Background Gastric adenocarcinoma is the fifth most common malignancy globally, and it is one of the main causes of cancer-related deaths in Uganda. Despite the remarkable improvement in gastric adenocarcinoma treatment modalities, the prognosis of gastric adenocarcinoma remains poor. Several poor prognostic factors have been identified including HER2 protein over-expression in gastric adenocarcinoma. HER2 targeted therapy was indicated by previous studies to prolong the survival of patients with HER2 positive gastric adenocarcinoma. However, the prevalence of HER2 over-expression in Uganda is not known. Objective To study HER2 protein over-expression and its association with demographic characteristics and pathological features of gastric adenocarcinoma as seen at the Pathology of Department, Makerere University. Methods This cross-sectional study was conducted at the Department of Pathology, Makerere University, College of Health Sciences. A sample of 86 archival tissue blocks with histologically confirmed gastric adenocarcinoma from January 2009 to December 2019 was stained by H&E and Immunohistochemistry to assess HER2 over-expression. Data analysis was performed by the use of STATA version 15.0 and a Chi-square test was used to determine the associations. Results The mean age of the patients included in the study was 58.5 years, and most (74.4%) of them were older than 50 years with a slight male predominance (54.7%). Non-cardia tumors were more common (52.3%), and endoscopic biopsies dominated the specimens (62.8%). Poorly cohesive non-signet ring (WHO classification) contributed 47.7% of the tumors, while diffuse or mixed histological subtypes (Lauren classification) were more prevalent (57%). Poorly differentiated adenocarcinomas contributed 66.3% of the tumors followed by moderately differentiated (17.4%) and well differentiated tumors (16.3%). 7 out 86 cases (8.1%) over-expressed HER2 protein. Conclusion The prevalence of HER2 protein over-expression (8.1%) in gastric adenocarcinoma was low in this study, and it is not significantly associated with age, sex, tumor location, the nature of biopsy, histological subtype or tumor grade

All over the world, countries have their precious jewels that they keep as heritage and people visit them for a variety of reasons which are historical, social, anthropological, cultural and political. These hold a country's history of the various generations and transformation thus providing the future generation with a solid background of their origin and evolutions in all the centuries. Heritages portray ancestral knowledge of who they were, what they did, what they knew, what they valued and how they lived thereby creating backward and forward linkages of generations (Freedom Park) there by acting as finger prints. The world heritage sites in Uganda include Kasubi tombs, Bwindi impenetrable National Park, and Rwenzori Mountains, Bigo bya Mugyenyi which is an archeological site, Ntusi man made mounds and basin, Kibiro salt producing village, Nyero rock paintings and other rock sites, Ngahinga Gorilla National park. Heritage in Uganda portraying beautiful collage of cultural diversity can be found across the 65ethnic groups with unique cultures reflected in languages, indigenous knowledge and skills, crafts and creative and performing arts. Ndoro, W., and Pwiti, G. (2009). These urban heritages therefore ought to be conserved for future generation. Urban Conservation of heritage sites is the action taken on to retain these sites or places in the urban setting despite of the rapid urbanization and adoption of modern architectural designs of building typologies.

Back ground Cleft palate (CP) is associated with otitis media with effusion (OME) due to the accompanying Eustachian tube dysfunction. The global prevalence of OME among children with CP ranges as high as 50-90%. Determining the burden of OME, and the tympanometry patterns among children with CP will have a bearing on the management of these children in our setting. Objective The study aimed at determining the prevalence of OME, and describing the tympanometry patterns among children with CP aged 6 months to 7 years. Methodology This was a comparative cross-sectional study conducted among children with CP, and a comparative group matched for age and sex in a ratio of 1:2. The study was conducted at CoRSU Hospital, with a total of 120 participants aged 6 months to 7 years. The diagnosis of OME was confirmed by a type B tympanogram. The other tympanometry patterns among the participants recruited were also collected. Data analysis was performed using STATA 14.0. Results The prevalence of OME was 77.5% among participants with CP, in comparison to 17.5% among those without cleft palate. The commonest tympanometry curve was a type B curve among participants with CP at 61.2%, compared to type A curve in the comparison group at 78.1%. Conclusion The prevalence of Otitis Media with Effusion was much higher among children with Cleft Palate compared to children without. Abnormal tympanometry patterns were common among participants with cleft palate.

The study aimed at generating information on using solid waste to produce marketable products so that waste accumulation is mitigated by turning waste into a resource in Masaka central market. The research based on a descriptive research design as the research tools used were interviews and questionnaires distributed to 60 respondents who were selected by convenient sampling. Observation was also used for triangulation. Numerical data was generated which was used to generalize a given parameter for example the different types of solid waste generated in Masaka central market, waste collection measures employed and the different marketable materials derived from solid waste. The findings of the study indicate that a number of marketable materials are derived from solid waste generated in Masaka central market however it’s just a small percentage of the total waste generated. This leaves a lot of litter which could be a source of diseases like cholera. The study concluded that in order to improve on solid waste recycling potential in Masaka central market, there is need to increase community sensitization on how to get products out of waste hence attaching value to the waste produced. The study recommended that authorities like the Masaka municipal council should link factories that use waste as their raw materials to the people of Masaka central market in order to create ready market for the marketable products out of waste hence increasing the demand of waste as a resource.

The increase in health care facilities in Uganda has resulted in an increase in health care waste (HCW) which poses a serious pollution threat to the environment and to the general public health. Improper disposal practices of HCW affect the people who come in direct contact with it. HCW can cause environmental pollution, unpleasant odours, and growth of insects, rodents and worms. HCW may lead to transmission of diseases like cholera, HIV, Tuberculosis, Hepatitis B and C through injuries from sharps contaminated with human blood. This research was conducted to assess Health care waste management (HCWM) practices in Uganda with case studies being taken in Kampala with a view of assessing the current handling practices, determining the different categories and composition of HCW and designing an appropriate HCWM system. This research was carried out at St. Francis hospital Nsambya, Mulago national referral hospital and Makerere University Hospital The satisfaction of the objectives was done through examination of the selected waste management practices. Sampling, sorting and weighing of the total waste generated per day was carried out for a period of one month for Nsambya hospital and one week for both Mulago National Referral and Makerere University hospitals. According to our findings, generated waste was put into three categories; infectious, non-infectious and sharps. Waste was dominated by infectious waste (63%-77%), followed by non-infectious waste (18%-32%) and sharps (3%-5%). Makerere university hospital generated 70% of infectious waste, 23% of non-infectious waste and 3% of sharps. Mulago hospital generated 77% infectious waste, 18% non-infectious and 5% sharps. For Nsambya Hospital the variation of waste generated ranged from 63%-66% infectious waste, 31%-32% non-infectious waste and 3%-5% sharps for different weeks in a month. It was also found that the total quantity of waste generated varies on different days in the different weeks for the case of Nsambya. For all three hospitals; waste handling practices varied slightly right from the point of generation to the temporary storage. If the results from our findings are adopted and recommendations implemented, we expect a reduction in the risk of people getting infected especially the on-site health care workers, reduction in threat to the environment and reduced risk of soil and ground water contamination. According to WHO, hospitals ideally produce more of non- infectious waste compared to the infectious waste. This wasn‟t obtained in this study due to the failure in hospitals to sufficiently segregate waste. There is need for adoption of a more economic and environmentally friendly healthcare waste management system as proposed.

This study was about designing marketing plan for Uganda Christian Institute for Professional Development (UCIPD) Library located in Boroboro outside Lira via Kampala -Gulu Highway. It was performed under that the following objectives; to identify need for marketing library services, to establish the current methods of marketing library services, to find out the challenges to marketing library services, and to design a marketing plan of the library services. This study looked forwards to identify solution to underutilization of resources and services and it was significant to library users, University management, librarians and also information professional. It also confined its self around geographic scope, source of information, contextual and time scope. This study usedcase study design while embracing qualitative research approach. A target population of three (3) participants were selected and purposive sampling technique was adopted. A sample size of three (3) were given a chance to participate in this research and different data collection methods like interview method and document analysis were considered and adopted to support data collection. The researcher conducted qualitative data analysis while analyzing data and different data quality control techniques were adopted to ensure validity and reliability of information. Researcher identified that among selected respondents, two were male and one female aged between 25-45 years. He also identified that at UCIPD, student mostly go to library during test and examination. Researcher identified different types of services in UCIPD library as, book loan services, current awareness services and others. When marketing library services, different method were adopted such as advertising through emails, social media and prints. In the process of marketing, UCIPD library has faced a number of challenges like lack of trained staff, inadequate information materials, unstable power supply, and lack of enough funds to market their services and loss and damage of information materials by the users. In order to improve mentioned challenges, some suggestions were made like training staff members, installation of automatic generator and setting up strict punishments to victims of damaging and losing information materials. Recommendations were made such as communicating new services to target audience and others.

Vegetables are increasingly proving to be essential for nutrition and food security as they provide adequate amounts of micronutrients and non-nutrient compounds for humans. They also provide a promising economic opportunity for reducing rural poverty and unemployment in developing economies. Dried vegetables and their application in powder form is gaining interest in the food industry as ingredients, also used as intermediate products in the beverage industry, used in perfumery and cosmetics as well as resources for nutraceutical. Traditionally, grinding of dried vegetables is done using pestles and mortars which requires a lot of effort leading to limited production capacities and poor quality of produce. Also small vegetable grinding machines exist but there is need to make available grinding machines that have low production costs. To ensure that they are readily available and affordable for local vegetable powder producers, a hand operated vegetable grinding machine was designed and fabricated. The materials used in the fabrication of the machine are sourced locally so as to ensure that it is cheap, affordable and easily maintained by the small scale processors and house hold families. The machine consists of the frame, crank handle, feed hopper, grinding chamber, conveying chamber, grinding discs, and the adjusting screw system. Tests were carried out to investigate the performance of the machine on the basis of grinding rate, efficiency and quality of the product produced. The grinding capacities of the machine obtained were 4.47 kg/hr, 4.65 kg/hr and 4.8 kg/hr for Gobe, Nakati and Ddodo respectively. The machine efficiencies were 84.75%, 85% and 84.25% for Gobe, Nakati and Ddodo respectively. The hand operated vegetable grinding machine is cheap, durable and cost of operation is low and could be used by household families and small scale processors. Keywords: Hand operated, Grinding, Vegetable powder.

BACKGROUND: The American College of Radiology Breast Imaging Reporting and Data System (ACR BI-RADS) lexicon for ultrasound is a standardized evaluation tool, developed to improve on accuracy of diagnosing breast masses. Studies on breast cancer in Uganda report late diagnosis, high rates of disease recurrence and poor survival; however utilization of BIRADS ultrasound lexicon can improve on such poor outcomes. Clinical utility of BIRADS ultrasound lexicon in Uganda is not known. This study evaluated the utilization of BIRADS ultrasound lexicon among ultrasound practitioners and clinicians at Mulago Hospital, Uganda. GENERAL OBJECTIVE: To assess the utilization of BIRADS ultrasound lexicon among ultrasound practitioners and clinicians at Mulago Hospital. METHOD: A cross sectional descriptive study was conducted in the breast surgical outpatient clinic of Mulago hospital . Copies of breast ultrasound scan reports and Medical records that belong to patients who had been reviewed by a doctor, were consecutively collected. The proportions of breast ultrasound scan findings reported using BIRADS were computed. Concordance rates and percentage agreements of BIRADS descriptors versus BIRADS classification category as well as clinician’s management plan versus BIRADS recommendation respectively, were calculated using Cohen’s kappa. The bivariate data analysis was reported using lins concordance correlation coefficients. RESULTS: There was 54.4% ((68/125) 95% Confidence interval (CI) 45.5-63.0) utilization of BIRADS US lexicon among Ultrasound practitioners. The concordance of BIRADS descriptors with BIRADS classification was poor (Concordance Correlation Coefficient (CCC) of 0.883, 95% CI: 0.834-0.932, p value < 0.001) while the percentage agreement was moderate (62.2%, kappa-0.5158 and p value <0.001). The concordance of clinicians’ management with BIRADS recommendation was substantial (CCC- 0.986, 95% CI: 0.979-0.994, p value < 0.001) with a moderate percentage agreement (63.5% kappa-0.5816, and p value <0.001). CONCLUSION: Utilization of BIRADS US lexicon among ultrasound practitioners at Mulago hospital was just slightly above average. The poor concordance of BIRADS descriptors with classification categories, and moderate percentage agreements seen in this study, suggest need for further training of both ultrasound practitioners and clinicians at Mulago hospital.

It is estimated that about 80% or more of the low-income peri-urban population in developing countries is currently using groundwater for drinking water purposes (Croni et al., 2006). Urban groundwater quality in these peri-urban and urban settlements is, therefore, an issue of increasing concern due to the high rates of contamination generation per unit area and limited waste management systems (Pegram et al., 1999). This research aims at evaluating the level of groundwater vulnerability to pollution in Jinja district and also identify areas in Jinja where groundwater vulnerability to pollution is most using the SEEPAGE model. In the analysis, the vulnerability index is calculated by considering different hydrogeological parameters such as water table depth, topography/soil slope, vadose zone material, aquifer material, soil depth, and attenuation potential. All parameters for this study have been prepared, classified, weighted, and integrated into the Geographic Information System (GIS) environment. The SEEPAGE vulnerability index values ranged from 120 to 577. Areas with low vulnerability to pollution have an index ranging from 120 to 272, covering about 46% of the district; those with moderate vulnerability ranged from 272 to 424, covering about 43% of the district while those with high vulnerability ranged from 424 to 577 covering about 11% of the district. The results show that Jinja’s largest area lies in the low vulnerability zone hence a low potential of pollution of groundwater. The single parameter sensitivity analysis indicated that depth to water table has the most significant influence on the vulnerability index, with an average weight of 31% against the theoretical weight of 25%. The slope has the least influence on the vulnerability index with an average weight of 12% against the theoretical weight of 10%. This study recommends the implementation of environmental management decisions aimed at mitigating the threat of pollutants on groundwater. The research implores that this model can, therefore, be an effective tool for local authorities in groundwater asset planning and preservation and formulation of efficient groundwater management strategies.

The main objective of the study was to assess the factors that are associated with the Oral Health Related Quality of Life (OHRQoL) in Uganda. OHRQoL is a subjective assessment of an individual’s oral health and how it affects their well-being and functionality. A secondary analysis of data that was collected by the Uganda Ministry of Health during the 2014 Uganda Non-Communicable Disease Risk Factor Survey was carried out. The relationships between the variables were regressed using the Generalised Structural Equation Modelling (GSEM) approach. Results show women have worse OHRQoL than their male counterparts (Coefficient= -0.122, p=0.000), rural residents have worse OHRQoL (Coefficient=-0.13, p=0.000), O-level education have better OHRQoL than those with no education (Coefficient= p=0.125, p=0.013), respondents with good teeth have worse OHRQoL than those with excellent ones (Coefficient= -0.236, p=0.006), those who last visited the dentist more than 1 but less than 2 years have better OHRQoL than those who have visited the dentist in the last 6 months (Coefficient=0.357, p=0.000) and those having visited dentists due to pain or trouble with teeth or gums have poorer OHRQoL compared with those that visited for consultation (Coefficient= -0.581, p=0.000). As regards to the factors that significantly predict an individual’s good OHRQoL, higher income (Coefficient =0.01, p=0.011), urban residents (Coefficient =0.32, p=0.023), higher education (Coefficient =0.10, p=0.032) and more recent visits to the dentist (Coefficient =0.29, p=0.000) lead to respondents experiencing a better OHRQoL. There are also significant effects between sex and the OHRQoL through last dental visit (Coefficient= -0.19, p=0.003) as well as significant indirect effects of income on OHRQoL through the regularity of cleaning teeth (Coefficient= 0.00, p=0.072). Women take longer time between visits to the dentist and therefore experience a poorer OHRQoL as a result of this. In addition, people with higher income visit the dentist more regularly and therefore experience a better OHRQoL as a result of this medical attention. Older people, rural dwellers, those with lower levels of education and women have a worse off OHRQOL. Interventions such as mobile free oral health clinics are recommended in order to improve the oral health access of the populace. Further research should be carried out on interventions to reduce the gap in oral health access arising from income inequalities.