Papers by Dr Mahmud Abdulkader Mahmud
Infection and Drug Resistance
To evaluate the role of C-reactive protein (CRP) in predicting severe COVID-19 patients. Methods:... more To evaluate the role of C-reactive protein (CRP) in predicting severe COVID-19 patients. Methods: A prospective observational cohort study was conducted from July 15 to October 28, 2020, at Kuyha COVID-19 isolation and treatment center hospital, Mekelle City, Northern Ethiopia. A total of 670 blood samples were collected serially. SARS-CoV-2 infection was confirmed by RT-PCR from nasopharyngeal swabs and CRP concentration was determined using Cobas Integra 400 Plus (Roche). Data were analyzed using STATA version 14. P-value <0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: Overall, COVID-19 patients had significantly elevated CRP at baseline when compared to PCR-negative controls [median 11.1 (IQR: 2.0-127.8) mg/L vs 0.9 (IQR: 0.5-1.9) mg/L; p=0.0004)]. Those with severe COVID-19 clinical presentation had significantly higher median CRP levels compared to those with non-severe cases [166.1 (IQR: 48.6-332.5) mg/L vs 2.4 (IQR: 1.2-7.6) mg/L; p<0.00001)]. Moreover, COVID-19 patients exhibited higher median CRP levels at baseline [58 (IQR: 2.0-127.8) mg/L] that decreased significantly to 2.4 (IQR: 1.4-3.9) mg/L after 40 days after symptom onset (p<0.0001). Performance of CRP levels determined using ROC analysis distinguished severe from non-severe COVID-19 patients, with an AUC value of 0.83 (95% CI: 0.73-0.91; p=0.001; 77.4% sensitivity and 89.4% specificity). In multivariable analysis, CRP levels above 30 mg/L were significantly associated with an increased risk of developing severe COVID-19 for those who have higher ages and comorbidities (ARR 3.99, 95% CI: 1.35-11.82; p=0.013). Conclusion: CRP was found to be an independent determinant factor for severe COVID-19 patients. Therefore, CRP levels in COVID-19 patients in African settings may provide a simple, prompt, and inexpensive assessment of the severity status at baseline and monitoring of treatment outcomes.
Turkish Journal of Kinesiology
This study was aimed at determining the effects of aerobic exercise training on blood pressure in... more This study was aimed at determining the effects of aerobic exercise training on blood pressure in men hypertensive patients. To this end, the study employed a randomized controlled, parallel-group design. Accordingly, twenty-four male hypertensive patients with a mean age of 38±4 years were assigned into two groups (n=12 each): the exercise group means body mass index 26.8±1.54 kg/m2 and the control group’s mean body mass index 27.2±1.98 kg/m2. The research participants’ systolic blood pressure (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) data were collected at baseline and after 16 weeks of the study period. The exercise group (EG) participants performed moderate-intensity aerobic exercise for 16 weeks three days per week. On the other hand, the control group (CG) participants did not take part in exercise intervention but continued their usual daily activities during the study period. Statistical analysis data collected was done using SPSS version 20. Analyses of within-group and betw...
Turkish Journal of Kinesiology, 2019
The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of Tigray Traditional dances on selected phy... more The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of Tigray Traditional dances on selected physiological variables among high school students. To achieve the purpose of this study, 100 high school students were selected randomly. The selected subjects were categorized into experimental group (Awris, Hura, Kuda and Shediva) and control group, with twenty subjects in each group (n=20). The experimental groups performed Traditional dances for a period of 16 weeks three days per week whereas participants in the control group were informed to follow their usual activity. All subjects were tested on selected criterion measures of selected physiological variables namely resting heart rate, systolic and diastolic blood pressure prior to and after the 16 weeks of the training period. The data pertaining to the variables in this study were statistically examined by using ANOVA for each variable separately, whenever 'F' ratio of adjusted post-test was found to be significant, the Scheffe's test was used to determine the paired mean differences. The level of significance was fixed at 0.05. Following the training program, significant change was observed on resting heart rate, systolic and diastolic blood pressure as compare the experimental group with the control group. Therefore it can be concluded that Tigray Traditional dance training program can notably improve physiological variables of high school students.
BMC Research Notes, Dec 1, 2019
Objective: Evidence on treatment outcomes and their trend analysis through a register based retro... more Objective: Evidence on treatment outcomes and their trend analysis through a register based retrospective study have significant contributions in the improvement of a national tuberculosis program. This study was aimed at determining tuberculosis treatment outcomes and their trend analysis. Results: A total of 3445 patient records were included. More than half (58%) were males and the mean age was 33.88 ± 16.91 years (range 0-90). From the total TB patients, 18.8% were HIV co infected. The treatment outcome of TB patients were 371 (10.8%) cured, 2234 (64.8) treatment completed, 119 (3.5%) died, 9 (0.3%) failed, 178 (5.1%) defaulted and 534 (15.5%) were transferred out. The overall treatment success rate was 89.5%. When assessed on yearly basis, treatment success rate was 87% in year 2009-2010 to 92.8% in 2013-2014 with 6.67% change in the outcome indicator over the 5 years period. Among pulmonary TB, pulmonary negative TB and extra pulmonary TB, the rate of successful treatment outcome was 83.1% to 89%, 85.1% to 89.4%, and 87.4% to 92%, respectively in the year 2009-2010 to 2013-2014. The percentage of the overall successful treatment outcomes were significantly associated with the year of treatment (p = 0.014).
SSRN Electronic Journal, 2021
Background Serological testing for SARS-CoV-2 plays an important role for epidemiological studies... more Background Serological testing for SARS-CoV-2 plays an important role for epidemiological studies, in aiding the diagnosis of COVID-19, and assess vaccine responses. Little is known on dynamics of SARS-CoV-2 serology in African settings. Here, we aimed to characterize the longitudinal antibody response profile to SARS-CoV-2 in Ethiopia. Methods In this prospective study, a total of 102 PCR-confirmed COVID-19 patients were enrolled. We obtained 802 plasma samples collected serially. SARS-CoV-2 antibodies were determined using four lateral flow immune-assays (LFIAs), and an electrochemiluminescent immunoassay. We determined longitudinal antibody response to SARS-CoV-2 as well as seroconversion dynamics. Results Serological positivity rate ranged between 12%-91%, depending on timing after symptom onset. There was no difference in positivity rate between severe and non-severe COVID-19 cases. The specificity ranged between 90%-97%. Agreement between different assays ranged between 84%-92%. The estimated positive predictive value (PPV) for IgM or IgG in a scenario with seroprevalence at 5% varies from 33% to 58%. Nonetheless, when the
Indian Journal of Public Health Research & Development, 2020
Objective: The purpose of the study was to examine combined aerobic and resistance exercise train... more Objective: The purpose of the study was to examine combined aerobic and resistance exercise training effect on lipid profiles in hypertensive patients. Method: A total of forty-six hypertensive patients aged between 31 and 45 years were randomly assigned into two groups: control group (n=23) and exercise group (n=23). Total cholesterol (TC), high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-c), low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-c), and triglycerides (TGs) data were collected at baseline and after 16 weeks of the study period. Analyses of within group and between group comparisons were done using paired sample t-test and independent sample t-test, respectively. Results: Pre-intervention data of TC, LDL-c, TGs, and HDL-c were homogeneous compared with groups (P>0.05). After completion of the study significant between group mean change difference was found in TC (-7.2 mg/dl; P=0.0001), LDL-c (-10 mg/dl; P=0.0001), TGs (-14.3 mg/dl; P=0.0001), and in HDL-c (3.8 mg/ dl; P=0.001). In EG participants performed combined aerobic and resistance exercise training. Conclusions: Combined aerobic and resistance exercise training significantly reduced TC, LDL-c, TGs and significantly increased HDL-c levels in hypertensive patients. Public awareness promotion should be designed and implemented by concerned bodies for hypertensive patients to realize the importance of combined exercise trainings and thereby increases their adherence to exercise programs. Trial Registration: Clinicaltrials.gov Identifier: NCT03029767 on 20/01/2017.
Microbial pathogenesis, 2018
Tuberculosis (TB) remains a major global health problem and ranks as the second leading cause of ... more Tuberculosis (TB) remains a major global health problem and ranks as the second leading cause of death among deaths caused by infectious diseases worldwide. Although the availability of short-course regimens as first-line anti-tuberculosis drugs, the emergence of drug-resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis strains pose a major challenge to the prevention and control efforts of national tuberculosis programs (NTPs). M. tuberculosis changes its cellular environment with the mechanisms that have been evolved since prehistoric times. The interactions between the bacteria and the host environment have been studied well. However, the studies at molecular level began to emerge recently including expression profiling of micro RNA (miRNA) and literature survey revealed that researchers find more information about their regulatory role in biological processes including immune response to infectious agents like mycobacteria. In developing countries, including Ethiopia, the burden of tuberculosis...
Journal of Water and Health, 2011
This study was conducted to assess the bacteriological quality of alternative drinking water supp... more This study was conducted to assess the bacteriological quality of alternative drinking water supply options in southwest coastal areas of Bangladesh. A total of 90 water samples were collected during both dry and wet seasons from household based rainwater harvesting systems (RWHSs), community based rain water harvesting systems (CRWHSs), pond-sand filters (PSFs) and ponds. The samples were evaluated for faecal coliform, Escherichia coli and Heterotrophic Plate Count, as well as Vibrio cholerae, Salmonella spp., Shigella spp. and Pseudomonas spp. Physico-chemical parameters (pH, electrical conductivity, and color) were also examined. In addition, sanitary inspections were conducted to identify faecal contamination sources. All options showed varying degrees of indicator bacterial contamination. The median E. coli concentrations measured for RWHSs, CRWHSs, PSFs, and ponds were 16, 7, 11, and 488 cfu/100 ml during the wet season, respectively. Vibrio cholerae O1/O139, Salmonella and Sh...
Background Intestinal parasitic infections are highly endemic among school-aged children in resou... more Background Intestinal parasitic infections are highly endemic among school-aged children in resource-limited settings. To lower their impact, preventive measures should be implemented that are sustainable with available resources. The aim of this study was to assess the impact of handwashing with soap and nail clipping on the prevention of intestinal parasite reinfections. Methods and Findings In this trial, 367 parasite-negative school-aged children (aged 6–15 y) were randomly as-signed to receive both, one or the other, or neither of the interventions in a 2 × 2 factorial de-sign. Assignment sequence was concealed. After 6 mo of follow-up, stool samples were examined using direct, concentration, and Kato-Katz methods. Hemoglobin levels were de-termined using a HemoCue spectrometer. The primary study outcomes were prevalence of intestinal parasite reinfection and infection intensity. The secondary outcome was anemia prevalence. Analysis was by intention to treat. Main effects were ...
The study was aimed to investigate the impacts of 16 weeks aerobic exercise on plasma level of th... more The study was aimed to investigate the impacts of 16 weeks aerobic exercise on plasma level of thyroid hormones concentration changes in females’ individuals with intellectual disabilities. A total of eight female children with intellectual disabilities were taken though purposive sampling. The training program consisted of 16 weeks moderate-intensity aerobic exercises with an intensity of 45-75 HR. These exercises were performed three sessions a week and each session take 45-minutes, 15 minutes warming up, 30 minutes main and 5 minutes cool down exercise. The plasma level of triiodothyronine (T3) and thyroxin (T4) thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) were measured before and after 16 weeks aerobic exercise. After 16 weeks of intervention, a significant change was observed in the plasma level of thyroid (T3 and T4) and thyroid stimulating (TSH) hormones at (p < 0.05).In general, it can be concluded that aerobic exercise had an impact on the change responses of thyroid and thyroid st...
A Thesis Submitted to the School of Graduate Studies Addis Ababa University in partial Fulfilment... more A Thesis Submitted to the School of Graduate Studies Addis Ababa University in partial Fulfilment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Science in Biology
PLOS ONE, 2021
Background The rapid diagnostic test (RDT) rK39 is currently being used for routine diagnosis of ... more Background The rapid diagnostic test (RDT) rK39 is currently being used for routine diagnosis of visceral leishmaniasis (VL) in East Africa. However, continuous monitoring of the performance of the assay, in particular its impact on the clinical decision in initiating anti-leishmanial treatment and outcomes remains needed as there are concerns about the diagnostic performance of this test. Methods VL patients prospectively enrolled in a diagnostic trial and with rK39 RDT were included. We evaluated the effect of rK39 testing in guiding treatment initiation and outcome. On the basis of rK39 RDT test result as well as clinical case definition for VL and microscopy examination, the clinicians decide whether to initiate VL therapy or not. Poisson regression models were used to identify factors associated with a decision to initiate VL therapy. In addition, treatment outcomes of those who received VL therapy were compared to those who received non-VL treatment. Results Of 324 VL suspects...
EClinicalMedicine, 2021
Background: Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection results in a s... more Background: Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection results in a spectrum of clinical presentations. Evidence from Africa indicates that significantly less COVID-19 patients suffer from serious symptoms than in the industrialized world. We and others previously postulated a partial explanation for this phenomenon, being a different, more activated immune system due to parasite infections. Here, we aimed to test this hypothesis by investigating a potential correlation of co-infection with parasites with COVID-19 severity in an endemic area in Africa. Methods: Ethiopian COVID-19 patients were enrolled and screened for intestinal parasites, between July 2020 and March 2021. The primary outcome was the proportion of patients with severe COVID-19. Ordinal logistic regression models were used to estimate the association between parasite infection, and COVID-19 severity. Models were adjusted for sex, age, residence, education level, occupation, body mass index, and comorbidities. Findings: 751 SARS-CoV-2 infected patients were enrolled, of whom 284 (37.8%) had intestinal parasitic infection. Only 27/255 (10.6%) severe COVID-19 patients were co-infected with intestinal parasites, while 257/496 (51.8%) non-severe COVID-19 patients were parasite positive (p<0.0001). Patients co-infected with parasites had lower odds of developing severe COVID-19, with an adjusted odds ratio (aOR) of 0.23 (95% CI 0.17À0.30; p<0.0001) for all parasites, aOR 0.37 ([95% CI 0.26À0.51]; p<0.0001) for protozoa, and aOR 0.26 ([95% CI 0.19À0.35]; p<0.0001) for helminths. When stratified by species, co-infection with Entamoeba spp., Hymenolepis nana, Schistosoma mansoni, and Trichuris trichiura implied lower probability of developing severe COVID-19. There were 11 deaths (1.5%), and all were among patients without parasites (p = 0.009). Interpretation: Parasite co-infection is associated with a reduced risk of severe COVID-19 in African patients. Parasite-driven immunomodulatory responses may mute hyper-inflammation associated with severe COVID-19.
Turkish Journal of Kinesiology, 2020
The effect of resistance exercise on muscular strength with the influence of growth hormone is we... more The effect of resistance exercise on muscular strength with the influence of growth hormone is well known. However, there is little information about its underlying effect on thyroid hormones (T3 & T4) and thyroid-stimulating hormones. Specifically, no research has been done on the effect of a resistance exercise intervention on thyroid hormone and thyroid-stimulating hormone serum concentration level among school children with intellectual disability in Ethiopian. The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of sixteen-week of a resistance exercise intervention on serum concentration level of thyroid hormones (T3 & T4) and thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) in school children with intellectual disabilities. In this study, eighteen school children with intellectual disabilities participated. The participants' serum concentration level of triiodothyronine (T3), thyroxin (T4) and TSH were measured before and after a sixteen-week resistance exercise intervention and determined using quantitative determination of T3, T4, and TSH respectively. Paired ttest was used to analyze the pre-test and post-test data of thyroid hormones (T3 and T4) and TSH of the study. Aftersixteen weekof resistance exercise intervention, a significant mean score change was observed in the serum concentration level of thyroid hormones (p < 0.05) in T3 (p= 0.038), T4 (p = 0. 017) and TSH (p = 0.018). Our finding revealed that resistance exercise affects the serum concentration level of thyroid hormones and thyroidstimulating hormones in school children with intellectual disabilities.
International Journal of Physical Education, Fitness and Sports, 2019
The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of Awris traditional dance Tigray regional s... more The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of Awris traditional dance Tigray regional state on health related physical fitness traits among high school students. To achieve the purpose of this study, 40 high school students were selected randomly. And their age ranged between 15 and 17 years. The selected participants were categorized into experimental and control group with twenty (n=20) subjects in each. The experimental group performed traditional dances for a period of 16 weeks three days per week whereas participants in the control group were informed to follow their usual daily activity. All participants were tested on selected criterion measures on muscular strength, flexibility, cardiovascular endurance and body composition prior to and after the 16 weeks of the training period. The data pertaining to the variables in this study were statistically examined by using SPSS statistical software version 25. Descriptive statistics such as mean and standard deviation were...
BMC Research Notes, 2019
Objective Evidence on treatment outcomes and their trend analysis through a register based retros... more Objective Evidence on treatment outcomes and their trend analysis through a register based retrospective study have significant contributions in the improvement of a national tuberculosis program. This study was aimed at determining tuberculosis treatment outcomes and their trend analysis. Results A total of 3445 patient records were included. More than half (58%) were males and the mean age was 33.88 ± 16.91 years (range 0–90). From the total TB patients, 18.8% were HIV co infected. The treatment outcome of TB patients were 371 (10.8%) cured, 2234 (64.8) treatment completed, 119 (3.5%) died, 9 (0.3%) failed, 178 (5.1%) defaulted and 534 (15.5%) were transferred out. The overall treatment success rate was 89.5%. When assessed on yearly basis, treatment success rate was 87% in year 2009–2010 to 92.8% in 2013–2014 with 6.67% change in the outcome indicator over the 5 years period. Among pulmonary TB, pulmonary negative TB and extra pulmonary TB, the rate of successful treatment outcom...
Objective: To determine bacterial contaminants and their antimicrobial susceptibility patterns fr... more Objective: To determine bacterial contaminants and their antimicrobial susceptibility patterns from medical equipment and inanimate surfaces. Results: Of 130 swabs, 115(88.5%) were culture positive, of which contaminated medical equipment and inanimate surfaces account 70 (83.3%) and 45 (97.8%), respectively. From the culture positive swabs, a total of 154 bacterial isolates were identified, out of which 106 (68.8%) were gram-positive and 48 (31.2%) were gram negative. Most isolates (82%) were resistant to ampicillin and 13%, 8.6%, and 14% were observed in ciprofloxacin, gentamicin and tetracycline respectively. Multi-drug resistant was observed in Escherichia coli (72.7%) and Staphylococcus aureus (58.7%).
MicrobiologyOpen, 2018
Cryptococcal infection is a major cause of opportunistic infection in HIV/AIDS-infected peoples. ... more Cryptococcal infection is a major cause of opportunistic infection in HIV/AIDS-infected peoples. Cryptococcosis is one of the few infectious diseases that can be detected in asymptomatic peoples (Centers for disease control and Prevention (CDC), 2014; Meya, Rajasingham, Nalintya, Tenforde, & Jarvis, 2015). Asymptomatic cryptococcosis patients are positive for serum/plasma cryptococcal antigen (CrAg). The subclinical infectious state is known to precede clinically apparent disease by weeks to months, which eventually will lead to meningitis and mortality in HIV-infected people (Centers
Turkish Journal of Kinesiology, 2019
The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of Tigray Traditional dances on selected phy... more The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of Tigray Traditional dances on selected physiological variables among high school students. To achieve the purpose of this study, 100 high school students were selected randomly. The selected subjects were categorized into experimental group (Awris, Hura, Kuda and Shediva) and control group, with twenty subjects in each group (n=20). The experimental groups performed Traditional dances for a period of 16 weeks three days per week whereas participants in the control group were informed to follow their usual activity. All subjects were tested on selected criterion measures of selected physiological variables namely resting heart rate, systolic and diastolic blood pressure prior to and after the 16 weeks of the training period. The data pertaining to the variables in this study were statistically examined by using ANOVA for each variable separately, whenever 'F' ratio of adjusted post-test was found to be significant, the Scheffe's test was used to determine the paired mean differences. The level of significance was fixed at 0.05. Following the training program, significant change was observed on resting heart rate, systolic and diastolic blood pressure as compare the experimental group with the control group. Therefore it can be concluded that Tigray Traditional dance training program can notably improve physiological variables of high school students.
BMC Ear, Nose and Throat Disorders, 2013
Background Ear infection is a common problem for both children and adults especially in developin... more Background Ear infection is a common problem for both children and adults especially in developing countries. However in Ethiopia particularly in the study area, there is no recent data that shows the magnitude of the problem. The aim of this study was to determine the bacterial isolates and their drug susceptibility patterns from patients who had ear infection. Method A retrospective study was conducted from September, 2009 to August, 2012 at Gondar University Hospital, Northwest Ethiopia. Ear discharge samples were cultured on MacConkey agar, blood agar and chocolate agar plates. A standard biochemical procedure was used for full identification of bacterial isolates. Antimicrobial susceptibility tests were done on Mueller-Hinton agar by using disk diffusion method. Data were entered and analyzed by using SPSS version 20 software and P-value of < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Result A total of 228 ear discharge samples were tested for bacterial isolation and 204...
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Papers by Dr Mahmud Abdulkader Mahmud