Prevalence of Brucellosis in Cattle under Different Management Systems in Mbale District, Eastern Region of Uganda

The research study was conducted on prevalence of Brucellosis in cattle under different management systems in Mbale District, Eastern Region of Uganda. The research design adopted was a purposive sampling. 48 respondents from different farms were selected using a random sampling to allow equal representation of the farms. The data were collected using both blood samples and questionnaires. A total of 78 serum samples collected from different cattle were serologically assessed using Rose Bengal Plate Test (RBPT) and Serum Agglutination Test (SAT). The high sero-prevalence of 37.5% was recorded in female cows followed by male bulls (20.0%) and female calves (20.0%). Bull calves and heifers showed negative result with RBPT and SAT (0.0%). A total of 24(30.7%) and 22(28.2%) were recorded for RBPT and SAT respectively. However, although there was higher prevalence of Brucellosis in communal grazing than the rest of other grazing systems, there was no statistical significant difference between Brucellosis and grazing systems (p>0.05). Similarly, considering the type of breeding methods of fertilization, there was a statistically significant relationship between the type of breeding (artificial and natural insemination) methods and management system practiced (p<0.05). The study concluded that contamination of common grazing environment was due to aborted foetuses which is accompanied by shedding of large number of Brucella species and that there was lack of knowledge on the causative agents, as well as mode of transmission. The researchers recommend that cattle grazing systems that limit mixing of herds should be encouraged to reduce the contamination of common grazing environment.

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Seroprevalence of human coronaviruses among patients visiting Hospital-Based Sentinel Sites in Uganda

10.21203/rs.3.rs-116084/v1 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Elijah Mulabbi ◽

Robert Tweyongyere ◽

Fred Wabwire ◽

Edison Mworozi ◽

Jeff Koehlerb ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Odds Ratio ◽

Respiratory Infections ◽

Control Strategies ◽

Cross Reactivity ◽

Serum Samples ◽

Human Coronavirus ◽

Respiratory Illnesses ◽

Significant Difference ◽

Causative Agents ◽

Human Coronaviruses

Abstract Background: Human coronaviruses are causative agents of respiratory infections with several subtypes being prevalent worldwide. They cause respiratory illnesses of varying severity and have been described to be continuously emerging but their prevalence is not well documented in Uganda. This study assessed the seroprevalence of antibodies against the previously known human coronaviruses prior 2019 in Uganda.Methods: A total 377 serum samples collected from volunteers that showed influenza like illness in five hospital-based sentinel sites and archived were analyzed using a commercial Qualitative Human Coronavirus Antibody IgG ELISA kit. Although there is no single kit available that can detect the presence of all the circulating coronaviruses, this kit uses a nucleoprotein, aa 340-390 to coat the wells and since there is significant homology among the various human coronavirus strains with regards to the coded for proteins, there is significant cross reactivity beyond HCoV HKU-39849 2003. This gives the kit a qualitative ability to detect the presence of human coronavirus antibodies in a sample. Results: The overall seroprevalence for all the sites was 87.53% with no significant difference in the seroprevalence between the Hospital based sentinel sites (p=0.8). Of the seropositive, the age group 1-5 years had the highest percentage (46.97), followed by 6-10 years (16.67) and then above 20 (16.36). The volunteers were divided into two broad categories, those below five years and those above five years, to calculate the odds ratio. The odds ratio of those seropositive with an age above 5 years with reference to those below 5 years was 0.62. This shows that those below 5 are more likely to be seropositive compared to those above 5 years. The seropositivity was generally high throughout the year with highest being recorded in March and the lowest in February and December. Conclusions: The seroprevalence of Human coronaviruses is alarmingly high which calls for need to identify and characterize the circulating coronavirus strains so as to guide policy on the control strategies.

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Seroprevalence of human coronaviruses among patients visiting hospital-based sentinel sites in Uganda

BMC Infectious Diseases ◽

10.1186/s12879-021-06258-6 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 21 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Elijah Nicholas Mulabbi ◽

Robert Tweyongyere ◽

Fred Wabwire-Mangen ◽

Edison Mworozi ◽

Jeff Koehlerb ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Respiratory Infections ◽

Control Strategies ◽

Cross Reactivity ◽

Serum Samples ◽

Human Coronavirus ◽

Respiratory Illnesses ◽

Significant Difference ◽

Causative Agents ◽

Human Coronaviruses ◽

Group 1

Abstract Background Human coronaviruses are causative agents of respiratory infections with several subtypes being prevalent worldwide. They cause respiratory illnesses of varying severity and have been described to be continuously emerging but their prevalence is not well documented in Uganda. This study assessed the seroprevalence of antibodies against the previously known human coronaviruses prior 2019 in Uganda. Methods A total 377 serum samples collected from volunteers that showed influenza like illness in five hospital-based sentinel sites and archived were analyzed using a commercial Qualitative Human Coronavirus Antibody IgG ELISA kit. Although there is no single kit available that can detect the presence of all the circulating coronaviruses, this kit uses a nucleoprotein, aa 340–390 to coat the wells and since there is significant homology among the various human coronavirus strains with regards to the coded for proteins, there is significant cross reactivity beyond HCoV HKU-39849 2003. This gives the kit a qualitative ability to detect the presence of human coronavirus antibodies in a sample. Results The overall seroprevalence for all the sites was 87.53% with no significant difference in the seroprevalence between the Hospital based sentinel sites (p = 0.8). Of the seropositive, the age group 1–5 years had the highest percentage (46.97), followed by 6–10 years (16.67) and then above 20 (16.36). An odds ratio of 1.6 (CI 0.863–2.97, p = 0.136) showed that those volunteers below 5 years of age were more likely to be seropositive compared to those above 5 years. The seropositivity was generally high throughout the year with highest being recorded in March and the lowest in February and December. Conclusions The seroprevalence of Human coronaviruses is alarmingly high which calls for need to identify and characterize the circulating coronavirus strains so as to guide policy on the control strategies.

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Seroprevalence of Human Coronaviruses Among Patients Visiting Hospital-Based Sentinel Sites in Uganda

10.21203/rs.3.rs-291307/v1 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

MULABBI NICHOLAS ELIJAH ◽

Robert Tweyongyere ◽

Fred Wabwire-Mangen ◽

Edison Mworozi ◽

Jeff Koehlerb ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Odds Ratio ◽

Respiratory Infections ◽

Control Strategies ◽

Cross Reactivity ◽

Serum Samples ◽

Human Coronavirus ◽

Respiratory Illnesses ◽

Significant Difference ◽

Causative Agents ◽

Human Coronaviruses

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The Impact of using 3D Interactive Animation Tool in Teaching Computer Programming at the Senior High School Level

Circulation in Computer Science ◽

10.22632/ccs-2018-252-78 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 3 (2) ◽

pp. 18-28

Author(s):

Najim Ussiph ◽

Hamidu Kwame Seidu

Keyword(s):

High School ◽

Research Work ◽

Instructional Method ◽

Senior High School ◽

School Level ◽

Eastern Region ◽

3D Animation ◽

High School Level ◽

Significant Difference ◽

The Impact

A quasi experiment with interview was adopted to study the aptness of using 3D animations as an instructional method to introduce programming concepts to students at the Senior High School level. This research work was conducted with 100 students of Akroso Senior High School in the Birim central municipality of the eastern region of Ghana who were generally programming novice. Programming concepts considered included programming environments, loops, functions sequential and conditional execution of programs. A paired t-test carried out on the results of the performance test presents a p-value of 0.008 indicative of a numerically significant difference between the mean marks of participants during the experiments that used 3D animation method as against the experiments that used the text base method. Results from the interview showed that the instructional method used had impact on the performance of the learners. The use of 3D animation method presented programming concepts in a form that the learners can understand, motivates them to pursue programming related courses at a higher level and also impacts positively on their performance.

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Reassessing the Role of the Active TGF-β1 as a Biomarker in Systemic Sclerosis: Association of Serum Levels with Clinical Manifestations

Disease Markers ◽

10.1155/2016/6064830 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 2016 ◽

pp. 1-6 ◽

Cited By ~ 13

Author(s):

Andréa Tavares Dantas ◽

Sayonara Maria Calado Gonçalves ◽

Anderson Rodrigues de Almeida ◽

Rafaela Silva Guimarães Gonçalves ◽

Maria Clara Pinheiro Duarte Sampaio ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Systemic Sclerosis ◽

Clinical Manifestations ◽

Serum Levels ◽

Vascular Involvement ◽

Digital Ulcers ◽

Serum Samples ◽

Peripheral Blood Mononuclear ◽

Pbmc Culture ◽

Significant Difference ◽

Skin Biopsies

Objective. To determine active TGF-β1 (aTGF-β1) levels in serum, skin, and peripheral blood mononuclear cell (PBMC) culture supernatants and to understand their associations with clinical parameters in systemic sclerosis (SSc) patients.Methods. We evaluated serum samples from 56 SSc patients and 24 healthy controls (HC). In 20 SSc patients, we quantified spontaneous or anti-CD3/CD28 stimulated production of aTGF-β1 by PBMC. The aTGF-β1 levels were measured by ELISA. Skin biopsies were obtained from 13 SSc patients and six HC, and TGFB1 expression was analyzed by RT-PCR.Results. TGF-β1 serum levels were significantly higher in SSc patients than in HC (p< 0.0001). Patients with increased TGF-β1 serum levels were more likely to have diffuse subset (p= 0.02), digital ulcers (p= 0.02), lung fibrosis (p< 0.0001), positive antitopoisomerase I (p= 0.03), and higher modified Rodnan score (p= 0.046). Most of our culture supernatant samples had undetectable levels of TGF-β1. No significant difference in TGFB1 expression was observed in the SSc skin compared with HC skin.Conclusion. Raised active TGF-β1 serum levels and their association with clinical manifestations in scleroderma patients suggest that this cytokine could be a marker of fibrotic and vascular involvement in SSc.

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THU0296 PROTEIN PROFILING IN INDIVIDUALS BEFORE ONSET OF ANCA-ASSOCIATED VASCULITIS

Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases ◽

10.1136/annrheumdis-2020-eular.3033 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 79 (Suppl 1) ◽

pp. 376.2-376

Author(s):

E. Berglin ◽

A. Esberg ◽

J. Dahlqvist ◽

J. Sjöwall ◽

A. Lundquist ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Immune System ◽

Growth Factor ◽

Random Forest ◽

Symptom Onset ◽

Partial Least Square ◽

Protein Profiling ◽

Serum Samples ◽

Anca Associated Vasculitis ◽

Significant Difference ◽

Novel Biomarkers

Background:Etiology and pathogenesis of ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV) is multifactorial and understanding of the processes leading from a healthy immune system to autoimmunity and on to debut of symptoms in AAV is rudimentary.Objectives:To identify inflammatory proteins related to the early processes preceding AAV development, and potential novel biomarkers, using large-scale protein analysesMethods:The Swedish National Patient Register of in-patient carevand the Swedish Cause of Death Register with discharge diagnosis from ICD-9 and-10 for AAV were co-analysed with the registers of 4 different blood biobanks to identify AAV individuals with available samples predating onset of symptom. Of the pre-AAV cases 86 (36 male, 50 female; mean age (SD); 51.9 (16.9) years) were identified with at least one plasma or serum sample (28 plasma, and 100 serum) pre-dating symptom onset (mean (SD); -4.3 (3.1) years), and 14 had 2-3 samples. Serum and plasma control samples matched for sex, age and sampling date were identified (n=198; 82 male, 116 female; mean age (SD); 51.9±15.9 years). The samples were analysed for levels of 92 proteins using proximity extension assay (OLINK inflammation panel, SciLifeLab, Uppsala, Sweden). Data were analysed using routine statistical methods, random forest and Partial Least square-discriminant analysis (PLS-DA).Results:As previously described for the assay significant difference between plasma and serum samples were observed both in pre-AAV individuals and controls. In pre-AAV plasma samples significantly increased concentrations of interleukin (IL)-2, chemokine ligand (CCL)-4, fibroblast growth factor (FGF)21, IL-4 and CCL20 were found closer to symptom onset, (<5 years) than later (> 5 years) and compared with controls. In serum tumor necrosis factor receptor superfamily member (TNFRSF)9, CXCL9, osteoprotegerin and vascular endothelial growth factor-A were significantly increased <5 years before onset vs. later (>5 years) and compared with controls. PLS-DA score scattered plot separated the pre-AAV individuals from healthy controls (R2=0.26), with significantly increased levels of CCL23, CXCL5, and matrix metalloproteinases-1 (MMP-1),transforming growth factor-ß, orosomucoid, en-rage (S100A12) and IL-7 and decreased FGF-19 level in serum. Binary logistic regression analyses comparing tertiles for these proteins confirmed significantly increased odds ratios for disease development of CCL23, CXCL5 and MMP-1. The findings were confirmed in random forest analysis where these factors were among the 20 most discriminatory factors between pre-symptomatic AAV and controls.Conclusion:In serum samples collected years before symptom onset of AAV, proteins involved in immune system activation were increased, suggesting that the inflammatory process is initiated long before clinical manifestations of the disease appear. These findings propose the elevated proteins as novel biomarkers for disease progression.References:[1]Watts et al. Ann Rheum Dis 2007;66:222-22Acknowledgments:Vasculitis Foundation, USADisclosure of Interests:Ewa Berglin: None declared, Anders Esberg: None declared, Johanna Dahlqvist: None declared, Johanna Sjöwall: None declared, Anders Lundquist: None declared, Kristina Lejon: None declared, Ingegerd Johansson: None declared, Aladdin J Mohammad Speakers bureau: lecture fees from Roche and Elli Lilly Sweden, PI (GiACTA study), Solbritt Rantapää Dahlqvist: None declared

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Time series analysis of the relationship between diarrhea in children and Rota 2 vaccine in the Fanteakwa District of the eastern region of Ghana

BMC Pediatrics ◽

10.1186/s12887-021-02540-3 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 21 (1) ◽

Author(s):

James Atampiiga Avoka ◽

Elvis J. Dun-Dery ◽

Issah Seidu ◽

Armel N. E. Abou ◽

Paul Twene ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Pearson Correlation ◽

Developed Countries ◽

Seasonal Effects ◽

Eastern Region ◽

Least Developed Countries ◽

R Software ◽

Significant Difference ◽

Severe Gastroenteritis ◽

Access To Medical Care ◽

The Relationship

Abstract Background Rotavirus is considered the main causal factor of severe gastroenteritis among infants and children globally. The association with severe rotavirus infection is mostly worse among the least developed countries, mainly due to inadequate access to medical care and poverty. This study was conducted to determine the seasonal effects in respect of diarrhea cases in children, the association between diarrhea cases and Rota2 vaccine in the Fanteakwa District of the Eastern Region of Ghana. Methods The study compares monthly diarrhea cases against children vaccinated with Rota2 extracted from DHIMS2 spanning May 2012 to December 2017 in Fanteakwa District. A univariate association between diarrhea cases and children vaccinated with Rota 2 was conducted using the R-software version 3.4.4 with the use of forecast, tseries and TSAPred. Pearson Correlation coefficient was also computed between monthly diarrhea cases and Rota 2 as well as lagged values of Rota 2 and Diarrhea cases. Results The study shows that February recorded the highest average number of diarrhea cases (172) over the period 2012 to 2017 with a standard deviation of 59. However, a one-way analysis of variance shows a significant difference amongst the monthly averages with an F-statistic of 0.042 and P-value of 0.064. It is observed that the correlations between each of the Rota2 doses and the lagged cases are positive, showing higher Rota2 doses a month ago ((Xt − 1),0.346 to0.735), two months ago ((Xt − 2),0.383 to 0.746), three months ago ((Xt − 3), 0.330 to 0.737) and four months ago ((Xt − 4), 0.236 to 0.723) are associated with lower diarrhea cases. The results also show that an increase in the previous two month’s Rota2 figures by 100 is associated with a significant decrease in the currently expected diarrhea cases by approximately 36. Conclusion Seasonal variations exist in the occurrence of diarrhea in children, with January recording the highest number of diarrhea cases (172). There is a relationship between episodes of diarrhea in children and Rota2 (p-value = 0.064); thus, the more children are vaccinated with Rota2, the less diarrhea cases are recorded. Diarrhea cases in Fanteakwa district are generally low, except 2013 and 2016 where the cases are higher than the rest of the other years.

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757 Does Increased Sampling of Cerebrospinal Fluid from External Ventricular Drains Lead to Increased Rates of Infection?

British Journal of Surgery ◽

10.1093/bjs/znab134.575 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 108 (Supplement_2) ◽

Author(s):

B Edwards ◽

A Zolnourian ◽

D Bulters

Keyword(s):

Research Study ◽

Average Length ◽

Risk Of Infection ◽

Suspected Infection ◽

Length Of Treatment ◽

Increased Risk ◽

Significant Difference ◽

Daily Sampling ◽

Frequent Sampling ◽

Strict Protocol

Abstract Introduction External ventricular drains (EVDs) are commonly used in the management of acute hydrocephalus after subarachnoid haemorrhage (SAH). Infection is the most common complication. There remains controversy over whether frequent sampling is associated with increased risk of infection. Method Two cohorts of patients requiring EVD after SAH were retrospectively analysed for suspected and proven CSF infection. The first clinical cohort was of 50 consecutive patients with twice weekly sampling. The second group had alternate daily sampling as part of a prospective research study. Results Female to male ratio were (32:18) and (29:15) in clinical vs research group respectively. Average age of both groups was 59. Average length of treatment with EVD in both groups was 10 days. 16/50 (32%) patients had a suspected infection vs 13/44 (30%) and 8/50 (16%) had a proven infection compared to 6/44 (14%) in clinical and research groups, respectively. There was no statistically significant difference between the two groups (suspected infections p = 0.7 and proven infections p = 0.7) Conclusions Increased rates in CSF sampling in the research cohort did not result in higher rates of CSF infection. This suggests that rate of sampling, if done following a strict protocol, is not associated with increased risk of infection.

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Serological Investigation of Peste Des Petits Ruminants in East Shewa and Arsi Zones, Oromia Region, Ethiopia

Veterinary Medicine International ◽

10.1155/2017/9769071 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 2017 ◽

pp. 1-5 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Getachew Gari ◽

Biressaw Serda ◽

Dejene Negesa ◽

Fethu Lemma ◽

Hagos Asgedom

Keyword(s):

Significant Variation ◽

Small Ruminants ◽

Control Measures ◽

Economic Losses ◽

Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assay ◽

High Seroprevalence ◽

Serum Samples ◽

Male And Female ◽

Significant Difference ◽

Important Disease

Peste des petits ruminant (PPR) is an economically important disease of small ruminants with a rapidly expanding geographical distribution. There are fragmented reports to the occurrence and distribution of the disease in Ethiopia. A total of 700 serum samples were collected from goats and sheep to detect the presence of antibody against PPR virus using Competitive Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (C-ELISA). An overall PPR seropositivity was reported to be 48.43% in the area. There is no statistically significant difference in the seroprevalence of the disease between sheep and goats (50.85% and 46.68%), respectively. However, there was statistically significant variation (P<0.05) in the seroprevalence of the disease in young (33.9%) and adult (55.8%) age categories. The seroprevalence in male and female was 42.07% and 50.09%, respectively, where the variation was statistically not significant (P>0.05). High seroprevalence of Peste des petites ruminants in the study area indicated the virus circulation and endemicity of the disease. The disease causes substantial economic losses by affecting the livelihood of the farmers. Therefore, control measures should be put in place to minimize the loss associated with the disease.

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Quality Management Systems Implementation Compared With Organizational Maturity in Hospital

Global Journal of Health Science ◽

10.5539/gjhs.v8n3p174 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 8 (3) ◽

pp. 174 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Tayebeh Moradi ◽

Mehdi Jafari ◽

Mohammad Reza Maleki ◽

Seyran Naghdi ◽

Hesam Ghiasvand

Keyword(s):

Quality Management ◽

Quality Management System ◽

Management Systems ◽

P Value ◽

Maturity Model ◽

Quality Management Systems ◽

Systems Implementation ◽

Significant Difference ◽

Organizational Maturity ◽

Improvement Programs

BACKGROUND: A quality management system can provide a framework for continuous improvement in order to increase the probability of customers and other stakeholders’ satisfaction. The test maturity model helps organizations to assess the degree of maturity in implementing effective and sustained quality management systems; plan based on the current realities of the organization and prioritize their improvement programs. OBJECTIVES: We aim to investigate and compare the level of organizational maturity in hospitals with the status of quality management systems implementation. MATERIALS & METHODS: This analytical cross sectional study was conducted among hospital administrators and quality experts working in hospitals with over 200 beds located in Tehran. In the first step, 32 hospitals were selected and then 96 employees working in the selected hospitals were studied. The data were gathered using the implementation checklist of quality management systems and the organization maturity questionnaire derived from ISO 10014. The content validity was calculated using Lawshe method and the reliability was estimated using test - retest method and calculation of Cronbach’s alpha coefficient. The descriptive and inferential statistics were used to analyze the data using SPSS 18 software. RESULTS: According to the table, the mean score of organizational maturity among hospitals in the first stage of quality management systems implementation was equal to those in the third stage and hypothesis was rejected (p-value = 0.093). In general, there is no significant difference in the organizational maturity between the first and third level hospitals (in terms of implementation of quality management systems). CONCLUSIONS: Overall, the findings of the study show that there is no significant difference in the organizational maturity between the hospitals in different levels of the quality management systems implementation and in fact, the maturity of the organizations cannot be attributed to the implementation of such systems. As a result, hospitals should make changes in the quantity and quality of quality management systems in an effort to increase organizational maturity, whereby they improve the hospital efficiency and productivity.

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