37 research outputs found
The Effects of Manual Therapy and PRIMFIT Unstable Surface Balance Training on Walking Gait Cycle Post an Acute Grade 3 Inversion Ankle Sprain: A Case Study
No full textThis case demonstrates the effectiveness of a rehabilitation product and protocol that incorporates manual therapy and unstable surface training. The purpose of this case study was to evaluate the effect of a four-week unstable training protocol using PRIMFIT product in conjunction with manual physical therapy on walking gait in a 17-year old, with grade 3 ankle sprain and multiple ligament tears. A PRIMFIT protocol was designed and performed biweekly under supervision of a physical therapist and also biweekly by the patient independently. Patient\u27s walking gait was tested once a week using an OPTOGAIT System. The patient demonstrated significant clinical and statistical improvements in all gait and time parameters measured by OPTOGAIT system, as well as increased ankle mobility, decreased swelling and markedly decreased pain. For this patient, a combination of manual therapy techniques, PRIMFIT product and rehabilitation exercises were able to significantly improve and normalize walking gait, in addition to eliminating swelling and pain. However, further research is needed with additional cases, especially those with similar or other injuries to develop the efficacy of the PRIMFIT product and protocol
Doping knowledge, attitudes, and practices of Ugandan athletes': A cross-sectional study
No full textBackground. Despite the development of advanced drug testing systems, both deliberate and inadvertent doping in sports is increasing in elite, amateur and school sports. As a result, alternative approaches that seek to influence an athlete’s attitudes are needed to address the growing doping concerns that threaten both the health and well being of the athlete as well as the legitimacy of the sport. Therefore, the current study set out to establish the doping attitudes, knowledge and practices of professional Ugandan athletes, gathering information that may guide the design of more efficient doping prevention programs. Methods. This was a cross-sectional study of 384 professional Ugandan athletes from four contact team sports (basketball, football, handball and rugby) and two individual sports (athletics and cycling). An Interviewer administered questionnaire used contained; questions about the doping behavior, the performance enhancement attitude scale (PEAS), and doping use belief (DUB) statements. Results. Approximately 60 % of the athletes reported familiarity with information on doping and that most of this information came from fellow colleagues (41.9 %), individual or team coaches (29.7 %) or the media (15.6 %). However, nearly 80 % of these athletes could not correctly define doping. The overall mean PEAS score, a measure of doping attitudes, for all study participants was 39.8 ± 14.8. Female athletes (PEAS: 41.1 ± 15.1), athletes with a prior doping history (PEAS: 44.1 ± 15.6) and athletes from the sport of athletics (PEAS: 56.6 ± 17.4) had higher mean PEAS scores than their respective counterparts. Regarding doping behaviors/practices, 9.3 % of the study participants had been offered a doping agent at some point, although only 3.9 % of the athletes acknowledged recent use. Conclusions. The confessed use of doping agents in this study was low, which may suggest that fewer athletes use doping agents in Uganda. However, there is still an urgent need for educational anti-doping programs to address the knowledge gaps observed amongst athletes in this study. Modifying the existing Physical education curriculum for inclusion of more content about doping in sport could provide the basis for doping prevention programs amongst amateur athletes in Ugandan primary and secondary schools
Patterns of low-income settlement and mobility in Nairobi, Kenya
No full textThe author traces the development of low-incoming housing zones in the city of Nairobi (Kenya), which were initially shaped by the exclusive urban policies of the British Colonial Government, and further influenced by minimum standards codes established after Independence. Using a random sample of 1,480 heads of households, the author examines zones of entry into the city, with a view to identifying the residential patterns which low-income migrants establish in the process of becoming securely settled in the city. Three distinctive zones are identified, namely, the central, the intermediate, and the peripheral zones. The author offers several demographic
Nutritional supplement practices of professional Ugandan athletes: a cross-sectional study
No full textBackground The use of nutritional supplements (NS) places athletes at great risk for inadvertent doping. Due to the paucity of data on supplement use, this study aimed to determine the proportion of Ugandan athletes using nutritional supplements and to investigate the athletes’ motivation to use these supplements. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted in which an interviewer-administered questionnaire was used to collect data from 359 professional athletes participating in individual (boxing, cycling, athletics) and team (basketball, rugby, football, netball, and volleyball) sports. The data were categorized, and a Chi-square test was used for statistical analysis. Results Of the 359 athletes, 48 (13.4%) used nutritional supplements. Carbohydrate supplements, energy drinks, vitamin and mineral supplements, fish oils, and protein supplements were the most common supplements used by athletes. NS use was significantly more common among athletes who played rugby and basketball (X 2 = 61.101, p < 0.0001), athletes who had played the sport for 5-10 years (X 2 = 7.460, p = 0.024), and athletes who had attained a tertiary education (X 2 = 33.377, p < 0.0001). The athletes’ occupation had no bearing on whether they used supplements. Nutritionists/dieticians, retail stores and pharmacies were the most common sources of NS products, whereas health practitioners, online media and teammates were the most common sources of information regarding NS. Most athletes used NS to improve their physical performance and health. Conclusions Compared to NS use by athletes elsewhere, NS use among Ugandan athletes was low. However, determinants of athlete NS use in the current study (category of sport and duration of time spent playing the sport) are similar to those reported elsewhere
A descriptive prospective study of sports medicine practices for athletes in Uganda
No full textBackground: Many international sporting organizations have recommended practices to reduce the risk of injury. These practices include screening for injury, having appropriate emergency medical care, and protocols for managing injury before return-to-play. The extent of the uptake of these practices in a developing country such as Uganda, is unknown.Methodology: Using a descriptive case study approach, this investigation focused on a sample of injured athletes (n = 75) in Uganda from four main sports associations (football, athletics, basketball and rugby). The data were collected through observations and interviews after the injury. Using a best medical practice framework the phases of emergency, intermediate, rehabilitative, and return-to-sports participation were described.Result: Nine conditions/types of injury were included. The results revealed a lack of specific pre-season screening or re- turn-to-play readiness for all the injured athletes. Further, there was a lack of application of best practice principles for most of the injury types. For athletes who received medical care, the results show inconsistencies and inadequacies from the acute stage of the injury to return-to-sports participation.Conclusion: This study identified barriers such as up-to-date knowledge among the sports resource providers; the gaps for appropriate and adequate specific facilities for managing injured athletes, and policies to mandate care of injured athletes. These barriers detract from applying best medical practices
Additional file 1: of Doping knowledge, attitudes, and practices of Ugandan athletesâ: a cross-sectional study
No full textPerformance Enhancement Attitude Scale (PEAS). (DOC 48 kb
Central Retinal Artery hemodynamic flow amongst diabetic patients attending the Mulago Hospital diabetic clinic
No full textThe prevalence of diabetes mellitus (DM) is rapidly increasing worldwide, with low-and-middle income countries bearing the heaviest burden. In these countries, majority of newly diagnosed DM is incidental, with many new patients unaware of their prior glycaemic status; which increases the likelihood that they may present with DM-related complications, like diabetic retinopathy (DR). The mechanisms underlying the development of diabetic retinopathy are still not fully understood, although elevated glucose levels are thought to be responsible for alterations in retinal vessel architecture, leading to perfusion abnormalities.
The current study sought to determine the relationship between hemodynamic flow in the central retinal artery and long-term glycaemic control as measured by serum haemoglobin A1c.
Methods
This was a cross-sectional study involving 140 diabetic patients attending an outpatients DM clinic at Mulago National Referral hospital. Color Doppler imaging (CDI) of the orbit was used to determine hemodynamic flow parameters (end-diastolic velocity (EDV), peak-systolic velocity (PSV), resistivity index (RI), and pulsatility index (PI)) in the central retinal artery. The hemodynamic flow parameters in these patients where compared to the levels of haemoglobin A1c, which was used as measure of long-term glycaemic control.
Results
Generally, the mean central retinal artery hemodynamic flow parameters --peak systolic velocity (PSV), end-diastolic velocity (EDV), and resistivity index-- did not differ significantly among diabetic patients with either normal (8%) glucose levels upon HbA1c measurement. However, the mean pulsatility index of the right retinal artery differed significantly among diabetics with varying degrees of glycaemic control (P < 0.05). Additionally, the duration which an individual has been diabetic was negatively correlated to the EDV in both the right (r = -0.201, n = 140, p = 0.017), and the left orbit (r = -0.181, n = 140, p = 0.033).
Conclusion
Our findings of no significant correlation between hemodynamic flow in the central retinal artery and HbA1c may indicate that the effects of glucose on ocular hemodynamic flow in DM are possibly short-lived and not long-term
Hoslundia opposita vahl; a potential source of bioactive compounds with antioxidant and antibiofilm activity for wound healing
No full textAbstract Background Biofilms and oxidative stress retard wound healing. The resistance of biofilms to antibiotics has led to a search for alternative approaches in biofilm elimination. Antioxidants work synergistically with antibacterial agents against biofilms. Hence recent research has suggested plants as candidates in the development of new alternatives in biofilm treatments and as antioxidants due to the presence of phytocompounds which are responsible for their bioactivities. Hoslundia opposita Vahl is one of the plants used by traditional healers to treat wounds and other infections, this makes it a potential candidate for drug discovery hence, in this study, we investigate the antibiofilm and antioxidant activity of methanolic extract of hoslundia opposita Vahl from Uganda. We also identify phytochemicals responsible for its bioactivity. Method the plant was extracted by maceration using methanol, and the extract was investigated for antioxidant activity using 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl radical (DPPH) assay. The antibiofilm activity using microtiter plate assay (MTP) assay where the Minimum biofilm inhibitory concentration required to inhibit 50% or 90% of the biofilm (MBIC50 and MBIC90) and Minimum biofilm eradication concentration required to remove 50% or 90% of the biofilm (MBEC50 and MBEC90) were measured. It was further analysed for its phytochemical composition using quantitative screening, as well as Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and Liquid chromatography mass-spectrometry (LC-MS). Results H. Opposita Vahl extract showed good antioxidant activity with of 249.6 mg/mL. It inhibited the growth of P. aeruginosa and S. aureus biofilms with MBIC50 of 28.37 mg/mL and 10 mg/mL, respectively. It showed the ability to eradicate P. aeruginosa and S. aureus biofilms with MBEC50 of 23.85 and 39.01 mg/mL respectively. Phytochemical analysis revealed the presence of alkaloids, tannins, flavonoids, and phenols. GC-MS analysis revealed 122 compounds in the extract of which, 23 have evidence of antioxidant or antibiofilm activity in literature. The most abundant compounds were; 1,4- Citric acid, Tetracontane-1,40-diol (43.43.3%, 1, Olean-12-en-28-oic acid, 3-hydroxy-, methyl ester, (3.beta) (15.36%) 9-Octadecenamide (12.50%), Squalene (11.85%) Palmitic Acid 4TMS (11.28%), and alpha Amyrin (11.27%). The LC-MS identified 115 and 57 compounds in multiple reaction mode (MRM) and scan modes respectively. Conclusion H. opposita Vahl showed antibiofilm and antioxidant activity due to bioactive compounds identified, hence the study justifies its use for wound healing. It can be utilised in further development of new drugs as antibiofilm and antioxidants
Prevention and Management of Sport-Related Concussions in Uganda: A Case Study
No full textHead injuries in sports often go unnoticed and untreated with a risk of increasing the severity of neurological difficulties for affected athletes. While there is much research on athletes in developed countries, the data on athletes from developing countries is lacking. Using a descriptive case study approach, this report focuses on concussions from four main sports (football, athletics, basketball and rugby). Emphasis was placed on those athletes who had been identified with a sport-related concussion (SRC). The phases of emergency, intermediate, rehabilitative, and return to sports participation were considered in this study. Three SRC cases from both male and female athletes were observed and interviewed for post-injury management from the emergency phase to return to sports participation. There was evidence of lack of specific pre-season screening of athletes for concussion history and standard care for concussed athletes in all the three cases observed using the best medical practice framework. Our study shows barriers such as knowledge among the sports resource providers; a law and policies to mandate care, and the absence of specific facilities for managing athletes with concussions. Implementation of sports health care policies is necessary to mandate care for athletes. Strategies for prevention and management of concussions are necessary, especially through increasing the awareness and knowledge using the Concussion Awareness Training Tool (CATT). Further studies with larger samples are encouraged to ascertain the magnitude of existing barriers
Growth, distribution, and poverty in Africa : messages from the 1990s
No full textreview recent evidence on the trends in household well-being in Africa during the 1990s. They draw on the findings of a series of studies on poverty dynamics that use the better data sets now available. The authors begin by taking a broad view of poverty, tracing changes in both income poverty and in other more direct measures of individual welfare. Experiences have been varied: several countries have seen a sharp decline in poverty, while some have witnessed a marked increase. Yet, in the aggregate, economic growth has been pro-poor. Nonetheless, the aggregate numbers also hide significant and systematic distributional effects which have caused some groups to be left behind. The authors draw four key conclusions: Economic policy reforms (improving macroeconomic balances and liberalizing markets) have been conducive to reducing poverty. Market connectedness is key for the poor to benefit from new opportunities generated by economic growth. Some population groups and regions, by virtue of their sheer remoteness, have been left behind when growth picks up. Education and access to land further condition the extent to which households can benefit from economic opportunities and escape poverty. Finally, rainfall variations and ill health are found to have profound effects on poverty outcomes in Africa underscoring the significance of social protection in a poverty reduction strategy.Health Economics&Finance,Health Monitoring&Evaluation,Environmental Economics&Policies,Public Health Promotion,Services&Transfers to Poor,Governance Indicators,Achieving Shared Growth,Poverty Assessment,Environmental Economics&Policies,Health Economics&Finance
