Background Cleft lip and palate deformities are considered one of the most common birth defects of the head and neck that pose significant medical, psychosocial and financial burdens on the affected individuals and families, especially in low income communities. The etiology and pathogenesis of cleft lip and palate is complex and is known to involve genetic and/or environmental factors. Objective To assess the patterns of anatomical cleft lip and palate deformities among neonates in Mekelle and Ayder Comprehensive Specialized hospitals, Tigray, Northern Ethiopia. Methods A hospital-based retrospective study was conducted from May 2017 to June 2017 at Mekelle and Ayder Comprehensive Specialized hospitals, both in Mekelle city. Data was collected from all medical charts of neonates registered from 2011 to 2016 and analyzed using SPSS version 21.0 and OpenEpi software. Results were presented using tables and graphs; Chi-square test was used to look for an association between variables, odds ratio to determine the strength of association of selected variables using multinomial logistic regression model, while Fisher Exact (Clopper-Pearson) was used to compare yearly prevalence. Results Of 37,152 neonatal charts analyzed, 119 (0.32%) cases were identified as having cleft deformities. 38.7, 17.6, and 43.7% of this figure had cleft lips, cleft palates and both cleft lip and palate respectively. 46 (38.7%) neonates had lateral patterns of cleft lip deformities with 56.5% located unilaterally on the right and 43.5% unilaterally on the left. Of 52 (43.7%) neonates with cleft lip and palate deformities, 40.4% were located bilaterally while 38.5 and 21.2% were located unilaterally on the left and right, respectively. Associated malformations were: cardiac (3.4%), central nervous system (1.7%) and limb deformities (5.9%). The overall prevalence of cleft deformities was found to be 3.11 per 1000 live births. Conclusion The study showed a higher prevalence of cleft deformities than that reported in Addis Ababa and some other African countries. A higher occurrence of left unilateral pattern of cleft lip and palate was observed whereas a higher right unilateral pattern of cleft lip was identified. The higher prevalence of cleft lip and palate recorded in this region of Ethiopia may reflect an environmental impact.

Epilepsy is among the most common serious neurological disorders and affects around 50 million people worldwide, 80% of which live in developing countries. Despite the introduction of several new Anti-Epileptic Drugs (AEDs) in the last two decades, one third of treated patients have seizures refractory to pharmacotherapy. This highlights the need to develop new treatments with drugs targeting alternative seizure-induction mechanisms. Traditional medicine (TM) is used for the treatment of epilepsy in many developing countries and could constitute an affordable and accessible alternative to AEDs, but a lack of pre-clinical and clinical testing has so far prevented its wider acceptance worldwide. In this study we used Drosophila melanogaster paralyticbangsensitive(parabss) mutants as a model for epileptic seizure screening and tested, for the first time, the anti-seizure effect of a non-commercial AED. We evaluated the effect of the African custard-apple, Annona senegalensis, which is commonly used as a TM for the treatment of epilepsy in rural Africa, and compared it with the classical AED phenytoin. Our results showed that a stem bark extract from A. senegalensis was significantly more effective than a leaf extract and similar to phenytoin in the prevention and control of seizure-like behavior. These results support that Drosophila constitutes a robust animal model for the screening of TM with potential value for the treatment of intractable epilepsy.

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Datura Stramonium (DS) is a tropical shrub which is available worldwide. It has various uses and is often used to increase the intoxication of certain beverages. The seeds of this plant are very toxic but are commonly smoked in like manner as tobacco. The present study investigated the potential harmful effects of DS on pyramidal cells and CREB protein in the hippocampus of Wistar rats in order to further elucidate the effects of DS seed extract on hippocampal structure. The study was conducted on both male and female Wistar rats (200-250 g). They were first divided into three batches, which were further sub-divided into four groups in each batch with eight animals per group. Ethanolic extract of dried seeds of DS was diluted in normal saline and given to the treatment groups. The treated groups received intraperitoneal administration (i.p.) of 750 mg kg −1 (Bania et al., 2004) of diluted DS seed extracts, once in batch 1, twice in batch 2 and thrice in batch 3 per day respectively for 4 weeks while the control groups received an equivalent of normal saline. The rats were euthanized and Western blot analysis used to evaluate the levels of CREB protein in the rats' hippocampi. Sections of each hippocampus were histologically processed in all the groups and silver impregnation stain for degenerating axons and neurons was used to elucidate the actions of DS on the pyramidal neurons of the hippocampus. The result of i.p. administration of DS extract (750 mg kg −1 ) given three times per day to the treated rats showed significant histological changes such as axonal atrophy, cytoplasmic vacuolation and neuronal necrosis of the pyramidal cells of the hippocampus, as well as an increase in CREB protein levels in both male and female rats. Excessive ingestion of DS seeds, therefore, may lead to hippocampal pyramidal cell losses and an increase in CREB protein levels in the hippocampus. This may be implicated in neurological disorders.

Several studies have established a relationship between morphological and behavioral asymmetry making investigations of bilateral bone asymmetry an attractive and important research area. The purpose of this study was to investigate bilateral asymmetry patterns of skeletal specimen from five geographical locations (Rwanda, Burundi, Congo, Kenya, and Uganda) at Galloway Osteological Collection, Department of Anatomy, School of Biomedical Sciences, Makerere University College of Health Sciences. The angle of torsion and retroversion, mid-shaft circumference, length, and weight of 232 pairs of humeri were determined. A Torsiometer was used to measure the angle of torsion in degrees according to Krahl and Evans 1945, a tape was used to measure the mid-shaft circumference at the level of the apex of the deltoid V, and the length in cm was determined. An osteometric board was used to measure the length of the humerus in centimeters. A weighing balance was used to measure the weight of the humerus in grams. The analysis of humeral asymmetry with respect to parameters of the human skeletal specimen at the Galloway Osteological Collection Mulago revealed bilateral asymmetrical status observed in the angle of torsion, length, weight, and mid-shaft circumference. Our result mostly showed lateralization to the right in all the parameters investigated except the torsion angle which is to the left. Our investigation revealed that humeral torsion is inversely proportional to weight, length, and mid-shaft circumference of the humerus. This study established the existence of bilateral asymmetries in the humeri of all the geographical regions investigated with more asymmetry observed in the male compared with the female.