Papers by Yared Endailalu
PubMed, Apr 1, 2006
Objectives: Poisoning by means of hazardous chemicals through ignorance, mishap or intentionally ... more Objectives: Poisoning by means of hazardous chemicals through ignorance, mishap or intentionally is becoming a serious health problem worldwide. Epidemiological data on this important health issue are, however, scarce in Ethiopia. The purpose of this study is to assess the pattern of acute poisonings and determine the approaches employed for the management of poisoning. Patients and methods: The medical records of patients with acute poisonings presented to the Gondar University hospital between July 2001 and June 2004 were reviewed retrospectively. Results: One hundred and two patients presenting to the emergency department of the hospital were due to acute poisoning; accounting for about 0.45% of emergency room admissions. Organophosphates, rat poison and alcohol were the commonly encountered poisoning agents (in about 70% of cases) mainly in adults possibly with suicidal or para-suicidal intention. The approaches employed in the management of poisoning mainly involved gastrointestinal decontamination procedures. Specific antidotes were used in a substantial number of patients. The fatality rate was 2.4%. Conclusion: Poisoning with suicidal intention is becoming a serious health problem particularly in adults. Pesticides are commonly used toxicants. The approaches in the management of poisoning are justifiable in some cases. However, much is to be done to improve the recording of patient-related information and record-keeping processes. Further large scale studies are required to investigate national trends of poisoning and factors associated with poisoning.
Physiological Research
The effects of lyotropic (swelling) anions (Cl(-), Br(-), NO(3)(-) and I(-)) on contractile prope... more The effects of lyotropic (swelling) anions (Cl(-), Br(-), NO(3)(-) and I(-)) on contractile properties of fast-twitch extensor digitorum longus (EDL) and slow-twitch soleus (SOL) muscles were investigated in vitro at 20 degrees C and 35 degrees C. Isolated muscles bathed in anionic Tyrode solution were stimulated directly and isometric single twitches and fused tetanic contractions were recorded. In a Cl(-)Tyrode solution a decrease of the bathing temperature led to a cold potentiation of the twitch tension (P(t)) in EDL muscles, however, to a cold depression in SOL muscles, in both muscles combined with a prolongation of contraction (CT) and half relaxation (HRT) times. The extent and order of the potentiating effect of lyotropic anions on the P(t), CT and HRT in EDL and SOL were quite similar and increased in the order: Cl(-)< Br(-)< NO(3)(-)< I(-). Since the lyotropic anions did not influence tetanic tensions, the twitch-tetanus ratio (TTR) was increased in NO(3)(-) and ...
International Journal of Pharmacology and Toxicology, 2016
Background: Acute poisoning is considered a major health problem worldwide and is a frequent caus... more Background: Acute poisoning is considered a major health problem worldwide and is a frequent cause of hospital admission. It is estimated that poisons are responsible for more than 1 million illnesses worldwide annually. Objective: To evaluate retrospectively the pattern of acute poisoning in teaching hospital, northwest Ethiopia. Materials and methods: This was an observational, retrospective study. The study population includes all patients who visiting Gondar teaching hospital emergency room who were diagnosed with acute poisoning from September 2010 to December 2014. All data were analyzed using SPSS 20. Result: Acute poisoning cases constituted 0.67% of the 34320 admissions to the emergency department. Of these 233 patients, 148 (63.5%) were female and 85 (36.5%) were male.88.42% were younger than 30 years of age and the frequency of acute poisoning declined with advanced age. Organophosphates were the most frequent cause of poisoning and accounted for 89 cases (38.2%). Intentional poisoning comprised 57.5 %.83.6 %(195 cases) of the cases were ingested orally, the mean arrival time to the emergency unit after poisoning was 4.2 hours and the average duration of hospital stay was 11.26hours. It was found that 60 % of the cases were simply received supportive therapy. The most common factors contributing to intentional poisoning was quarreled with their family (54.2%) followed by love affairs (18.4%). The mortality rate was 0.43% Conclusions: The data observed in this hospital based shows acute poisoning remains a major public health problem with pesticide poisoning remaining the most common and therefore concerning poison.
Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica, 1994
Psychiatric patients were reported to have high risks of contracting HIV infection due to unstabl... more Psychiatric patients were reported to have high risks of contracting HIV infection due to unstable mental symptoms and comorbidity of drug abuse. The author surveyed the seroprevalence of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection among Chinese psychiatric patients hospitalized in 2 psychiatric hospitals in the Taipei City area, Taiwan. No positive case was identified among 834 psychiatric patients in 1 year's survey. The low seropositive rate of HIV infection among Chinese psychiatric patients may be explained by: the low prevalence of HIV infection in Taiwan and low HIV‐related risk behaviors, especially rare comorbidity of drug abuse among Chinese psychiatric patients.
Physiological Research, 2006
The slow-twitch soleus muscle (SOL) exhibits decreased twitch tension (cold depression) in respon... more The slow-twitch soleus muscle (SOL) exhibits decreased twitch tension (cold depression) in response to a decreased temperature, whereas the fast-twitch extensor digitorum longus (EDL) muscle shows enhanced twitch tension (cold potentiation). On the other hand, the slow-twitch SOL muscle is more sensitive to twitch potentiation and contractures evoked by caffeine than the fast-twitch EDL muscle. In order to reveal the effects of these counteracting conditions (temperature and caffeine), we have studied the combined effects of temperature changes on the potentiation effects of caffeine in modulating muscle contractions and contractures in both muscles. Isolated muscles, bathed in a Tyrode solution containing 0.1-60 mM caffeine, were stimulated directly and isometric single twitches, fused tetanic contractions and contractures were recorded at 35 °C and 20 °C. Our results showed that twitches and tetani of both SOL and EDL were potentiated and prolonged in the presence of 0.3-10 mM caffeine. Despite the cold depression, the extent of potentiation of the twitch tension by caffeine in the SOL muscle at 20 °C was by 10-15 % higher than that at 35 °C, while no significant difference was noted in the EDL muscle between both temperatures. Since the increase of twitch tension was significantly higher than potentiation of tetani in both muscles, the twitch-tetanus ratio was enhanced. Higher concentrations of caffeine induced contractures in both muscles; the contracture threshold was, however, lower in the SOL than in the EDL muscle at both temperatures. Furthermore, the maximal tension was achieved at lower caffeine concentrations in the SOL muscle at both 35 °C and 20 °C compared to the EDL muscle. These effects of caffeine were rapidly and completely reversed in both muscles when the test solution was replaced by the Tyrode solution. The results have indicated that the potentiation effect of caffeine is both time-and temperaturedependent process that is more pronounced in the slow-twitch SOL than in the fast-twitch EDL muscles.
Clinical features of TB in HIV coinfection
Vitamin B6 status of pregnant women attending antenatal clinic in northwestern Ethiopia
Nitric oxide production in the exhaled air of patients with pulmonary tuberculosis in relation to... more Nitric oxide production in the exhaled air of patients with pulmonary tuberculosis in relation to HIV co-infection
All rights reserved. Except as expressly provided above, no part of this publication may be repro... more All rights reserved. Except as expressly provided above, no part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without written permission of the author or authors.
Background: HIV-1 RNA viral load is a powerful predictor of risk for disease progression in subje... more Background: HIV-1 RNA viral load is a powerful predictor of risk for disease progression in subjects infected with HIV. However, studies assessing VL in co-infected patients are very scarce. This study was, therefore, aimed at determining VL in tuberculosis (TB) and HIV-1 co-infected patients with or without intestinal parasites and also to assess its variation with treatment. Methods: TB was diagnosed following standard clinical, bacteriological, radiological and histological procedures. HIV serostatus was checked by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay. One hundred nineteen TB/HIV-1 co-infected patients were included as a baseline and 22 were re-examined at the end of intensive phase of anti-TB chemotherapy. Stool samples were examined for intestinal parasites by conventional microscopy and serum viral load was determined using an Amplicor HIV-1 Monitor RTPCR assay. Results: Forty-five (37.8%) patients were found infected with one or more species of intestinal parasites. Ascaris lumbricoides and Strongyloides stercoralis were the most frequently detected species. The mean (±SD) serum viral load (log10 RNA copies/ml) of patients at baseline was 4.82 (±0.66) without a significant difference by status of intestinal parasitoses. In patients with follow up treatment the viral load declined from 4.84 (±0.45) to 4.52 (±0.66) at the end of the intensive phase of anti-TB chemotherapy (P=0.07). In five patients who were also treated for intestinal parasites, viral load declined from 5.02 (±0.38) to 4.47 (±0.66) (P<0.05). A mean increase of 0.58 (±0.33) was seen in seven patients (P<0.01). Conclusion: The lack of significant decline in viral load at the end of the intensive phase of anti-TB treatment may indicate increased morbidity in the patients. Intervention measures such as provision of anti-retroviral and anti-parasite therapy may help to reduce morbidity. Key words: HIV-1 viral load, tuberculosis, intestinal parasites, anti-TB treatment
Japanese journal of infectious diseases, 2004
The prevalence of HIV has been continually increasing both in urban and rural Ethiopia. As yet, t... more The prevalence of HIV has been continually increasing both in urban and rural Ethiopia. As yet, there has been no report on the magnitude of the problem in the elderly and rural population. This study assessed the seroprevalence of HIV and syphilis infection among 706 elderly and predominantly rural subjects in Northwest Ethiopia. Socio-demographic information was collected using a structured questionnaire. Venous blood was collected and the serostatus of HIV and that of syphilis were checked by ELISA and RPR, respectively. The total HIV-1 seroprevalence was 5% (35/706). Sex-specific prevalences of HIV for males and females were 5.6 and 4.7% respectively. A 4.2% difference in prevalence was observed by area of residence, which was statistically significant, P = 0.018. Only 6% of subjects positive for syphilis were also positive for HIV, while 4.9% of subjects negative for syphilis were positive for HIV. The data indicates that the prevalence of HIV among elderly people in Northwest ...
Journal of microbiology, immunology, and infection = Wei mian yu gan ran za zhi, 2007
The pattern of clinical presentations of tuberculosis (TB) is reflected in the microbiological, r... more The pattern of clinical presentations of tuberculosis (TB) is reflected in the microbiological, radiological, and histological characteristics of the disease. However, coinfection with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) poses special diagnostic and therapeutic challenges. This study was aimed at assessing the clinical manifestations of TB in patients with or without HIV coinfection in a hospital-based cross-sectional study in Gondar, Ethiopia. TB was diagnosed following standard clinical, bacteriological, radiological, and histological procedures. HIV serostatus was checked by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. This study included 257 TB patients, of whom 52.1% were coinfected with HIV. Pulmonary TB and extrapulmonary TB were diagnosed in 64.2% and 35.8% of the patients, respectively. No significant association was found between sputum smear positivity and HIV serostatus. One-fifth of the patients reported hemoptysis. More than one-third had chest pain, and >90% reported fever an...
Japanese journal of infectious diseases, 2007
Ethiopia is one of the countries in which sexually transmitted infections are highly prevalent. H... more Ethiopia is one of the countries in which sexually transmitted infections are highly prevalent. However, the data needed to present a realistic picture of the infections are lacking. This study was therefore designed to determine the seroprevalence of syphilis and HIV-1 among pregnant women at the University of Gondar Teaching Hospital. A prospective cross-sectional hospital-based study was conducted between March and June, 2005. Blood samples were collected from 480 pregnant women attending the antenatal clinic of the hospital. Sera were tested for syphilis using the Rapid Plasma Regain (RPR) and Treponema pallidum hemagglutination (TPHA) kits, and serostatus for HIV infection was checked using rapid HIV diagnostic test kits following the manufacturers' instructions. The mean (+/-SD) age of the study participants was 26.1 (+/-7.2) years. The seroprevalence of syphilis was 1%. Antibodies against HIV-1 were detected in 9.6% of the pregnant women. A higher HIV-1 prevalence (13%) w...
Ethiopian Journal of Health Development, 2005
Vitamin B 6 has been recognized as an essential micronutrients involved in normal fetal developme... more Vitamin B 6 has been recognized as an essential micronutrients involved in normal fetal development, and positive pregnancy outcome. Its deficiency may lead to undesired pregnancy outcomes. There are no reports on the vitamin B 6 status of East African pregnant mothers so far. The objective of this study is to evaluate the vitamin B 6 status of pregnant mothers by measuring the serum levels of pyrodoxal-5-phosphate, and pyridoxal. One hundred and thirty one healthy third trimester pregnant women attending ANC were enrolled in the study. Their serum levels of pyridoxal-5-phosphate, and pyridoxal were analyzed by high performance liquid chromatography. The mean serum, and pyridoxal-5-phosphate and pyradoxal were found to be 16.7 nmol/L and 0.47 nmol/L, respectively. The findings in this survey provide evidence that the serum levels of vitamin B 6 were low among anti-natal clinic attendants in northwestern Ethiopia.
Ethiopian Journal of Health Development, 2005
Background: Voluntary counseling and testing (VCT) is potentially effective intervention to preve... more Background: Voluntary counseling and testing (VCT) is potentially effective intervention to prevent transmission of HIV by changing sexual behaviour, and also enabling seropositive women to make informed decision whether or not to have children. Objective: To assess the knowledge, attitude, behaviour and practice of the community on VCT for HIV and prevention of Mother-to-Child transmission (PMTCT). Methods: This is a cross-sectional survey aimed at assessing the knowledge, attitude and practice towards VCT for HIV and PMTCT. A total of 992 subjects residing in urban and rural Kebeles were interviewed using a pre-tested questionnaire. Results: 89.9% of the respondents were aware that one can check her/his HIV status. However, less number of them, i.e. 732 (73.8%) knew about the availability of VCT services. Urban dwellers were found to be more willing than rural villagers to undergo testing for HIV. The majority of women (426, 85.5%) specified their willingness to take antiretroviral treatment during pregnancy to protect vertical transmission if they are seropositive. Conclusion: Level of knowledge about HIV/AIDS seems to be high among the study community. However, there are still wrong interpretations and misunderstanding about modes of transmission and preventive methods. The result could be used as a baseline data for instituting VCT and PMTCT activities.
Tropical Doctor, 2007
The level of HIV infection and intestinal parasitoses among TB patients was assessed in a hospita... more The level of HIV infection and intestinal parasitoses among TB patients was assessed in a hospital-based cross-sectional study involving 257 patients in Gondar, Ethiopia. In TB patients, our study reported co-infection with HIV (52.1%) and intestinal parasites (40.9%) The high prevalence of HIV and intestinal parasites indicates an increased morbidity inTB patients and emphasized the importance of continued HIV sero-surveillance, stool analysis and treatment.
Traffic Injury Prevention, 2002
The objective of the study was to determine the benefits of screening for color vision impairment... more The objective of the study was to determine the benefits of screening for color vision impairment on the ability to operate a motor vehicle safely. The study was cross-sectional in its methodology in which color vision of 1,879 randomly selected drivers was tested using Ishihare color plates. There were 85 (4.5%) cases of defective color vision. Among them, 83 (97.6%)
Public Health Nutrition, 2005
ObjectiveTo determine the serum levels of three lipid-soluble antioxidants (retinol, β-carotene a... more ObjectiveTo determine the serum levels of three lipid-soluble antioxidants (retinol, β-carotene and α-tocopherol) in pregnant women attending an antenatal clinic (ANC) in Gondar, Ethiopia.DesignA cross-sectional study involving laboratory determination of serum levels of retinol, α-tocopherol and β-carotene using high-performance liquid chromatography and questionnaire-based assessment of socio-economic status.SettingANC of a university teaching hospital.SubjectsThree hundred and twenty-two healthy pregnant women in their third trimester, who attended the ANC.ResultsMean serum levels of retinol, α-tocopherol and β-carotene were found to be 1.23±0.5, 25.5±0.9 and 0.21±0.09 μmol l−1, respectively. The prevalence of vitamin A deficiency…
Nutrition Research, 2007
The objective of this study was to investigate serum levels of vitamin A in patients with active ... more The objective of this study was to investigate serum levels of vitamin A in patients with active tuberculosis (TB) at the time of diagnosis and after completion of an intensive phase of anti-TB chemotherapy in comparison with the levels in controls. In a prospective semilongitudinal study, sera were collected from 222 patients with TB at baseline and from 57 of them 2 months after initiation of the anti-TB treatment in Gondar, Ethiopia. Healthy controls (n = 92) and asymptomatic HIVinfected blood donors (n = 30) were also included. Serum vitamin A levels were measured by highperformance liquid chromatography. At baseline, the mean serum vitamin A levels in the patients with TB with (n = 115) or without (n = 107) HIV coinfection and in the asymptomatic HIV-infected blood donors were significantly lower than those in the controls (P b .001). Vitamin A deficiency (serum retinol of b 0.70 lmol/L) was observed in 62.6% and 56.1% of the patients with and without HIV coinfection, respectively. Thirteen percent of the controls and 33.3% of the asymptomatic HIVinfected blood donors were deficient in vitamin A. The serum levels of vitamin A increased significantly after anti-TB chemotherapy both in patients with (n = 34) and without (n = 23) HIV coinfection (P b .05). The results demonstrate that vitamin A deficiency is a severe public health problem in Gondar, Ethiopia. In addition, the low vitamin A levels observed in the sera of the patients during diagnosis of TB returned to normal levels at the end of the intensive phase of anti-TB therapy without supplementation.
International Congress Series, 2004
Ethiopia is host to a large number of international collaborative research projects in the areas ... more Ethiopia is host to a large number of international collaborative research projects in the areas of science, medicine and health. This paper attempts to (1) Give a brief introduction to Ethiopia and its health care system, including its primary and referral health care institutions and its medical education; (2) Briefly discuss four examples of international collaborations in Ethiopia, on very different scales: National HIV/AIDS Programme, Gondar Chronic Illness Project, Dabat and Butajira Health Surveillance Projects, a local schistosomiasis project and related laboratory studies; (3) Summarize some of the lessons learned from these projects and to suggest some common characteristics of successful international projects.
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Papers by Yared Endailalu