Aksum University

BackgroundPediatric human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) remains a significant public health challenge, with an estimated 1.5 million children living with HIV globally. In addition, first-line antiretroviral therapy (ART) treatment failure has remained high, as studies and reports showed. Furthermore, time to treatment failure and its predictors on first-line ART among HIV-infected children are less researched in the study area after the test-and-treat strategy is implemented. Hence, this study was conducted to assess time to treatment failure and its predictors among children receiving first-line antiretroviral therapy in Tigray Region public general hospitals, North Ethiopia, 2024.MethodsA hospital-based retrospective cohort study was conducted among children who started ART from January 2014 to March 2020 and from February 2023 to August 2023 in Tigray Region public general hospitals. Epi Data version 3.1 and Stata version 14 were used for data entry and analysis, respectively. Kaplan-Meier and log-rank tests were computed. Bivariable analysis variables with p-value < 0.2 were taken to multivariable Cox regression analysis to identify predictors. Finally, 95% CI and p-value <0.05 were considered for statistical significance.ResultsFrom 410 records of children, 55 (13.4%) (95% CI, 10.43–17.08) had treatment failure, with an incidence rate of 3.3 (95% CI, 2.6–4.3) per 1000 child-month observation. The median time to treatment failure was greater than or equal to 75 months. Poor adherence (AHR = 3.6, 95% CI: 1.7–7.5), baseline CD4 count <200 cells/mm3 (AHR = 3.8, 95% CI: 1.8–8.4), baseline CD4 count 201–350 cells/mm3 (AHR = 2.7, 95% CI: 1.2–6.2), and initial Nevirapine-based regimen (AHR = 4, 95% CI: 1.8–8.8) were predictors of time to treatment failure.Conclusion and recommendationThe incidence of treatment failure among children receiving first-line ART was found to be high according to the UNAIDS virological suppression targets. Poor adherence, baseline CD4 count, and initial NVP-based regimen were predictors of time to treatment failure of ART. Hence, all children on ART should be closely monitored, mainly on these identified predictors.

Conflicts in different regions of the world have had significant consequences on electric power supply appliances. This study was conducted in Ethiopia's Aksum town low-voltage (LV) electric supply lines using reliability indices, including SAIDI, SAIFI, CAIDI, and EENS, before, during, and after the post-period. Accordingly, the findings indicate that severe reliability problems occurred due to the conflict, which resulted in power interruptions (both forced and operational), infrastructure damage, the displacement of skilled engineers, and inadequate recovery efforts. The study introduced a mixed auditing mechanism, analyzed historical power outage data, and evaluated performance-based reliability indices. Results indicate that before the conflict relatively stable power supply, with manageable outage durations and energy losses. However, during the two-year conflict (2020-2022), the average SAIDI value peaked at 1,626.4h, the CAIDI flowed to 2,507.31h, and EENS intensified to 10,480.52 MWh, reflecting significant disruptions. Six months post-conflict, significant recovery efforts improved these metrics, though supply stability challenges persist. The resulting reliability of the post-conflict reliability indices exceeds international benchmarks, with SAIDI over 1-5h, SAIFI above 0.5, and CAIDI over 5h. Despite post-conflict improvements, high SAIFI values show supply instability. Strengthen infrastructure, improve maintenance, and enhance auditing for reliable power.

Abstract The geology, petrography, and structure of the Gada’Ale area has not yet been explored. This study presents a detailed geological, petrographic, and structural analysis of the Gada’Ale and surrounding areas in the northern Afar Depression, Ethiopia. The research highlights significant geological formations, including basaltic volcanic rocks, recent sediments, hydrothermally altered deposits, and evaporites. Petrographic results of this study indicate that the volcanic rocks exhibit aphanitic and vesicular textures, with average mineralogical proportions of ~ 51.75% plagioclase, ~ 26.5% clinopyroxene, ~ 7.5% olivine, and opaque minerals up to 13.5%). Additionally, this research explains the stratigraphic relationships among the rock units and the interplay between tectonism and magmatism in the study area. Using remote sensing data and field observations, we mapped the lithological units, and volcano-tectonic structures of the study area. Our findings reveal various volcanic and tectonic features, such as shield volcanoes, fractures and faults, a salt dome, a collapsed caldera, lava tubes, and maar volcanoes, emphasizing the interactions between magmatism and tectonism. Notably, the study identifies the prevalence of NNW-SSE trending extensional fractures that align with regional tectonic patterns (The Red Sea Rift Trend). This research enhances our understanding of the geological evolution of the Afar region and highlights the significance of ongoing geological activity in the Gada’Ale area for future studies of the region's geological evolution.

Abstract The construction industry in Ethiopia faces significant challenges due to inadequate waste management legislation. Particularly in Mekelle City. This study aimed to identify major sources, quantify and characterize construction wastes and analyze illegal dumping sites to promote sustainable urban waste management. Data were collected through Pyramidal and rectangular prism measurements, material flow method, questionnaire survey, field observation and secondary sources. Survey responses were analyzed by using SPSS software. Findings reveal 5,161,585 m 3 illegally disposed construction wastes composed of soil, stone, ceramics, blocks, tiles, concrete, asphalt, wood, masonry, metal, plastics, packaging, and pipes, with barriers to recycling include a Lack of recycling technology, high cost, insufficient incentives, and limited knowledge. The most preferred waste management methods are reuse (50.9%), reduce (16.4%), and disposal (16.4%), with key minimization strategies Proper storage and material handling, standardization of design, on-site segregation, and Reuse yielding Relative Importance Index (RII) values 0.89, 0.8, 0.79, 0.78, respectively. However, inadequate strategies contribute to uncontrolled waste disposal in sensitive areas such as grazing lands, water bodies, roads, and residential areas, causing environmental harm. Prior to this study, the quantification and characterization of construction waste in Mekelle had not been studied. This study addresses the quantity, characteristics, and employed waste management methods to enhance the reduction, reusing, and recycling practices within the construction industry, insight urban waste management, and ensure sustainable environment. This study recommends promoting reduce, reuse, and recycle (3Rs), enforcing legal robust framework, and fostering a change in the mindset of construction companies to improve sustainability of waste management.

Globally, the Newcastle disease virus (NDV) is a seriously important pathogen and results in substantial economic losses in the poultry industry. To mitigate this pathogen, the poultry industry has employed intensive breeding programs aimed at selecting genetic Lines that promote resistance and enhance immune response. Resistance to infection occurs at multiple levels and involves genotype-specific polymorphisms in the host. To date, the influence of genetic variations on the immune response within the same chicken Lines at the genotype-specific level is not fully understood. Therefore, it is important to understand the host genetic resistance that plays a role after NDV infection. This study aimed to investigate genotype-specific immune responses in chicken spleens following NDV infection at 7 days post-infection (7dpi), Samples were analyzed for differentially expressed genes (DEGs) using high-throughput RNA sequencing approaches. Twelve cDNA Libraries from LNH chicken spleens were compared with those of NDV-infected birds across the AA and GG genotypes. A total of 9886 genes were compared, of which 1348 were upregulated (833) and downregulated (515). Of these, 552 genes, with 415 upregulated and 137 downregulated genes, were differentially expressed (DE) between the two pairwise comparison groups: Control_AA vs. Immune_AA (AA group) and Control_GG vs. Immune_GG (GG group). Higher number of differentially expressed genes (407 DEGs), with 349 upregulated and 58 downregulated genes, were identified in chickens with the GG genotype, whereas 142 genes, with 63 upregulated and 79 downregulated genes, were observed in chickens with the AA genotype. In this study, a set of seven candidate genes (LECT1, MR1, MYH3, USH1C, NMU, BG8, and CCN3) was identified associated with the immune response in chickens. Further analysis revealed that DEGs in the spleen were enriched in various signaling pathways, such as neuroactive ligand-receptor interactions, tight junctions, and glycolysis/gluconeogenesis pathways, suggesting their potential role in immune resilience. RNA-seq analysis revealed immune-related genes and pathways involved in the immune response in the chicken spleen. The results indicate that chickens with the GG genotype exhibited higher levels of differentially expressed genes (DEGs), potentially linked to NDV responses. Our findings also offer valuable transcriptomic insights for the comparative analysis of molecular mechanisms underlying immune response in LNH chickens and have practical implications for enhancing chicken breeding programs.