Improving diagnostics and surveillance of malaria among displaced people in Africa.

African communities that have been forced to leave their homes experience a considerably greater susceptibility to malaria as a result of densely populated living conditions, restricted availability of healthcare, and environmental influences. Internally displaced individuals frequently live in large settlements with restricted availability to drinking water, essential sanitation, and medical services, intensifying the spread of malaria. As a result, the occurrence of malaria is significantly more common among refugees and internally displaced individuals compared to those who are not displaced.

Emotional and psychological experiences of nursing students caring for dying patients: an explorative study at a national referral hospital in Uganda.

Background: Caring for dying patients is associated with psychological trauma, strong emotions and enormous stress for nursing staff and nursing students who are reliable health care providers in such difficult situations. Nursing students involved in End-of -life care need to work through these emotions during clinical placements. This study explored the lived experiences of nursing students caring for the dying patients at Mulago national referral hospital.

Additive interaction of conjoint tobacco smoking and heavy drinking on hypertension prevalence in rural Uganda: a community-based cross-sectional study.

Background: The prevalence of hypertension is high in Uganda, which places a significant burden on an already strained healthcare system. The behavioural risk factors, such as unhealthy diet, tobacco use, physical inactivity, and heavy drinking, contribute to hypertension development and complications. This study explored the associations of combined tobacco smoking and heavy alcohol consumption with existing hypertension in a community-based cross-sectional study conducted in two rural districts of Uganda.

Trust in scientists and their role in society across 68 countries.

Science is crucial for evidence-based decision-making. Public trust in scientists can help decision makers act on the basis of the best available evidence, especially during crises. However, in recent years the epistemic authority of science has been challenged, causing concerns about low public trust in scientists.

Perceptions of science, science communication, and climate change attitudes in 68 countries - the TISP dataset.

Science is integral to society because it can inform individual, government, corporate, and civil society decision-making on issues such as public health, new technologies or climate change. Yet, public distrust and populist sentiment challenge the relationship between science and society. To help researchers analyse the science-society nexus across different geographical and cultural contexts, we undertook a cross-sectional population survey resulting in a dataset of 71,922 participants in 68 countries.

Optimizing emergency response systems in urban health crises: A project management approach to public health preparedness and response.

Effective management of health crises requires public health preparedness and response, especially in urban settings where the complexity and scope of catastrophes provide considerable challenges. The integration of project management frameworks with public health policies is highlighted in this review, which investigates the optimization of emergency response systems using a project management methodology. The adoption of cutting-edge technologies that improve real-time monitoring, predictive analytics, and resource allocation such as artificial intelligence (AI), big data, and the Internet of Things (Io-T) is one of the main topics covered.

Relationship of maternal ophthalmic artery Doppler with uterine artery Doppler, hemodynamic indices and gestational age: prospective MATERA study.

Objectives: To examine the relationship of ophthalmic artery (OA) Doppler indices with uterine artery (UtA) Doppler indices, selected maternal hemodynamic parameters and gestational age, and to evaluate the intraobserver reproducibility of OA Doppler indices.

Methods: This was a prospective cohort study of women recruited between 11 + 0 and 23 + 6 weeks' gestation using a stratified and random sampling approach to ensure adequate distribution across the gestational-age range. OA pulsatility index (PI), first peak systolic velocity (PSV1), second peak systolic velocity (PSV2) and peak systolic velocity ratio (PSV ratio), calculated as PSV2/PSV1, were measured twice in each eye by the same observer.

Climate Change and Malaria: A Call for Robust Analytics.

Mosquito ecology and behavior and malaria parasite development display marked sensitivity to weather, in particular to temperature and precipitation. Therefore, climate change is expected to profoundly affect malaria epidemiology in its transmission, spatiotemporal distribution and consequent disease burden. However, malaria transmission is also complicated by other factors (e.

Evaluating the biomedical and behavioural drivers of HIV-1 incidence decline in adolescent girls and young women in Uganda: A mathematical modelling study.

Background: Recent declines in HIV incidence among adolescent girls and young women (AGYW) in Africa are often attributed to the expansion of biomedical interventions such as antiretroviral therapy and voluntary medical male circumcision. However, changes in sexual behaviour may also play a critical role. Understanding the relative contributions of these factors is essential for developing strategies to sustain and further reduce HIV transmission.

Declines in HIV Incidence and Prevalence and Predictors Among Adolescents and Young Adults: An Observational Cohort Study, Rakai, Uganda, 2005-2020.

Background: HIV acquisition among adolescents and young adults (AYA, 15-24 years) is influenced by individual factors, community factors, and public policies and programs. We explored the association of HIV incidence and prevalence with these factors over time among AYA in Rakai, Uganda.

Methods: We examined trends over nine survey rounds (2005-2020) of the Rakai Community Cohort Study (RCCS), an open population-based surveillance cohort of individuals living in 30 continuously followed communities in south-central Uganda (n= 35,938 person rounds).

Selective social tolerance drives differentiated relationships among wild female chimpanzees.

Strong, affiliative bonds often function to facilitate social competition through cooperative defence of resources, but the benefits of social bonds may be low when direct competition is less intense or less beneficial. In such cases, one possible outcome is that relationships are weak and undifferentiated. Alternatively, negotiating stable, selectively tolerant relationships may be a strategy to mitigate the costs and risks of sharing space when direct competition is undesirable.

A Systematic Review of Knowledge, Attitude, and Perception Towards Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT) in Africa.

Background: Despite growing evidence showing ECT's efficacy and efficiency in the management of severe mental health conditions, the knowledge, attitude, and perceptions (KAP) towards ECT vary around the globe. However, KAP guarantees the extent to which ECT is accepted and administered efficiently. This review sheds light on the KAP toward ECT in Africa.

Comparative analysis of floristic richness and diversity in six central forest reserves of north eastern Uganda.

As the extinction risk of plants increases globally, there is need to prioritize areas with high floristic richness and diversity to inform the design of evidence-based conservation interventions. As such, this study aimed to comparatively analyse floristic diversity in six central forest reserves (CFR) of north eastern Uganda. This was guided by two objectives namely; (i) to determine the floristic richness and diversity in the CFRs and (ii) to evaluate the similarity and complementarity of floristic composition.

Exploring the availability and accessibility of menstrual friendly public toilets (MFPTs) in urban spaces: A global multi-city audit study.

Background: Public toilets enable populations, including those who menstruate, to move through public spaces. Menstrual Friendly Public Toilets (MFPT) are accessible, safe, and clean public toilets that provide those who menstruate the space and resources to navigate cities with dignity and comfort. However, there is little evidence on the status of MFPTs in urban centers.

Effectiveness of sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine plus amodiaquine and dihydroartemisinin-piperaquine for seasonal malaria chemoprevention in Uganda: a three-arm, open-label, non-inferiority and superiority, cluster-randomised, controlled trial.

Background: Seasonal malaria chemoprevention (SMC) with sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine combined with amodiaquine (SPAQ) effectively protects eligible children from malaria in areas of high and seasonal transmission. However, concerns about parasite resistance to sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine in East and Southern Africa necessitate evaluating alternative drug regimens. This study assessed the effectiveness of SPAQ and dihydroartemisinin-piperaquine for SMC in Uganda.

Healthcare provider perspectives on integrating HIV care into cancer centers in Malawi, South Africa, Uganda, and Zimbabwe.

Background: In East and Southern Africa, treatment of people with concomitant cancer and HIV is complicated by siloed service delivery pathways, which exacerbate barriers to care and impact clinical decision-making. Integrating HIV care into cancer treatment centers may improve service delivery and overall patient outcomes.

Methods: We administered a questionnaire to clinicians and support staff at tertiary cancer referral centers in Malawi, Zimbabwe, Uganda, and South Africa to assess level of concern about clinical management of people with HIV (PWH) and cancer, barriers to integrating HIV service delivery into cancer treatment delivery, and beliefs related to HIV, antiretroviral therapy (ART), and integrated care.

Protocol for identifying Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection status through airway microbiome profiling.

This protocol describes the steps to determine an airway microbiome signature for identifying Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection status. We outline procedures for processing microbiome data, calculating diversity measures, and fitting Dirichlet multinomial mixture models. Additionally, we provide steps for analyzing taxonomic relative and differential abundances, as well as identifying potential biomarkers associated with infection status.

Can public education campaigns equitably counter the use of substandard and falsified (SF) medical products in African countries?

Substandard and falsified (SF) medical products are a serious health and economic concern that disproportionately impact low- and middle-income countries and marginalized groups. Public education campaigns are demand-side interventions that may reduce risk of SF exposure, but the effectiveness of such campaigns, and their likelihood of benefitting everybody, is unclear. Nationwide pilot risk communication campaigns, involving multiple media, were deployed in Ghana, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Uganda in 2020-2021.

Potential antihyperlipidemic effects of myrcenol and curzerene in high-fat fed rats.

The study evaluated the anti-hyperlipidemic effects of myrcenol and curzerene on a high fat diet induced hyperlipidemia rat model. Thirty male albino rats were fed on a high-fat diet for four months. The HFD-induced hyperperlipidemia rats were treated with rosuvastatin (10 mg/kg), curzerene (130 mg/kg) and myrcenol (100 mg/kg) for four weeks.

The nature of self-medication in Uganda: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: In Uganda, many people self-medicate and the practice raises important questions about access to healthcare, patient choices, and the increasing prevalence of antimicrobial resistance. This systematic review and meta-analysis investigated the prevalence and factors associated with self-medication in Uganda.

Methods: We searched Scopus, PubMed, and Embase databases, WHO AFRO, UNIPH registries, and Google Scholar search engine from inception to November 2024 using the algorithm "Self-Medication" AND "Uganda".

Perceptions and practices of imaging personnel and physicians regarding the use of brain MRI for dementia diagnosis in Uganda.

Introduction: Diagnosing dementia remains challenging in low-income settings due to limited diagnostic options and the absence of definitive biomarkers. The use of brain MRI in the diagnosis of dementia is infrequent in Uganda, and even when it is used, subtle findings like mild regional atrophy are often overlooked, despite being crucial for imaging diagnosis.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to explore the perceptions and practices of imaging personnel and physicians regarding the use of brain MRI as a diagnostic approach for dementia in Uganda.

Leaving no one behind: Disability and HIV prevention, knowledge among adults in a population cohort in Uganda.

Background: People with disability are a vulnerable population and are at a high risk of acquiring human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection.

Objectives: We investigated the association between severity of disability and not having knowledge of any HIV prevention method among adults in Uganda.

Method: Between January 2015 and December 2015, data were collected within a general population in Uganda, on six domains of disability based on the Washington Group Short Set on Functioning.

A never-ending story: updated 3D cyber-taxonomic revision of the ant genus Wheeler (Hymenoptera, Formicidae, Dorylinae) for the Afrotropical region.

The ant genus are fascinating ants due to their distinctive morphology, ecology, and rarity. In this study, a comprehensive revision of in the Afrotropical region is presented, through a combination of morphological examination under the light microscope and three-dimensional (3D) cyber-taxonomy based on microtomography (micro-CT). Micro-CT based 3D surface models of all species were used for virtual morphological visualisation and examination.