Effectiveness of secukinumab in patients with psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis in a Saudi real-world setting.

INTRODUCTION: Psoriasis (PsO) is an immune-mediated chronic inflammatory disease that results in severe outcomes that impact the patient's quality of life and work productivity. We investigated the effectiveness of secukinumab in patients with chronic plaque psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis (PsA) over a 12-month period. METHODS: This was a longitudinal, retrospective study of the medical records of 81 patients with psoriasis and/or psoriatic arthritis who had been treated with secukinumab for at least 12 weeks. RESULTS: The Psoriasis Area Severity Index (PASI), Body Surface Area (BSA) percentage, and Dermatology Quality of Life Index (DLQI) among patients with PsO and PsO-PsA showed a statistically significant decrease from baseline over 12 months by approximately 9.86, 19.3%, and 9.7, respectively (p values < 0.001 for each). Moreover, there was a statistically significant decrease in the overall Disease Activity in Psoriatic Arthritis score (DAPSA) by approximately 22.35 from baseline over 12 months of treatment (p < 0.001). Considering the patients who started secukinumab 12 months or more prior to the study cutoff date, the 12-month retention rate was 85%. CONCLUSION: In a Saudi real-world setting, secukinumab proved to be an efficient medication with high efficacy and retention rates.

Determinants of asthma among adults in Tigray, Northern Ethiopia: a facility-based case-control study.

Background: Asthma is a public health concern affecting millions of productive age groups. Several studies were conducted on the determinants of asthma in children. However, little is known about the determinants of asthma among adults in Ethiopia. Understanding the determinants of asthma among adults can help reduce its burden. This study was aimed at identifying determinant factors for developing asthma among adults in Tigray hospitals. Methods: A facility-based, unmatched case-control study design was conducted from January 1 to April 26, 2019. A total of 698 participants (228 cases and 470 controls) completed their guided interviews using structured and pretested questionnaires by trained data collectors. A modified standard questionnaire from the European Community Respiratory Health Survey II (ECRHS II) was used to collect the data. The case definition was patients having asthma, and the control definition was patients without asthma. Data were entered and cleaned using Epi Data Manager Version 3.1 software and imported to statistical packages for social sciences Version 25 software for analysis. To identify asthma determinants, bivariate and multivariable logistic regression models were fitted. Results: The response rate for both cases and controls was 95.9%. The odds of developing asthma was nearly twice higher among those who resided in urban (AOR = 1.68; 95% CI [1.13-2.50]), more than twice higher among those who have income less than 1000 ETB (AOR = 2.3; 95% CI [1.17-4.56]), twice higher among those who had history of skin allergy (AOR = 2.09; 95% CI [1.14-3.86]), over four times higher among those with family history of asthma (AOR = 4.26; 95% CI [2.63-6.91]), three times higher among those having house dust or smoke exposure (AOR = 3.01; 95% CI [1.96-4.64]), over five times higher among those lifetime firewood users (AOR = 5.39; 95% CI [3.34-8.72]), door opening while cooking (AOR = 0.35; 95% CI [0.26-0.55]), nearly two times higher among those having house dampness (AOR = 1.98; 95% CI [1.069-3.68]), over seven times higher among pet owners (AOR = 7.46; 95% CI [4.04-13] and almost twice higher among those who were physically inactive (AOR = 1.75; 95% CI [1.11-2.85]). Conclusion: Asthma has been associated with urbanization, low income, a history of allergic diseases, indoor smoke or dust, firewood use, pet ownership, and a sedentary lifestyle. The community should be informed about the known risks and implement preventive steps like opening a door while cooking to lower the risk of asthma.

Intimate Partner Violence During Pregnancy and Maternal Morbidity in South Ethiopia: A Cohort Study.

Purpose: Intimate partner violence during pregnancy is a universal public health problem. However, its link with maternal morbidity is not well understood in Ethiopia. Thus, the study assessed its effect on maternal morbidity during delivery and postpartum in South Ethiopia. Methods: A prospective cohort study was conducted among 1535 pregnant women. Pregnant women with intimate partner violence during pregnancy were enrolled as the "exposed group", and pregnant women without intimate partner violence were registered as the "unexposed group". A total of 711 exposed and 774 unexposed women were included in the analysis of this study. Data were collected using an interviewer-administered questionnaire. Data entry and analysis were done in STATA Version 14. A generalized linear model with a log link function using the binreg command was applied to examine the effect of intimate partner violence on maternal morbidity. Results: The level of maternal morbidity during delivery and postpartum was higher among women with intimate partner violence than women without intimate partner violence (34.0% vs 26.6%). After adjusting for confounders, women with intimate partner violence during pregnancy were more likely to experience maternal morbidity than women without intimate partner violence (aRR=4.45; 95% CI: 3.15, 6.28). Psychological violence was also identified as a risk factor for maternal morbidity (aRR=2.17; 95% CI: 1.76, 2.67). Likewise, women with physical violence were more likely to experience maternal morbidity than those without physical violence (aRR=1.31; 95% CI: 1.12, 1.53). Conclusion: The current study demonstrated a higher level of maternal morbidity among women with intimate partner violence. Psychological violence, physical violence, and intimate partner violence during pregnancy were found to increase the risk of maternal morbidity. Strengthening the prevention and prompt management of intimate partner violence during pregnancy may significantly reduce the incidence of maternal morbidity.

COVID-19: Factors Associated with the Psychological Distress, Fear and Resilient Coping Strategies among Community Members in Saudi Arabia.

(1) Background: COVID-19 caused the worst international public health crisis, accompanied by major global economic downturns and mass-scale job losses, which impacted the psychosocial wellbeing of the worldwide population, including Saudi Arabia. Evidence of the high-risk groups impacted by the pandemic has been non-existent in Saudi Arabia. Therefore, this study examined factors associated with psychosocial distress, fear of COVID-19 and coping strategies among the general population in Saudi Arabia. (2) Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in healthcare and community settings in the Saudi Arabia using an anonymous online questionnaire. The Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (K-10), Fear of COVID-19 Scale (FCV-19S) and Brief Resilient Coping Scale (BRCS) were used to assess psychological distress, fear and coping strategies, respectively. Multivariate logistic regressions were used, and an Adjusted Odds Ratio (AOR) with 95% Confidence Intervals (CIs) was reported. (3) Results: Among 803 participants, 70% (n = 556) were females, and the median age was 27 years; 35% (n = 278) were frontline or essential service workers; and 24% (n = 195) reported comorbid conditions including mental health illness. Of the respondents, 175 (21.8%) and 207 (25.8%) reported high and very high psychological distress, respectively. Factors associated with moderate to high levels of psychological distress were: youth, females, non-Saudi nationals, those experiencing a change in employment or a negative financial impact, having comorbidities, and current smoking. A high level of fear was reported by 89 participants (11.1%), and this was associated with being ex-smokers (3.72, 1.14-12.14, 0.029) and changes in employment (3.42, 1.91-6.11, 0.000). A high resilience was reported by 115 participants (14.3%), and 333 participants (41.5%) had medium resilience. Financial impact and contact with known/suspected cases (1.63, 1.12-2.38, 0.011) were associated with low, medium, to high resilient coping. (4) Conclusions: People in Saudi Arabia were at a higher risk of psychosocial distress along with medium-high resilience during the COVID-19 pandemic, warranting urgent attention from healthcare providers and policymakers to provide specific mental health support strategies for their current wellbeing and to avoid a post-pandemic mental health crisis.

Multilevel analysis of factors for intimate partner violence during pregnancy in Gammo Goffa Zone, South Ethiopia: A community based study.

Background: Intimate partner violence during pregnancy is a public health problem that can affect both maternal and fetal life. However, its prevalence and associated factors have not been well studied and understood in Ethiopia. Hence, this study was conducted to assess the individual and community-level factors associated with intimate partner violence during pregnancy in Gammo Goffa Zone, South Ethiopia. Methods: A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted among 1,535 randomly selected pregnant women from July to October 2020. Data were collected using an interviewer-administered, standardized WHO multi-country study questionnaire and analyzed using STATA 14. A two level mixed-effects logistic regression model was used to identify factors associated with intimate partner violence during pregnancy. Results: The prevalence of intimate partner violence during pregnancy was found to be 48% (95% CI: 45-50%). Factors affecting violence during pregnancy were identified at the community and individual levels. Access to health facilities (AOR = 0.61; 95% CI: 0.43, 0.85), women feeling isolated from the community (AOR= 1.96; 95% CI: 1.04, 3.69), and strict gender role differences (AOR= 1.45; 95% CI: 1.03, 2.04) were among higher-level factors found to be significantly associated with intimate partner violence during pregnancy. Low decision-making power was found to increase the odds of experiencing IPV during pregnancy (AOR= 2.51; 95% CI: 1.28, 4.92). Similarly, maternal education, maternal occupation, living with the partner's family, current pregnancy intended by the partner, dowry payment, and presence of marital conflict were among the individual- level factors found to increase the odds of experiencing intimate partner violence during pregnancy. Conclusions: The prevalence of intimate partner violence during pregnancy was high in the study area. Both individual and community-level factors had significant implications on maternal health programs related to violence against women. Socio-demographic and socio-ecological characteristics were identified as associated factors. Since it is a multifaceted problem, special emphasis has to be given to multi-sectoral approaches involving all responsible bodies to mitigate the situation.

Alpha-2 beta-adrenergic receptor (301-303 I/D) gene polymorphism in hypertension and type 2 diabetes mellitus diseases among Saudi cases in the Qassim region.

The hypertension (HTN) and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) are a common multifactorial disease due to genetics and environmental factors. The alpha 2B adrenergic receptor (α2B-AR) has relationship with secretion of insulin and mediates the vasoconstriction that elevate blood pressure. This study aimed to determine the association between α2B-AR gene polymorphism with HTN and T2DM in Saudi cases. 200 cases and 100 healthy controls from Saudi population were recruited from the Internal Medicine clinic, Qassim University. The patients were grouped into: 72 HTN without T2DM; 62 HTN with T2DM and 66 T2DM only. Full medical history, examination and biochemical assays were performed for all participants. Genomic DNA was isolated from blood lymphocytes of all subjects for detection of α2B-AR gene polymorphism by using polymerase chain reaction (PCR). The results found a significant association between D carriers genotype and HTN with T2DM cases (p < 0.05) as well as with T2DM-only cases, (p < 0.05) compared to control. Regardless of HTN status, only cases with HTN and T2DM as well as those with T2DM were significantly associated with the recessive model DD versus II+ID (p < 0.05). So, D carriers genotype was significantly associated with total cases of HTN and T2DM (p < 0.05) compared to controls. Our results suggested that there is a relationship between the α2B-AR I/D gene polymorphism and the risk for T2DM with or without HTN, but no such comparable relationship is evident with HTN-only cases among Saudi population in Qassim region.

Assessment of subpatent Plasmodium infection in northwestern Ethiopia.

BACKGROUND: Ethiopia has set a goal for malaria elimination by 2030. Low parasite density infections may go undetected by conventional diagnostic methods (microscopy and rapid diagnostic tests) and their contribution to malaria transmission varies by transmission settings. This study quantified the burden of subpatent infections from samples collected from three regions of northwest Ethiopia. METHODS: Sub-samples of dried blood spots from the Ethiopian Malaria Indicator Survey 2015 (EMIS-2015) were tested and compared using microscopy, rapid diagnostic tests (RDTs), and nested polymerase chain reaction (nPCR) to determine the prevalence of subpatent infection. Paired seroprevalence results previously reported along with gender, age, and elevation of residence were explored as risk factors for Plasmodium infection. RESULTS: Of the 2608 samples collected, the highest positive rate for Plasmodium infection was found with nPCR 3.3% (95% CI 2.7-4.1) compared with RDT 2.8% (95% CI 2.2-3.5) and microscopy 1.2% (95% CI 0.8-1.7). Of the nPCR positive cases, Plasmodium falciparum accounted for 3.1% (95% CI 2.5-3.8), Plasmodium vivax 0.4% (95% CI 0.2-0.7), mixed P. falciparum and P. vivax 0.1% (95% CI 0.0-0.4), and mixed P. falciparum and Plasmodium malariae 0.1% (95% CI 0.0-0.3). nPCR detected an additional 30 samples that had not been detected by conventional methods. The majority of the nPCR positive cases (61% (53/87)) were from the Benishangul-Gumuz Region. Malaria seropositivity had significant association with nPCR positivity [adjusted OR 10.0 (95% CI 3.2-29.4), P < 0.001]. CONCLUSION: Using nPCR the detection rate of malaria parasites increased by nearly threefold over rates based on microscopy in samples collected during a national cross-sectional survey in 2015 in Ethiopia. Such subpatent infections might contribute to malaria transmission. In addition to strengthening routine surveillance systems, malaria programmes may need to consider low-density, subpatent infections in order to accelerate malaria elimination efforts.

The effect of gender on food insecurity among HIV-infected people receiving anti-retroviral therapy: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: HIV-infected adults receiving anti-retroviral therapy have a high prevalence of food insecurity in both high- and low-income settings., Women bear an inequitable burden of food insecurity due to lack of control over resources and over household food allocation decision-making. The few studies conducted on the association between food insecurity and gender among HIV-infected adults have inconclusive findings. Therefore, the objective of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to estimate the pooled effect of gender on food insecurity among HIV-infected adults receiving antiretroviral therapy. METHOD: We conducted an electronic, web-based search using PubMed, CINAHL, PopLine, MedNar, Embase, Cochrane library, the JBI Library, the Web of Science and Google Scholar. We included studies which reported the association between food insecurity and gender among HIV-infected adults receiving antiretroviral therapy whose age was greater than 18 years. The analysis was conducted using STATA 14 software. A random effects model was used to estimate the pooled effect a 95% confidence interval(CI). Forest plots were used to visualize the presence of heterogeneity. Funnel plots and Egger's and Begg's tests were used to check for publication bias. RESULTS: A total of 776 studies were identified of which seventeen studies were included in the meta-analysis, with a total of 5827 HIV infected adults receiving antiretroviral therapy. We found that the gender of HIV-infected adults receiving anti-retroviral therapy had statistically significant effects on food insecurity. The pooled odds of developing food insecurity among female HIV infected adults receiving anti-retroviral therapy was 53% higher than male HIV infected adults (OR: 1.53, 95% CI: 1.29, 1.83). Our analysis indicate the findings of studies conducted in the high-income countries showed weakest associations between gender and food insecurity than those conducted in low- and middle-income countries. CONCLUSION: Our systematic review and meta-analysis showed statistically significant effect of gender on food insecurity among HIV-infected adults receiving anti-retroviral therapy in which odds of food insecurity was higher among female HIV infected adults compared to male HIV-infected adults. These findings suggest that the need to include within food and nutrition interventions for HIV-infected adults receiving antiretroviral treatment, culture- and context-specific gender-based policies to address the sex/gender related vulnerability to food insecurity.

Nanoscale investigation of a radial p-n junction in self-catalyzed GaAs nanowires grown on Si (111).

One obstacle for the development of nanowire (NW) solar cells is the challenge to assess and control their nanoscale electrical properties. In this work a top-cell made of p-n GaAs core/shell NWs grown on a Si(111) substrate by Molecular Beam Epitaxy (MBE) is investigated by high resolution charge collection microscopy. Electron Beam Induced Current (EBIC) analyses of single NWs have validated the formation of a homogeneous radial p-n junction over the entire length of the NWs. The radial geometry leads to an increase of the junction area by 38 times with respect to the NW footprint. The interface between the NWs and the Si(111) substrate does not show any electrical loss, which would have led to a decrease of the EBIC signal. Single NW I-V characteristics present a diodic behavior. A model of the radial junction single NW is proposed and the electrical parameters are estimated by numerical fitting of the I-Vs and of the EBIC map. Solar cells based on NW arrays were fabricated and analyzed by EBIC microscopy, which evidenced the presence of a Schottky barrier at the NW/ITO top contact. Improvement of the top contact quality is achieved by thermal annealing at 400 °C, which strongly reduces the parasitic Schottky barrier.

Maternal and child characteristics and health practices affecting under-five mortality: A matched case control study in Gamo Gofa Zone, Southern Ethiopia.

BACKGROUND: Though Ethiopia has shown a considerable improvement in reducing under-five mortality rate since 1990, many children still continue to die prematurely. Mixed results have been reported about determinants of under-five mortality. Besides, there is paucity of mortality studies in the current study site. Therefore, this study was conducted to assess maternal and child health related predictors of under-five mortality in Southern Ethiopia. METHODS: A matched case control study was conducted in 2014 in Arba Minch Town and Arba Minch Zuria District of Gamo Gofa Zone, Southern Ethiopia. Conditional logistic regression was employed to identify the predictors of under-five mortality. Sampling weight was applied to account for the non-proportional allocation of sample to different clusters. Based on the Mosley & Chen's analytical framework for under-five and infant mortalities, the predictors were organized in to three groups: 1) personal illness control, 2) child feeding and newborn care and 3) other maternal and child related factors. RESULTS: Among personal illness control related factors: lack of post-natal care, immunization status of the child and lack of Vitamin A supplementation were significantly associated with higher rate of under-five mortality. Not breastfeeding and delaying first bath at least for 24 hours were child feeding and newborn care related factors which were found to be significantly associated with under-five mortality. Among other maternal and child related factors, shorter previous birth interval, history of death of index child's older sibling, being multiple birth and live birth after the index child were significantly associated with under-five mortality. CONCLUSIONS: In order to maintain reduction of under-five mortality during the Sustainable Development Goals era, strengthening of maternal and child health interventions, such as post-natal care, family planning, immunization, supplementation of Vitamin A for children older than six months, breastfeeding and delaying of first bath after delivery at least for 24 hours are recommended.

Socioeconomic and environmental determinants of under-five mortality in Gamo Gofa Zone, Southern Ethiopia: a matched case control study.

BACKGROUND: Despite global declaration of the right to life as a fundamental human right and substantial progress in reducing childhood mortality, unacceptably high number of children still die before their fifth birthday every day. Different factors have been studied and implicated for under-five mortality with mixed results. Mortality studies in the current study sites were lacking. Therefore, this study examined environmental and socioeconomic determinants of under-five mortality. METHODS: The study applied a matched case control study design on 381 cases of children who died before their fifth birthday and 762 controls born within 1 month in the same locality as the cases. We conducted weighted conditional logistic regression to assess the association between selected factors and mortality status. RESULT: The odds of death was found to be significantly lower among children of mothers whose educational status was grade nine or above (Adjusted odds ratio (AOR) of 0.34(0.16-0.72)). The odds of death was significantly higher among children whose mothers' marital status were separated/divorced or widowed (AOR of 3.60(1.23-10.47)) and whose fathers were daily laborers (AOR of 2.34(1.29-4.23)). Presence of separate kitchen in the household for cooking was a proximate factor which was significantly associated with under-five mortality with AOR of 1.77(1.16-2.70). CONCLUSION: Socioeconomic factors like maternal education, husband occupation and marital status of the mother were shown to be significantly associated with under-five mortality. Hence, in order to enhance reduction in childhood mortality, investing on maternal education targeting those at risk groups is recommended.

The relationship between under-five child death and maternal mental distress in Gamo Gofa Zone, Southern Ethiopia: a community based comparative cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: Knowledge of the association between child death and maternal mental distress may help to understand the indirect impact of reduction of under-five mortality on maternal mental wellbeing. This will further have a positive impact on the development of the nation. Depression is associated substantially with reduced quality of life and functional capacity of women. Although studies in the country assessed the magnitude of Common Mental Disorders (CMD) among postpartum mothers, those assessing the association between child death and maternal mental distress are lacking. Therefore, this study examined the association between child death and maternal mental distress. METHODS: We conducted a comparative cross-sectional study in 2014 on a total of 356 mothers who lost their children and 712 mothers with alive children. We measured CMD symptoms using the World Health Organization's (WHO's) self-reporting questionnaire (SRQ-20). A cut-off score of ≥6 was taken as an indicator of mental distress. To determine the relationship between child death and maternal mental distress, we conducted weighted conditional logistic regression analysis with mental distress coded as a binary outcome. RESULTS: Mothers who lost children had significantly higher rate of mental distress (adjusted odds ratio (AOR) of 1.84(1.11-3.04) compared to their counterparts. Similarly, mothers with child loss reported a significantly higher rate of suicidal ideation (23.3%) than mothers without child death (16.3%), with p-value of 0.003. The effect of child loss on maternal mental distress was greater during earlier periods (within 6 months of child death) and it decreased through time. However, it was shown to be persistently high at least during the first three years after child death, relative to mothers with alive child. CONCLUSIONS: Significantly higher proportions of women with child loss experienced mental distress including suicidal ideation than those without. Screening for maternal mental health problems by incorporating simple common mental distress assessing tools, like WHO's SRQ into the maternal and child health care programs of health facilities may have significant effect on reducing the impact of maternal mental health problems in the designated communities.

Individual and community level factors with a significant role in determining child height-for-age Z score in East Gojjam Zone, Amhara Regional State, Ethiopia: a multilevel analysis.

BACKGROUND: In Ethiopia, child undernutrition remains to be a major public health challenge and a contributing factor for child mortality and morbidity. To reduce the problem, it is apparent to identify determinants of child undernutrition in specific contexts to deliver appropriately, targeted, effective and sustainable interventions. METHODS: An agroecosystem linked cross-sectional survey was conducted in 3108 children aged 6-59 months. Multistage cluster sampling technique was used to select study participants. Data were collected on socio-demographic characteristics, child anthropometry and on potential immediate, underlying and basic individual and community level determinants of child undernutrition using the UNICEF conceptual framework. Analysis was done using STATA 13 after checking for basic assumptions of linear regression. Important variables were selected and individual and community level determinants of child height-for-age Z score were identified. P values less than 0.05 were considered the statistical level of significance. RESULTS: In the intercept only model and full models, 3.8% (p < 0.001) and 1.4% (p < 0.001) of the variability were due to cluster level variability. From individual level factors, child age in months, child sex, number of under five children, immunization status, breast feeding initiation time, mother nutritional status, diarrheal morbidity, household level water treatment and household dietary diversity were significant determinants of child height for age Z score. Also from community level determinants, agroecosystem type, liquid waste disposal practice and latrine utilization were significantly associated with child height-for-age Z score. CONCLUSION: In this study, a statistical significant heterogeneity of child height-for-age Z score was observed among clusters even after controlling for potential confounders. Both individual and community level factors, including the agroecosystem characteristics had a significant role in determining child height-for-age Z score in the study area. In addition to the existing efforts at the individual levels to improve child nutritional status, agroecosystem and community WASH related interventions should get more attention to improve child nutritional status in the study area.

Non random distribution of child undernutrition in Ethiopia: spatial analysis from the 2011 Ethiopia demographic and health survey.

BACKGROUND: Child undernutrition showed geographical inequalities due to variations in contextual determinants from area to area which indicates that location is an important factor in child undernutrition. However, there are limited studies on spatial epidemiology of child undernutrition in Ethiopia. This study was aimed to identify the SaTScan spatial clusters of child undernutrition in Ethiopia. METHODS: Nutritional indices of children (0-59 months) with Global Positioning System (GPS) location data were accessed from the 2011 Ethiopia Demographic and Health Survey (EDHS) after getting permission from the MEASURES Demographic and Health Survey (DHS) Program. The Bernoulli Model was fitted using SaTScan™ software, version 9.4. for SaTScan cluster analysis. Log Likelihood Ratio (LLR) test was used for each SaTScan cluster and size of the scanning SaTScan cluster to test the alternative hypothesis that there is an elevated risk within the SaTScan cluster compared to outside the SaTScan cluster. Less than 0.05 for LLR was considered as statistically significant level. RESULTS: The SaTScan spatial analysis result detected Liben, Afder and Borena administrative zones around the South East Ethiopia as the most likely primary spatial SaTScan clusters (LLR = 28.98, p < 0.001) for wasting. In the Northern, Middle, North East and North West areas of Ethiopia particularly from all administrative zones of Amhara, Tigray, Afar, Ben. Gumz regional states and East Welega and North Showa zones from Oromiya Regional State (LLR = 60.27, p < 0.0001) were detected as the most likely primary SaTScan clusters for child underweight. Also in the Northern, Middle, North East and North West areas of all administrative zones of Tigray, Amhara, Ben. Gumz and Afar regional states and West and North Showa and East Welega from Oromiya Regional States (LLR = 97.28, P < 0.0001) were primary SaTScan clusters for child stunting. CONCLUSION: The study showed geographical variability of child stunting, underweight and wasting in the Country which demands risk based local nutritional interventions. Further study will be important to assess the temporal nature of the problem and to identify community level factors that create this spatial variation.

Early days of life are crucial for child survival in Gamo Gofa Zone, Southern Ethiopia: A community based study.

BACKGROUND: Though, Ethiopia has shown progress in the reduction of under-five mortality in the last few years, the problem of neonatal and under-five mortality are still among the highest in the world and that warrants continuous investigation of the situation for sustained interventions to maintain the reduction beyond the millennium development goals. Therefore, this study was conducted with the objective of determining the magnitude of childhood mortalities in the designated community. METHOD: A census of 11 kebeles (lowest administrative units in Ethiopia) of Arba Minch Town and 11 kebeles of Arba Minch Zuria District, which were not part of Arba Minch Demographic Surveillance System (DSS), had been done in order to identify all children (alive and dead) born between September 01, 2007 and September 30, 2014. Besides, all children born after July 01, 2009 were tracked from the data base of the Arba Minch DSS. Descriptive analyses with frequency and cross tabulation with the corresponding confidence interval and p-value were made using SPSS 16 and STATA 11. Extended Mantel-Haenszel chi-square for linear trend was also performed to assess presence of linear trend through the study period using open-Epi version 2.3. RESULT: A total of 20,161 children were included for this analysis. The overall weighted under five, infant and neonatal mortalities with their corresponding 95 % confidence intervals were: 42.76 (39.56-45.97), 33.89 (31.03-36.76) and 18.68 (16.53-20.83) per 1000 live births, respectively. Majority of neonatal deaths occurred within the first 7 days of life. Under-five mortality was found to be significantly higher among non-DSS rural kebeles, overall rural kebeles and females. CONCLUSION: Significant number of children died during their early days of life. Strengthening of maternal and child health interventions during pregnancy, during and immediately after birth are recommended in order to avert majorities of neonatal deaths.

Genetic polymorphisms of NFκB1 -94 del/ins ATTG, NFκB1A 2758 A>G and SUMO rs237025 G>A in psoriasis.

BACKGROUND: Nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) and small ubiquitin-like modifier (SUMO4) are key transcription factors involved in the regulation of immune responses and apoptosis. The aim of this study is to test for the association of NF-κB and SUMO gene polymorphisms with the susceptibility and severity of psoriasis among Saudi cases. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: This is a case controlled study including 85 Saudi psoriasis patients in addition to 92 matched healthy unrelated controls from the same locality. For all participants, DNA was analyzed by PCR for characterization of NF-κB1 -94 del/ins ATTG, NF-κB IA 2758 A>G and SUMO rs237025 G>A gene polymorphisms. RESULTS: Compared to controls, psoriasis patients showed a non-significant difference for all frequencies of genotypes and alleles of NF-κB1 ins/del, NF-κB1A A>G and SUMO4 G>A polymorphisms (p>0.05). However, cases with the plaque type had significantly higher frequency of the SUMO4 A allele carriage (GA+AA genoytpes) than the guttate type (78.6% vs. 21.4%, p=0.02). The PASI score was also significantly higher among cases with the NF-κB1A AA genotype than other cases (p=0.00). CONCLUSION: Genetic polymorphisms of NF-κB1-94 ins/del ATTG, NF-κB IA 2758 A>G and SUMO4 rs237025 G>A were not associated with the susceptibility to psoriasis vulgaris in Saudi patients. However, it might be associated with the expressivity of the disease in terms of its clinical type and severity.