ghanaopendata/ghanaian-research-english huggingface dataset:
Climate change causes changes in biochemical markers of renal disease

Background: Climate change is a signi cant threat to the health of the Ghanaian people. Evidence abounds in Ghana that temperatures in all the ecological zones are rising, whereas rainfall levels have been generally reducing and patterns are increasingly becoming erratic. The study estimated the impact of climate variation between seasons on biochemical markers of renal disease. Methods: This study conveniently recruited 50 apparently healthy peasant farmers and hawkers at Wa in the Upper West Region of Ghana. A pre-study screening for hepatitis A and C, Diabetes mellitus, hypertension was done. Serum creatinine and urea levels were analyzed to rule out kidney preexisting renal disease . Baseline data was collected by estimating urea, creatinine, sodium, potassium, eGFR (estimated glomerular ltration rate) as well as for hemoglobin (Hb) and hematocrit (Hct) concentrations. Anthropometric data such as height, weight and blood pressure were measured by trained personnel. The study participants were closely followed and alerted deep in the dry season for the second sampling (urea, creatinine, hemoglobin, hematocrit, blood pressure, anthropometry) Results: This study recruited more males (58.82%) than females (41.15%), majority (52.92%) of which were aged 25-29 years with the youngest being 22 years and the eldest being 35 years. The study found body mass index (p<0.001), systolic blood pressure (p=0.019), creatinine (p<0.001), urea (p=0.013) and eGFR (p<0.001) to be signi cantly in uenced by climate change. Stage 1 hypertension was predominant among the study participants during the dry season, 8 (15.69%) than was observed during the rainy season, 4 (7.84%) nonetheless the number of participants with normal BMI rose from 49.02% in the rainy season to 62.75% during the dry reason. Additionally, the study observed that the impact of climate change on systolic blood pressure and urea varied based on age and sex. Conclusion: This study revealed that climatic changes cause variations in various biochemical parameters used to assess renal function. Public health education on climatic changes and its implication including precautionary measures should be done among inhabitants of Wa and its environs to reduce its effect. Additionally, appropriate dietary patterns should also be advised to avoid the development of non-communicable diseases such as hypertension and obesity that are known principal causes of Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD).

Source: UCC
Climate change impacts on the hydrological processes of Densu river basin (drb) using the swat model

The impact of climate change is now posing a greater threat on the hydrological cycle leading to drought and water stress in small basins. Matters of climate change have now become a primary concern to most nations due to the implication on society and humanity. The study used 17 ensemble climate model from the Coupled Model Intercompersion Project Phase 5 (CMIP5) to estimate the future climatic condition for the 2050s (2035 to 2065) under Representative Concentration Pathways (RCP) 4.5 and 8.5. The Soil and Water Assessment Tool (Arc SWAT) model was used in assessing the effect of the generated climate change on the hydrological processes (rainfall, water yield, soil water storage and evapotranspiration) in the Densu River Basin (DRB). After calibration and validation of the SWAT model, there was a strong correlation between the simulated and the observed stream discharge with a coefficient of determination (R2) of 0.84 for the calibration and 0.77 (validation). The CMIP5 estimated an annual mean increase of 2.7 oC and 1.3 oC for maximum and minimum temperature respectively and 20.1 mm in rainfall by 2050s. Simulation from ArcSWAT predicted an increase of 60% in actual evapotranspiration and 80 mm increase in soil water storage and a sharp decline of 23 mm in water yield by 2050s. The condition predicted in the future gives an indication that dry condition will occur at the DRB since increase in temperature and soil water aid increased evapotranspiration causing an acute decline in water yield which contribute to stream flow at the basin.

Source: UCC
Climate Change Responses, Food Security and Production Sustainability of Maize-Farming Households in Volta Region, Ghana

Transforming food systems and improving production sustainability is core to achieving the sustainable development goals. This study evaluates the nexus of climate change responses, food security and sustainable agricultural practices in the Volta Region of Ghana. With a cross-sectional survey design backed by the pragmatist philosophy, primary data were collected from 733 maize-farming households using structured interview schedule. A multi-phase sampling technique was employed to select 9 administrative assemblies, 3 from each geographical zones of Northern, Middle and Southern Volta. Several analytical tools including binary logistic and multiple linear regressions, consolidated approach to reporting food insecurity, Garret factor rankings techniques, Friedman rank tests, analysis of variance, and structural equation modelling were used. Major findings indicate that though farmers produce at least two different varieties of maize in tandem, Obatampa is the most important variety. Important constraining factors to maize enterprise were undercapitalisation, low yield, diseases and pests outbreaks, uncertain demands, inadequate infrastructure and lack of market information. Majority (53.8%) of the households were food insecure across the region. Most maize farmers reported negative climate change effects and have adopted diversity of response strategies to avert the situation. Farmers have positive attitudes towards sustainable agriculture, which significantly influenced production sustainability. The major latent variables that significantly influenced food security were responses to climate change, livelihood diversification and attitudes and practices of sustainability. This implies that farmers could improve food security levels by practicing sustainability. Farmers should also increase their adaptive capacity to climate change through production sustainability.

Source: UCC
Climate change, water conflict, and human security in the Bawku area of Ghana

The publication of the Fourth Assessment Report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change ignited several debates, including the security implications of climate change. While some authors have pointed out some forms of relationship between climate change and conflict, others have had contradicting views. This current study sought to unravel this nexus and to contribute our understanding of the supposed association in the Bawku Area of Ghana. Guided by the Hydro-Climatic Change, Conflict and Human Security framework, and the Political Ecology theory, case study design was employed to conduct this qualitatively-led mixed method study. In all, a total of 187 respondents participated in both in-depth interviews and focus group discussions. This primary data was complemented by a 40-year temperature and rainfall data from Ghana Meteorological Agency, a point and line data taken with a GPS device, and some digital pictures. It was found from the secondary data that rainfall in the regions have not decreased significantly. Yet according to respondents, availability of water to meet their demands is low. This scarcity compelled residents to rely largely on dams and underground water sources for their farming purposes, especially during dry season. In their attempts to adapt to the scarcity situations, some minor conflicts ensued in all the eight communities studied. These minor conflicts which involved communities and individuals – women and children, vegetable and livestock farmers, as found, could trigger major violent conflicts if they are not resolved. It is therefore recommended that dams and irrigation facilities be constructed by the Ghana Irrigation Development Authority in order for residents to have regular supply of water for their activities.

Source: UCC
Climate Variability and Its Effects on Rural Livelihoods in the Kassena-Nankana Municipality, Ghana

The effects of seasonal changes in weather patterns have been recognised as long-standing environmental issue and development concern. The study thus, sought to examine the nature, extent, and effects of seasonal changes in weather patterns on rural livelihoods on one hand and the response strategies on the other hand in the Kassena-Nankana Municipality of the Upper East Region of Ghana. In doing so, the study adopted the mixed method research approach.. Data for the study were derived from 240 rural small holder farmers through a multi-stage sampling procedure. Key informants from the Meteorological Station, Municipal Agricultural Directorate and NADMO were also purposively sampled. Data generated from the field were analysed using descriptive statistics and narratives. It was revealed that there are considerable variations in the weather patterns. Thus, rainfall amounts are generally decreasing with late on-sets, as well as considerable temperature variations. Seasonal variations and manifestations (such as floods, droughts, and windstorms) have been found to have substantial effects on livelihoods especially in the areas of cropping, livestock keeping, water sources and housing/dwellings. The study further found out that a wide range of strategies in the areas of both diversification of farm and non-farm activity have been adopted in response to these variations. The study therefore recommended effective collaborative work among major stake holders to create and increase awareness and support to effectively manage the effects of climate variability to lessen its burden in the study area.

Source: UCC
Climate Vulnerability, Technological Innovation and Performance of Listed Agro-Based Firms in Selected Sub-Saharan African Countries

The relationship between climate vulnerability and technological innovation in influencing the performance of agro-based firms in SSA has not been extensively studied. The objective of this study is to address this research gap by examining how climate vulnerability and technological innovation interact with each other to impact the performance of listed agro-based firms in selected countries in sub-Saharan Africa. Specifically, the study investigates the effect of climate vulnerability and technological innovation on firm performance as well as the moderating role of technological innovation in reducing the adverse impact of climate vulnerability on performance of agro-based firms. Return on equity is employed as an indicator for the dependent variable of financial performance. The study employs the system generalised method of moments to investigate the effect of climate vulnerability and technological innovation on performance of agro-based firms in seven SSA countries. The findings indicate that climate vulnerability has a negative effect on the performance of firms while technological innovation has a positive impact on firm performance and can effectively mitigate the adverse effect of climate vulnerability. It is therefore recommended that Government agencies in charge of environmental protection and sustainability should work closely with non-governmental organizations as well as the private sector to develop programs and policies that support the adoption of innovative technologies that can help firms mitigate the impact of climate vulnerability and improve their performance.

Source: UCC
The Clinical Importance of the Mercury Problem in Artisanal Small-Scale Gold Mining

Artisanal small-scale mining is widely operated in various countries serving as a livelihood to many rural communities. However, it is a significant source of environmental mercury contamination which affects human health. Amalgamation and amalgam smelting, two significant steps in the artisanal small-scale mining operations generate lots of mercury vapors, leading to chronic exposure among miners. Thus, this article seeks to provide a topical review of recent findings on organ damage and metabolic disorders among mercury-exposed artisanal small-scale miners with emphasis on the contributing factors such as personal protective equipment usage and artisanal small-scale gold mining-specific occupational activities. Also, insights into the effect of mercury intoxication and mechanisms of action on organ and metabolic systems among exposed individuals are provided

Source: UCC
Clinical Mentorship Programme And The Perceptions Of Student Nurses At The Nursing And Midwifery Training College, Cape Coast

The purpose of the study was to explore the perceptions of student nurses and midwives at the Cape Coast Nursing and Midwifery Training College (CCNMTC) on their clinical mentorship programme. The study employed the exploratory design and sampled 280 student nurses and midwives from CCNMTC. The study's data was gathered by a questionnaire and descriptively analysed using mean weight, standard deviation, frequency counts, and percentages. According to the findings of the study, student nurses and midwives at CCNMTC get some type of informal orientation before beginning their practical mentoring programme. As a result, providing orientation was seen as an important aspect of clinical mentoring practise since it aids in the acquisition of sufficient knowledge prior to the clinical mentorship programme. Furthermore, it was revealed that adequate mentors required for the mentorship programme while beginning the clinical mentorship programme was a difficulty and it had an impact on the student nurses and midwives' experience at CCNMTC. The study concluded that clinical mentorship is not a new phenomenon to student nurses at CCNMTC. However, the CCNMTC do not have adequate resources and systems to ensure the successful smooth running of the programme. As a result, CCNMTC administration should focus on formalising orientation sessions for their students prior to clinical practise in order to improve their experience. Again, the college management should officially engage more clinical professionals with well-motivated term of reference so they could have more mentors during the clinical practice to improve on the relationship between the mentees and commitment of their clinical mentors.

Source: UCC
Clinical Placement: Experiences, School and Hospital-based Gaps and Challenges of Undergraduate Nursing Students of the University of Cape Coast

The goal of the study was to assess the school-based and hospital-based gaps and challenges among undergraduate nursing students. The specific objectives of the study was identify the gaps between school-based and hospital-based learning, explore students’ clinical practice experiences and to determine the challenges students encounter during clinical placement. The Explanatory Mixed Method Design was used for the study. For the quantitative part, the simple random sampling technique was used to select 141 study participants. Questionnaires were used to collect numeric data. Quantitative data was analysed using IBM SPSS version 21. For the qualitative part, purposive sampling was used to select five participants for interviewing. Braun and Clarke (2006) steps for thematic analysis was employed to analyse the responses for the interviewing. The qualitative data was used to validate the quantitative results. The findings from the quantitative and qualitative aspects of the study point to common gaps and challenges and experiences of nursing students. The findings showed a consensus on differences in types of equipment and availability of equipment, learning experiences and clinical nursing practices between the hospital and school settings. Challenges with students attending more errands, poor supervision and combining school and academic work were also highlighted in the two data sets. However, the two data sets suggest that nurses create an enabling environment for the students to meet their learning objectives. This study has highlighted areas that require improvement and further research. Gaps and challenges with school learning and clinical placement in terms of making students aware of their objectives, availability of equipment, ensuring proper supervision and feedback need to be addressed.

Source: UCC
Clinical Placement: Experiences, School and Hospital-based Gaps and Challenges of Undergraduate Nursing Students of the University of Cape Coast

The goal of the study was to assess the school-based and hospital-based gaps and challenges among undergraduate nursing students. The specific objectives of the study was identify the gaps between school-based and hospital-based learning, explore students’ clinical practice experiences and to determine the challenges students encounter during clinical placement. The Explanatory Mixed Method Design was used for the study. For the quantitative part, the simple random sampling technique was used to select 141 study participants. Questionnaires were used to collect numeric data. Quantitative data was analysed using IBM SPSS version 21. For the qualitative part, purposive sampling was used to select five participants for interviewing. Braun and Clarke (2006) steps for thematic analysis was employed to analyse the responses for the interviewing. The qualitative data was used to validate the quantitative results.The findings from the quantitative and qualitative aspects of the study point to common gaps and challenges and experiences of nursing students. The findings showed a consensus on differences in types of equipment and availability of equipment, learning experiences and clinical nursing practices between the hospital and school settings. Challenges with students attending more errands, poor supervision and combining school and academic work were also highlighted in the two data sets. However, the two data sets suggest that nurses create an enabling environment for the students to meet their learning objectives. This study has highlighted areas that require improvement and further research. Gaps and challenges with school learning and clinical placement in terms of making students aware of their objectives, availability of equipment, ensuring proper supervision and feedback need to be addressed.

Source: UCC
Clinical Sequelae Of Transfusion Of Donor Blood Exposed To Selected Transfusion-Transmissible Parasites And Molecular Confirmation Of Transfusion-Transmissible Malaria

Transfusion-transmitted parasite infections (TTPI) are potentially underreported. However, still regarded as a public health concern, as they might constitute a major threat, particularly in immunocompromised patients. This study was performed at the Nsawam Government Hospital, Ghana and aimed to identify the presence of Plasmodium falciparum (Pf), Babesia spp., Leishmania spp., and Toxoplasma gondii in donor blood and investigate their potential association with acute transfusion responses (ATR). Transfusion-transmissible malaria (TTM) and the associated Pf chloroquine resistance transporter (Pfcrt), Pf multi-drug resistance (Pfmdr1), Pf dihydropteroate-synthetase (Pfdhps), Pf dihydrofolate-reductase (Pfdhfr) and Kelch 13 mutant genes were further assessed. Remnants of transfused blood were screened for Pf using malaria rapid diagnostic test and microscopy. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was used for the others. Recipients of blood infected with Pf were followed up for 35 days. Selective whole genome amplification was used to determine TTM and gene polymorphisms. Approx. 20% (113/571) of recipients were exposed. The prevalence were: Pf (12.1%), Babesia spp. (1.1%), Leishmania spp. (2.8%), and T. gondii (3.9%). ATR was experienced by recipients of blood exposed (10.6%, 12/113) and unexposed to parasites (5.8%, 19/327) however, there was no significant difference (p = 0.112) between the two groups. Genomic analysis found mutant haplotypes: Pfdhps (14.4%), Pfmdr1 (14.4%), Pfdhfr (12.9%), Kelch 13 (9.4%) and Pfcrt (5.7%). Pfcrt mutant gene, CVINT was identified for the first time in Ghana. Drug-resistant markers were found to be ~20% with a TTM incidence of 7%. Donor blood should be screened for malaria and other haemoparasites and further research to quantify risk of TTM.

Source: UCC
Clinical Spectrum of Acute Abdomen in Cape Coast

Background: Central Regional Hospital, Cape Coast, Ghana is the main referral center for the region. The hospital has been redesignated a Teaching Hospital to serve as the main teaching base for the School of Medical Sciences, University of Cape Coast. This study was done as part of assessment of the hospital’s emergency surgical needs for purpose of planning and resource allocation. Objectives: The study objectives were to quantify and to characterize cases of acute abdominal emergencies operated at the Central Regional Hospital, and to assess the clinicians diagnostic accuracy by comparing the preoperative diagnosis with the postoperative findings. Methodology: A retrospective and comparative study was performed based on the records of the Accident/emergency, wards, and theatre units, over a period from October 2009 to September 2010. A total of 122 cases were recorded. Results: Ruptured ectopic cyesis(23.8%) was the most frequent preoperative diagnosis, followed by non specific abdominal pain(18.9%), typhoid perforation(13.1%), acute appendicitis(12.3%) and intestinal obstruction(9.8%). Post operatively, ruptured ectopic cyesis(38.9%), acute appendicitis(16.7%) and typhoid perforation(12.5%) were recorded. The preoperative diagnosis was wrong in 2.7% (n=2) of cases. Conclusion: Ruptured ectopic cyesis was the most common abdominal condition operated on and incidence of typhoid perforation is high. Preoperative diagnoses was wrong in 2 cases. Key words: Acute abdomen, ectopic cyesis

Source: UCC
Clinical Spectrum of congenital heart defects (CHD) detected at the child health Clinic in a Tertiary Health Facility in Ghana: a retrospective analysis

Background: Congenital heart defects (CHD) are the singular most common congenital anomalies and account for a significant fraction of childhood mortality and morbidity. CHD occurs in ~ 1% of livebirths globally and often requires surgical interventions to improve quality of life and survival of patients. The prevalence and clinical presentations of CHD within specific populations provide a clearer overview of the burden of CHD and informs appropriate interventions. However, there is limited data on clinical presentation and occurrence of CHD in African countries such as Ghana where most cases are either diagnosed late or missed entirely resulting in increased mortality. In this retrospective study, we assessed the clinical presentations, associated comorbidities, and prescription patterns of diagnosed CHD in a tertiary facility in Ghana. Method: This retrospective study utilized data from electronic health records (EHR) from the child health clinic of the Cape Coast Teaching Hospital - a tertiary health facility in Ghana from January 2018 to October 2019. All suspected or provisionally diagnosed cases including those confirmed with echocardiography were included in our analysis. Results: Over 10, 000 records were reviewed, CHD was diagnosed in 79 cases, and 51 cases had complete clinical records including the type of CHD and clinical presentation. Male to female ratio was approximately 1:1 and 77.2% of the diagnoses were in children below 5 years. Acyanotic congenital heart defects were most commonly diagnosed with ventricular septal defects (VSD) and patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) being the simplest singular CHD. Tetralogy of Fallot, was the most common complex CHD accounting for 25.5% (13) of cases. Bronchopneumonia, upper respiratory infections and pneumonia were the most commonly diagnosed comorbidities accounting for over 35% of non-cardiac sequalae based on antibiotic and diuretic use. Conclusion: Our study showed that over 75% of CHD cases were diagnosed under 5 years with VSD and TOF being the most commonly diagnosed acyanotic and cyanotic lesions, respectively. This study presents preliminary data that give an overview of CHD burden in Ghana that will inform future research and appropriate interventions.

Source: UCC