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Male gender and duration of anti-tuberculosis treatment are associated with hypocholesterolemia in adult pulmonary tuberculosis patients in Kampala, Uganda
Full text linkPatients with Pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB) and hypocholesterolemia have an altered immune function, delayed
sputum conversion at two months and increased mortality. However, the assessment for dyslipidemias is not often done in our setting.Background: Patients with Pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB) and hypocholesterolemia have an altered immune function, delayed sputum conversion at two months and increased mortality. However, the assessment for dyslipidemias is not often done in our setting.
Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among adults at an urban TB clinic in Kampala, Uganda. We included different participants at diagnosis (0), 2, 5, 6 and 8 months of anti-TB treatment. Data was collected from a complete physical examination, a pre-tested structured questionnaire, six-hour fasting lipid profiles and random blood glucose levels.
Results: Of the 323 included participants, 63.5% (205/323) were males and the median age was 30 years, IQR (23-39). The prevalence of hypocholesterolemia was 43.65% (95% CI 38.3-49.2). The participants at diagnosis had the highest hypocholesterolemia prevalence, 57.3%, 95% CI (46.7-67.2); and lowest amongst those completing treatment at 6/8 months, 32.2%, 95% CI (21.6-45.2). Significant factors associated with hypocholesterolemia were: male gender (PR 1.52, 95% CI: 1.13-2.03), and duration of anti-TB treatment (0.88, 95% CI: 0.80-0.98).
Conclusion: Hypocholesterolemia is common among patients with PTB. The risk of hypocholesterolemia increases with being male and reduces with increased duration of treatment. There is a need for further research in lipid abnormalities in TB patients
Reflections on the impact of developing an oil and gas industry on society
Full text linkThis presentation was made at a public dialogue organised by Uganda Christian University, School of Research and Postgraduate Studies - Oil and Gas Unit on March 7th, 2018.This presentation highlights elements that are key in the development process of engaging in oil and gas mining; the impact of the activities on industry in society and the environment. Relevant examples are drawn from the Norway and African experiences. Issues discussed include historical perspectives, success factors, price volatility, managing the sector, jobs and national participation, industry and general thoughts on developing the oil industry
Community Mobilization Through Facilitated Participatory Learning and Action Groups for Maternal and Newborn Health in Buikwe District
Full text linkThe Mother Conference and Reunion Presentations, 2018Background
This project tested the Participatory Learning Action (PLA) cycle in mobilizing the community for improved maternal and newborn health. The project, promoted by the World Health Organization highlighted the importance of health promotion interventions that strengthen individual, family, and community capacity to contribute to improved health while addressing the quality of care in facilities in Buikwe District. Community mobilization was realized through facilitated participatory learning and action (PLA) cycles with women’s groups in rural settings with low access to maternal health services. Community mobilization through facilitated PLA cycles work by building the capacities of communities to organize and take action to address the social determinants of health that underpin maternal and newborn health.
Objective
The study aimed at reviewing the feasibility of community mobilization through facilitated PLA cycles for improved maternal and newborn health in Buikwe district
Methods
The PLA cycle follows a four- phase approach that involves joint efforts in identifying problems, solutions, implementing and assessing program impact together. Ten women from two sub-counties in Buikwe received training in the implementation of the PLA cycle within their communities. These facilitators then led women’s groups in utilising the PLA cycle to identify and address maternal and newborn health challenges in their communities
Results
A total of 15 women groups were formed which utilised the four phase PLA cycle in identifying and addressing maternal and newborn health challenges in Buikwe district. They generated several local health solutions and brought about an increased demand for maternal and newborn health services.
Conclusion
The PLA guide is an empowerment and advocacy tool for improved maternal and newborn Health.
However, the integrated nature of this approach necessitates an understanding of priorities set in mobilizing communities, the role played by local leadership and the resources needed for improved maternal and newborn health
Tunula wagulu!
Full text linkThis a story about the creatures which God created and they can fly in the sky lovely.This a story about the creatures which God created and they can fly in the sky lovely
Analysis of the Depiction of Corporal Punishment in Two Ugandan Novels and Its Effects on Students
Full text linkThis paper examines the portrayal of corporal punishment in Mary Karooro Okurut’s The Invisible Weevil [1] and Julius Ocwinyo’s Fate of the Banished [2]. The researchers investigate the issues and challenges surrounding the students who are subjected to corporal punishment as portrayed in two Ugandan novels within the framework of post-colonial theory. This study has used a qualitative content analysis of two Ugandan novels followed by identification of the key words, concepts, themes, phrases, characters, or sentences within texts or sets of texts to unfold subjective interpretation of the novels. Qualitative content analysis was used to investigate how corporal punishment has affected the students. The study found that corporal punishment produces fear, timidity, submissiveness and violence and is the root cause of school dropout, as evidenced by
characters in the two novels. It is concluded that fear, timidity, rebellion and violence are consequences of corporal punishment in the school setting. It is recommended that the Ministry of Education and all the stakeholders should endeavor to end corporal punishment in schools because it diminishes a child's capacity to grow up as a responsible person
Omusaadha Kalimagezi
No full textThis is a children story book.This was a children's story in the village which had a man who was very Intelligent
‘If I had not taken it [HIVST kit] home, my husband would not have come to the facility to test for HIV’: HIV self-testing perceptions, delivery strategies, and post-test experiences among pregnant women and their male partners in Central Uganda
Full text linkThis was a qualitative study implemented as part of a pilot, cluster-randomized oral HIVST intervention trial among 1,514 pregnant women attending antenatal care services at three health facilities in Central Uganda.Background: HIV self-testing (HIVST) can improve HIV-testing rates in ‘hard-to-reach’ populations, including men. We explored HIVST perceptions, delivery strategies, and post-test experiences among pregnant women and their male partners in Central Uganda.
Methods: This was a qualitative study implemented as part of a pilot, cluster-randomized oral
HIVST intervention trial among 1,514 pregnant women attending antenatal care services at three health facilities in Central Uganda. The qualitative component of the study was conducted between February and March 2017. We conducted 32 in-depth interviews to document women and men’s perceptions about HIVST, strategies used by women in delivering the kits to their male partners, male partners’ reactions to receiving kits from their female partners, and positive and negative social outcomes post-test. All interviews were audio recorded, transcribed verbatim, and analyzed manually following a thematic framework approach.
Results: Women were initially anxious about their male partners’ reaction if they brought
HIVST kits home, but the majority eventually managed to deliver the kits to them successfully.
Women who had some level of apprehension used a variety of strategies to deliver the kits including placing the kits in locations that would arouse male partners’ inquisitiveness or waited for ‘opportune’ moments when their husbands were likely to be more receptive. A few (three) women lied about the purpose of the test kit (testing for syphilis and other illnesses) while one woman stealthily took a mucosal swab from the husband. Most men initially doubted the ability of oral HIVST kits to test for HIV, but this did not stop them from using them. Both men and women perceived HIVST as an opportunity to learn about each other’s HIV status. No serious adverse events were reported post-test.
Conclusion: Our findings lend further credence to previous findings regarding the feasibility of female-delivered HIVST to improve male partner HIV testing in sub-Saharan Africa. However, support for women in challenging relationships is required to minimize potential for deception and coercion
An access control framework for protecting personal electronic health records
No full textThis paper was presented and part of the proceedings of The MAURICON 2018 International Conference on Intelligent and Innovative Computing Applications (ICONIC).The increasing expansion of wireless systems and the extensive popularity and usage of mobile devices such as mobile phones and wireless tablets represents a great opportunity to use mobile devices as widespread health data access tools. Unfortunately, some problems impeding the general acceptance of mhealth such as privacy protection, limitation of wireless networks and handheld devices are still common. Challenges such as unreliable data repositories and limited connection speeds in resource-limited environments are also evident. The inadequate capabilities of hand-held devices and wireless systems make these Public Key Cryptography based frameworks unsuitable for mobile networks. Moreover, these protocols were designed to preserve the customary flow of health data, which is vulnerable to attack and increase the user’s risk. This research drew its foundations from literature and theoretical review and used qualitative approaches. In this paper, the researchers build on existing concepts of Medical Information Systems and use of Symmetric Key Infrastructure to design a framework for secure access to personal electronic health records. The framework provides identity protection for a patient from all forms of unauthorised data access. The framework not only reduces the computational operations between the engaging parties, but also achieves privacy protection for the user. Validation results from ICT experts demonstrate that the designed framework is applicable to secure access to personal medical health records in resource-limited settings
Gendered geographical inequalities in junior high school enrollment. Do infrastructure, human, and financial resources matter?
No full textThis paper is to examine the spatial patterns of gender inequality in junior high school enrollment and the educational resource investments associated with the spatial trends.Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the spatial patterns of gender inequality in junior high school enrollment and the educational resource investments associated with the spatial trends.
Design/methodology/approach – The paper uses data on 170 districts in Ghana and hot spot analysis based on the Getis-Ord Gi statistic, linear regression, and geographically weighted regression to assess spatial variability in gender parity in junior high school enrollment and its association with resource allocation.
Findings – The results reveal rural-urban and north-south variability in gender parity. Results show that educational resources contribute to gender parity. At the national level, educational expenditure, and the number of classrooms, teachers, and available writing places have the strongest positive associations with girls’ enrollment. These relationships are spatially moderated, such that predominantly rural and Northern districts experience the most substantial benefits of educational investments.
Practical implications – The findings show that strategic allocation of infrastructure, financial, and human resources through local governments holds promise for a more impactful and sustainable educational development of all children, regardless of gender. Besides seeking solutions that address the lack of resources at the national level, there is a need for locally tailored efforts to remove the barriers to equitable distribution of educational resources across gender and socioeconomic groups.
Originality/value – This paper’s use of advanced spatial analysis techniques allows for in-depth examination of gender parity and investments in educational resources, and highlights the spatial nuances in how such investments predict gender disparities in junior high school enrollment. The findings speak to the need for targeted and localized efforts to address gender and geographical disparities in educational opportunities
Effect of Post-Harvest Handling Practices, Storage Technologies and Packaging Material on Post-Harvest Quality and Antioxidant Potential of Solanum Aethiopicum (Shum) Leafy Vegetable
Full text linkThe objective of this study was to determine the effect of post-harvest handling practices and storage technology on the post-harvest quality and antioxidant activity in S. aethiopicum, as well as determine the packaging material that could be able to maintain a high post-harvest quality during storage.Several studies have supported the use of vegetables as foods as well as medicinal plants. However, most especially for the leafy types of vegetables, their high moisture content gives them a short shelf life. On average Solanum aethiopicum (Shum) has a shelf life of one day, making it unable to keep fresh for a long time. The objective of this study was to determine the effect of post-harvest handling practices and storage technology on the post-harvest quality and antioxidant activity in S. aethiopicum, as well as determine the packaging material that could be able to maintain a high post-harvest quality during storage. The post-harvest handling and storage technologies were tested under three experimental conditions. Experiment one involved placing 2.0 kg of the harvested S. aethiopicum with roots intact (RI) and others with roots cut-off (RC) in a charcoal cooler (-CC), 21.0±1.00 °C, 95.67±3.01 %rh; in ambient storage (-AC), 23.8±2.86 °C, 69.38±6.72 % rh; and in cold room (-CR), 7.17±1.30 °C, 95.80±3.19 %rh. Experiment two involved storing 2.0 kg of S. aethiopicum in charcoal cooler with no water treatment (TT-) and in ambient storage while immersing in portable water for 2 to 3 seconds during the day (TT+). Experiment three involved packing 1.0 kg of S. aethiopicum sample of both RC and RI state to assess the effectiveness of the packaging materials (0.1 cm meshed perforated polyethylene (RC0.1), 0.5 cm meshed perforated polyethylene (RC0.5) and a 60 μm perforated polyethylene (RC60μm) in maintaining quality of the vegetables. The edible parts of the vegetable were tested for moisture content, percentage weight loss, chlorophyll content, polyphenol content and total antioxidant activity (as measures of post-harvest quality and shelf life) after every 24 hours. The antioxidant activity was determined by screening for free radical scavenging properties using diphenyl picryl hydrazyl (DPPH), Ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) and ascorbic acid as standard. The results revealed that Shelf life was found to increase (from one day to four days) when the vegetable was intermittently immersed in portable water for 2 to 3 seconds after every one hour during the day for vegetables in ambient storage both with roots intact (RI(TT+)-AC and with roots cut-off RC(TT+)-AC). The samples stored in cold room and charcoal cooler showed slow and comparable reduction (percent) of weight for both intact and roots cut. The chlorophyll content decreased in all storage conditions, with ambient conditions showing the most rapid decrease. The total polyphenol fluctuated within relatively small limits for both with intact and roots cut-off when stored in cold room and charcoal cooler (6.25±0.05 to 9.35±0.05 mgGAE/gfw; respectively) within the four days of storage. Storage in ambient conditions indicated an increase in total polyphenol content from 9.35±0.05 to 14.77±0.12 mgGAE/gfw for that with roots intact (RI-AC) and to 13.65±0.06 mgGAE/gfw for roots cut-off (RC-AC). The increase in total polyphenol content in the ambient storage led to increased total antioxidant activity compared to that stored in cold room and charcoal cooler that remained almost constant. The 60 μm perforated polyethylene and 0.1 cm meshed perforated polyethylene retained more moisture (84.55±0.18 % and 85.20±0.03 %; respectively) and showed minimal percentage of weight loss (9.69±0.25 %) with the highest chlorophyll content (8.06±0.02 mg/g dwb) on day four when stored in the charcoal cooler, making it the best tested packaging material