Availability and utilization of sanitation facilities in Enderta district, Tigray, Ethiopia.

INTRODUCTION: Despite concerted efforts by governmental and non-governmental organizations, water and adequate sanitation still remain a challenge worldwide. Therefore, this study assessed the availability and utilization of sanitation facilities in Enderta district of Tigray, Ethiopia. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted in May 2016. An interview and observation were conducted in a total of 450 households. An interviewer administered questionnaire and observation checklist were used to collect the data. Multivariable logistic regression was done to identify the predictors of availability and utilization of latrine, hand washing, and drinking water. RESULTS: Out of 450 households, only 68.4% had latrine of which only 21.4% had hand washing facility near the toilet. Likewise, only 9.3% washed their hand after toilet. However, all households had access to improved water source. In this study, proper utilization of latrine, hand washing, and water facilities was observed in 53%, 42.4% and 36.2% of the study households, respectively. The family size and getting sanitation information from health care providers, health extension workers, and health development army had a positive effect on availability and utilization. CONCLUSIONS: Though Community-Led total sanitation and hygiene approach has been implemented in the study area, the availability and proper utilization of latrine, and hand washing are still low. Only few households used drinking water properly. The education or information on hygienic practices found to affect the availability and utilization of the sanitation facilities positively. Therefore, strengthening the health extension workers and health development army to provide sustainable education and health information is needed.

Calreticulin mutations and long-term survival in essential thrombocythemia.

The impact of calreticulin (CALR) mutations on long-term survival in essential thrombocythemia (ET) was examined in 299 patients whose diagnosis predated 2006. Mutational frequencies were 53% for Janus kinase 2 (JAK2), 32% for CALR and 3% for MPL; the remaining 12% were 'triple-negative'. We confirmed the association of mutant CALR (vs JAK2V617F) with younger age (P=0.002), male sex (P=0.01), higher platelet count (0.0004), lower hemoglobin (P<0.0001), lower leukocyte count (0.02) and lower incidence of recurrent thrombosis (0.04). Triple-negative patients were also younger than their JAK2-mutated counterparts (P=0.003) and displayed lower hemoglobin (P=0.003), lower leukocyte count (<0.0001) and lower thrombotic events (P=0.02). Median follow-up time was 12.7 years and 47% of the patients were followed until death. Survival was the longest for triple-negative and shortest for MPL-mutated patients. Median survival was 19 years for JAK2 and 20 years for CALR-mutated cases (P=0.32); the corresponding figures for patients of age ⩽65 years were 26 and 32 years (P=0.56). The two mutational categories were also similar for leukemic (P=0.28) and fibrotic (P=0.28) progression rates. The current study is uniquely characterized by its very long follow-up period and provides accurate estimates of long-term survival in ET and complements current information on mutation-specific phenotype and prognosis.

CALR and ASXL1 mutations-based molecular prognostication in primary myelofibrosis: an international study of 570 patients.

Current prognostication in primary myelofibrosis (PMF) is based on the dynamic international prognostic scoring system (DIPSS)-plus, which employs clinical and cytogenetic variables. We recently reported DIPSS-plus independent prognostic significance for calreticulin (CALR) (favorable) and ASXL1 (unfavorable) mutations. In the current study, 570 PMF patients were recruited for derivation (n=277) and validation (n=293) of a molecular prognostic model based on these two mutations. Survival was the longest in CALR(+)ASXL1(-) (median 10.4 years) and shortest in CALR(-)ASXL1(+) patients (median, 2.3 years; hazard ratio (HR), 5.9; 95% confidence interval (CI), 3.5-10.0). CALR(+)ASXL1(+) and CALR(-)ASXL1(-) patients had similar survival and were grouped together in an intermediate-risk category (median survival, 5.8 years; HR, 2.5; 95% CI, 1.5-4.0). The CALR/ASXL1 mutations-based prognostic model was DIPSS-plus independent (P<0.0001) and effective in identifying low-/intermediate-1-risk patients with shorter (median, 4 years) or longer (median 20 years) survival and high-/intermediate-2-risk patients with shorter (median, 2.3 years) survival. Multivariable analysis distinguished CALR(-)ASXL1(+) mutational status as the most significant risk factor for survival: HR 3.7 vs 2.8 for age >65 years vs 2.7 for unfavorable karyotype. These observations signify immediate clinical relevance and warrant i) CALR and ASXL1 mutation determination in all patients with PMF and ii) molecular revision of DIPSS-plus.

Distribution of unlinked receptor sites for transposed Ac elements from the bz-m2(Ac) allele in maize.

We have shown before that the Ac element from the maize bz-m2(Ac) allele, located in the short arm of chromosome 9 (9S), transposes preferentially to sites that are linked to the bz donor locus. Yet, about half of the Ac transpositions recovered from bz-m2(Ac) are in receptor sites not linked to the donor locus. In this study, we have analyzed the distribution of those unlinked receptor sites. Thirty-seven transposed Ac (trAc) elements that recombined independently of the bz locus were mapped using a set of wx reciprocal translocations. We found that the distribution of unlinked receptor sites for trAs was not random. Ten trAcs mapped to 9L, i.e., Ac had transposed to sites physically, if not genetically, linked to the donor site. Among chromosomes other than 9, the Ac element of bz-m2(Ac) appeared to have transposed preferentially to certain chromosomes, such as 5 and 7, but infrequently to others, such as 1, the longest chromosome in the maize genome. The seven trAc elements in chromosome 5 were mapped relative to markers in 5S and 5L and localized to both arms of 5. We also investigated the transposition of Ac to the homolog of the donor chromosome. We found that Ac rarely transposes from bz-m2(Ac) to the homologous chromosome 9. The clustering of Ac receptor sites around the donor locus has been taken to mean that a physical association between the donor site and nearby receptor sites occurs during transposition. The preferential occurrence of 9L among chromosomes harboring unlinked receptor sites would be expected according to this model, since sites in 9L would tend to be physically closer to 9S than sites in other chromosomes. The nonrandom pattern seen among the remaining chromosomes could reflect an underlying nuclear architecture, i.e., an ordering of the chromosomes in the interphase nucleus, as suggested from previous cytological observations.

EMF, an Arabidopsis Gene Required for Vegetative Shoot Development.

In higher plants, the transition from the vegetative to the; reproductive state in the shoot meristem initiates flowering. To study this floral transition, Constitutively flowering mutant of Arabidopsis thaliana ecotype columbia, embryonic flower (emf), was characterized. No vegetative shoots were produced from emf embryos or calli; the shoot apical meristems (SAMs) in the emf embryos were altered compared to wild-type SAMs. The mutant SAMs enlarged precociously and produced inflorescence meritems upon germination. These results suggest that the dominant, wild-type allele EMF is required for the vegetative state of the SAM. In the absence of EMF function, the mutant embryo assumes the reproductive state.

Chromosome breakage by pairs of closely linked transposable elements of the Ac-Ds family in maize.

Chromosome breaks and hence chromosomal rearrangements often occur in maize stocks harboring transposable elements (TEs), yet it is not clear what types of TE structures promote breakage. We have shown previously that chromosomes containing a complex transposon structure consisting of an Ac (Activator) element closely linked in direct orientation to a terminally deleted or fractured Ac (fAc) element have a strong tendency to break during endosperm development. Here we show that pairs of closely linked transposons with intact ends, either two Ac elements--a common product of Ac transposition--or an Ac and a Ds (Dissociation) element, can constitute chromosome-breaking structures, and that the frequency of breakage is inversely related to intertransposon distance. Similar structures may also be implicated in chromosome breaks in other eukaryotic TE systems known to produce chromosomal rearrangements. The present findings are discussed in light of a model of chromosome breakage that is based on the transposition of a partially replicated macrotransposon delimited by the outside ends of the two linked TEs.

Transposition Pattern of the Maize Element Ac from the Bz-M2(ac) Allele.

The pattern of transposition of Ac from the mutable allele bz-m2(Ac) has been investigated. Stable (bz-s) and finely spotted (bz-m(F)) exceptions were selected from coarsely spotted bz-m2(Ac) ears. The presence or absence of a transposed Ac (trAc) in the genome was determined and, when present, the location of the trAc was mapped relative to the flanking markers sh and wx. The salient general features of Ac transposition to sites linked to bz are that the receptor sites tend to be clustered on either side of the bz donor site and that transposition is bidirectional and nonpolar. Thus, the symmetrical clustering in the distribution of receptor sites adjacent to bz differs from the asymmetrical clustering reported in 1984 for the P locus by I. M. GREENBLATT. Though Ac tends to transpose preferentially to closely linked sites, an appreciable fraction of Ac transpositions from bz-m2(Ac) is to unlinked sites: 41% among bz-s derivatives and 59% among bz-m(F) derivatives. Many transposition events among the bz-m(F) selections result in kernels carrying a genetically noncorresponding embryo. These can be interpreted as twin sectors arising at one of the megagametophytic mitoses. The bz locus data fit the earlier (1962) model of I. M. GREENBLATT and R. A. BRINK in which transposition takes place from a replicated donor site to either an unreplicated or replicated receptor site.