Anaemia is characterised by low hemoglobin (Hb) concentration. Despite being a public health concern in Ethiopia, the role of micronutrients and non-nutritional factors as a determinant of Hb concentrations has been inadequately explored. This study focused on the assessment of serum micronutrient and Hb concentrations and a range of non-nutritional factors, to evaluate their associations with the risk of anaemia among the Ethiopian population (n 2046). It also explored the mediation effect of Zn on the relation between se and Hb. Bivariate and multivariate regression analyses were performed to identify the relationship between serum micronutrients concentration, inflammation biomarkers, nutritional status, presence of parasitic infection and socio-demographic factors with Hb concentration (n 2046). Sobel–Goodman test was applied to investigate the mediation of Zn on relations between serum se and Hb. In total, 18·6 % of participants were anaemic, 5·8 % had iron deficiency (ID), 2·6 % had ID anaemia and 0·6 % had tissue ID. Younger age, household head illiteracy and low serum concentrations of ferritin, Co, Cu and folate were associated with anaemia. Serum se had an indirect effect that was mediated by Zn, with a significant effect of se on Zn (P < 0·001) and Zn on Hb (P < 0·001). The findings of this study suggest the need for designing a multi-sectorial intervention to address anaemia based on demographic group.

We investigated the population dynamics of the spider crab Libinia ferreirae, focusing on the frequency distribution of individuals in size classes, sex ratio and the action of environmental variables (temperature, salinity, texture and organic matter content in the sediment) on reproduction and recruitment. Monthly collections were made in the Ubatuba region from January 1998 to December 2000. A total of 222 individuals were collected, including 123 juveniles (males and females), 43 adult males, 25 non-ovigerous adult females and 31 ovigerous females. Unlike most adult brachyurans, there was no significant size difference between sexes, and sexual dimorphism seems to be a varying characteristic for this crab genus. The reproductive period and recruitment were continuous with peaks that could be related to water mass dynamics and higher food availability in the Ubatuba region. In addition, our results increase knowledge about part of the life cycle of L. ferreirae, which could be useful for comparative studies.