ghanaopendata/ghanaian-research-english huggingface dataset:
Hepatitis C in Sub-Saharan Africa: Urgent Need for Attention

The hepatitis C virus (HCV), which was not recognized as an infectious agent until the 1980s, is responsible for a worldwide epidemic. The World Health Organization estimates global prevalence at 2.8%, with 185 million persons infected. In contrast to hepatitis B, where successful vaccine campaigns have reduced the disease burden, much less progress has been made toward the control of HCV. Phylogenetic studies suggest that HCV originated in Africa and has been endemic in some regions for at least 500–600 years. However, little is known about the epidemiology, transmission, and clinical course of HCV in Africa. With the advent of highly effective anti- HCV agents, there exists great potential to at least curb the global epidemic. For regions such as sub-Saharan Africa, however, this will require a thorough understanding of the regional population-level epidemiology, risk factors, and transmission mechanisms. Only then can effective treatment and prevention strategies be introduced.

Source: KNUST
Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) RNA screening and sequencing using dry plasma spots

Background: HCV RNA screening of large sample repositories provides data on HCV epidemic patterns that may help guide control policies. In resource-limited settings, shipment of frozen samples to molecular laboratory facilities and testing of individual samples may be prohibitively expensive. Objective: Our aim was to detect and sequence HCV RNA in a large HIV-positive cohort from Kumasi, Ghana, using pooled and individual dried plasma spots (DPS) produced from samples stored at −80 °C. Study design: In the validation phase, replicate DPS were prepared with six dilutions (500–10,000 IU/ml) of the 4th International Standard for HCV and tested in three independent experiments. In the testing phase, DPS prepared with plasma samples from 875 HIV-positive subjects were pooled for screening, followed by testing of individual DPS of positive pools. Input from individual DPS was two 6 mm punches; pools comprised two punches from each of five DPS. Genotypes were determined by Sanger sequencing of HCV core and NS5B. Results: With the dilution series, sensitivity of HCV RNA detection was ≥2500 IU/ml. Replicate DPS gave intraassay and inter-assay coefficients of variation ≤1.4%. With the stored samples, HCV RNA was detected in 5/175 DPS pools and in one DPS from each positive pool, yielding a HCV RNA prevalence of 5/875 (0.57%; 95% confidence interval 0.07-1.07%). The five samples were sequenced as HCV genotypes 2l and 2r. Discussion: DPS allowed reproducible HCV RNA detection, and pooling effectively contained the cost and labour of screening a previously untested, low-prevalence cohort. DPS were also suitable for HCV sequencing.

Source: KNUST
Hepatoprotective Effects of Ageratum Conyzoides Crude Extracts and Fractions on Carbon Tetrachloride–Induced Hepatotoxicity

Liver diseases are still a major public health burden in many countries and despite the research strides made in respect of therapeutic interventions, challenges still abound in its treatment. Chemotherapy, the standard treatment method, is fraught with various shortcomings like drug resistance and undesirable side effects. Consequently, natural products present promising alternatives to liver disease treatment and hence finding new hepatoprotective agents from natural sources will be critical in improving patient outcomes. Ageratum conyzoides, an annual herb is increasingly being used in folklore for the treatment of a wide range of diseases including liver damage caused by free radicals. The study was aimed at investigating the hepatoprotective and in-vivo antioxidant enzyme activity of A. conyzoides crude extracts and its fractions, as well as evaluating the phytochemical constituents of 50% hydroethanolic extracts and fractions of A. conyzoides. Free radical scavenging activity of the extracts was investigated (Table 4.1). Hepatoprotective activity of Ageratum conyzoides plant extracts was studied by measuring the level of liver enzymes (Figure 4.11), as well as, in-vivo antioxidant enzyme activity after treatment with CCl4 (Figure 4.18-20). The presence of tannins, flavonoids, alkaloids, terpenoids and saponins were qualitatively screened for in the hydroethanolic crude extract and its isolated fractions (Table 4.3). The results showed that the crude extracts scavenged DPPH free radical in a concentrated dependent manner compared to the positive control, ascorbic acid. Phenolic compounds were detected in the crude extracts (Table 4.1). The 50% hydroethanolic crude extract recorded the strongest scavenger of DPPH, with 50% effective concentration (EC50) of 0.14±0.01 mg/ml. It also had the highest total phenol content, (0.39± 0.14 mg/g) with ethyl acetate fraction having the weakest antioxidant potential (0.29 ± 0.06 mg/ml) when compared to the standard (Table 4.2). Thus excluded from hepatoprotective study. In the hepatotoxicity study, crude extract iv treatment resulted in significant increase (p<0.001) in SOD, CAT and GSH levels (Figure 4.18-20) and a significant decrease (p<0.005) in MDA and MPO level against CCl4 both in liver and kidney (Figure 4.21-22), hence suggesting it to have the strongest hepatoprotective potential when compared to aqueous and methanol fractions. Also, histological findings (Figure 4.16-17) also indicated the absence of fibrosis and necrosis in both the kidney and liver of rat treated with the crude extracted after CCl4 (1 ml/kg b.wt) intoxication, whereas other treatment groups showed mild inflammation and cellular structure distortion of organs. The present investigation suggests that Ageratum conyzoides crude extract possesses remarkable hepatoprotective and nephroprotective properties and the compounds such as phenols, flavonoid and alkaloid detected could be responsible for these properties.

Source: KNUST
Hepatoprotective Potential of Hura crepitans L.: A Review of Ethnomedical, Phytochemical and Pharmacological Studies

Herbal medicines are the main source of treatment of diseases in non-urban centres of the developing world. Secondary metabolites obtained from herbal sources contain bioactive phytochemicals, many of which have been the origin for the development of novel pharmaceutical drugs. Hura crepitans L. (Euphorbiaceae) or sandbox tree has been beneficial in many ethnomedicinal applications as a purgative, emetic, hepatoprotective, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial and the treatment of leprosy. Toxicological, phytochemical and bactericidal studies have also been documented. This paper reviews the potential of the Hura crepitans plant in protecting the liver against drug-induced toxicity. The paper dwells extensively on the ethnomedical, phytochemical and pharmacological properties of the plant. In achieving the above, intensive analyses of books and published peer-reviewed journal articles were carried out using credible scientific databases. Four main phytochemicals were revealed to be contained in Hura crepitans stem-bark. Their protective effects were enunciated using animal models. However much more biochemical studies need to be done to establish the hepatoprotective potentials of the various parts and various phytochemicals of Hura crepitans with the need for more preclinical and clinical studies. We, therefore, present in this paper efforts to elucidate and bring to the fore the therapeutic potentials of Hura crepitans plant.

Source: KNUST
Herbal drug production facility

PREAMBLE "Dr Ibrahim Samba, Africa's regional director, world health organization (WHO), explains that even though African traditional medicine (herbal drug) has been stigmatized as backwards practice during colonialism, it has continued to strive because it is culturally accepted and more than 80% of Africans use it" Their popularity is a result of their availability. According to the World Health Organization, traditional medicine has a central role to play in the 21s1 century since the orthodox medicine is no longer sufficient In Ghana this discernible fact is due to lack of inappropriate infrastructure and inadequate mechanisms which has not been put in place. Herbal drugs are mostly on demand when all orthodox medicine has failed. Herbal drugs are not processed under the right means and mechanisms. The government has therefore found it prudent to add herbal drugs to the list of drugs under the national health insurance scheme which will reduce die demand on orthodox medicine and serve as an alternative medicine. It is in this view that Fralena want to put up a structure to cater for this since it product is been considered. Herbal medicine will go a kmg way to improve the primary health care system in the country since it is already accepted. Herbal medicine today is being used by lot of people; about 80% have used or are still using herbal drugs. The thesis design seeks to address this topic to elaborate on the necessity of the herbal drug industry.

Source: KNUST
Herbal drug facility, Kumasi

The role of medicinal plants in health care delivery in Ghana cannot be overlooked. Unfortunately, the very foundation upon which the medicinal plant species and the traditional health care system survive is threatened by lack of scientifically proven research and safe and quality manufacturing processes. In order to substantiate claims made by traditional medicine practitioners for various plants in the treatment of certain diseases it is necessary to use modern scientific methods to carry out systematic investigations into the constituents and effects of these plants. The capacity to provide research facilities for identification, analysis, evaluation and pharmacological studies of plants of medicinal value; provide facilities for clinical trials and * consultations with herbal medicine with government backing, is limited to a very few. Effective monitoring of herbal practices and adequate scientific research to make herbal medicine safe and quality for public use can only be ensured if research centres are setup throughout the country to serve as satellites centres to coordinate research findings and data on various plant species in designated location with the government approved Centre For Scientific Research Into Plant Medicine (CSRPM) with its single branch located at Mampong-Akuapem in the Eastern Region of Ghana. This thesis largely seeks to propose for an establishment of an herbal drug facility in Kumasi equipped with facilities for research, production and clinical consultations with herbal medicine.

Source: KNUST
Herbal Pharmaceutical Plant, Mampong-Akuapim

About 80% of the people in the developing countries rely heavily on traditional medicine as the source of Primary Health Care (P.H.C.). Most of the indigenous medicines are herbal preparations and to make them acceptable in Health Care, they must be improved through the application of modem science and technology; this includes the preparation, production and storage of herbal preparations or traditional pharmaceuticals. Currently one can appreciate the great improvement in this area by: (1) The increased research into the scientific preparation and storage of the herbal preparations. (2) The improved presentation of herbal preparations in the form of capsules, tablets and syrups. The ALMA-ALTA Conference held in 1978 adopted Primary Health Care (P.H.C.) as the cost effective strategy for providing health for the majority of the people. The declaration of the ALMA-ALTA in 1978 was preceded by a number of national, regional and international meetings on Primary Health Care held throughout the world. It is now a W.H.O. Policy to encourage the development and incorporation of traditional medicine and herbal preparations into the Primary Health Care of every country in the world. The tools for the delivery of P.H.C. exist in all countries and this is Traditional Medicine. What is needed is the further development and equitable distribution of the facilities for the delivery of Primary Health Care. In Eastern countries such as China and India, traditional medicine including acupuncture and Anyureclic remedies are already well accepted. Making Plants heal in Traditional Medicine. A Primary Health Care delivery Effort at Dr. Noamesi Laboratories Ltd. By Dr. G.K. Noamesi It was also realized that traditional medicine had the potential of greatly cutting down the amount of money the developing countries on importing drugs. It therefore makes both socio-medical and economic sense to provide a pharmaceutical plant specialized in the cheap, efficient and quick processing of herbal preparations to make them (1) Socially and scientifically acceptable (2) Easily marketable (3) Adequate in supply to meet the new demands made on traditional medicine.

Source: KNUST
Herbal Medicine Centre, Techiman

It is an undeniable fact that, the time has come in the history of medicine for developing countries like Ghana to find alternative drugs from local materials so as to cut down on the huge foreign exchange spent on orthodox drugs, and also reduces their incidence of promoting further diseases instead of curing them. Thus, the idea of some individuals arid, certain Health Organisations in seeking to promote the research and development of herbal or plant medicine is something worth embracing. This thesis sets out to examine the concept of healing by the use of herbs. The outcome of the findings will serve as the basis for the design of the proposed centre. The content of the dissertation is briefly outlined a follows: The first chapter deals with a general introduction, the problems at stake with respect to traditional medicine and the clients’ development intentions, chapters two and three looked at herbalism as an aspect of fringe medicine and also traditional African medicine in its totality, drawing out certain distinctions in the latter. The fourth chapter considers the case for the intermarriage of traditional and orthodox medicine, citing the merits and demerits in each, and typical experiences in other cultures. Case Studies to guide evolve a comprehensive Design brief is what the fifth chapter deals with; the detail design brief followed in the next chapter. As a guide in spatial determination and planning, some relevant areas of technical studies and design considerations were looked into in the seventh and eighth chapters. Chapters nine arid ten contain an evaluation of the survey area, site selection and planning, followed by eleventh chapter which is devoted to the actual design process. This chapter has description of the various units required at the proposed centre for the research and production of prototypes of herbal medicine - A clinical unit with an adjacent Administration block; Research Laboratories and. production unit tucked away and welfare block centred in the developments. Supporting units are so located close to areas they are fictionally needed. Due to the nature of the project, a programme of development has been drawn out on phasing in the last chapter. The conclusion and recommendations of the author’s view of the thesis research are also stated in this chapter.

Source: KNUST
Heuristic Crossover for Portfolio Selection

The appropriate choice of an optimal portfolio is the principal problem of both the portfolio manager and the investor. We propose the suitability of Heuristic Crossover in Genetic Algorithm (GA) for the selection of an optimal portfolio of stocks from the Ghana Stock Exchange. In this book, we formulate a model to include practical constraints ( oor-ceiling and cardinality constraints) other than Markowitz unconstrained Mean-Variance model for the selection of our optimal portfolio. We use heuristic crossover as an appropriate solution to optimize the risk-return trade-off and achieve an optimal solution for the portfolio selection and the allocation of weights to each portfolio.

Source: KNUST
Heuristic crossover for portfolio selection

The appropriate choice of an optimal portfolio is the principal problem of both the portfolio manager and the investor. We propose the suitability of Heuristic Crossover in Genetic Algorithm (GA) for the selection of an optimal portfolio of stocks from the Ghana Stock Exchange. In this book, we formulate a model to include practical constraints ( oor-ceiling and cardinality constraints) other than Markowitz unconstrained Mean-Variance model for the selection of our optimal portfolio. We use heuristic crossover as an appropriate solution to optimize the risk-return trade-o and achieve an optimal solution for the portfolio selection and the allocation of weights to each portfolio.

Source: KNUST
High Medium Security Correctional Institution, Titrinu

Prisons have been in existence for centuries, as a means of punishing citizens who have committed crimes, and yet in our world today crime is still on the increase. A perfect solution to crime will still evade us since the root causes have not been dealt with appropriately but let it not be said that Prisons don’t have a role to play in the fight of crime. Prison designs have taken a different trend, doing away with the ugliness, vulgarity and indifference which were an intrinsic element in earlier designs. Reformation, re integration and rehabilitation are philosophical directions being taken today. Prisons have become places of humane aspirations and well meaning social experimentation. This trend has not caught up well with the Ghanaian society. Our society still see’s prisons as dumping sites and are unmoved by what really goes on in there. Over crowding and neglect of basic human needs characterizes Ghanaian Prisons. The penal system is not achieving much and as long as revenge remains the philosophical direction moving the prisons, it will remain so for many years to come. Ibis necessitated my visit to some of the prisons in the country in my quest to find some sort of remedy. An extensive study was carried out to understand what really constitutes a correctional facility. Some countries have managed to achieve their goal with respect to turning inmates into model citizens. Their methods were studied and an appropriate variation developed for Ghana. A site as then picked at Titrinu in the Ho Municipality, where a model Correctional Facility designed based on my research will be sited. This functional facility will correct the draw backs in the design of correctional facilities in Ghana. This will give the government and concerned citizens an insight of the steps to be taken in our goal achieving an effective Penal System.

Source: KNUST
High Frequency of Active HCV Infection Among Seropositive Cases in West Africa and Evidence for Multiple Transmission Pathways

Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) has one of the highest global hepatitis C virus (HCV) prevalence estimates. However, reports that suggest high rates of serologic false positives and low levels of viremia have led to uncertainty regarding the burden of active infection in this region. Additionally, little is known about the predominant transmission risk factors in SSA.

Source: KNUST
High prevalence of antibiotic resistance in commensal Escherichia coli from healthy human sources in community settings

Antibiotic resistance is a global health crisis that requires urgent action to stop its spread. To counteract the spread of antibiotic resistance, we must improve our understanding of the origin and spread of resistant bacteria in both community and healthcare settings. Unfortunately, little attention is being given to contain the spread of antibiotic resistance in community settings (i.e., locations outside of a hospital inpatient, acute care setting, or a hospital clinic setting), despite some studies have consistently reported a high prevalence of antibiotic resistance in the community settings. This study aimed to investigate the prevalence of antibiotic resistance in commensal Escherichia coli isolates from healthy humans in community settings in LMICs. Using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines, we synthesized studies conducted from 1989 to May 2020. A total of 9363 articles were obtained from the search and prevalence data were extracted from 33 articles and pooled together. This gave a pooled prevalence of antibiotic resistance (top ten antibiotics commonly prescribed in LMICs) in commensal E. coli isolates from human sources in community settings in LMICs of: ampicillin (72% of 13,531 isolates, 95% CI: 65–79), cefotaxime (27% of 6700 isolates, 95% CI: 12–44), chloramphenicol (45% of 7012 isolates, 95% CI: 35–53), ciprofloxacin (17% of 10,618 isolates, 95% CI: 11–25), co-trimoxazole (63% of 10,561 isolates, 95% CI: 52–73), nalidixic acid (30% of 9819 isolates, 95% CI: 21–40), oxytetracycline (78% of 1451 isolates, 95% CI: 65–88), streptomycin (58% of 3831 isolates, 95% CI: 44–72), tetracycline (67% of 11,847 isolates, 95% CI: 59–74), and trimethoprim (67% of 3265 isolates, 95% CI: 59–75). Here, we provided an appraisal of the evidence of the high prevalence of antibiotic resistance by commensal E. coli in community settings in LMICs. Our findings will have important ramifications for public health policy design to contain the spread of antibiotic resistance in community settings. Indeed, commensal E. coli is the main reservoir for spreading antibiotic resistance to other pathogenic enteric bacteria via mobile genetic elements.

Source: KNUST
High frequency of active HCV infection among seropositives in West Africa and evidence for multiple transmission pathways

Background and Aims: Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) has among the highest global Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) sero-prevalence estimates. However, reports suggesting high rates of serologic false positives and low levels of detectable viremia has led to uncertainty regarding the burden of active HCV infection in this region. Additionally, little is known about the predominant transmission risk factors and mechanisms in this region. The aims of this study were to determine the frequency of active infection among persons who screened positive for HCV infection and identify risk factors for HCV infection. Methods: Between May 2013 and January 2014 we recalled 363 blood donors [180 rapid screen assay (RSA) (Accu-Tell HCV) positive and 183 RSA negative at time of donation] to identify the level of active infection and risk factors at Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital in Kumasi, Ghana. Participants had blood drawn for serologic and virologic testing (HBVsAg Abbott Architect CIA, HIV 4th generation Ab/Ag test, the HCV Advia Centaur HCV CIA, and Abbott RealTime PCR assay for HCVRNA quantitative levels). HCV genotypes were determined by the generated NS5b sequences (SuperScript® VILO™ cDNA Synthesis Kit). A questionnaire on demographics and risk factors was administered. Results: The frequency of active infection varied based on serologic testing results, but was overall high. In subjects with a positive CIA Serologic Antibody Assay [Signal to Cut-off ratio (S/C) >1], the rate of active viremia was 74.4%, and increased to 88% among the individuals with a CIA S/C ≥11. Individuals were predominantly infected with genotype 2, and the median viral load among actively infected individuals was 5.75 log cp/ml. Blood donors from the northern and upper regions of Ghana had substantially higher risks of infection compared to those from the middle belt. Individual level Odds ratio statistical significant risk factors included: traditional circumcision (3.8), home birth (2.0), tribal scarring (2.2) and HBV co-infection (2.7). See Table 1. Conclusions: Among serologically confirmed cases, active infection rates were high. Appropriate testing algorithms should be widely implemented to define the true HCV burden in SSA. These data also suggest that several transmission modes, particularly those associated with cultural skin-piercing practices, are likely contributing to the current HCV epidemic in Ghana, and the distribution of these practices may result in regional variation in prevalence.

Source: KNUST