http://ir.mu.ac.ke:8080/jspui/handle/123456789/3971 2026-04-20T09:03:26Z http://ir.mu.ac.ke:8080/jspui/handle/123456789/7989 Title: Heavy metal contamination of sediments from an exoreic African great lakes’ shores (port Bell, lake Victoria) Uganda Authors: Baguma, Gabson; Musasizi, Andrew; Twinomuhwezi, Hannington; Gonzaga, Allan; Nakiguli, Caroline K.; Onen, Patrick; Angiro, Christopher; Okwir, Augastine; Opio, Boniface; Otema, Thomas; Ocira, Daniel; Byaruhanga, Ivan; Nirigiyimana, Eric; Omara, Timothy Abstract: Lake Victoria (L. Victoria) is the largest African tropical and freshwater lake, with one of the highest pollution levels, globally. It is shared among Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania, but it is drained only by the river Nile, the longest river in Africa. Though environmental studies have been conducted in the lake, investigations of the heavy metals (HMs) contamination of sediments from fish landing sites and ports on the Ugandan portion of L. Victoria are limited. In this study, sediments of an urban, industrial and fish landing site (Port Bell) on L. Victoria, Uganda was investigated to establish its HMs pollution levels and potential health risks to humans and ecosystems. Sediment samples were collected in triplicate (n = 9) from three different points of Port Bell, digested and analyzed using atomic absorption spectrometry for the presence of these HMs: copper (Cu), lead (Pb), cadmium (Cd) and chromium (Cr). The average daily dose through dermal contact and hazard quotient (HQ) were calculated to assess the health risk that is associated with dredging works (lake sand mining). Four geochemical enrichment indices: contamination factor (CF), geo-accumulation index (Igeo), pollution load index (PLI) and potential ecological risk (PERI) were used to quantify the contamination of the HMs in the sediments. The results showed that the mean HM content of the samples ranged from: 6.111 ± 0.01 to 7.111 ± 0.002 mg/kg for Cu; from 40.222 ± 0.003 to 44.212 ± 0.002 mg/kg for Pb; from 0.352 ± 0.007 to 0.522 ± 0.010 mg/kg for Cr; from 3.002 ± 0.002 to 3.453 ± 0.003 mg/kg for Cd. Health risk assessments indicated that there are no discernible non-carcinogenic health risks that could arise from the dredging works that are conducted in the study area as the indices were all below one. The contamination factors that were obtained suggest that Cd has reached a state of severe enrichment in the sediments (CF > 6). An assessment using Igeo established that the sediments were not contaminated with regards to Cu and Cr, but they exhibited low-to-median and median contamination with respect to Pb and Cd, respectively. Though the pollution load indices show that the contamination levels raise no serious concerns, the potential ecological risk indices show that there is considerable pollution of the Port Bell sediments, particularly with regard to Cd 2022-09-01T00:00:00Z http://ir.mu.ac.ke:8080/jspui/handle/123456789/7416 Title: Antiobesity activities of methanolic extracts of amaranthus dubius, cucurbita pepo, and vigna unguiculata in progesterone-induced obese mice Authors: Nderitu, Kathryn Wanjiku; Mwenda, Njagi Shadrack; Macharia, Ndegwa John; Barasa, Stephen Super; Ngugi, Mathew Piero Abstract: Amaranthus dubius, Vigna unguiculata, and Cucurbita pepo are traditionally used to manage obesity in Kenya but lack scientific validation to support their use. The aim of this study was to determine the antiobesity activity of methanolic leaf extracts of these plants in progesterone-induced obese mice. The activity of the methanolic leaf extracts was orally bioscreened in progesterone-induced obese mice at 200 mg/kg/bw and 400 mg/kg/bw. Body mass index was calculated once per week for four weeks and blood samples were obtained at the end of the experiment for lipid profile analysis. Antiobesity activities of the extracts were compared with the controls. Leaf extracts of A. dubius, C. pepo, and V. unguiculata, at dose concentrations of 200 mg/kgbw and 400 mg/kgbw, showed significant effects on body mass index (). There was no significant difference between the three extracts on lipid parameter profiles (). The present study showed high food intake in the negative control group as compared with normal control, positive control, and treatment groups. These extracts contained various phytochemicals such as saponins, flavonoids, alkaloids, and steroids and therefore validate use of aforementioned plants in the suppression of obesity and their use for management of obesity is recommended. 2017-01-01T00:00:00Z http://ir.mu.ac.ke:8080/jspui/handle/123456789/7415 Title: Time effects of bacterial vaginosis on infant morbidities in Kenya assessed using modified skewed generalized estimating equations Authors: Mwenda, Ngugi; Nduati, Ruth; Kosgey, Mathew; Kerich, Gregory K. Abstract: Infant morbidity and mortality are indicators used globally as measures of a country’s health status. Among the 8 millennium development goals (MDGs), this study aimed to address goal four (MDG 4) on the reduction of child mortality and six (MDG 6) on combating HIV and other diseases. We assessed different health conditions caused by bacterial vaginosis (BV) that could have life-long effects among infants. We aimed to address the time effects of BV on the long-term cause of infants' morbidities when asymmetry is assumed. We analyzed infant data from HIV-positive mothers with known BV status from a randomized controlled trial study conducted in Nairobi, Kenya. We aimed to investigate the effect of BV on infant morbidity with time from birth up to the age of 6 months. We derived a score for morbidity incidences depending on illnesses reported in the register during scheduled visits only. By adjusting for the mother’s BV status, child’s HIV status, sex, feeding status, and weight for age, we used two approaches for analysis. We considered and fitted the traditional generalized estimating (GEE) equations and our proposed skewed generalized estimating equations (SGEE). Overall, we included information on 327 infants. One thousand nine hundred sixty-two repeated measurements were available for analysis. Among the 327 mothers, 148 (45%) tested positive for BV, while 179 (55%) tested negative. We found that BV, gender, and time were associated with multiple health conditions in infants. Infants of women who tested positive for BV, at month 1, had 4.46 higher odds of various health conditions compared to infants of mothers who tested negative. The effects of BV tended to decrease with time, and at 5 months of age, children in the BV group had 1.10 times the odds of experiencing morbidity incidence. In the SGEE model, BV was statistically significant at the 0.05 level with a positive coefficient, indicating that children in the BV group had a higher probability of experiencing multiple morbidities. BV is a significant predictor of infant morbidity because its effects on exposed infants could persist over time. In contrast, the traditional GEE results showed an insignificant positive coefficient. The results indicate the need to factor in the skewness during analysis in case of data transformation, especially when converting from continuous to binary data for parsimony and straightforward interpretation of the effects of covariates. Maternal BV status was positively associated with morbidity incidences, which highlights the need for early intervention for infected women. Accelerated programs promoting access to BV treatment with proper infant handling practices that better deal with emerging multiple health conditions in infants may prove useful in reducing the incidence of infant morbidity in Kenya. Emphasis on care to promote better health for infants during growth is necessary to achieve the MDGs. 2020-01-01T00:00:00Z http://ir.mu.ac.ke:8080/jspui/handle/123456789/7412 Title: Statistical modelling and evaluation of determinants of child mortality in Nyanza, Kenya Authors: Otieno, Otieno; Kosgey, Mathew; Owuor, Nelson Onyango Abstract: One of the Millennium Development Goals is the reduction of infant and child mortality by two-thirds of 1990 mortality levels by 2015. Generally, significant progress has been made in reducing mortality in children under five years of age. The global under-five mortality rate declined by 59 per cent, from 93 deaths per 1,000 live births in 1990 to 38 in 2019. In Kenya, the infant mortality rate in 2021 is 32.913 deaths per 1000 live births, a 3.36 per cent decline from 2020. In 2020 it was 34.056 deaths per 1,000 live births, a drop of 3.24 per cent from the year 2019. In Kenya, Nyanza Province has the highest infant mortality rate (133 deaths per 1,000 live births) and the lowest in Central Province (44 deaths per 1,000 live births). Despite this advancement, the world still needs to achieve that Millennium Development Goal, target number four, of reducing child mortality. This study aims at identifying vital risk factors affecting child mortality in Kenya. The paper's main objective is to determine the effect of socioeconomic and demographic variables on child mortality in the presence of dependencies in clusters. We then did a logistic regression and tested the proportionality of the significant covariates. Then, performed a Stratified Cox regression model and, finally, a shared frailty model in survival analysis based on data from the Kenya Demographic and Health Survey (KDHS 2014), which was collected using questionnaires. Child mortality from the KDHS 2014 data was analyzed in an ageing period: mortality from the age of 12 months to the age of 60 months, referred to as "child mortality". The study reveals that clusters (households), maternal age at birth, preceding birth interval length and the number of births in the last five years significantly impacted child mortality. 2023-01-01T00:00:00Z