Muni Repository (MR)
This repository contains open access publications of Muni University Library.
Objectives:
- To digitally collect, preserve and provide electronic access to scholarly works and research output of Muni University.
- Increase the visibility and impact of our research, making it easy for researchers, students, policymakers and journalists to reference, replicate, and re-use the work.
- Issue permanent, unique and trustworthy identifiers when creating URLs to access the resource without concern that the location of the resource may change.
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Recent Submissions
Barriers and facilitators to integrating tuberculosis treatment into community pharmacies for people with TB/HIV in Kampala, Uganda: A qualitative study
(PLOS, 2025-11-21) Izudi, Jonathan; Cattamanchi, Adithya; Sekaggya-Wiltshire, Christine; Kiwanuka, Noah; Sammann, Amanda; King, Rachel
Community pharmacies (private retail drug shops or pharmacies) have proven successful for delivering anti-retroviral therapy to people living with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Leveraging this model for tuberculosis (TB) treatment integration could improve access to both TB and HIV treatment among people with TB/HIV. We identified the barriers and facilitators to integrating TB treatment into community pharmacies for people with TB/HIV in Kampala, Uganda, using a qualitative study across six public health facilities. Participants included people with TB/HIV; healthcare providers (HCPs) from the six facilities and their affiliated community pharmacies; and experts from the Ministry of Health. Data were collected through interviews guided by the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (CFIR). We performed framework analysis and mapped the emergent sub-themes to the relevant CFIR domains. We enrolled 47 participants: six TB focal persons, six HIV focal persons, nine pharmacy HCPs, three Ministry of Health staff, and 23 people with TB/HIV. Major facilitators included the convenience of accessing both TB and HIV treatment at a single location; enhanced privacy and reduced stigma; improved accessibility through extended hours, shorter wait times, and proximity; readiness of community pharmacy HCPs to deliver TB treatment; willingness of people with TB/HIV to engage in self-managed care; and training of pharmacy HCPs in TB care. Key barriers included unclear eligibility criteria for enrolling people with TB/HIV, absence of TB counseling services at pharmacies, inadequate infrastructure for TB drug storage, limited confidence among pharmacy HCPs in delivering TB care, and unclear logistics and operational procedures for implementation. Therefore, context-specific interventions that are developed in collaboration with key stakeholders, address barriers like eligibility criteria refinement, enhanced pharmacy HCP training, and financial incentives, and leverage facilitators like policy support and stakeholder readiness, are needed for the successful integration of TB treatment into community pharmacies for people with TB/HIV in Uganda.
Unraveling the genetic basis of fertility restoration in hybrid rice: insights from CMS lines and male restorer analyses
(Taylor & Francis, 2025-10-21) Sharmaa, Deepak D.; Patel, V. P.; Chaudhary, Ankit; Modha, K.G.; Parekh, V.B.; Naik, Islavath Suresh; Masika, Fred Bwayo; Kesawat, Mahipal Singh
Rice (Oryza sativa L.) serves as the staple food for over half of the global population. To address the pressing need for increased rice production, hybrid rice technology leverages the concept of hybrid vigor, or heterosis, achieving a 15–20% yield advantage over traditional varieties. This study focuses on developing hybrid varieties through the cytoplasmic genetic male sterility (CGMS) mechanism. It explores the genetic inheritance of fertility restoration in two distinct CMS lines, IR58025A (WA) and RTN13A (Gambiaca), using 165 diverse male lines. The study successfully generated F1 hybrids and evaluated them for pollen and spikelet fertility, identifying NVSR 2965 and NVSR 3280 as effective restorers, with fertility rates surpassing 90%. Analysis of the F2 generations from these crosses revealed that fertility restoration is controlled by two dominant genes, Rf3 and Rf4, which interact epistatically. The cross IR58025A × NVSR 2965 exhibited a 12:3:1 segregation pattern, suggesting simple dominance with a masking effect, while RTN13A × NVSR 3280 showed a 15:1 ratio, indicating duplicate dominance. These findings enhance our understanding of the genetic mechanisms underlying fertility restoration and provide valuable insights for applying marker-assisted selection and breeding strategies to develop high-yield hybrid rice varieties.
Effect of exposure to malaria messages on insecticide-treated net use among women and under-five children in Uganda: a propensity score matched analysis
(Springer Nature, 2025-11-10) Mwebesa, Edson; Agbi, Delight Mawufemor; Iha, Daniel Thoya; Agasa, Lameck Ondieki; Mwangi, Ann
Background: Malaria remains a global public health issue, with almost 2.5 million cases and more than 0.6 million deaths each year, of which women and children remain disproportionately affected. Insecticide-treated nets (ITNs) are a cornerstone of malaria prevention in endemic malaria regions. Malaria messages (MM) are intended for positive and measurable social, attitude, and behavioural change towards malaria prevention uptake. However, their impact on insecticide-treated nets (ITNs) use has not been sufficiently investigated through rigorous statistical approaches. This study investigated the effect of MM on ITN use among women and children under five years in Uganda using Propensity Score Matched Analysis (PSMA).
Methods: The study utilized the Uganda Malaria Indicator Survey (UMIS) 2018 -19 data. Women (n = 8868) and children (n = 6915) datasets were extracted from Individual Women’s and Children’s Data, respectively. The children’s dataset included data on interviewed women (caregivers), household indicators and under-five children’s data, while the women's dataset contains records of every eligible woman in selected households. Propensity score-matched analysis (PSMA) was utilized to identify the effect of the MM (intervention) on ITN use (outcome) among women of reproductive age and children under five in Uganda.
Results: The results revealed that 69.3 [95% CI: 67.2, 71.2] of the women and 71.8 [95% CI: 69.1, 74.4] of the children under five years slept under a mosquito bed net the night preceding the survey. The results further revealed a significant and positive effect of exposure to malaria messages on ITN use among exposed women [Average Treatment Effect of the Treated (ATT) = 5.1%, 95% CI: 1.5–8.9%] and under-five children of exposed women [ATT = 4.3%, 95% CI: 1.0–7.6%].
Conclusion: Effective and relevant behavioural change communications, such as malaria messages, are an effective way of influencing the use of ITN. Such an intervention may reduce malaria endemicity, morbidity, and mortality in Uganda.
Rapid detection of Helicobacter pylori and its virulence genes by fluorescence-chromogenic double-indicator LAMP (FC-LAMP)
(Elsevier, 2025-10-15) Liu, Yanghe; Yin, Sijie; Chen, Shiyue; Zhang, Chunlei; Lubanga, Nasifu; Tai, Ping; Xiong, Mengqiu; Fan, Boyue; Yang, Xincheng; Xia, Xinyi; Hou, Panfei; He, Bangshun
Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) is a risk factor of gastrointestinal diseases. Vacuolating cytotoxin A (VacA) is a key component of the pathogenicity of H. pylori for gastric diseases, and detection for virulence genotypes facilitates precise clinical diagnosis and individual treatment. Hence, a more accurate, convenient, and highly sensitive detection method is urgently needed. In this study, we developed a method based on fluorescence-colorimetric dual-indicator loop-mediated isothermal amplification (FC-LAMP), allowing for naked-eye readout, using a constant temperature water bath within 40 min in clinical settings. Such an excellent sensitivity and specificity, and user-friendly operation approach achieved a limit of 10−6 ng/μl for 16 s rRNA detection of H. pylori, and 100 % specificity for 55 clinical gastric fluid samples compared with the immunofluorescence staining (IFS) and quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) as reference methods. In short, this study offers a new strategy for detection of H. pylori and its virulence genotype in primary hospitals and in limited resources settings, facilitating individualized precision eradication of H. pylori.
In vivo aphrodisiac efficacy of aqueous and hydroalcoholic extracts of the leaf and root bark of Citropsis articulata (Willd. ex Spreng.) Swingle & M. Kellerm. in male Wistar rats
(Elsevier, 2025-11-13) Amaza, Ronald Anyase; Amutuhaire, Treasure Angie; Tusiimire, Jonans; Amito, Vivian Sharon; Ajayi, Clement Olusoji; Angupale, Jimmy Ronald; Abdelgadir, Abdelgadir Alamin; Ogwang, Patrick Engeu; Anywar, Godwin
Ethnopharmacological relevance: Citropsis articulata (Willd. ex Spreng.) Swingle & M.Kellerm (Rutaceae), commonly known as the African cherry orange, is traditionally used to enhance male sexual performance and manage erectile dysfunction in various African communities.
Aim of the study: This study aimed to evaluate the aphrodisiac efficacy of the aqueous and hydroalcoholic extracts of C. articulata leaf and root bark in male Wistar rats.
Materials and methods: Aqueous extracts (decoctions) were prepared by boiling 500 g of dried herbal powder in 4 L of distilled water for 60 min. Hydroalcoholic extracts were obtained by Soxhlet extraction, where 500 g of the powder was continuously percolated with 2.5 L of 70 % ethanol. Male Wistar rats (n = 6 per group) were administered the extracts at doses of 100, 500, and 1000 mg/kg daily for 28 days. Control groups included two negative controls (distilled water and 10% DMSO + 0.1% gum arabic) and a positive control (sildenafil citrate, 5 mg/kg). Sexual behaviour parameters—including attraction to the female, penile erection, mount frequency, and mount latency—were assessed on days 0, 3, 7, 14, 21, and 28. At day 28, three animals per group were sacrificed for evaluation of testosterone levels, sexual organ weights, and histological analysis. The remaining three animals in each group were observed without further dosing for an additional 14 days, with behavioural assessments on days 35 and 42, before being sacrificed for post-treatment evaluation of sustained or delayed effects.
Results: Both the root bark and leaf extracts of C. articulata significantly enhanced attraction towards the female, penile erection, and mount frequency, while reducing mount latency in male Wistar rats. The leaf extracts exhibited a slightly stronger aphrodisiac effect compared to the root bark, especially at the 500 mg/kg dose, where the leaf decoction produced a greater increase in testosterone levels and more pronounced improvements in sexual behaviour. Notably, administration of the leaf decoction at 500 mg/kg resulted in a significantly higher testosterone level (14.50 ± 2.53 ng/ml) compared to the positive control (sildenafil citrate, 4.00 ± 2.70 ng/ml; p = 0.021, 95 % CI: −19.45 to −1.533). After 28 days of treatment, testosterone levels were elevated across all extract-treated groups but declined markedly in animals monitored for an additional 14 days without dosing. Histological analysis showed active spermatogenesis during treatment, which diminished following cessation of extract administration.
Conclusion: This study revealed that both the root bark and leaf of C. articulata have aphrodisiac efficacy in male Wistar rats in vivo.