BACKGROUND: Unsafe working practices, working environments, disposable waste products, and chemicals in clinical laboratories contribute to infectious and non-infectious hazards. Staffs, the community, and patients are less safe. Furthermore, such practices compromise the quality of laboratory services. We conducted a study to describe safety practices in public hospital laboratories of Oromia Regional State, Ethiopia. METHOD: Randomly selected ten public hospital laboratories in Oromia Regional State were studied from Oct 2011-Feb 2012. Self-administered structured questionnaire and observation checklists were used for data collection. The respondents were heads of the laboratories, senior technicians, and safety officers. The questionnaire addressed biosafety label, microbial hazards, chemical hazards, physical/mechanical hazards, personal protective equipment, first aid kits and waste disposal system. The data was analyzed using descriptive analysis with SPSS version16 statistical software. RESULT: All of the respondents reported none of the hospital laboratories were labeled with the appropriate safety label and safety symbols. These respondents also reported they may contain organisms grouped under risk group IV in the absence of microbiological safety cabinets. Overall, the respondents reported that there were poor safety regulations or standards in their laboratories. There were higher risks of microbial, chemical and physical/mechanical hazards. CONCLUSION: Laboratory safety in public hospitals of Oromia Regional State is below the standard. The laboratory workers are at high risk of combined physical, chemical and microbial hazards. Prompt recognition of the problem and immediate action is mandatory to ensure safe working environment in health laboratories.
This study was conducted at Ades forest in West Hararghe Zone, Ethiopia, for determining vegetations composition and structure. Systematic sampling method was used to collect vegetation data from 48 (20 m × 20 m) main sample plots for woody species that was established along a transect line. Sample plots were spaced at 10 m altitudinal drop from top to the bottom of the natural forest. Diameter at breast height and height of all woody species were measured. Species abundance, vernacular name and environmental variables were recorded in each sample plot. A total of 48 woody plants belonging to 42 genera and 29 families were recorded and identified. Fabaceae family had the highest number of taxa followed by Rosaceae and Flacourtiaceae families. Although the overall population structure of woody plants of the Forest revealed good regeneration status, the presence of anthropogenic disturbance in the area necessitates the need for conservation action in order to ensure sustainable utilization and management of the Forest.
Flavonoids capture and neutralize the oxidative agents, and quench free radicals. The peel which represents almost one half of the fruit mass has been found to be the main sources of total phenols and flavonoids in the citrus fruit. In present study, flavonoid content and in vitro antioxidant activities of ethanol extracts from some selected citrus fruit peels grown in Ethiopia were determined. Colorimetric aluminum chloride was used for flavonoid content determination. In vitro antioxidant properties of the citrus fruit peels were determined by measuring DPPH and Nitric Oxide radical scavenging activity, and reducing power. The study result showed that lemon peel contained significantly the highest flavonoid content (8.88 ± 0.621 mg of quercetin equivalent/g of extract) at 100 µg/ml concentration. When compared to vitamin C used as standard, lemon peel extract showed significantly higher DPPH radical scavenging of 75.60 ± 2.4 %. Lime peel extract showed highest (0.38 ± 0.01) reducing power activity at 1000 µg/mL concentrations. Strong linear correlations was observed between flavonoid contents of selected citrus peel extract and DPPH free radical scavenging activity (r = 0.975, p = 0.025). Overall, in vitro antioxidant potential of citrus fruit peels extract grown in Ethiopia was confirmed and correlation between in vitro antioxidant activity and flavonoid content of citrus peel extract showed different trends. Further analysis is required to purify specific structure of flavonoid components of citrus fruit peel from Ethiopian cultivar using advanced purification techniques.
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