Unravelling taboos and cultural beliefs associated with hidden hunger among pregnant and breast-feeding women in Buyende district Eastern Uganda.

Background: Food taboos and cultural beliefs among pregnant and breast-feeding women influence their food consumption patterns and hence the health of women and unborn children. Cognizant of their neglect in programs aimed to ameliorate hidden hunger among pregnant and breast-feeding women in Buyende and other resource-poor communities in sub-Saharan Africa, we opted for a study to unravel them to inform program design.

Methods: We documented food taboos and beliefs amongst pregnant and breast-feeding women from six sub-counties of Buyende district in Eastern Uganda.

Ecological distribution and genetic diversity of Azolla in Uganda.

Background: Azolla is an important aquatic fern whose agronomic potential has not been fully exploited in Uganda. This study aimed at determining the genetic variation in the Azolla species existing in Uganda and the factors influencing their distribution in the different agro-ecological zones of Uganda. Molecular characterization was preferred in this study because of its efficiency in detecting variations among closely related species.

Bacterial community and chemical profiles of oil-polluted sites in selected cities of Uganda: potential for developing a bacterial-based product for remediation of oil-polluted sites.

Background: Oil spills are ranked among the greatest global challenges to humanity. In Uganda, owing to the forthcoming full-scale production of multi-billion barrels of oil, the country's oil pollution burden is anticipated to escalate, necessitating remediation. Due to the unsuitability of several oil clean-up technologies, the search for cost-effective and environmentally friendly remediation technologies is paramount.