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“It’s a secret for the family…it never goes out because they will spread it.”: Navigating secrecy as a tool against HIV stigma among children living with HIV/AIDS and their caregivers in Uganda
(BMC Public Health, 2025-12-11) Mugisha, James; Herbert Migadde; Scovia Nassaazi; Proscovia Nabunya
Adolescents living with HIV/AIDS and their families continue to feel the brunt of the HIV pandemic in low-resource settings such as Uganda. However, little is still known about how adolescents and their families use their internal resources to deal with HIV-associated stigma. Using the Social Positioning theory, we qualitatively explore how adolescents and their caregivers use secrecy as a tool to deal with HIV stigma within their families and communities. We analyzed qualitative data from adolescents (10–14 years) and caregivers participating in an HIV-stigma reduction intervention in the greater Masaka region of Uganda. The study recruited 89 adolescent and their caregivers from 9 comparable healthcare clinics. A total of 17 dyads participated in in-depth interviews that explored their experiences with HIV-related stigma and its perceived impact on their lives and family well-being. We found that adolescents and their caregivers position themselves within collective selective secrecy as a tool to deal with stigma. This is demonstrated under the following themes: navigating complex family relationships, navigating secrecy with neighbors, and dealing with community members. Future public health efforts should assess the effectiveness of this mechanism while developing long-term effective anti-stigma campaigns for HIV-affected communities in Uganda.
Reframing library search as cognitive work: introducing library search analysis(LSA) model
(Theoretical Issues in Ergonomics Science, 2026-02-09) Lugya, Freddrick Kiwuwa; Nassali, Eliz State
Information behaviour research has evolved from a traditional focus on information sources to a user-centric perspective. While Cognitive Work Analysis (CWA) is a well-established framework for analysing complex sociotechnical systems in domains like process control and aviation, its application remains nascent within the specific context of library and information science, particularly for modelling endogenous user search behaviour. This paper posits a novel theoretical integration, arguing that CWA’s constraint-based, work-centred framework provides a uniquely powerful lens to move beyond descriptive models of information seeking. We propose a refined, user-centred application of CWA to dissect the complex interplay between the library environment, organisational structures, user tasks, and cognitive strategies. This approach offers a novel methodological pathway to generate design requirements for information systems that are not merely usable but are cognitively congruent, supporting the adaptive expertise of library users. By bridging CWA’s systemic rigour with the nuanced realities of information behaviour, this paper aims to advance both theoretical discourse and practical design paradigms within information science.
Integrative LC-HR-QTOF-MS and computational metabolomics approaches for compound annotation, chemometric profiling and in silico antibacterial evaluation of Ugandan propolis
(Metabolites, 2026-02-03) Kahwa, Ivan; Seel, Christina; Tumwesigye, Ronnie; Onen, Patrick; Oehme, Ramona; Billig, Susan; Wangalwa, Rapheal; Tusiimire, Jonans; Wiesner, Claudia; Kaysser,Leonard
Background/Objectives: Propolis is a complex bee product with a composition that varies according to local vegetation, environmental conditions, and bee foraging behaviours. Recently, gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS) has been employed in Uganda to analyse its volatile components. This study examined Ugandan propolis non-volatile metabolites to determine chemotypes and identify antibacterial compounds. Methods: Ethanolic extracts were analysed using liquid chromatography–high-resolution quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (LC-HR-QTOF-MS) in an untargeted MS/MS mode. Data processing was carried out using MZmine, then annotated with Global Natural Products Social Molecular Networking (GNPS) and SIRIUS. Chemometric methods assisted in identifying regional chemical signatures. Metabolites highlighted by the heatmap were evaluated for antibacterial activity using molecular docking against bacterial targets, followed by ADMET (absorption, distribution, metabolism, excretion, and toxicity) assessments. Results: Out of 3252 features, 234 and 52 putative compounds were annotated in GNPS and SIRIUS, respectively, as indicated by molecular networking, suggesting high chemical complexity. The chemical space mainly comprises flavonoids (including glycosides, aglycones, methylated, and prenylated derivatives), phenolic acids, amides, hydroxycinnamate derivatives, lignans, megastigmanes, and various diterpenoid skeletons. Multivariate analyses clearly distinguish geographical chemotypes, separating flavonoid-rich regions from diterpenoid-rich regions. Docking studies revealed flavonoids, diterpenoids, and lignans with strong predicted antibacterial activities and favourable ADMET profiles. Conclusions: This study provides the first LC–MS characterisation of the non-volatile metabolome of Ugandan propolis, thereby expanding its chemical diversity. Metabolomics and computational approaches lay a foundation for future ecological, chemotaxonomic, and pharmacological research.
Wetland and forest restoration enhances multiple ecosystem service recoveries and resilient livelihoods in the tropics
(Sustainability, 2026-02-06) Barasa, Bernard; Gudoyi, Paul Makobob; Pule, Jimmy
The degradation of wetlands and forests is still a threat to the supply and recovery of ecosystem services in the tropics. Studies comparing restoration measures and ecosystem service recoveries are fragmented. This study investigated the spatial extent and drivers of wetland/forest degradation, and assessed the effects of restoration measures on the recovery of ecosystem services and resilient livelihoods. A cross-sectional household survey was conducted targeting households adjacent to restored and unrestored wetland/forest ecosystems. The data was analyzed using a Binary Logistic regression to characterize earlier and recovered ecosystem services between forest and wetland ecosystems. High spatial-resolution optical satellite imagery from the Airbus constellation was obtained and analyzed to examine wetland and forest degradation. Our findings revealed that the spatial extent of degraded land under wetlands and forests decreased between 2023 and 2025. Ecosystem service degradation was primarily driven by chronic poverty, excessive water abstraction, population growth, burning practices, overharvesting of resources, overgrazing, cultivation, infrastructure development, and the invasion of alien species (p < 0.05). The counteractive ecosystem restoration activities undertaken included mobilization and sensitization of communities on wetland restoration, wetland demarcation, revegetation, establishment of flood control measures, and provision of alternative livelihoods (p ≤ 0.05). The multiple direct and indirect ecosystem service recoveries reported were provisioning services (increases in pasture, enhanced livestock production, increased soil productivity, health-related benefits from crops and livestock products) and regulating services (improved water quality/quantity). The ecosystem service recoveries were more significant in the restored wetlands than the forests. The indicators of enhanced ecosystem-based resilient livelihoods included increased household incomes, higher livestock yields, increased crop productivity, improved health from crop/livestock products, improved water quality/quantity, and enhanced scenic beauty and tourism (p < 0.05). The restoration activities in degraded wetland systems had more potential to facilitate full recovery of the wetland ecosystem compared to the absence of interventions. This evidence highlights the need to restore high-ecological-sensitive ecosystems to sustain the delivery of ecosystem services for community and environmental resilience.
Tetracycline residues in milk and beef from the Ugandan cattle corridor
(Journal of Environmental Science and Health, Part B, 2026-02-05) Mwesigye, Justus; Kwetegyeka, Justus; Gumula, Ivan; Omara, Timothy; Kiganda, Ivan
Veterinary antibiotic residues in foods of animal origin (FOAO) are of public health concern because they can contribute to antimicrobial resistance, disruption of gut microbiota, hypersensitivity reactions and developmental effects following chronic exposure. This study investigated the occurrence of six veterinary tetracyclines (oxytetracycline, tetracycline, doxycycline, chlortetracycline, demeclocycline and methacycline) in FOAO from the Ugandan Cattle Corridor districts of Nakaseke and Nakasongola. Raw milk, muscle tissue, liver and kidneys were analyzed for tetracyclines using high performance liquid chromatography and liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. District-wise analysis revealed a moderate prevalence of tetracycline residues in milk (5.3–42.1%) and beef (7.7–69.2%), with oxytetracycline being the most detected. Of these, 5.3–69.2% of the samples had oxytetracycline, methacycline and tetracycline concentrations exceeding their maximum residue limits established by the European Union Commission Regulation No. 37/2010. These results provide baseline data on the presence of tetracycline residues in marketed FOAO from the Ugandan Cattle Corridor. It emphasizes the need for strengthened antimicrobial stewardship, enforcement of veterinary drug withdrawal periods, and routine national antimicrobial residues monitoring in FOAO.