38 research outputs found
A Fatal Outcome of Ludwig’s Angina and Necrotizing Fasciitis Following Traditional Tooth Extraction
No full textAbdullahi Abdiaziz Abukar,1 Mihret Adane Woldemichael,1 Elizabeth Vargas Escalante,1 Brian Agaba,1 Yanurkis Duranones Rosales2 1Department of Ear, Nose & Throat, Kampala International University-Teaching Hospital, Bushenyi, Uganda; 2Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Kampala International University-Teaching Hospital, Bushenyi, UgandaCorrespondence: Abdullahi Abdiaziz Abukar, Kampala International University-Teaching Hospital, Department of Ear, Nose & Throat, P.O. Box 20000, Bushenyi, Uganda, Tel +256757241575, Email [email protected]: Ludwig’s angina is a potentially fatal condition characterized by a rapid onset of cellulitis that bilaterally involves the submandibular, sublingual, and submental spaces. This report describes the case of a 29-year-old female who presented to us with Ludwig’s angina following a tooth extraction performed by a traditional healer in Southwestern Uganda. The patient stayed home for over a week before she could seek formal treatment, and this delay led to severe infection and necrotizing fasciitis with extensive tissue necrosis. Despite multiple in-hospital interventions which included incision, drainage, and debridement, the patient succumbed to complications such as secondary lung infection, septicemia, and disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC). This case report highlights the importance of timely medical intervention, socioeconomic barriers, and antibiotic resistance challenges.Keywords: cellulitis, Ludwig’s angina, traditional tooth extraction, necrosis, DIC, septicemi
Adaptive Process Distribution at the Edge of IoT using the Integration of BPMS and Containerization
No full textTäna levivad pilvepõhised värkvõrgu (asjade interneti) süsteemid tuginevad protsesside halduseks kaugel asuvatel andmekeskustel, mis toob endaga kaasa latentsusprobleeme. Vastusena sellele probleemile on varem välja pakutud servaarvutuse lähenemine, kus arvutused viiakse läbi asjade interneti süsteemi võrgule füüsiliselt lähemal. Mitmete servaarvutuse metoodikate seas on uduarvutus lähenemine, kus rõhk on arvutuste liigutamisel värkvõrgu seadmetele endile. Ehkki uduarvutusel põhinev arhitektuur on paljutõotav, tõstatab see küsimuse – kuidas värkvõrgu protsessihaldussüsteemid (BPMS4IoT-süsteemid) äriprotsesse heterogeensetele värkvõrgu seadmetele jaotama peaksid? Levinud on lähenemine, kus protsesside töövooülesannete käituseks tuginetakse ühisele platvormile. Näiteks, kui haldusserver defineerib teatud töövoo ülesandena Pythoni skripti ja määrab selle seadmele, siis peab seadme töövookäitusmootor toetama vastavat mehhanismi skriptide jooksutamiseks. Selline nõue ei ole paindlik, arvestades värkvõrgu seadmete heterogeensust. Käesolevas magistritöös pakub autor välja raamistiku, mis eraldab töövoo ülesannete käitusmeetodi käitusmootorist kasutades selleks konteinertehnoloogiat. Töö käigus arendati välja raamistiku prototüüp ning viidi läbi katseid mikroarvutitel põhinevail seadmetel. Lisaks võrreldi väljapakutud uduarvutuse raamistiku jõudlust pilvearvutusel põhineva süsteemiga.Emerging cloud-centric Internet of Things (IoT) system relies on distant data centers to manage the entire processes, which raises the issue of latency. To address the issue, researchers have introduced the Edge computing methodologies that carry out computation closer to the edge network of IoT system. Among the numerous Edge computing approaches, Mist computing paradigm emphasises the mechanism that moves the computation further to the front-end IoT devices. Although the architecture of Mist computing is promising, it raises a new challenge in how the Business Process Management System for IoT (BPMS4IoT) distributes the business process workflow to the heterogeneous IoT devices? In general, executing business process workflows relies on the common platform for executing customized tasks. For example, if the management server defines a Python script task in a workflow, which has been allocated to an IoT device, the workflow engine of the IoT device must have the compatible execution method. Such a requirement is less flexible when one considers the heterogeneity of the IoT devices. Therefore, in this thesis, the author proposes a framework to decouple the workflow task execution method from the workflow engines using the containerization technology. A proof-of-concept prototype has been developed and has been tested on several single-board computers-based IoT devices. Further, a case study has been performed to demonstrate the performance of the proposed framework comparing to the cloud-centric system
Endemic stability--a veterinary idea applied to human public health.
No full textEndemic stability is an epidemiological state of a population, in which clinical disease is scarce despite high level of infection. The notion was developed to describe patterns of tick-borne disease in cattle. However, we propose a general model of endemic stability that is applicable to a broader range of diseases that are important in public health, including malaria, rubella, and mumps. We postulate that endemic stability requires only that (1) the probability, or severity, of clinical disease after infection increases with age, and (2) after one infection, the probability that subsequent infections result in disease is reduced. We present these criteria in simple mathematical terms. Our hypothesis predicts that partial disease control activities might, under certain circumstances, lead to an increase in disease incidence. We discuss the implications for public health interventions
The impacts of COVID-19 on older adults in Uganda and Ethiopia: Perspectives from non-governmental organization staff and volunteers
No full text© 2024 Dhillon et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.The COVID-19 pandemic had a substantial impact on older adults, especially in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). To support older adults during this time, non-governmental organizations (NGOs) coordinated programs to help provide for basic needs related to food and water security and healthcare. This research explores the attitudes, perceptions and experiences of NGO staff and volunteers who provided support to older adults in SSA in rural East Africa during the COVID-19 pandemic. In-depth interviews (n = 28) were conducted with NGO staff and volunteers in Uganda and Ethiopia between September and December of 2022. Overall, NGO staff and volunteers reported high levels of knowledge surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic and stated that one positive of the COVID-19 pandemic was the improved hygiene practices. However, the NGO staff and volunteers also reported that the pandemic and the associated public health measures exacerbated pre-existing social inequalities, such as increasing pre-existing levels of food insecurity. The exacerbation of pre-existing social inequalities may be one reason for the increased reliance on NGO services. The learnings from the COVID-19 pandemic and associated public health measures can be utilized to create targeted strategies to mitigate the negative impacts of future public health crises on vulnerable populations.Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council || Ontario Graduate Scholarship
Using the community-based breeding program (CBBP) model as a collaborative platform to develop the African Goat Improvement Network—Image collection protocol (AGIN-ICP) with mobile technology for data collection and management of livestock phenotypes
No full textIntroduction: The African Goat Improvement Network Image Collection Protocol (AGIN-ICP) is an accessible, easy to use, low-cost procedure to collect phenotypic data via digital images. The AGIN-ICP collects images to extract several phenotype measures including health status indicators (anemia status, age, and weight), body measurements, shapes, and coat color and pattern, from digital images taken with standard digital cameras or mobile devices. This strategy is to quickly survey, record, assess, analyze, and store these data for use in a wide variety of production and sampling conditions.
Methods: The work was accomplished as part of the multinational African Goat Improvement Network (AGIN) collaborative and is presented here as a case study in the AGIN collaboration model and working directly with community-based breeding programs (CBBP). It was iteratively developed and tested over 3 years, in 12 countries with over 12,000 images taken.
Results and discussion: The AGIN-ICP development is described, and field implementation and the quality of the resulting images for use in image analysis and phenotypic data extraction are iteratively assessed. Digital body measures were validated using the PreciseEdge Image Segmentation Algorithm (PE-ISA) and software showing strong manual to digital body measure Pearson correlation coefficients of height, length, and girth measures (0.931, 0.943, 0.893) respectively. It is critical to note that while none of the very detailed tasks in the AGIN-ICP described here is difficult, every single one of them is even easier to accidentally omit, and the impact of such a mistake could render a sample image, a sampling day’s images, or even an entire sampling trip’s images difficult or unusable for extracting digital phenotypes. Coupled with tissue sampling and genomic testing, it may be useful in the effort to identify and conserve important animal genetic resources and in CBBP genetic improvement programs by providing reliably measured phenotypes with modest cost. Potential users include farmers, animal husbandry officials, veterinarians, regional government or other public health officials, researchers, and others. Based on these results, a final AGIN-ICP is presented, optimizing the costs, ease, and speed of field implementation of the collection method without compromising the quality of the image data collection
Rethinking North–South Research Partnerships Amidst Global Uncertainties: Leveraging Lessons Learned from UK GCRF Projects during COVID-19
No full textInternational research and development projects (or grand challenge projects) consist of multicultural, multi-country, multi-sectoral, and multi-stakeholder initiatives aimed at poverty reduction. They are usually conceived as partnerships between actors in the global north–south. The COVID-19 pandemic was a major unexpected disruption to ongoing projects and challenged their already complex management. The aim of this paper is to present evidence on how international development projects were impacted by COVID-19 with a particular focus on the relationship between research institutions in the north and south. We conducted a mixed-methods research study, combining a reflective exercise with the co-author team and a survey with principal investigators, project managers, and capacity development leads drawn from 31 Global Challenges Research Fund (GCRF) projects funded through the UK government’s Official Development Assistance (ODA) and focused on social–ecological system research. The survey contained closed- and open-ended questions in order to (i) demonstrate how those involved in managing projects adapted to risks, including both threats and opportunities, presented by the COVID-19 pandemic, and (ii) consider the implications for tailoring adaptive management approaches in international research projects amidst uncertainties, with a special focus on enhancing equities in global north–south partnerships. The paper offers the following recommendations on designing, planning, and implementing international research and development projects: (i) devolve project management in order to enhance project resilience and improve north–south equities; (ii) allocate dedicated resources to enable equitable north–south research partnerships; (iii) rely more on hybrid and agile approaches for managing a project’s life cycle; and (iv) improve resource flexibility, transparency, and communication through enhanced funder–implementer collaboration
Isoniazid preventive therapy completion between July-September 2019: A comparison across HIV differentiated service delivery models in Uganda
No full textPLOS recognizes the
benefits of transparency in the peer review
process; therefore, we enable the publication of
all of the content of peer review and author
responses alongside final, published articles. The
editorial history of this article is available here:
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0296239Background
Tuberculosis (TB) remains the leading cause of death among people living with HIV
(PLHIV). To prevent TB among PLHIV, the Ugandan national guidelines recommend Isoniazid
Preventive Therapy (IPT) across differentiated service delivery (DSD) models, an effective
way of delivering ART. DSD models include Community Drug Distribution Point
(CDDP), Community Client-led ART Delivery (CCLAD), Facility-Based Individual Management
(FBIM), Facility-Based Group (FBG), and Fast Track Drug Refill (FTDR). Little is
known about the impact of delivering IPT through DSD.
Methods
We reviewed medical records of PLHIV who initiated IPT between June-September 2019 at
TASO Soroti (TS), Katakwi Hospital (KH) and Soroti Regional Referral Hospital (SRRH).
We defined IPT completion as completing a course of isoniazid within 6–9 months. We utilized
a modified Poisson regression to compare IPT completion across DSD models and
determine factors associated with IPT completion in each DSD model.
Results
Data from 2968 PLHIV were reviewed (SRRH: 50.2%, TS: 25.8%, KH: 24.0%); females:
60.7%; first-line ART: 91.7%; and Integrase Strand Transfer Inhibitor (INSTI)-based regimen:
61.9%. At IPT initiation, the median age and duration on ART were 41.5 (interquartile
range [IQR]; 32.3–50.2) and 6.0 (IQR: 3.7–8.6) years, respectively. IPT completion overall was 92.8% (95%CI: 91.8–93.7%); highest in CDDP (98.1%, 95%CI: 95.0–99.3%) and lowest
in FBG (85.8%, 95%CI: 79.0–90.7%). Compared to FBIM, IPT completion was significantly
higher in CDDP (adjusted rate ratio [aRR] = 1.15, 95%CI: 1.09–1.22) and CCLAD
(aRR = 1.09, 95% CI 1.02–1.16). In facility-based models, IPT completion differed between
sites (p<0.001). IPT completion increased with age for FBIM and CCLAD and was lower
among female participants in the CCLAD (aRR = 0.82, 95%CI 0.67–0.97).
Conclusion
IPT completion was high overall but highest in community-based models. Our findings provide
evidence that supports integration of IPT within DSD models for ART delivery in
Uganda and similar settings.This project was funded by the Ugandan
Ministry of Health and by grant # OPP1152764
from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. The
funders had no role in study design, data collection
and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of
the manuscript
Table1_Antidiabetic Medicinal Plants Used in Democratic Republic of Congo: A Critical Review of Ethnopharmacology and Bioactivity Data.XLSX
No full textSeveral studies have been conducted and published on medicinal plants used to manage Diabetes Mellitus worldwide. It is of great interest to review available studies from a country or a region to resort to similarities/discrepancies and data quality. Here, we examined data related to ethnopharmacology and bioactivity of antidiabetic plants used in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Data were extracted from Google Scholar, Medline/PubMed, Scopus, ScienceDirect, the Wiley Online Library, Web of Science, and other documents focusing on ethnopharmacology, pharmacology, and phytochemistry antidiabetic plants used in the Democratic Republic of Congo from 2005 to September 2021. The Kew Botanic Royal Garden and Plants of the World Online web databases were consulted to verify the taxonomic information. CAMARADES checklist was used to assess the quality of animal studies and Jadad scores for clinical trials. In total, 213 plant species belonging to 72 botanical families were reported. Only one plant, Droogmansia munamensis, is typically native to the DRC flora; 117 species are growing in the DRC and neighboring countries; 31 species are either introduced from other regions, and 64 are not specified. Alongside the treatment of Diabetes, about 78.13% of plants have multiple therapeutic uses, depending on the study sites. Experimental studies explored the antidiabetic activity of 133 plants, mainly in mice, rats, guinea pigs, and rabbits. Several chemical classes of antidiabetic compounds isolated from 67 plant species have been documented. Rare phase II clinical trials have been conducted. Critical issues included poor quality methodological protocols, author name incorrectly written (16.16%) or absent (14.25%) or confused with a synonym (4.69%), family name revised (17.26%) or missing (1.10%), voucher number not available 336(92.05%), ecological information not reported (49.59%). Most plant species have been identified and authenticated (89.32%). Hundreds of plants are used to treat Diabetes by traditional healers in DRC. However, most plants are not exclusively native to the local flora and have multiple therapeutic uses. The analysis showed the scarcity or absence of high-quality, in-depth pharmacological studies. There is a need to conduct further studies of locally specific species to fill the gap before their introduction into the national pharmacopeia.</p
Prevalence of and factors associated with anxiety, depression and post-traumatic stress disorder among Sudan ebolavirus disease survivors and family members, Uganda, January 2023: a cross-sectional study
No full textAbstract Background Communities affected by Ebola disease (EBOD) may face resulting increases in mental health disorders. We evaluated the prevalence of and factors associated with mental health disorders among persons affected by the 2022 Sudan virus disease (SVD) outbreak in Uganda. Methods We conducted a cross-sectional study among SVD survivors and family members of survivors and fatal cases from 15–31 January 2023. We included only laboratory-confirmed SVD survivors and family members who lived with or cared for confirmed SVD patients during their illness. The Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale was used to evaluate anxiety and depression. The post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) checklist for the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th Edition was used to evaluate PTSD. Modified Poisson regression was used to determine factors associated with each mental health disorder. Results We enrolled 54 survivors and 82 family members; median age was 30 years (range, 15–73) and 54% were female. The prevalence of anxiety (55%) and depression (50%) was higher than PTSD (17%). The prevalence of all mental health disorders was similar between survivors and family members. Household size was associated with both anxiety and PTSD. Number of SVD deaths in the household was associated with depression. Conclusion Approximately two-thirds of SVD survivors and family members of patients in the 2022 outbreak in Uganda had ≥ 1 mental health disorders shortly after the outbreak ended. Strengthening mental health services during and after Ebola virus outbreaks for survivors and family members of patients may enhance the quality of outbreak response
Meiobenthos of the discovery Bay Lagoon, Jamaica, with an emphasis on nematodes.
No full textPhDSediment granulometry, microphytobenthos and meiobenthos were investigated
at five habitats (white and grey sands, backreef border, shallow and deep
thalassinid ghost shrimp mounds) within the western lagoon at Discovery Bay,
Jamaica. Habitats were ordinated into discrete stations based on sediment
granulometry. Microphytobenthic chlorophyll-a ranged between 9.5- and 151.7
mg m-2 and was consistently highest at the grey sand habitat over three sampling
occasions, but did not differ between the remaining habitats. It is suggested that
the high microphytobenthic biomass in grey sands was related to upwelling of
nutrient rich water from the nearby main bay, and the release and excretion of
nutrients from sediments and burrowing heart urchins, respectively. Meiofauna
abundance ranged from 284- to 5344 individuals 10 cm-2 and showed spatial
differences depending on taxon. Of 22 higher taxa recorded, nematodes
dominated followed by copepods, together accounting for ~80 % of all
individuals. Both taxa were most abundant in grey sands, suggesting a response,
either directly or indirectly, to the high microphyte biomass. Significant withinhabitat
spatial variability in both meio- and microphytobenthos was found,
causes of which are discussed. Nematode feeding groups varied between
habitats. Fine white sands and both thalassinid mound habitats were dominated
by non-selective deposit feeders. Slender and plump nematode morphotypes
were found, yet the plump morphotype was largely absent from coarse sands
subjected to high wave swash at the backreef border habitat. Here, nematode
lengths were significantly higher than at other habitats. Nematode biomass
spectra differed significantly between habitats, with a shift in peak biomass
values towards larger size classes in the disturbed sediments. It is suggested that
3
longer and larger nematodes represent an adaptation to sediment disturbance,
helping to prevent being displaced from the benthos by hydrodynamic forces and
bioturbation
