Publications by authors named "Michael Otim"

Article Synopsis
  • Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a major complication of diabetes, accounting for 66% of CKD cases worldwide, with severe implications for patient health and treatment accessibility, especially in developing countries.
  • A study at Mbale Regional Referral Hospital in Uganda revealed that 85% of 374 adult diabetic patients had low estimated glomerular filtration rates (eGFR) and/or proteinuria, indicating undiagnosed CKD.
  • Factors such as age, duration of diabetes, hypertension, and dyslipidemia were linked to low eGFR and proteinuria, highlighting the need for better screening and diagnostic resources in diabetes clinics.
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is an emerging slowly growing species that belongs to the group of nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) with approximately 20 cases reported worldwide. We highlight the first case of pulmonary infection by in United Arab Emirates (UAE). A 44-year-old female presented with chronic productive cough; a bronchial breathing pattern was appreciated on auscultation of her right upper lung.

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The bean leaf beetle (BLB) ( spp.) is a polyphagous pest causing significant yield losses in Uganda, particularly in the Northern and Eastern regions on various hosts plants. Despite its polyphagous behaviour, the BLB exhibits preferential feeding, offering an opportunity for targeted pest management.

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(Lepidoptera: Noctuidae), commonly known as fall armyworm, was first detected in Uganda in 2016 and has spread to all the maize-growing districts. Different methods have been deployed to control this pest. However, there is a limited understanding of the role of the environment and farmers' practices on the abundance of and damage by in Uganda.

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Background: Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is one of the most common complications of Diabetes Mellitus (DM). DM contributes to about 66% of CKD cases globally. CKiiiD results in increased morbidity and mortality and advanced stages often require renal replacement therapy that is unaffordable for the majority of the patients.

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Surveys were conducted during 2020 and 2021 to study the emerging lepidopteran pests inflicting cereals in Tunisia, with specific emphasis on maize and sorghum crops. A species was collected from traps placed in the Jendouba, Bizerte, Nabeul and Gabes regions. Thus, this study carried out first report on its identification, distribution, population density and damage.

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Background: The Coronavirus disease (a highly infectious viral disease) quickly swept across the globe in 2020, causing mortality and severe respiratory illnesses. It quickly affected businesses and publicly provided services in United Arab Emirates (UAE), imposing significant costs to society. The general population of UAE was jittery and unsure how to address the problem.

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Background: The fall armyworm (FAW), Spodoptera frugiperda; J.E. Smith (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae), is now an economically important pest that causes huge losses to maize productivity in sub-Saharan Africa.

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The fall armyworm (FAW) Spodoptera frugiperda is thought to have undergone a rapid 'west-to-east' spread since 2016 when it was first identified in western Africa. Between 2018 and 2020, it was recorded from South Asia (SA), Southeast Asia (SEA), East Asia (EA), and Pacific/Australia (PA). Population genomic analyses enabled the understanding of pathways, population sources, and gene flow in this notorious agricultural pest species.

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Background: Improving maternal and child health, one of the key UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), is a major challenge in sub-Saharan Africa. Exclusive breast-feeding contributes significantly to child survival and development, but many mothers in Africa do not exclusively breastfeed their infants. This paper reports a study in Mulago hospital in Kampala.

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Bean leaf beetles (BLBs) ( spp.) are serious legume pests in Uganda and sub-Saharan Africa, but their ecology is not well understood. We planted host plants, viz.

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Bean leaf beetle (BLB) () has emerged as an important bean pest in Uganda, leading to devastating crop losses. There is limited information on the population genetic structure of BLB despite its importance. In this study, novel microsatellite DNA markers and the partial mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase subunit I (mt) gene sequences were used to analyze the spatial population genetic structure, genetic differentiation and haplotype diversity of 86 samples from 16 (districts) populations.

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Introduction: The emotional health disorders are a significant burden to the health of the residents of the United Arab Emirates (UAE). However, there is a paucity of evidence on the prevalence of mental health disorders throughout the Middle East in general. The prevalence of mental health problems among students and the associated impact on UAE society requires more exploration.

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Stem borers are major insect pests of maize in Uganda. A study was conducted in 2014-2016 to assess the performance of Bt hybrids expressing Cry1Ab (event MON810) against the two major stem borer species in Uganda - the African stem borer () and the spotted stem borer () - under artificial infestation. The study comprised 14 non-commercialized hybrids, including seven pairs of Bt and non-Bt hybrids (isolines), three non-Bt commercial hybrids and a conventional stem borer resistant check.

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Native to the Americas, the invasive Spodoptera frugiperda (fall armyworm; FAW) was reported in West Africa in 2016, followed by its chronological detection across the Old World and the hypothesis of an eastward Asia expansion. We explored population genomic signatures of American and Old World FAW and identified 12 maternal mitochondrial DNA genome lineages across the invasive range. 870 high-quality nuclear single nucleotide polymorphic DNA markers identified five distinct New World population clusters, broadly reflecting FAW native geographical ranges and the absence of host-plant preferences.

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There have been many global studies on the occurrence and distribution of pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) in the aquatic resources, but reports on the effects of physicochemical properties of water on their concentrations are very scarce. The amounts and removal of these contaminants in various environmental media are dependent on these physicochemical properties, which include pH, temperature, electrical conductivity, salinity, turbidity, and dissolved oxygen. Here, we reviewed the influence of these properties on determination of PPCPs.

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Introduction: The 2020 COVID-19 crisis affected all sectors, including education. This study explored the experiences and challenges faced by tertiary students in the United Arab Emirates when they were suddenly required to transition from traditional classroom learning to E-learning following the outbreak of COVID-19.

Methods: This cross-sectional study used mixed methods to collect and analyse qualitative and quantitative data.

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Bean leaf beetles ( spp.) (Insecta: Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) are one of Africa's most destructive pests of common bean and other leguminous crops. The beetles are widely distributed in Africa where they are estimated to cause annual crop yield losses of 116,400 tons of crop yields in sub-Saharan Africa.

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Purpose: Antibiotic resistance is spreading at an alarming rate globally, mainly because of antibiotics misuse. The World Health Organization developed guidelines for the rational use of antibiotics to prevent antibiotic misuse and reduce the potential development of antibiotic resistance. Although many countries adhere to these guidelines and have contextualized them to their needs, data on antibiotics use are limited in African countries, particularly in South Sudan.

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High populations of species in the whitefly complex Gennadius (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae) were reported to cause severe damage to cassava in East and Central Africa. However, reasons for population increases are not well understood. We investigated the effect of cassava morphological traits, temperature, rainfall and relative humidity (RH) on the abundance of .

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Introduction: This study aimed to determine the prevalence of anxiety among clinical training students. Despite the existence of interventions that address anxieties, lack of data on the size of the problem, especially in the Middle East where mental health stigmatized, means that outcomesmay not be maximized.

Materials And Methods: Our study was cross-sectional survey of the University of Sharjah (UOS), the United Arab Emirates students undergoing clinical training in health sciences.

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The fall armyworm (FAW) (J.E. Smith) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) has successfully invaded Africa, where it has significantly impacted maize and sorghum production.

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