Dry evergreen Afromontane forests are severely threatened due to the expansion of agriculture and overgrazing by livestock. The objective of this study was to investigate the composition of woody species, structure, regeneration status and plant communities in Seqela forest, as well as the relationship between plant community types and environmental variables. Systematic sampling was used to collect vegetation and environmental data from 52 (20 m x 20 m) (400 m2) plots. Density, Diameter at Breast Height (DBH), basal area, frequency, and importance value index (IVI) of woody species were computed to characterize the vegetation structure of the forest. Agglomerative hierarchical cluster analysis and Canonical Correspondence Analysis (CCA) with R software were used to identify plant communities and analyse the relationship between plant community types and environmental variables, respectively. A total of 68 woody plant species belonging to 63 genera and 44 families were identified. The Shannon diversity index and evenness values of the study area were 2.12 and 0.92, respectively. The total basal area and density of woody species were 27.4 m2 ha-1 and 1079.3 individual ha-1, respectively. The most frequent woody species in the Seqela forest included Albizia gummifera (51.92%), Croton macrostachyus (44.23%), Olinia rochetiana and Teclea nobilis (36.54%). Additionally, the most dominant species, as indicated by their importance value index (IVI), were Erythrina brucei (IVI = 11.24), Prunus africana (IVI=8.68), and Croton macrostachyus (IVI=7.38). Four plant community types were identified: Albizia gummifera - Ekebergia capensis, Prunus africana - Croton macrostachyus, Vachellia abyssinica - Dombeya torrida and Schefflera abyssinica - Teclea nobilis. The CCA results showed that the variation of species distribution and plant community formation were significantly (P < 0.05) related to altitude, organic matter, aspect, slope and soil available phosphorus. The regeneration status assessment of the forest revealed a good regeneration status, which was linked to diverse and abundant seed bank in the soil can ensure a continuous supply of seeds for regeneration; therefore, it is recommended to implement periodic soil seed bank assessments to monitor seed diversity and abundance and inform targeted conservation actions. 

Introduction Post-surgical recovery time is influenced by various factors, including patient demographics, surgicaldetails, pre-existing conditions, post-operative care, and socioeconomic status. Understanding these dynamics iscrucial for improving patient outcomes. This study aims to identify significant predictors of post-surgical recoverytime in a resource-limited Ethiopian hospital setting and to evaluate the variability attributable to individual patientdifferences and surgical team variations.Methods A linear mixed model was employed to analyze data from 490 patients who underwent various surgicalprocedures. The analysis considered multiple predictors, including age, gender, BMI, type and duration of surgery,comorbidities (diabetes and hypertension), ASA scores, postoperative complications, pain management strategies,physiotherapy, smoking status, alcohol consumption, and socioeconomic status. Random effects were included toaccount for variability at the patient and surgical team levels.Results Significant predictors of prolonged recovery time included higher BMI, longer surgery duration, thepresence of diabetes and hypertension, higher ASA scores, and major post-operative complications. Opioid painmanagement was associated with increased recovery time, while inpatient physiotherapy reduced recovery duration.Socioeconomic status also significantly influenced recovery time. The model fit statistics indicated a robust model,with the unstructured covariance structure providing the best fit.Conclusion The findings highlight the importance of individualized patient care and the effective management ofmodifiable factors such as BMI, surgery duration, and postoperative complications. Socioeconomic status emerged asa novel factor warranting further investigation. This study underscores the value of considering patient and surgicalteam variability in post-surgical recovery analysis, and calls for future research to explore additional predictors andalternative modeling techniques to enhance our understanding of the recovery process.Keywords Postsurgical recovery, Linear mixed model, BMI, Surgery duration, Comorbidities, ASA scores,Postoperative complications, Pain management, Physiotherapy, And socioeconomic status

Malaria and leptospirosis are emerging vector-borne diseases that pose significant global healthproblems in tropical and subtropical regions. This study aimed to develop and analyze amathematical model for the transmission dynamics of malaria-leptospirosis co-infection withoptimal control measures. The model’s dynamics are examined through its two sub-models:one for malaria alone and the other for leptospirosis alone. We apply a next-generationmatrix approach to derive the basic reproduction numbers for the sub-models. By using thereproduction number, we demonstrate the local and global asymptotic stability of both disease-free and endemic equilibria in these sub-models. We perform numerical experiments to validatethe theoretical outcomes of the full co-infection model. The graphical results show that malaria-leptospirosis co-infection will be eradicated from the population through time if 𝑅0𝑚𝑙 < 1.Conversely, if 𝑅0𝑚𝑙 > 1, the co-infection will persist in the population. Furthermore, weinvestigate an optimal control model to demonstrate the impact of various time-dependentcontrols in reducing the spread of both diseases and their co-infection. We use the forward–backward sweep iterative method to perform numerical simulations of the optimal controlproblem. Our findings of the optimal control problem imply that strategy 𝐷, which incorporatesall optimal controls, namely malaria prevention 𝜔1(𝑡), leptospirosis prevention 𝜔2(𝑡), insecticidecontrol measure for malaria 𝜔3(𝑡), control sanitation rate of the environment 𝜔4(𝑡) is the mosteffective in minimizing our objective function. We also conduct a cost-effectiveness analysis toidentify the predominant strategy in terms of cost among the optimal strategies.
Keywords: Malaria, Leptospirosis, Co-infection, Global stability, Optimal control, Numerical simulations, Cost-effective strategy

Abstract: Plants are rich sources of phytochemicals, secondary metabolites like alkaloids, terpenoids, steroids, flavonoids, saponins, phenolics, glycosides, and others, found in various plant parts including leaves, fruits, roots, and stem bark. This study aimed to investigate the phytochemical components of Ruta chalepensis, Vernonia amygdalina, andZehneria scabraspecies in Senan District, Northwestern Ethiopia. Methanol and petroleum ether extracts of selected plant parts were subjected to standard qualitative phytochemical screening. The analysis revealed the presence of several phytochemical compounds in both methanol and petroleum ether extracts of the aerial parts of R. chalepensisand the leaves of V. amygdalinaand Z. scabra. Notably, methanolic extracts exhibited a higher abundance of phytochemicals due to the superior solubility of active compounds compared to petroleum ether. These findings highlight the potential of these plants as valuable sources of therapeutic agents. Traditionally, R. chalepensis, V. amygdalina, and Z. scabrahave been employed to treat various ailments. While this study provides a foundation for further exploration, additional research, including quantitative analysis, compound characterization, isolation, and pharmacological evaluation, is necessary to fully unlock these plants' therapeutic potential. Keywords:Ethnobotany,Medicinalplants,Phytochemicalscreening,Secondarybioactivechemicals

The study area is one of the biggest gorges in southeast Ethiopia formed by the Wabe Shebelle river. The road wasconstructed to connect Gasera to Indeto. The study aimed to map and gives some mitigation strategies forgeohazards along the road corridor in Southeast Ethiopia using a GIS with AHP & FR technique within the 3 kmbuffer zones along the road corridor. The study included field investigations and inventorying, characterizationof geological situations, assessments of the hydrogeological conditions, and identification of slope instabilityvariables. A GIS technique was used to map an LSM with the combination of two models (AHP and FR). The studyused eight factors: slope, aspect, lithology, rainfall, altitude, road proximity, river proximity, and land use/cover.The results of the study revealed that LSZ maps performed using FR and AHP were 64.5 % and 69 % and-theinventory shows high and very high LSZ respectively. Rockfalls, debris/earth slides, and rockslides arecommonly observed landslides in the area. Based on the analysis lithology (basaltic and limestone formations)showed the highest contributions for landslide in the area. Slope and aspects show the most frequent landslidehazards in >40, 30–40◦, and east, and northeast respectively. Generally, the study found that lithology, slope,and aspect were the main factors contributing to slope instability in the study area. The produced landslidesusceptibility map is very important for urban planners, agricultural studies, environmentalists, and futurelandslide hazardous prevention and mitigation strategies.
Keywords: Landslides, LSM, AHP, FR, GIS, and Southeast Ethiopia

AbstractIntroduction The emergence of First-line Antiretroviral Therapy (ART) regimens fails; it necessitates the use of morecostly and less tolerable second-line medications. Therefore, it is crucial to identify and address factors that increasethe likelihood of first-line ART regimen failure in children. Although numerous primary studies have examinedthe incidence of first-line ART failure among HIV-infected children in Ethiopia, national-level data on the onsetand predictors remain inconsistent. Hence, this study was conducted to fill the gaps in determining the onset of first-line ART failure and its predictors among HIV-infected children in Ethiopia.Methods Articles related to our topic of interest were searched using a systematic approach in national and interna-tional electronic databases. The retrospective follow-up cohort studies published in English up to 2022 were included.The data were extracted using a Microsoft Excel spread sheet and exported into Stata™ Version 17.0 for further man-agement and analysis. The level of heterogeneity was quantified using I 2 test together with a 95% confidence interval(CI). The incidence of the primary estimates was estimated using a random effects model in the Dersimonian-Laired-method. Subgroup analysis, Meta regression, and sensitivity analysis were computed to identify the source of het-erogeneity but not explained. The predictors of first-line ART failure were explained using relative risk (RR) with 95%confidence interval (CI).Results Ten studies having a total of 5446 children were included. The pooled onset of first-line ART failure was 3.18(95% CI: 1.91, 4.44) per 100 child-years of observations. Those study participants who began ART at an advanced WHOclinical stage at ART initiation had a 3.05 (95% CI: 1.47, 6.36), having poor ART adherence had a 2.19 (95% CI: 1.29, 3.70),and having TB-HIV coinfection at ART initiation had a 1.43 (95% CI: 1.06, 1.94) times higher chance of experiencingfirst-line ART failure than their corresponding counterparts.Conclusion The onset of first-line ART failure was high to achieve the 2030 UNAIDS target of ending the AIDSepidemic. Advanced WHO clinical stage, poor first-line ART adherence, and having TB-HIV coinfection were identifiedpredictors. Hence, community HIV screening should continue to strengthen early ART initiation, and the attention
of ART adherence should be kept to achieve ending the AIDS epidemic. The baseline tests and diagnosis, like TB diag-nosis should be maintained for HIV-infected children while they begin ART.Keywords First-line ART failure, Onset, Predictors, Children, Ethiopia

Background: Developmental delay is a group of disorders that cause commondeficits of adaptive and intellectual function in children. It happens when achild fails to achieve one aspect of developmental skills. Limited informationis available regarding the prevalence of developmental delay among childrenaged 12–59 months in the study area. Therefore, this study aimed to assessthe prevalence of developmental delay and its associated factors among thispopulation.Methods: A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted inDembecha district among 702 children aged 12–59 months. Data were gatheredthrough face-to-face interviews, and by taking anthropometric measurementsusing a pretested structured questionnaire. Data were entered into Epi Dataversion 4.2 software and exported into Statistical Package for Social Science(SPSS) version 25 software for analysis. The WHO Anthro software was used toanalyze anthropometric-related data. Bivariable and multivariable binary logisticregression analyses were done to identify factors associated with developmentaldelay. The odds ratio with a 95% Confidence Interval (CI) was estimated todetermine the strength of the association.Results: The prevalence of developmental delay among children was 26.7%(95% CI: 23.5, 30.2). Toddler child age (AOR = 2.60; 95% CI: 1.42, 4.87), lowbirth weight (LBW; AOR =4.90; 95% CI: 2.14, 11.48), cesarean section mode ofdelivery (AOR = 8.60; 95% CI: 3.93, 18.65), preterm delivery (AOR = 2.5; 95% CI:1.28, 4.74), early initiation of complementary feeding (AOR = 8.40; 95% CI: 3.61,19.63), stunting (AOR = 2.90; 95% CI: 1.67, 5.22) inadequate meal frequency(AOR = 3.20; 95% CI: 1.74, 5.94), and inadequate dietary diversity (AOR = 3.10;95% CI: 1.68, 5.85) were significantly associated with child developmental delay.Conclusion: The prevalence of developmental delay among children was highin Dembecha district compared to the global prevalence. Child developmentaldelay was associated with toddler child age, LBW, cesarean section mode of

One of the biggest global challenges to development and public health is road traffic accidents (RTAs). As aresult, this study focuses on analysing road traffic accident determinant factors using the Wrapper Feature Se-lection Method in case of East Gojjam Zone located in Amhara region, Ethiopia, sub-Saharan. To do this, EastGojjam Road traffic office RTA data classified as simple injury, major injury, and death is gathered. The gatheredinformation is pre-processed before being used using machine learning classification algorithms includingNearest Neighbour (KNN), Random Forest (RF), Decision Tree (DT), Support Vector Machine (SVM), and NaïveBayes (NB). Using the wrapper feature selection approach, the most significant factor was identified using themachine-learning algorithm KNN, which obtained the best classification score with an accuracy of 99.5 %. Thus,the type of vehicle, the reason for the accident, the location of the accident, and the licence level were identifiedas crucial RTA factors. Finally, the variables, Sino track, unfavourable weather, Dolphin, and Debre Elias rated100 %, 100 %, 85 %, and 82.35 % for fatality in relation to the factors licence driver, cause of accident, type ofvehicle, and accident location, respectively.
Keywords: Road traffic accident, East Gojjam, Amhara region, Ethiopia, Machine learning, Feature selection, Filter, Wrapper method, Embedded method, Data mining

This study evaluated the antibacterial activity of medicinalplants (MPs) used to treat wounds. Methanol and ethyl acetatecrude extracts of four medicinal plants were examined for anti-bacterial efficacy against gram-positive and gram-negativeAmerican Type Culture Collection (ATCC) strains. Plant crudeextracts were produced using the maceration technique andanalyzed using qualitative phytochemical tests. The antibacter-ial properties of plant products were evaluated using the agardisc diffusion assay. The broth microdilution method was usedto determine the minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC) andminimum bactericidal concentrations. The data were analyzedusing Analysis of Variance (ANOVA). The methanol extract ofRumex nervosus had the highest yield (21%). The methanolextracts of all tested MPs tested positive for alkaloids, phenolics,and tannins. The methanol and ethyl acetate extracts exhibiteda dose-dependent increase in the growth inhibition zoneagainst all ATCC. The methanol extract of Plantago lanceolatademonstrated the highest antibacterial activity (16.67 ± 1.15)against Staphylococcus epidermidis. S. aureus and S. epidermidisrecorded a relatively lower MIC (6.25 mg mL−1) from methanolextracts of P. lanceolata, while P. lanceolata and R. nervosusrecorded a lower MBC (25 mg mL−1) against S. aureus.
KEYWORDS: Antibacterial activity; inhibition zone; medicinal plants; MIC; phytochemical; wound

BACKGRouNd: Trachoma is the leading infectious cause of blindness worldwide, particularly impacting the poorest nations, includingEthiopia.oBjECTivE: To assess knowledge, practice, and associated factors of trachoma transmission and prevention among primary school stu-dents in Addis Zemen town, South Gondar, Northwest Ethiopia, 2022.METhodS: An institution-based cross-sectional study was conducted on 407 randomly selected primary school students (grades 5-8),aged 10 to 24 years. Data collection included face-to-face interviews using structured questionnaires and an observation checklist. Epi-dataversion 4.2.0.0 and SPSS version 20 were used to enter and analyze the collected data, respectively. The data were analyzed using thedescriptive statistical method and using bivariable and multivariable logistic regression models. Variables with a P-value