Evaluation of the effects of Artemisia Annua L. and Moringa Oleifera Lam. on CD4 count and viral load among PLWH on ART at Mbarara Regional Referral Hospital: a double-blind randomized controlled clinical trial.

Background: Initiation of ART among people living with HIV (PLWH) having a CD4 count ≤ 350cells/µl, produces poor immunological recovery, putting them at a high risk of opportunistic infections. To mitigate this, PLWH on ART in Uganda frequently use herbal remedies like Artemisia annua and Moringa oleifera, but their clinical benefits and potential antiretroviral (ARV) interactions remain unknown. This study examined the impact of A.

Labour Care Guide implementation as a decision-making tool for monitoring labour among healthcare providers in Uganda: protocol for a mixed-methods study.

Introduction: The new WHO Labour Care Guide (LCG), also regarded as the 'next-generation partograph', is a core component of 2018 WHO consolidated guidelines on intrapartum care for positive childbirth experience. The Ugandan Ministry of Health is in the process of adopting the new WHO LCG with no local context-specific data to inform this transition. We will explore potential barriers and facilitators to healthcare providers' (HCPs) sustained engagement in labour monitoring in Mbarara city, Southwestern Uganda, and use the data to refine the new WHO LCG and develop a suitable implementation strategy to effectively integrate LCG into routine maternity care in Uganda.

University students dataset related to achievement, classroom practices, perceptions and attitudes of multimedia-based learning quantum physics.

This dataset presents data collected to assess teaching and learning of quantum physics at the University of Rwanda - College of Education (UR-CE), Rwanda. Data were collected between August and November 2019 as the baseline, and between January and April 2022 under a quasi-experimental design. Three sets of data were collected.

Corneal endothelial cell density and associated factors among adults at a regional referral hospital in Uganda: a cross-sectional study.

Background: To assess the prevalence of low corneal endothelial cell density and correlates of corneal endothelial cell density among adults attending Mbarara University and Referral Hospital Eye Centre in Uganda.

Methods: In this hospital-based cross-sectional study, participants 18 years and older, were enrolled. We obtained informed consent, and basic demographic data.

Bridging the gap: How investing in advanced practice nurses could transform emergency care in Africa.

Aim: This paper aims to highlight the vital importance of investing in advanced practice nursing (APN) for enhancing emergency care throughout Africa.

Background: APN's role is increasingly recognized as pivotal in optimizing healthcare, particularly in emergency settings in Africa. It offers improved patient care quality and strengthens the healthcare workforce.

Prevalence and Risk Factors for Newborn Anemia in Southwestern Uganda: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Introduction: The global prevalence of maternal anemia is about 42%, and in sub-Saharan Africa, the prevalence of newborn anemia ranges from 25% to 30%. Anemia in newborn babies may cause complications such as delayed brain maturation and arrested growth. However, there is limited data on the prevalence of newborn anemia and its risk factors in people living in resource-limited settings.

Stroke Recurrence Rate and Risk Factors Among Stroke Survivors in Sub-Saharan Africa: A Systematic Review.

Purpose: Evidence supporting secondary stroke in sub-Saharan Africa is scarce. This study describes the incidence of stroke recurrence and associated risk factors in sub-Saharan Africa.

Methods And Materials: Scientific databases were systematically searched from January 2000 to December 2022 for population-based observational studies, case-control or cohort studies of recurrent stroke involving adults aged 18 years and above in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA).

Automated innovation and impact.

Online platforms promote community change, from challenge to commercialization.

Citizens can help to map putative transmission sites for snail-borne diseases.

Introduction: Schistosomiasis and fasciolosis are snail-borne diseases of great medical and veterinary health importance. The World Health Organization recommends complementing drug treatment with snail control and community involvement for disease elimination, but there is a general lack of snail experts and hence snail distribution data. Therefore, we adopted a citizen science approach and involved citizens in the monitoring of medically and veterinary important snail taxa.

Optimization of Interleukin-10 incorporation for dendritic cells embedded in Poly(ethylene glycol) hydrogels.

Translational research in biomaterials and immunoengineering is leading to the development of novel advanced therapeutics to treat diseases such as cancer, autoimmunity, and viral infections. Dendritic cells (DCs) are at the center of these therapeutics given that they bridge innate and adaptive immunity. The biomaterial system developed herein uses a hydrogel carrier to deliver immunomodulatory DCs for amelioration of autoimmunity.

Assessing the quality of drinking water from selected water sources in Mbarara city, South-western Uganda.

This study assessed the physical, chemical, and microbiological quality with emphasis on risk score, source apportionment, geochemistry, feacal coliforms and water quality index of drinking water from selected water sources. A cross-sectional study was conducted in six villages in Mbarara city, south-western Uganda. Each selected source was inspected using a WHO-adopted sanitary inspection questionnaire.

Copayment mechanism in selected districts of Uganda: Availability, market share and price of quality assured artemisinin-based combination therapies in private drug outlets.

Background: Malaria remains one of the leading causes of morbidity, and mortality in Uganda. A large proportion of malaria symptomatic patients seek healthcare in private sector. However, availability and affordability are major barriers to access to effective treatment.

Virological Non-Suppression, Non-Adherence and the Associated Factors Among People Living with HIV on Dolutegravir-Based Regimens: A Retrospective Cohort Study.

Background: HIV is one of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality, with 39.0 million people living with HIV worldwide, 25.6 million of whom reside in the African region.

Effects of L. (leaf crude extracts) on blood glucose and functional biomarkers in streptozotocin-nicotinamide-induced diabetic rats.

Promoting antidiabetic phytomedicines necessitates evidence-based preclinical investigations, particularly in animal models. The present study investigated the validity of using the streptozotocin-nicotinamide-induced type 2 diabetic (STZ/NA-induced T2DM) model to evaluate the effects of leaf crude extracts on controlling blood glucose levels and regulating physiological biomarkers in rats. Aqueous and methanol extracts dissolved in carboxymethylcellulose 1% (100, 200, mg/kg/day) were administered orally to STZ/NA-induced T2DM rats alongside glibenclamide (5 mg/kg) as the standard drug for four weeks.

Regional variation in weight change after the transition to dolutegravir in Uganda and South Africa.

Background: People with HIV (PWH) on integrase inhibitor-based regimens may be at risk of excess weight gain, but it is unclear if this risk is consistent across settings. We assessed weight change over 48 weeks among PWH who were transitioned to tenofovir disoproxil fumarate/lamivudine/dolutegravir (TLD).

Design: We conducted a prospective cohort study at public-sector HIV clinics in Uganda and South Africa.

Association between smoking and lack of HIV virological suppression in a cross-sectional study of persons with HIV on antiretroviral therapy in Uganda.

Background: Smoking and alcohol use frequently co-occur and are the leading causes of preventable death in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) and are common among people living with HIV (PLWH). While alcohol use has been shown to be associated with reduced adherence to antiretroviral treatment (ART), which may affect HIV viral suppression, the independent effect of smoking on HIV outcomes in SSA is unknown. We aimed to 1) describe the prevalence of current smoking and correlates of smoking; 2) assess the association of smoking with viral suppression, adjusting for level of alcohol use; 3) explore the relationship between smoking and CD4 cell count <350 cells/mm3, among participants who are virally suppressed.

Missed Diagnosis of Gestational Diabetes Mellitus Due to Selective Screening: Evidence from a Cross-Sectional Study in the West Nile Sub-Region, Uganda.

Purpose: To ascertain the prevalence and risk factors of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) in pregnant women receiving antenatal care (ANC) services within the West Nile subregion of Uganda.

Patients And Methods: An analytical cross-sectional study was conducted on 233 pregnant women who are within 24-28 weeks of gestation and are receiving ANC services in selected hospitals. GDM was diagnosed according to the World Health Organization (WHO) criteria (2013).

Adaptation of the Client Diagnostic Questionnaire for East Africa.

Research increasingly involves cross-cultural work with non-English-speaking populations, necessitating translation and cultural validation of research tools. This paper describes the process of translating and criterion validation of the Client Diagnostic Questionnaire (CDQ) for use in a multisite study in Kenya and Uganda. The English CDQ was translated into Swahili, Dholuo (Kenya) and Runyankole/Rukiga (Uganda) by expert translators.

A qualitative analysis of self-management needs of adolescents and young adults living with perinatally acquired HIV in rural, southwestern Uganda.

The number of adolescents living with HIV remains high in sub-Saharan Africa with poorer HIV treatment outcomes among adolescents and young adults compared to individuals in other age groups. For adolescents and young adults living with perinatally acquired HIV (AYLPHIV), the transition from pediatric to adult HIV care is a particularly high-risk period. We conducted a qualitative study to understand self-management needs of AYLPHIV in rural, southwestern Uganda as they prepare to transition to adult HIV care in order to inform relevant interventions that can enable AYLPHIV acquire the necessary skills to manage their illness as they age into adulthood.

HIV Infection and 90-Day Stroke Outcomes in Uganda: A Prospective Observational Cohort Study.

Background And Objectives: Little is known about the impact of HIV infection on the clinical presentation and outcomes after stroke in the modern antiretroviral therapy (ART) era. We aimed to compare stroke characteristics and outcomes between persons with HIV (PWH) and without HIV (PWOH) presenting with stroke in Uganda.

Methods: We conducted a matched cohort study at Mulago National Referral Hospital and Mbarara Regional Referral Hospital between January 2018 and November 2020.

Integration of HIV Testing in a Community Intervention for Tuberculosis Screening Among Household Contacts of Patients with Tuberculosis in Cameroon and Uganda.

Introduction: People living with HIV are considered at higher risk of developing severe forms of tuberculosis (TB) disease. Providing HIV testing to TB-exposed people is therefore critical. We present the results of integrating HIV testing into a community-based intervention for household TB contact management in Cameroon and Uganda.

Looking towards the future of MRI in Africa.

Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) is a crucial diagnostic tool within modern healthcare, yet its availability remains largely confined to high-income nations. The imperative to extend MRI accessibility to lower-income countries aligns with the pursuit of universal health coverage, a key target of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goal 3. In an interview with , three scientists dedicated to advancing MRI accessibility in Africa share their insights.