were measured. Diets were predominantly plant-based, with a low consumption of animal source foods, fruits, and dark-green leafy vegetables. Only 4% of the adolescent girls had adequate dietary diversity (WDDS ≥5), and 35% were underweight. The prevalence of anemia (Hb <11 g/dL, 8.7%) and clinical ID (SF <15 µg/L, 8.7%) was low, but 41% had marginal iron stores (SF <50 µg/L). The low prevalence of ID, despite a predominantly plant-based diet is atypical and calls for adapted strategies to address low iron stores in this and other similar settings of Ethiopia.

Background: All countries, irrespective of their developmental stage, face an increasing burden of non-communicable diseases including diabetes mellitus. There is substantial evidence of the existence of the gap in the level of diabetes mellitus and its complications prevention and control measures in developing countries. This study aimed to assess the prevalence of diabetes mellitus in urban and rural dwellers in a low-income country from both younger and older population and to identify factors related., Methods: This is a community based comparative cross-sectional study conducted in a low-income country, Ethiopia. The sample size was determined by EPI-Info for two populations; the WHO's STEP-wise approach for non-communicable diseases surveillance in developing countries was employed for sampling, study variable selection and data collection procedures. Fasting blood glucose levels were measured by finger pricking after overnight fasting. Data entry was done by EPI-data computer program version 3.1 and then processed by SPSS version 20. Bivariate and multivariate logistic regression tests were used to assess the associations between diabetes status of individuals and its potential predictor variables. P-value < 0.05 was considered as statistically significant level., Result: The study was conducted on 1405 individuals with age range of 18-97 years old. The mean fasting blood glucose level for study participants was 91.16mg/dl; while it was 94.73mg/dl for urban and 87.71mg/dl for rural dwellers. The prevalence of diabetes mellitus was 3.3%; while it was 2.0% for rural and (4.6%) for urban dwellers. Both the mean blood glucose level and the prevalence of diabetes mellitus were significantly higher for urban residents than rural. More than three-fourths of diabetic cases were newly diagnosed by this study. Urban dwellers, centrally obese, overweight, and hypertensive individuals have higher odds of getting diabetes mellitus., Conclusions and Recommendations: High prevalence of diabetes mellitus involving both old and young population was documented. Most diabetic cases were suddenly diagnosed during this survey. The problem is noticeably alarming, attention should be given to the control and prevention of diabetes mellitus and related complications.

Background: Traits such as bird-, insect- and mould-resistance are the focus in selecting improved sorghum varieties, but this often increases the tannin content, which can negatively affect iron bioavailability. The grain characteristics, nutrient retention, and the fate of iron-binding polyphenols (IBPs) during injera processing, an Ethiopian traditional fermented pancake, were investigated using agriculturally improved tannin-free (TFC) and high-tannin (HTC) sorghum cultivars., Results: The HTC had significantly higher IBP contents than the TFC (P < 0.05). Decortication led to iron (24-27%), calcium (18-43%), IBP (catechol 35-41%, galloyl 35-42%), and tannin (12-35%) losses. Sourdough fermentation reduced the IBP and tannin concentrations in HTC, but had no effect on the IBP concentrations in TFC. The modified injera processing that included pre-soaking resulted in the highest IBP reductions (galloyl 73% and catechol 71%)., Conclusion: Nutrient retention in HTC and TFC processing was different. Including a pre-soaking step during injera processing of HTC could counter the negative effects of IBP on iron absorption, while benefiting from the agronomic features of HTC., (© 2015 Society of Chemical Industry.)