Menstrual hygiene management compliance in primary schools in Uganda: a case of Lira Municipality

The main objective of the study was to determine the influence of Menstrual Hygiene Management on school absenteeism of adolescent girls in 10 primary schools in Lira municipality. Our findings highlighted that; majority of the rrespondent’s onset of the menstruation was at 13 years of age, 60% of the participants used disposable pads. Most respondents changed their pads at least twice a day.Twofifth of the primary girls reported missing school for about 3 days during menstrual periods pointing to the lack of menstrual hygiene products. However, presence of senior women teachers was found to increase the number of girls attending school during their menstruation periods

Planning a Family:priorities and concerns in rural Tanzanmia

A fertility survey using qualitative and quantitative techniques described a high fertility setting (TFR 5.8) in southern Tanzania where family planning use was 16%. Current use was influenced by rising parity, educational level, age of last born child, breastfeeding status, a\ud preference for longer than the mean birth interval (32 months), not being related to the household head, and living in a house with a tin roof. Three principal concerns amongst women were outlined from the findings. First, that there is a large unmet need for family planning services in the area particularly among teenagers for whom it is associated with induced abortion. Second, that family planning is being used predominantly for spacing but fears\ud associated with it often curtail effective use. Third, that service provision is perceived to be lacking in two main areas — regularity of supply, and addressing rumours and fears associated with family planning. Reproductive health interventions in the area should ultimately be more\ud widespread and, in particular, abortion is highlighted as an urgent issue for further research.\ud The potential for a fast and positive impact is high, given the simplicity of the perceived needs of\ud women from this study. (Afr J Reprod Health 2004; 8[2]:111-123)\u

RELATIONSHIP OF PARITY AND SOME BREEDING CHARACTERISTICS IN RED SOKOTO GOATS

Data on some breeding characteristics; litter size (LS) kidding interval (KI), dam mating weight (Mwt), Kidding weight(Kwt) and 60 day post kidding weight(60dPKwt) as well as body size characteristics(HW,BL and HG) collected from 1000 Red Sokoto does of small holder farmers in Kano State, Nigeria, were analysed to estimate the relationships amongst these characteristics themselves and between them with parity of dam. The mean LS, KI, Mwt, Kwt and 60dPKwt were 1.45, 6.90 months 20.4kg, 24.7kg, and 23.0kg, respectively. The mean height-at-withers (HW), body length (BL) and chest girth (CG) were 54.4cm, 59.0 and 65.8cm, respectively. The correlations amongst all the measured characteristics were positive and significant (P<0.01 – 0.05; r = 0. 32- 0.93). The correlation between Mwt and Kwt was the strongest (r = 0.93). The relationships between parity and all the characteristics measured was positive and highly significant (P<0.01; r = 0.49-0.87) The correlation of parity with mating weight (Mwt) was the strongest ( r = 0.87). The prediction equations of body weight at different stages of growth using combinations of linear body measurements were significant (P<0.01) However, the prediction equation of 60 day post- kidding weight using the combination of the linear body measurements (HW, BL, CG) was the best ( R2 = 72.0%) followed by kidding weight ( R2 = 55.4%) and mating weight (R2 = 54.76%), respectively. Therefore, the equation for the prediction of 60 day post kidding weight (60d PKwt) using the combination of linear body measurements (HW, BL, CG) adequately explained about 72% of the variation in the 60d PKwt of the does. This implies that combination of linear body measurements can be used with high degree of reliability to estimate body weight in Red Sokoto goats

Structural Controls on Crustal Fluid Circulation and Hot Spring Geochemistry Above a Flat‐Slab Subduction Zone, Peru

Hot spring geochemistry from the Cordillera Blanca and Cordillera Huayhuash, Peru, reveal the influence of crustal‐scale structures on geothermal fluid circulation in an amagmatic region located above a flat‐slab subduction zone. To test the influence of contrasting modes of faulting in these regions, springs were targeted along the Cordillera Blanca detachment fault, within its hanging wall, in the footwall of the detachment, and in the Cordillera Huayhuash. Hot springs along the Cordillera Blanca detachment fault zone are associated with recent extension and normal faulting, and those in its footwall and the Cordillera Huayhuash are located in the Marañon fold and thrust belt where compressional structures dominate. Springs along and in the hanging wall of the Cordillera Blanca detachment fault yield brackish‐saline, alkaline‐chloride waters, with oxygen, hydrogen, carbon, and chlorine stable isotope values that suggest mixing between meteoric groundwater and saline brine affected by high water‐rock interaction. Geothermometry reservoir temperature estimates (RTEs) of 91–226°C indicate maximum flow path depths of 8.7 or 11 km, depending on geothermal gradient, associated with the Cordillera Blanca detachment fault. In contrast, springs in the footwall and in the Cordillera Huayhuash exhibit a wide range of water types with an isotopic affinity to meteoric water, suggesting a greater influence from shallow groundwater and less water‐rock interaction. For these springs, RTEs of 40–98°C correspond to much shallower circulation (1.6–4 km). Results indicate that the Cordillera Blanca detachment system accommodates significantly deeper circulation of crustal fluids compared to other regional compressional structures

Phenotypic diversity and chemical properties of pawpaw fruit quality in Ugandan germplasm

Pawpaw (Carica pawpaw L.) fruit production and utilisation have been on the increase in Uganda. However, challenges related to identification of phenotypes with inherent characteristics for improvement of fruit shelf life have limited identification of better varieties. The objective of this study was to evaluate the phenotypic diversity and shelf life determinants of Uganda\u2019s pawpaw accessions and their variations based on selected quality parameters. Nineteen accessions were collected as seeds from different markets of Uganda, germinated and planted in Namulonge-Wakiso district, central Uganda. The accessions were significantly (P&lt;0.05) variable in terms of fruit weight parameters, with dry matter ranging from 14 - 19% and fruit weight of up to 3.9 kg; while pulp weight was up to 3.2 kg per fruit. Pulp firmness parameters were also significantly variable (P&lt;0.05) and highly correlated with shelf life of the fruit, which ranged from 7 - 13 days depending on the accession. Fruit pulp pH ranged from 4.4-5.6; while titratable acidity of the fruit ranged from 0.03-0.08%. The accessions were clustered in four main clusters depending on the fruit firmness properties, fruit shelf life, fruit weight, pH and titratable acidity as definitive parameters. These accessions were distinguished based on morphological parameters, and henceforth defined for nutritional and economic uses. Accessions with high fruit firmness (&gt;5 kg F) such as 16/20\u2019 16/16, 16/17 and 18/1; and external pulp thickness (&gt;2 cm) such as 16/16, 16/17 and 18/1 had improved fruit shelf life and are recommended for marketability and processing.La production et l\u2019utilisation de fruits de papaye (Carica pawpaw L.) ont augment\ue9 en Ouganda. Cependant, les d\ue9fis li\ue9s \ue0 l\u2019identification des ph\ue9notypes ayant des caract\ue9ristiques inh\ue9rentes \ue0 l\u2019am\ue9lioration de la dur\ue9e de conservation des fruits ont limit\ue9 l\u2019identification des meilleures vari\ue9t\ue9s. L\u2019objectif de cette \ue9tude \ue9tait d\u2019\ue9valuer la diversit\ue9 ph\ue9notypique et les d\ue9terminants de la dur\ue9e de conservation des accessions de papaye en Ouganda et leurs variations en fonction de certains param\ue8tres de qualit\ue9. Dix-neuf accessions ont \ue9t\ue9 collect\ue9es sous forme de semences sur diff\ue9rents march\ue9s de l\u2019Ouganda, germ\ue9es et plant\ue9es dans le Namulonge, district de Wakiso, \ue0 l\u2018 Ouganda centrale. Les accessions \ue9taient significativement variables (P &lt;0,05) en termes de param\ue8tres de poids des fruits, avec une mati\ue8re s\ue8che allant de 14 \ue0 19% et un poids des fruits allant jusqu\u2019\ue0 3,9 kg; tandis que le poids de la pulpe atteignait 3,2 kg par fruit. Les param\ue8tres de fermet\ue9 de la pulpe \ue9taient \ue9galement significativement variables (P &lt;0,05) et fortement corr\ue9l\ue9s \ue0 la dur\ue9e de conservation du fruit, qui allait de 7 \ue0 13 jours selon l\u2019accession. Le pH de la pulpe de fruit variait de 4,4 \ue0 5,6; tandis que l\u2019acidit\ue9 titrable du fruit variait de 0,03 \ue0 0,08%. Les accessions ont \ue9t\ue9 regroup\ue9es en quatre groupes principaux selon les propri\ue9t\ue9s de fermet\ue9 du fruit, la dur\ue9e de conservation du fruit, le poids du fruit, le pH et l\u2019acidit\ue9 titrable comme param\ue8tres d\ue9finitifs. Ces accessions ont \ue9t\ue9 distingu\ue9es sur la base de param\ue8tres morphologiques, et d\ue9finies \ue0 la base des usages nutritionnels et \ue9conomiques. Les accessions \ue0 forte fermet\ue9 du fruit (&gt; 5 kg F) telles que 16/20 \u201916/16, 16/17 et 18/1; et une \ue9paisseur de pulpe externe (&gt; 2 cm) telle que 16/16, 16/17 et 18/1 avaient une dur\ue9e de conservation am\ue9lior\ue9e des fruits, et elles sont recommand\ue9es pour la commercialisation et la transformation

KINET: A social marketing programme of treated nets and net treatment for malaria control in Tanzania, with evaluation of child health and long-term survival

We present a large-scale social marketing programme of insecticide-treated nets in 2 rural districts in south-western Tanzania (population 350 000) and describe how the long-term child health and survival impact will be assessed. Formative and market research were conducted in order to understand community perceptions, knowledge, attitudes and practice with respect to the products to be socially marketed. We identified Zuia Mbu (Kiswahili for ‘prevent mosquitoes') as a suitable brand name for both treated nets and single-dose insecticide treatment sachets. A mix of public and private sales outlets is used for distribution. In the first stage of a stepped introduction 31 net agents were appointed and trained in 18 villages: 15 were shop owners, 14 were village leaders, 1 was a parish priest and 1 a health worker. For net treatment 37 young people were appointed in the same villages and trained as agents. Further institutions in both districts such as hospitals, development projects and employers were also involved in distribution. Promotion for both products was intense and used a variety of channels. A total of 22 410 nets and 8072 treatments were sold during the first year: 18 months after launching, 46% of 312 families with children aged under 5 years reported that their children were sleeping under treated nets. A strong evaluation component in over 50 000 people allows assessment of the long-term effects of insecticide-treated nets on child health and survival, anaemia in pregnancy, and the costs of the intervention. This evaluation is based on cross-sectional surveys, and case-control and cohort studie

Validation of KASP markers associated with cassava mosaic disease resistance, storage root dry matter and provitamin A carotenoid contents in Ugandan cassava germplasm

Open Access Journal; Published online: 23 Nov 2022Introduction The intrinsic high heterozygosity of cassava makes conventional breeding ineffective for rapid genetic improvement. However, recent advances in next-generation sequencing technologies have enabled the use of high-density markers for genome-wide association studies, aimed at identifying single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) linked to major traits such as cassava mosaic disease (CMD) resistance, dry matter content (DMC) and total carotenoids content (TCC). A number of these trait-linked SNPs have been converted to Kompetitive allele-specific polymerase chain reaction (KASP) markers for downstream application of marker assisted selection. Methods We assayed 13 KASP markers to evaluate their effectiveness in selecting for CMD, DMC and TCC in 1,677 diverse cassava genotypes representing two independent breeding populations in Uganda. Results Five KASP markers had significant co-segregation with phenotypes; CMD resistance (2), DMC (1) and TCC (2), with each marker accounting for at least 30% of the phenotypic variation. Markers located within the chromosomal regions for which strong marker-trait association loci have been characterised (chromosome 12 markers for CMD, chromosome 1 markers for DMC and TCC) had consistently superior ability to discriminate the respective phenotypes. Discussion The results indicate varying discriminatory abilities of the KASP markers assayed and the need for their context-based use for MAS, with PSY2_572 particularly effective in selecting for high TCC. Availing the effective KASP markers on cost-effective genotyping platforms could facilitate practical implementation of marker-assisted cassava breeding for accelerated genetic gains for CMD, DMC and provitamin A carotenoids

Behaviour change strategies for reducing blood pressure-related disease burden: findings from a global implementation research programme.

The Global Alliance for Chronic Diseases comprises the majority of the world's public research funding agencies. It is focussed on implementation research to tackle the burden of chronic diseases in low- and middle-income countries and amongst vulnerable populations in high-income countries. In its inaugural research call, 15 projects were funded, focussing on lowering blood pressure-related disease burden. In this study, we describe a reflexive mapping exercise to identify the behaviour change strategies undertaken in each of these projects.Using the Behaviour Change Wheel framework, each team rated the capability, opportunity and motivation of the various actors who were integral to each project (e.g. community members, non-physician health workers and doctors in projects focussed on service delivery). Teams then mapped the interventions they were implementing and determined the principal policy categories in which those interventions were operating. Guidance was provided on the use of Behaviour Change Wheel to support consistency in responses across teams. Ratings were iteratively discussed and refined at several group meetings.There was marked variation in the perceived capabilities, opportunities and motivation of the various actors who were being targeted for behaviour change strategies. Despite this variation, there was a high degree of synergy in interventions functions with most teams utilising complex interventions involving education, training, enablement, environmental restructuring and persuasion oriented strategies. Similar policy categories were also targeted across teams particularly in the areas of guidelines, communication/marketing and service provision with few teams focussing on fiscal measures, regulation and legislation.The large variation in preparedness to change behaviour amongst the principal actors across these projects suggests that the interventions themselves will be variably taken up, despite the similarity in approaches taken. The findings highlight the importance of contextual factors in driving success and failure of research programmes. Forthcoming outcome and process evaluations from each project will build on this exploratory work and provide a greater understanding of factors that might influence scale-up of intervention strategies

Can Geographical Factors Determine the Choices of Farmers in the Ethiopian Highlands to Trade in Livestock Markets?

Proximity and affiliation to the local market appear to be two of the most relevant factors to explain farmer's choices to select a particular trading point. Physical barriers may limit the options , especially in developing countries. A network of villages linked by traders/farmer-traders sharing livestock markets was built with field data collected in 75 villages from 8 kebelles in the Wassona Werna wereda of the Ethiopian Highlands. Two exponential random graph models were fitted with various geographical and demographic attributes of the nodes (dyadic independent model) and three internal network structures (dyadic dependent model). Several diagnostic methods were applied to assess the goodness of fit of the models. The odds of an edge where the distance to the main market Debre Behran and the difference in altitude between two connected villages are both large increases significantly so that villages far away from the main market and at different altitude are more likely to be linked in the network than randomly. The odds of forming an edge between two villages in Abamote or Gudoberet kebelles are approximately 75% lower than an edge between villages in any other kebelles (p<0.05). The conditional log-odds of two villages forming a tie that is not included in a triangle, a 2-star or a 3-star is extremely low, increasing the odds significantly (p<0.05) each time a node is in a 2-star structure and decreasing it when a node is in a 3-star (p<0.05) or in a triangle formation (p<0.05)), conditional on the rest of the network. Two major constraining factors, namely distance and altitude, are not deterrent for the potential contact of susceptible small ruminant populations in the Highlands of Ethiopia

Inflammatory arthritis in HIV positive patients: A practical guide

Background: Musculoskeletal manifestations of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) have been described since the outset of the global HIV epidemic. Articular syndromes that have been described in association with HIV include HIV-associated arthropathy, seronegative spondyloarthropathies (SPA) (reactive arthritis, psoriatic arthritis (PsA) and undifferentiated SPA), rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and painful articular syndrome. Methods: We carried out a computer-assisted search of PubMed for the medical literature from January 1981 to January 2015 using the keywords HIV, acquired immune-deficiency syndrome, rheumatic manifestations, arthritis, spondyloarthropathy, anti-TNF and disease modifying antirheumatic drugs. Only English language literature was included and only studies involving adult human subjects were assessed. Results: There are challenges in the management of inflammatory arthritis in patients who are HIV-positive, including difficulties in the assessment of disease activity and limited information on the safety of immunosuppressive drugs in these individuals. Conclusions: This review focuses on the clinical characteristics of the inflammatory articular syndromes that have been described in association with HIV infection and discusses the therapeutic options for these patients