Publications by authors named "J L Gumikiriza-Onoria"

Background: Many adolescents in Uganda are affected by common mental disorders, but only a few affordable treatment options are available. Digital mental health interventions offer promising opportunities to reduce these large treatment gaps, but interventions specifically tailored for Ugandan adolescents are limited.

Objective: This study aimed to determine the feasibility and acceptability of the Kuamsha program, an intervention delivered through a gamified app with low-intensity telephonic guidance, as a way to promote mental health among adolescents from the general population in Uganda.

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In developing countries like Uganda, people with dementia are cared for by non-medically trained family members with minimal support from the formal healthcare system. The quality of care in this setting is largely unknown but significantly affects the well-being of those with dementia. A tool designed to measure the quality of informal care for old frail adults with or without dementia was translated into Luganda.

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Background: Alzheimer's disease and related dementias (ADRD) present growing global health challenges, especially in aging populations, such as Uganda. In Uganda, familial caregiving, predominantly undertaken by female relatives, is the primary form of support provided to patients with ADRD. Cultural stigma around dementia and limited access to support services amplify caregivers' challenges.

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Article Synopsis
  • The study analyzed the link between neurocognition and immune activation in Ugandan adolescents living with perinatally acquired HIV (PHIV) compared to HIV-negative controls.
  • A total of 89 adolescents underwent neurocognitive testing, revealing that those with PHIV performed worse on tests measuring executive functioning and memory, despite many being virally suppressed on antiretroviral therapy.
  • Results showed that increased levels of monocyte and T-cell activation were linked to poorer cognitive performance, highlighting a previously unexplored relationship between immune activation and neurocognition in this population.
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