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

Background: Children on the streets are still vulnerable to early and unsafe sexual experiences. Having multiple sexual partners and the limited use of condoms were major risk factors for the spread of sexually transmitted diseases among youths in Ethiopia.
Objective: This study aimed to explore the risk factors of sexual and reproductive health problems, service utilization, and challenges among street youths in the East Gojjam Zone.
Method: A phenomenological study design was employed on street youths residing in the East Gojjam Zone. Study participants were purposively recruited from four town administrations in the East Gojjam Zone. The primary study unit was street youths who live in the zone. Eight in-depth interviews and eight focus group discussions were conducted. The data were audio recorded and analyzed using inductive thematic analysis.
Results: In this study, the risk factors that exposed street youths to sexual and reproductive health problems included low perceived susceptibility, lack of awareness of sexual and reproductive health, having multiple sexual partners, exposure to pornographic films, and utilization of alcoholic drinks and substances. Mainly, those street youths who were engaged in transactional sexual relationships were utilizing condoms consistently and had regular HIV screening tests. In addition, few street youths ever utilized maternal and child health services. The unsupportive behavior of health professionals, the absence of exact data, the health system, and lack of specific responsible organization on the sexual and reproductive health of street youths were considered major challenges.
Conclusion and recommendation: Most of the street youths were not utilizing reproductive health services. Limitation on the accessibility of sexual and reproductive health services to this segment of the population was the main contributing factor. So, the health system and policy should take front-line responsibility for the sexual and reproductive health of street youths and consider convenient reproductive health service programs for them.

Keywords: Risk factors; Sexual and reproductive health service utilization; Street youths.

Introduction: The magnitude of poor sleep quality among people with asthma is widespread and has detrimental consequences, including a higher chance of having poor work performance, an increase in the frequency of asthma attacks, an increase in the need for overnight hospitalization, and a worse health related quality of life. However, it has not been well studied, especially in low-income countries like Ethiopia. This study's objective was to assess the degree of sleep quality and related factors among people with asthma who had follow-up visits at public hospitals in the East Gojjam Zone.
Methods: An institutional-based cross-sectional study design was conducted among 406 people with asthma through consecutive sampling techniques at public hospitals in East Gojjam Zone from June 6 to July 1, 2022. Sleep quality was measured by the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index through a face-to-face interview, and the collected data were entered into Epi Data version 4.4.2 and exported to SPSS version 25 for analysis. Logistic regression was fitted to assess the association between dependent and independent variables. Variables with a P-value

Background: Edible oil manufacturing is a labor-intensive sector with significanttechnological demands, where employees face various occupational hazards.The use of personal protective equipment (PPE) is not only a legal obligationbut also a key measure for safeguarding workers against job-related injuriesand health risks. Despite these challenges, this industry often remainsunder-researched and overlooked.Objective: To assess utilization of personal protective equipment and its keyfactors among workers in the WA edible oil factory in Debre Markos town,Ethiopia, in 2024.Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among employees of theWA Edible Oil Factory in Debre Markos. Using a simple random samplingmethod, 387 workers were selected to participate. Data were collectedthrough an interviewer-administered structured questionnaire, focusing on theuse of protective equipment, as well as socio-demographic, work-related,environmental, and organizational characteristics. The data were analyzed usingSPSS version 26. Logistic regression analysis was employed to identify factorsinfluencing the use of protective equipment, with the strength of associationsexpressed as odds ratios at a 95% confidence level.Results: Out of the total workforce, 214 individuals (55.3%) reportedusing personal protective equipment while on duty. The study identifiedseveral significant factors influencing personal protective equipment utilization,including receiving safety training, having access to protective equipment,regular occupational health and safety inspections, the presence of workplacesafety protocols, having three or more years of work experience, and abstainingfrom alcohol consumption and smoking.Conclusion: The utilization level of personal protective equipment amongworkers at the WA edible oil factory was found to be moderate when comparedto findings from other developing countries. Key factors influencing personalprotective equipment usage included access to safety training, availability ofprotective gear, workplace supervision, the presence of safety protocols, workexperience, and lifestyle behaviors such as alcohol and tobacco use. To improvepersonal protective equipment utilization, it is recommended to strengthenworkplace supervision, offer comprehensive safety training, and ensure theconsistent availability of safety guidelines.KEYWORDSutilization, personal protective equipment, edible oil factory, factory worker, Ethiopia

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.