Depression symptom severity and behavioral impairment in school-going adolescents in Uganda.

Background: During adolescence, a critical developmental phase, cognitive, psychological, and social states interact with the environment to influence behaviors like decision-making and social interactions. Depressive symptoms are more prevalent in adolescents than in other age groups which may affect socio-emotional and behavioral development including academic achievement. Here, we determined the association between depression symptom severity and behavioral impairment among adolescents enrolled in secondary schools of Eastern and Central Uganda.

Retrospective analysis of trauma patients transported by dispatch monitored type B ambulances to Dhulikhel Hospital, Kavre, Nepal, 2019-2023.

Background: Timely emergency medical services (EMS) are particularly important among trauma patients, as inefficient EMS systems can result in potentially avoidable death before reaching a hospital. The Dhulikhel Hospital Dispatch Center coordinates and monitors a growing network of ambulances, including seven Type B ambulances staffed with a trained prehospital care provider and medical equipment. This study evaluates the prehospital care and outcomes of trauma patients transported by Type B ambulances to Dhulikhel Hospital's Emergency Department, as monitored by the Dispatch Center.

Doxycycline for the treatment of nodding syndrome: a randomised, placebo-controlled, phase 2 trial.

Background: Nodding syndrome is a poorly understood neurological disorder that predominantly occurs in Africa. We hypothesised that nodding syndrome is a neuroinflammatory disorder, induced by antibodies to Onchocerca volvulus or its Wolbachia symbiont, cross-reacting with host neuronal proteins (HNPs), and that doxycycline can be used as treatment.

Methods: In this randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, phase 2 trial, we recruited participants from districts affected by nodding syndrome in northern Uganda.

Association between body mass index and chronic hypertension in patients with hypertension disorders of pregnancy one-year postpartum.

Objectives: To determine the association between body mass index (BMI) and chronic hypertension (CHTN) one-year postpartum following pregnancies complicated by hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (HDP).

Study Design: A retrospective cohort study of patients with HDP (gestational hypertension or preeclampsia) in a single Midwestern academic center from 2014 to 2018. The primary outcome was CHTN at one-year postpartum, defined as systolic blood pressure ≥ 130 mmHg or diastolic blood pressure ≥ 80 mmHg or taking antihypertensive medication at one-year postpartum.

Intimate partner violence and antenatal care utilization predictors in Uganda: an analysis applying Andersen's behavioral model of healthcare utilization.

Background: Optimal utilization of antenatal care (ANC) services improves positive pregnancy experiences and birth outcomes. However, paucity of evidence exists on which factors should be targeted to increase ANC utilization among women experiencing intimate partner violence (IPV) in Uganda.

Objective: To determine the independent association between IPV exposure and ANC utilization as well as the predictors of ANC utilization informed by Andersen's Behavioral Model of Healthcare Utilization.

Healthcare provider experiences interacting with survivors of intimate partner violence: a qualitative study to inform survivor-centered approaches.

Background: Intimate partner violence (IPV) remains a pervasive form of gender-based violence (GBV) that is largely undisclosed, especially among women seeking healthcare services in Uganda. Prioritizing survivor needs may improve IPV disclosure. This study explores healthcare worker experiences from provider-patient interactions with survivors seeking antenatal care services (ANC) in Uganda.

Spatial accessibility to health facilities among pregnant women with and without exposure to intimate partner violence in Uganda.

Background: Poor physical access to health facilities could increase the likelihood of undetected intimate partner violence (IPV) during pregnancy. We aimed to determine sub-regional differences and associations between spatial accessibility to health facilities and IPV among pregnant women in Uganda.

Method: Weighted cross-sectional analyses were conducted using merged 2016 Uganda Demographic and Health Survey and 2014 Uganda Bureau of Statistics health facility datasets.

Prospective Survey of Discrimination in Pregnant Persons and Correlation with Unplanned Healthcare Utilization.

Objective: To determine the association between lifetime exposure to discrimination and unplanned healthcare utilization in pregnant persons.

Methods: This was a prospective cohort study of pregnant persons receiving care from 2021 to 2022. Primary data was collected from participants on sociodemographic factors and on Perceived Ethnic Discrimination Questionnaire (PED-Q), a validated 17-item scale measuring perceived lifetime interpersonal racial and ethnic discrimination in four domains: work/school, social exclusion, stigmatization, and threat.

Development of an evidence-based model for predicting patient, provider, and appointment factors that influence no-shows in a rural healthcare system.

Background: No-show appointments pose a significant challenge for healthcare providers, particularly in rural areas. In this study, we developed an evidence-based predictive model for patient no-shows at the Marshfield Clinic Health System (MCHS) rural provider network in Wisconsin, with the aim of improving overbooking approaches in outpatient settings and reducing the negative impact of no-shows in our underserved rural patient populations.

Methods: Retrospective data (2021) were obtained from the MCHS scheduling system, which included 1,260,083 total appointments from 263,464 patients, as well as their demographic, appointment, and insurance information.

Adherence to COVID-19 preventive measures and its association with intimate partner violence among women in informal settings of Kampala, Uganda.

Cases of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) detected, and COVID-19 associated mortality increased since the first case was confirmed in Uganda. While adherence to WHO-recommended measures to disrupt COVID-19 transmission has since been implemented, it has been reported to be sub-optimal. An increase in intimate partner violence (IPV) cases was linked to enforcement of COVID-19 lockdowns and other preventive measures especially in informal settings of Kampala.

Your neighborhood matters: an ecological social determinant study of the relationship between residential racial segregation and the risk of firearm fatalities.

Background: Firearm fatalities are a major public health concern, claiming the lives of 40,000 Americans each year. While firearm fatalities have pervasive effects, it is unclear how social determinants of health (SDOH) such as residential racial segregation, income inequality, and community resilience impact firearm fatalities. This study investigates the relationships between these SDOH and the likelihood of firearm fatalities.

Comparison of Structural Changes in Nodding Syndrome and Other Epilepsies Associated With .

Background And Objective: Nodding syndrome (NS) is a unique childhood-onset epileptic disorder that occurs predominantly in several regions of sub-Saharan Africa. The disease has been associated with -induced immune responses and possible cross-reactivity with host proteins. The aim of this study was to compare structural changes in the brain on MRI between NS and other forms of onchocerciasis-associated epilepsies (OAEs) and to relate structural changes to the Ov-induced immune responses and level of disability.

Contraception utilization in women with pregestational diabetes.

Objective: To compare contraception use between women with and without pregestational diabetes.

Methods: Cross-sectional data on women aged 18-44 years from 2011 to 2017 National Survey of Family Growth (NSFG) was analysed. Maternal diabetes was defined as the presence of pre-gestational type 1 or type 2 diabetes.

High-resolution disease maps for cancer control in low-resource settings: A spatial analysis of cervical cancer incidence in Kampala, Uganda.

Background: The global burden of cervical cancer is concentrated in low-and middle-income countries (LMICs), with the greatest burden in Africa. Targeting limited resources to populations with the greatest need to maximize impact is essential. The objectives of this study were to geocode cervical cancer data from a population-based cancer registry in Kampala, Uganda, to create high-resolution disease maps for cervical cancer prevention and control planning, and to share lessons learned to optimize efforts in other low-resource settings.

Facilitators and barriers to routine intimate partner violence screening in antenatal care settings in Uganda.

Background: Uganda clinical guidelines recommend routine screening of pregnant women for intimate partner violence (IPV) during antenatal care (ANC). Healthcare providers play a critical role in identifying IPV during pregnancy in ANC clinics. This study explored facilitators and barriers for IPV screening during pregnancy (perinatal IPV screening) by ANC-based healthcare workers in Uganda.

Risk Factors for Nodding Syndrome and Other Forms of Epilepsy in Northern Uganda: A Case-Control Study.

Epidemiological studies suggest a link between onchocerciasis and various forms of epilepsy, including nodding syndrome (NS). The aetiopathology of onchocerciasis associated epilepsy remains unknown. This case-control study investigated potential risk factors that may lead to NS and other forms of non-nodding epilepsy (OFE) in northern Uganda.

Epilepsy in Sero-Positive Patients From Northern Uganda-Clinical, EEG and Brain Imaging Features.

Globally, epilepsy is the most common chronic neurological disorder. The incidence in sub-Saharan Africa is 2-3 times higher than that in high income countries. Infection by may be an underlying risk factor for the high burden and based upon epidemiological associations, has been proposed to cause a group of disorders- associated epilepsies (OAE) like nodding syndrome (NS).

Systemic and cerebrospinal fluid immune and complement activation in Ugandan children and adolescents with long-standing nodding syndrome: A case-control study.

Objective: Nodding syndrome is a poorly understood epileptic encephalopathy characterized by a unique seizure type-head nodding-and associated with Onchocerca volvulus infection. We hypothesized that altered immune activation in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and plasma of children with nodding syndrome may yield insights into the pathophysiology and progression of this seizure disorder.

Method: We conducted a case-control study of 154 children (8 years or older) with long-standing nodding syndrome and 154 healthy age-matched community controls in 3 districts of northern Uganda affected by nodding syndrome.

Examining the Association Between Racial Bias Exposure and Postpartum Depression Among Women in Wisconsin.

Objective: To analyze the association between racial bias and postpartum depression among women in Wisconsin.

Methods: Analyzed the Wisconsin Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System with a weighted sample of 125,581 women/mothers who delivered a live birth in 2016-2017. The outcome was self-reported postpartum depression.

Age and Gender Differences in Trends and Impact of Depression on Quality of Life in the United States, 2008 to 2016.

Background: We aimed to examine age and gender differences in the relationship between depression and quality of life among United States adults.

Methods: Medical Expenditure Panel Survey data for 2008 to 2016 on 227,663 adults were analyzed. The dependent variable, quality of life, included physical component summary scores and mental component summary scores from the Short Form Health Survey.

Risk-Benefit Modeling to Guide Health Research in Collaboration with Great Lakes Fish Consuming Native American Communities.

It is well documented that fish consumption imparts both health risks and benefits. Furthermore, fish harvest and consumption are an essential part of Great Lakes Native American cultures. Quantitative models that compare risk and benefits to potential consumption scenarios can help guide future health research as well as consumption advice for potentially sensitive populations.

Association between pregestational diabetes and mortality among appropriate-for-gestational age birthweight infants.

Background/objective: Existing studies have shown that pregestational diabetes is a significant risk factor for adverse birth outcomes. However, it is unclear, whether pregestational diabetes and neonatal birthweight that is appropriate for the gestational age (AGA), a proxy for overall adequate glycemic control, is associated with higher infant mortality. To address this controversy, this study investigated the relationship between pregestational diabetes and infant mortality in appropriate-for-gestational age infants in the United States.

Household poverty, schooling, stigma and quality of life in adolescents with epilepsy in rural Uganda.

Background: Epilepsy remains a leading chronic neurological disorder in Low- and Middle-Income Countries. In Uganda, the highest burden is among young rural people. We aimed to; (i) describe socio-economic status (including schooling), and household poverty in adolescents living with epilepsy (ALE) compared to unaffected counterparts in the same communities and (ii) determine the factors associated with the overall quality of life (QoL).

Examining the Factors Associated With Sexual Violence Against Women in Sierra Leone: A Nationwide Cross-Sectional Study.

In 2019, Sierra Leone declared national emergency over rape and other forms of sexual violence (SV), hence diverting resources from other issues to tackle SV. However, little is known about nationwide risk/protective factors for SV, and this has been a source of critique for the new policy. To fill this gap in knowledge, we investigated the factors for SV toward women using a nationally representative sample.

Injection and sexual risk among people who use or inject drugs in Kampala, Uganda: An exploratory qualitative study.

Background: Countries in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) have seen rapid increases in injection drug use since 2008. In Uganda, the Global Sate of Harm report and studies conducted by Makerere University Crane Surveys have estimated HIV prevalence among people who inject drugs (PWID) at approximately 17%. The objective of the research was to document injection and other drug-related risks among people who use drugs in Uganda to develop comprehensive HIV/HCV prevention interventions.