Background Malaria remains endemic in Sub-Saharan Africa. Hematological changes that occur have been suggested as potential predictors of malaria. This study was aimed at evaluating the diagnostic relevance of hematological parameters in predicting malaria. Methods A cross-sectional study involving 370 patients with signs and symptoms of malaria was conducted at Mulago Hospital, Kampala, from May, 2012 to February, 2013. Thin and thick blood films were prepared for each patient and stained with Giemsa to aid the detection of malaria parasites. Patients’ hematological parameters were determined. Results Out of the 370 patients, 61 (16.5%) had malaria. Significant differences in the hematological parameters between P. falciparum malaria parasitemic patients and nonparasitemic patients were only observed in mean (±SD) of the differential monocyte count (10.89 ± 6.23% versus 8.98 ± 5.02%, p = 0.01) and the platelet count (172.43 (± 80.41) ×103 cells/μl versus 217.82 ± (95.96) ×103 cells/μl p = 0.00). The mean (±SD) values of the red blood cell indices (hemoglobin count, MCV, MCH, and MCHC), the differential neutrophil and lymphocyte counts, and the mean platelet volume (MPV) did not significantly differ between the two groups. Conclusion Hematological changes are unreliable laboratory indicators of malaria in acute uncomplicated Plasmodium falciparum malaria.

BackgroundThe use of nutritional supplements (NS) places athletes at great risk for inadvertent doping. Due to the paucity of data on supplement use, this study aimed to determine the proportion of Ugandan athletes using nutritional supplements and to investigate the athletes’ motivation to use these supplements.MethodsA cross-sectional study was conducted in which an interviewer-administered questionnaire was used to collect data from 359 professional athletes participating in individual (boxing, cycling, athletics) and team (basketball, rugby, football, netball, and volleyball) sports. The data were categorized, and a Chi-square test was used for statistical analysis.ResultsOf the 359 athletes, 48 (13.4%) used nutritional supplements. Carbohydrate supplements, energy drinks, vitamin and mineral supplements, fish oils, and protein supplements were the most common supplements used by athletes. NS use was significantly more common among athletes who played rugby and basketball (X 2 = 61.101, p < 0.0001), athletes who had played the sport for 5-10 years (X 2 = 7.460, p = 0.024), and athletes who had attained a tertiary education (X 2 = 33.377, p < 0.0001). The athletes’ occupation had no bearing on whether they used supplements. Nutritionists/dieticians, retail stores and pharmacies were the most common sources of NS products, whereas health practitioners, online media and teammates were the most common sources of information regarding NS. Most athletes used NS to improve their physical performance and health.ConclusionsCompared to NS use by athletes elsewhere, NS use among Ugandan athletes was low. However, determinants of athlete NS use in the current study (category of sport and duration of time spent playing the sport) are similar to those reported elsewhere.

BackgroundDespite the development of advanced drug testing systems, both deliberate and inadvertent doping in sports is increasing in elite, amateur and school sports. As a result, alternative approaches that seek to influence an athlete’s attitudes are needed to address the growing doping concerns that threaten both the health and well being of the athlete as well as the legitimacy of the sport. Therefore, the current study set out to establish the doping attitudes, knowledge and practices of professional Ugandan athletes, gathering information that may guide the design of more efficient doping prevention programs.MethodsThis was a cross-sectional study of 384 professional Ugandan athletes from four contact team sports (basketball, football, handball and rugby) and two individual sports (athletics and cycling). An Interviewer administered questionnaire used contained; questions about the doping behavior, the performance enhancement attitude scale (PEAS), and doping use belief (DUB) statements.ResultsApproximately 60 % of the athletes reported familiarity with information on doping and that most of this information came from fellow colleagues (41.9 %), individual or team coaches (29.7 %) or the media (15.6 %). However, nearly 80 % of these athletes could not correctly define doping. The overall mean PEAS score, a measure of doping attitudes, for all study participants was 39.8 ± 14.8. Female athletes (PEAS: 41.1 ± 15.1), athletes with a prior doping history (PEAS: 44.1 ± 15.6) and athletes from the sport of athletics (PEAS: 56.6 ± 17.4) had higher mean PEAS scores than their respective counterparts. Regarding doping behaviors/practices, 9.3 % of the study participants had been offered a doping agent at some point, although only 3.9 % of the athletes acknowledged recent use.ConclusionsThe confessed use of doping agents in this study was low, which may suggest that fewer athletes use doping agents in Uganda. However, there is still an urgent need for educational anti-doping programs to address the knowledge gaps observed amongst athletes in this study. Modifying the existing Physical education curriculum for inclusion of more content about doping in sport could provide the basis for doping prevention programs amongst amateur athletes in Ugandan primary and secondary schools.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s13011-015-0033-2) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Objective Green synthesized iron(III) oxide (Fe3O4) nanoparticles are gaining appeal in targeted drug delivery systems because of their low cost, fast processing and nontoxicity. However, there is no known research work undertaken in the production of green synthesized nano-particles from the Ugandan grown Moringa Oleifera (MO). This study aims at exploring and developing an optimized protocol aimed at producing such nanoparticles from the Ugandan grown Moringa. Results While reducing ferric chloride solution with Moringa oleifera leaves, Iron oxide nanoparticles (Fe3O4-NPs) were synthesized through an economical and completely green biosynthetic method. The structural properties of these Fe3O4-NPs were investigated by Ultra Violet–visible (UV–Vis) spectrophotometry, X-ray diffraction (XRD), energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). These nanoparticles exhibited UV–visible absorption peaks at 225 nm (nm) for the sixth dilution and 228 nm for the fifth dilution which indicated that the nanoparticles were photosensitive and the SEM study confirmed the spherical nature of these nanoparticles. The total synthesis time was approximately 5 h after drying the moringa leaves, and the average particle size was approximately 16 nm. Such synthesized nanoparticles can potentially be useful for drug delivery, especially in Low and Middle Income Countries (LMICs).

Previous studies demonstrate essential roles for the exchange proteins directly activated by cAMP 1 and 2 (Epac1 and Epac2; here collectively referred to as Epac) in the brain. In the hippocampus, Epac contributes to the control of neuronal growth and differentiation and has been implicated in memory and learning as well as in anxiety and depression. In the present study we address the hypothesis that Epac affects hippocampal cellular responses to acute restraint stress. Stress causes activation of the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal (HPA)-axis, and glucocorticoid receptor (GR) signaling is essential for proper feedback regulation of the stress response, both in the brain and along the HPA axis. In the hippocampus, GR expression is regulated by cAMP and the brain enriched micro RNA miR-124. Epac has been associated with miR-124 expression in hippocampal neurons, but not in regulation of GR. We report that hippocampal expression of Epac1 and Epac2 increased in response to acute stress in female wild type mice. In female mice genetically deleted for Epac, nuclear translocation of GR in response to restraint stress was significantly delayed, and moreover, miR-124 expression was decreased in these mice. Male mice lacking Epac also showed abnormalities in miR-124 expression, but the phenotype was less profound than in females. Serum corticosterone levels were slightly altered immediately after stress in both male and female mice deleted for Epac. The presented data indicate that Epac1 and Epac2 are involved in controlling cellular responses to acute stress in the mouse hippocampus and provide novel insights into the underlying transcriptional and signaling networks. Interestingly, we observe sex specific differences when Epac is deleted. As the incidence and prevalence of stress-related diseases are higher in women than in men, the Epac knockout models might serve as genetic tools to further elucidate the cellular mechanisms underlying differences between male and female with regard to regulation of stress.

Background: This study focused on investigating the prevalence of nutritional supplement (NS) usage, establishing their source and the motivating factors for the usage of NS among Gym users in Kampala city, Uganda.Methods: The study employed a cross-sectional research design. Multistage random sampling techniques were used to select 45 gym users among the 5 divisions that constitute Kampala city. Data were collected using questionnaires and analyzed using SPSS Version 26, where means, SD, frequencies and percentages were obtained. Chi-square tests were used for categorical comparisons between variables. Results: The results showed that there were more male participants (62.2%) than female participants (37.8%). The majority (76.9%) of gym users obtained NS from retail stores such as pharmacies, (10.2%) from their sports coaches, (7.7%) nutritionists/dieticians, and (5.1%) from team mates. Non-professional gym users (62.3%) reported higher levels of energy drink consumption than professional gym users (26.7%). The consumption of vitamins, herbal products and proteins was also considerably high. We also identified coaches/trainers (30.8%) as the main source of information, followed by nutritionists/dieticians (23.1%) and online websites (20.5%). Most gym users strongly agreed that supplements increase endurance training, increase strength, and make one healthier.Conclusions: The prevalence of nutritional supplement usage among gym users was high, with energy drinks and herbal products being the most preferred supplements.

Background: Diarrhea is one of the common health conditions affecting people in less developed countries. The World Health Organization (WHO) has estimated that 1.5 billion episodes of diarrhea occur every year in developing countries, resulting in 3 million deaths. Aims & Objective: This study was done to evaluate antidiarrheal potency of the ethanolic fruit extract of Psidium guajava using Wistar albino rats to scientifically validate its continued use by the local people. I was also aimed at determining the acute toxicity in mice and phytochemical composition of the extract. Materials and Methods: The fruits were collected in July, 2012 from the College of Veterinary Medicine farm, Makerere University, dried for 1 week, ground and macerated in 70% ethanol. The dry extract was reconstituted using normal saline and orally administered to different groups of rats at doses of 200, 400 and 600 mg/Kg. Anti-diarrheal activity was determined using the percentage reduction in the frequency of defecation in rats with castor oil-induced diarrhea. Loperamide (1 mg/Kg) was used as positive control. Phytochemical composition was qualitatively determined as described by Harborne (1998). Acute toxicity was evaluated by determination of LD50 and observations of toxic signs. Results: The ethanolic crude fruit extract of Psidium guajava showed significant (p<0.05, Dunnet test) antidiarrhea activity evidenced by the reduction in rate of defecation by up to 78.33% at 600mg/kg body weight comparable to loperamide (100%). This activity could be attributed to the phytochemicals such as flavonoids and tannins in Psidium guajava that were present in high levels and have been reported to exhibit antidiarrheal activity through denaturing protein hence forming protein tannates which minimize the intestinal mucosa permeability. The LD50 of the crude ethanolic fruit extract was 10,715 mg/Kg. Conclusion: The findings of this study show that the fruit of Psidium guajava have a very significant antidiarrhea activity and are safe to use as indicated by the high LD50 value. This supports the traditional use of the ethanolic fruit extract of Psidium guajava as herbal remedy for treatment of diarrhea.

Background: There is an increase in number of patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) in Uganda's health facilities looking for different options of preparing matooke (bananas), their staple food. Objective: To establish and evaluate an effective method of removing potassium from bananas (matooke). Methods: Bananas were sampled from 5markets in Kampala, Uganda. Deionized water was used to soak the bananas and the potassium concentration was determined using an atomic absorption spectrophotometer in both the bananas and water after soaking for varying time intervals. We also determined the potassium concentrations in the bananas and the water after boiling the bananas at 200 degrees Celsius at intervals of 10 minutes (for 60 minutes). Results: The potassium concentration did not appear to change on soaking alone without boiling. However, on boiling, the concentration in the bananas decreased from about 1.4ppm to approx. 1ppm after 60min; yet the concentration of potassium released into deionized water increased steadily from 0.0ppm to about 1.2ppm after 60min of boiling. Conclusion: This study demonstrates that boiling the bananas is a more effective way of removing the potassium from bananas than simply soaking them.