Hematological Parameters of Gasoline Station Workers at Hosanna Town, Southwest Ethiopia: A Comparative Cross-Sectional Study.

Background: Human exposure to benzene is associated with many adverse health effects. It is mainly related to impairment of the hematopoietic system and bone marrow suppression, causing abnormalities in hematological parameters. However, the reports obtained from different studies are contradictory, and there are little data regarding the hematological parameters of gas station workers in the study area. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the hematological parameters of gas station workers in Hosanna town, southwest Ethiopia, from May 01 to June 15, 2020. Methods: A comparative cross-sectional study was conducted by involving 180 (60 gas-stations workers and 120 controls) participants. Socio-demographic and related data of the study participants were collected using a pre-tested structured questionnaire through face-to-face-interviews. All phases of quality assurance were maintained, and hematological parameters were determined using Uni-Cel DxH 800 automated hematological analyzer. Independent sample T-test, Mann-Whitney U-test, and one-way ANOVA were used for data analysis. Statistical significance was declared at P<0.05. Results: Statistically significant difference was observed in hematological parameters of gasoline-workers and control groups. The mean of red blood cell count among gasoline-workers was significantly reduced as compared to control groups (p=0.007). In addition, the median of hemoglobin levels among gasoline-workers was significantly decreased as compared to the control groups (p=0.001). In contrast, a significant increase was observed in median of absolute eosinophil count among the gasoline-workers as compared to control groups (p=0.01). The mean of mean cell volume was significantly decreased with respect to the duration of work experience (p=0.04). Conclusion: In this study, a statistically significant difference was observed in some hematological parameters of gas station workers compared to the control group. Therefore, medical observation and periodic medical check-ups of the hematological profile should be considered to prevent the development of medical complications.

Bacterial etiology, antimicrobial resistance and factors associated with community acquired pneumonia among adult hospitalized patients in Southwest Ethiopia.

Background and Objectives: Antibiotic resistance is a significant problem that restricts the options for treating bacterial pneumonia. This research aimed to determine the bacterial causes of pneumonia and antibiotic resistance among hospitalized patients in southwest Ethiopia. Materials and Methods: We collected and analyzed 150 sputum samples from individuals with community-acquired pneumonia from April 1st to October 30th, 2019. Standard bacteriological procedures were used to identify the bacteria. Kirby Bauer's disk diffusion method was used to assess the bacteria's susceptibility patterns. Production of carbapenemase and extended-spectrum-lactamase were confirmed phenotypically. Odds ratios and the chi-square test were computed. Results: On the whole, bacterial pathogens were verified in 50% of the sputum samples. The predominant bacterial isolates were Klebsiella species, followed by Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Staphylococcus aureus and Streptococcus pneumoniae. About 77.5% of isolates were multidrug resistant. Moreover, 40.5% and 10.8% of the isolates were ESBL and carbapenemase producers, respectively. Aging, tobacco smoking, previous history of pneumonia, heart disease, and chronic respiratory disease had association with sputum culture-positivity. Conclusion: As a result, it is important to regularly monitor the bacterial etiologies and their patterns of resistance. Additionally, sociodemographic and clinical characteristics should all be taken into account while managing patients with pneumonia empirically in this context.

Voluntary blood donation knowledge, attitude, and practice among adult populations of Hosanna Town, South Ethiopia: a community-based cross-sectional study.

Introduction: Even though blood donation has increased in the past decades, it remains a challenge worldwide. An adequate blood supply can only be assured through voluntary blood donation. There is inadequate information on the level of blood donation practice in the current study area. This study aimed to assess the knowledge, attitude, practice, and associated factors toward voluntary blood donation among Hosanna town adult populations. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted from 1 May 2022 to 30 June 2022, on a total of 422 adult populations of Hosanna town. A simple random sampling technique was used to select the study subjects. Data were collected by face-to-face interviews using a structured pre-tested questionnaire. The levels of knowledge, attitude, and practice of participants toward voluntary blood donation were measured using a set of questions. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 25. Chi-square and odds ratios were calculated, and the results were presented with words and tables. Results: In this study, a total of 422 participants enrolled with a response rate of 96.6%. Of the total respondents, 204 (48.3%), 209 (49.5%), and 123 (29.15%) study participants had good knowledge, favorable attitude, and experience of blood donation, respectively. Participants' sex being male and having favorable attitudes were found to have significant associations with blood donation practice. Furthermore, it was found that male participants were more than two and a half times more likely to donate blood than female participants (AOR: 2.53; 95% CI: 1.54, 4.15). Those who had favorable attitudes were found more than three and a half times more likely to donate blood than those having unfavorable attitudes (AOR: 3.54; 95% CI: 1.32, 9.46). Conclusion and recommendations: A large proportion of adult populations had poor knowledge, unfavorable attitudes, and low practice toward voluntary blood donation. Therefore, local and national blood banks and transfusion agencies should design strategies that can be implemented to improve the knowledge or attitude of the adult population and motivate the population to donate blood voluntarily.

Awareness, Acceptance, and Associated Factors of Human Papillomavirus Vaccine among Parents of Daughters in Hadiya Zone, Southern Ethiopia: A Cross-Sectional Study.

INTRODUCTION: Human papillomavirus infections are the most prevalent sexually transmitted disease among women worldwide. Cervical cancer is the second-most frequent disease worldwide in terms of incidence and mortality, and it is primarily responsible for fatalities in low- to middle-income nations, including Ethiopia. OBJECTIVE: To assess awareness, acceptance, and associated factors of the human papillomavirus vaccine among parents of daughters in the Hadiya zone, southern Ethiopia. METHODS: From November to December 2021, a community-based cross-sectional study was conducted in the Hadiya zone among parents with daughters in the zone. The study respondents were chosen using a two-stage sampling technique from parents with a 9-14-year-old daughter. An interviewer-administered questionnaire was used to collect data. For analysis, the data were entered into Epidata version 3.1 and exported to SPSS version 25. Variables with a p-value less than 0.25 in the bivariate analysis were transferred to multivariable analysis. A logistic regression model was applied to forecast the association between the predictor and outcome variables. Statistical significance was considered at a 0.05 p-value. RESULTS: The study showed that the overall acceptance of parents to vaccinate their daughters with HPV vaccination was 450 (84.9%). Parents of daughters of male sex (AOR: 0.407; 95%CI: 0.221, 0.748), who had only one daughter (AOR: 2.122; 95%CI: 1.221, 3.685), whose daughter(s) attended a government school (AOR: 0.476; 95%CI: 0.263, 0.861), who had poor knowledge (AOR: 0.532; 95%CI: 0.293, 0.969) and who had a negative attitude (AOR: 0.540; 95%CI: 0.299, 0.977) were discovered to have a strong correlation. CONCLUSION: This study found that there was a high level of parental acceptance; attitudes and knowledge about the HPV vaccine are significant in determining their intentions to vaccinate their daughter. Authorities in high-risk areas for cervical cancer incidence should plan and implement strategies by providing health information regarding human papillomavirus vaccination with an emphasis on raising community awareness.

A pattern of platelet indices as a potential marker for prediction of pre-eclampsia among pregnant women attending a Tertiary Hospital, Ethiopia: A case-control study.

INTRODUCTION: Preeclampsia is the most serious health risk during pregnancy for both the mother and the fetus. Even though platelet parameters are among the proposed biomarkers for the prediction of preeclampsia, the use of its indices in the diagnosis of preeclampsia is not increasing in Ethiopia. There is little information on platelet patterns in preeclampsia and normal pregnancy. The purpose of this study was to determine the pattern of platelet indices in women with preeclampsia in our study setting. METHODS: A case-control study was conducted among 180 pregnant women who attended anti-natal follow-ups from January 1 to April 3, 2019. An Ethylene Diamine Tetra Acetic Acid anti-coagulated venous blood was collected and analyzed using a hematology analyzer (MINDRAY®-BC-300Plus, Shenzhen China). The SPSS software version 26 was used to run the Mann Whitney U test, Kruskal-Wallis H test, and Kolmogorov-Smirnov normality test, Post-hock test augmented with Benforeni, receiver operating characteristics curve, and Spear Man rank-order correlation. A P-value of <0.05 was considered statistically significant. RESULTS: A total of 180 pregnant women were included in the study. Platelet count and platelet crit levels tend to decrease as pre-eclampsia becomes more severe. In contrast, the mean platelet volume and platelet distribution widths were significantly increased with the severity of preeclampsia (P<0.001). Platelet distribution width (rho = 0.731, p<0.001) and mean platelet volume (rho = 0.674, p<0.001) had statistically significant positive relationships with mean arterial pressure. The best metric for predicting preeclampsia was platelet distribution width (AUC = 0.986; 95%CI; 0.970, 1). CONCLUSIONS: Platelet indices, including platelet count, mean platelet volume, platelet distribution width, and Platelet crit, have been identified as promising candidate markers for predicting preeclampsia in pregnant women. In the future, a serial examination of these indicators during several trimesters of pregnancy should be conducted.

Patient delay in seeking tuberculosis diagnosis and associated factors in Hadiya Zone, Southern Ethiopia.

OBJECTIVE: To assess patient delay in seeking tuberculosis diagnosis and associated factors in Hadiya Zone, Southern Ethiopia. RESULTS: The median patient delay in tuberculosis diagnosis in Hadiya Zone was found to be 30 days. Socioeconomic and perception related factors were identified as independent predictors for tuberculosis diagnosis delay. Socioeconomic characteristics like urban residence [OR 2.36; CI 1.64-3.40], religious views [OR 1.24; CI 1.73-7.0], low monthly income [OR 3.38; CI 2.01-5.66] were statistically significantly associated with patient delay in tuberculosis diagnosis. On the other hand, attitudinal determinants such as misconception about the time of TB treatment to be cured and lack of comfort with directly observed treatment short course service [OR 1.54; CI 1.02-2.30] were identified as independent predictors of patient delay in tuberculosis diagnosis. Thus, there is a need for more robust information dissemination strategy to ultimately change people's views that tuberculosis can only be cured when diagnosed and treated promptly.