Prevalence of hepatitis B virus, hepatitis C virus, and human immunodeficiency virus among blood donors of Mekelle blood bank, Northern Ethiopia: A three-year retrospective study.

Blood transfusion services are a vital and integral part of modern healthcare services. However, the risk of transfusion transmittable infections (TTI) has been a major handicap. Therefore, this study was aimed at determining the prevalence of hepatitis B virus (HBV), hepatitis C virus (HCV), and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) among blood donors. A retrospective study was conducted to collect data about the blood donors who consecutively donated blood from October 2011 to 2014. A three-year retrospective study was conducted in Mekelle Blood Bank. A data abstraction format was used to collect the sociodemographic and clinical data, and the prevalence of HBV, HCV, and HIV was determined. Data were analyzed using STATA version 10 analytical software. P value less than 0.05 was considered significant in all the analyses. A total of 10 728 blood donors, median (interquartile range) of age 30 (23-45) years and 3750 (34.9%) males were enrolled in this study. Of the participants 407(3.79%), 143(1.33%), and 111(1.03%) blood donors were positive for HBV, HCV, and HIV, respectively. HBV-HIV coinfections were found 10 (1.93%) blood donors, followed by HBV-HCV and HIV-HCV. A significant association between sex and marital status with HBV and HIV infection was found. However, significant association of HCV was observed among sex ( X 2 = 33.18, P < 0.001) and occupational ( X 2 = 84.33, P < 0.001). A significant percentage of HBV, HCV, and HIV among blood donors was observed. To select a donor and collect safe blood risk factors exposing blood donor should be studied, and community-based prevalence studies on TTI are also required.

Nano-Medicine as a Newly Emerging Approach to Combat Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV).

BACKGROUND: Human Immuno deficiency Virus (HIV) infection has attained pandemic level due to its complexity on both the HIV infection cycle and on the targets for drug delivery. This limits medication and consequently requires prominent and promising drug delivery systems to be invented. Notably, various nanomaterial have been studied to enhance effective delivery of the antiretroviral drugs for HIV prevention, diagnosis and cure. Some of these nanomaterials are liposomes, dendrimers, inorganic nanoparticles (NPs), polymeric micelles, natural and synthetic polymers. OBJECTIVE: The present study aimed to review the recent progress in nanomedicine as a newly emerging approach to combat HIV. METHODS: The scientific data bases reviewed carefully to find both in vitro and in vivo studies representing the role of nonomedicine to combat HIV. RESULTS: Impressively, nanomedicine drug delivery systems have been commendable in various models ranging from in vitro to in vivo. It gives notion about the application of nano-carrier systems for the delivery of anti-retroviral drugs which ideally should provide better distribution to surpass Blood- Brain Barrier (BBB) and other tissue or to overcome innate barriers such as mucus. Considerably, nanomaterials such as dendrimers and many other inorganic NPs such as silver, gold, iron, and zinc can be used for HIV treatment by interfering in varying stages of HIV life cycle. Furthermore, NPs could best act as adjuvants, convoys during vaccine delivery, as intra-vaginal microbicides and for the early detection of HIV-1 p24 antigen. CONCLUSION: Nanomedicine may be a proper approach in HIV/AIDS therapy by means of offering lower dosage and side effect, better patient-to-patient consistency, bioavailability, target specificity and improved sensitivity of HIV diagnosis.

Prevalence and antimicrobial susceptibility patterns of Shigella among acute diarrheal outpatients in Mekelle hospital, Northern Ethiopia.

BACKGROUND: Emergence of increased antimicrobial resistance of Shigella species is a global challenge, particularly in developing countries where increased misuse of antimicrobial agents occurs. There is no published data in the study area on the prevalence and antimicrobial susceptibility patterns of Shigella among acute diarrheal patients. This study was therefore, under taken to fill this gap. METHODS: Using cross sectional study method, stool specimens were collected from 216 patients with acute diarrhea at Mekelle Hospital from August to November 2014. Standard bacteriological methods were used to isolate and determine the antimicrobial susceptibility patterns of the isolates, and data were analyzed using SPSS version 20. RESULTS: Out of the total 216 participants, Shigella was isolated from 15 (6.9 %) of the participants. Ten (66.7 %) of the positive isolates were from children <15 years (p = 0.005). Latrine availability, source of drinking water and hand washing habits before meal were statistically significant with shigellosis (p < 0.05). Isolates of Shigella showed 100, 86.7 and 66.7 % resistance to amoxicillin, amoxicillin and cotrimoxazole respectively. Low levels of resistance were observed for norfloxacin and ciprofloxacin (6.7 % each). Overall, 80 % of the isolates showed multidrug resistance. CONCLUSION: Shigella isolates were highly resistant to amoxicillin, amoxicillin and cotrimoxazole. However, ciprofloxacin and norfloxacin were effective. Antibiotic surveillance is needed to prevent further emergence of drug resistant Shigella strains. More has to be done in the availability of latrine, supply of safe drinking water to the community to reduce the disease burden.