ghanaopendata/ghanaian-research-english huggingface dataset:
Immunologic and virological response to ART among HIV infected individuals at a tertiary hospital in Ghana

Background: The need to study the outcome of Antiretroviral Therapy (ART) among Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) infected individuals in Ghana, a sub-Saharan African country crucial in the era of the “Treat All” policy. The aim of this study was to analyze selected determinants of immunological and virological response to ART among HIV infected individuals in a tertiary facility in Cape Coast, Ghana. Methods: An analytical cross sectional study with a retrospective component was conducted in the Cape Coast Teaching Hospital (CCTH), Central Region. Clients aged 18 years and above attending the HIV Clinics for ART and who were on ART for 6 months or more were recruited. The viral loads, CD4 count and other socio-demographic data were analyzed using STATA version 13 (STATA Corp, Texas USA). Descriptive analysis was done and presented with appropriate measures of central tendencies. In addition, bivariate and multivariate analysis was carried out with p value of 0.05 interpreted as evidence of association between variables. Results: A total of 440 participants were included in this study with a mean age of 45.5 (±11.6) years. The mean CD4 count at baseline, 6 months on ART and currently at study recruitment were 215.1 cells/mm3 (±152.6), 386.6 cells/mm3 (±178.5), and 579.6 cells/mm3 (±203.0) respectively. After 6 months and 12 months on ART, the number who had achieved viral copies < 1000/ml were 149 (47.0%) and 368 (89.6%) respectively. There was strong evidence of an association between having CD4 count < 350 cells/mm3 after 6 months on ART and having a diagnosis of tuberculosis since HIV diagnosis (aOR 8.5, 95% CI 1.1–73.0, p = 0.05) and clients having plasma viral load > 1000 copies/ml after 6 months on ART (aOR 2.0, 95% CI 1.2–3.2, p = 0.01). Conclusion: There was good response to ART among clients, high virological suppression and immunological recovery hence low rates of change to second line ART regimen in this cohort studied. With strict adherence to the national policy on HIV testing, management of positive clients and full implementation of the “Treat All” policy, Ghana could achieve, if nothing at all, the third “90, 90, 90” target by 2020.

Source: UCC
Immunologic and Virological Response to Art among HIV Infected Individuals at a Tertiary Hospital in Ghana

The need to study the outcome of Antiretroviral Therapy (ART) among Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) infected individuals in Ghana, a sub-Saharan African country crucial in the era of the “Treat All” policy. The aim of this study was to analyze selected determinants of immunological and virological response to ART among HIV infected individuals in a tertiary facility in Cape Coast, Ghana. Methods: An analytical cross sectional study with a retrospective component was conducted in the Cape Coast Teaching Hospital (CCTH), Central Region. Clients aged 18 years and above attending the HIV Clinics for ART and who were on ART for 6 months or more were recruited. The viral loads, CD4 count and other socio-demographic data were analyzed using STATA version 13 (STATA Corp, Texas USA). Descriptive analysis was done and presented with appropriate measures of central tendencies. In addition, bivariate and multivariate analysis was carried out with p value of 0.05 interpreted as evidence of association between variables. Results: A total of 440 participants were included in this study with a mean age of 45.5 (±11.6) years. The mean CD4 count at baseline, 6 months on ART and currently at study recruitment were 215.1 cells/mm3 (±152.6), 386.6 cells/mm3 (±178.5), and 579.6 cells/mm3 (±203.0) respectively. After 6 months and 12 months on ART, the number who had achieved viral copies < 1000/ml were 149 (47.0%) and 368 (89.6%) respectively. There was strong evidence of an association between having CD4 count < 350 cells/mm3 after 6 months on ART and having a diagnosis of tuberculosis since HIV diagnosis (aOR 8.5, 95% CI 1.1–73.0, p = 0.05) and clients having plasma viral load > 1000 copies/ml after 6 months on ART (aOR 2.0, 95% CI 1.2–3.2, p = 0.01). Conclusion: There was good response to ART among clients, high virological suppression and immunological recovery hence low rates of change to second line ART regimen in this cohort studied. With strict adherence to the national policy on HIV testing, management of positive clients and full implementation of the “Treat All” policy, Ghana could achieve, if nothing at all, the third “90, 90, 90” target by 2020.

Source: UCC
Immunologic and virological response to ART among HIV infected individuals at a tertiary hospital in Ghana

Background: The need to study the outcome of Antiretroviral Therapy (ART) among Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) infected individuals in Ghana, a sub-Saharan African country crucial in the era of the “Treat All” policy. The aim of this study was to analyze selected determinants of immunological and virological response to ART among HIV infected individuals in a tertiary facility in Cape Coast, Ghana. Methods: An analytical cross sectional study with a retrospective component was conducted in the Cape Coast Teaching Hospital (CCTH), Central Region. Clients aged 18 years and above attending the HIV Clinics for ART and who were on ART for 6 months or more were recruited. The viral loads, CD4 count and other socio-demographic data were analyzed using STATA version 13 (STATA Corp, Texas USA). Descriptive analysis was done and presented with appropriate measures of central tendencies. In addition, bivariate and multivariate analysis was carried out with p value of 0.05 interpreted as evidence of association between variables. Results: A total of 440 participants were included in this study with a mean age of 45.5 (±11.6) years. The mean CD4 count at baseline, 6 months on ART and currently at study recruitment were 215.1 cells/mm3 (±152.6), 386.6 cells/mm3 (±178.5), and 579.6 cells/mm3 (±203.0) respectively. After 6 months and 12 months on ART, the number who had achieved viral copies < 1000/ml were 149 (47.0%) and 368 (89.6%) respectively. There was strong evidence of an association between having CD4 count < 350 cells/mm3 after 6 months on ART and having a diagnosis of tuberculosis since HIV diagnosis (aOR 8.5, 95% CI 1.1–73.0, p = 0.05) and clients having plasma viral load > 1000 copies/ml after 6 months on ART (aOR 2.0, 95% CI 1.2–3.2, p = 0.01). Conclusion: There was good response to ART among clients, high virological suppression and immunological recovery hence low rates of change to second line ART regimen in this cohort studied. With strict adherence to the national policy on HIV testing, management of positive clients and full implementation of the “Treat All” policy, Ghana could achieve, if nothing at all, the third “90, 90, 90” target by 2020

Source: UCC
Immunopathogenesis of myocarditis: he interplay between cardiac fibroblast cells, dendritic cells, macrophages and cd4+t cells

The myocardium responds to aetiologically different athological injuries through a common multistep rocess involving highly co-ordinated interactions between cardiac and immune cells. Cardiac fibroblast cells which constitute the prevalent cell type in the heart to have their functional effects that express contractile proteins and exhibit increased migratory, proliferative and secretory properties. During the pathogenesis of myocarditis, cardiac fibroblast, dendritic cells, macrophages, CD4+T cells and other immune cells are known to lay variable roles. It is becoming increasingly clear that cardiac fibroblasts are not passive layers in immune responses, and several evidences show this through the release of soluble signals and/or direct interactions with these immune cells. Typically, fibroblasts are involved in synthesizing factors such as cytokines, chemokines, rostanoids, matrix components and matrix-degrading enzymes to influence dendritic cells, CD4 T cells and macrophage functions and vice versa in the pathogenesis of myocarditis. Again, evidence roves a crosstalk between cardiac fibroblasts and immune cells recruited into the myocardium during myocarditis in the microenvironments. This piece reviews the properties and roles of cardiac fibroblast cells, dendritic cells, macrophages and CD4+T cells in the pathogenesis of myocarditis, and how these cells interplay on each other in the microenvironment

Source: UCC
Immunotherapy for acute myeloid leukemia (AML): a potent alternative therapy

The standard therapy of AML for many years has been chemotherapy with or without stem transplantation. However, there has not been any tangible improvement in this treatment beyond induction through chemotherapy and consolidation with allogeneic stem cell transplantation or chemotherapy. Residual AML cells which later cause relapse mostly persist even after rigorous standard therapy. It is imperative therefore to find an alternative therapy that can take care of the residual AML cells. With a better understanding of how the immune system works to destroy tumor cells and inhibit their growth, another therapeutic option immunotherapy has emerged to address the difficulties associated with the standard therapy. Identification of leukemia-associated antigens (LAA) and the fact that T and NK cells can be activated to exert cytotoxicity on AML cells have further introduced diverse immunotherapeutic development strategies. This review discusses the merits of current immunotherapeutic strategies such as the use of antibodies, adoptive T cells and alloreactive NK cell, and vaccination as against the standard therapy of AML

Source: UCC
Immunotherapy in Acute Myeloid Leukemia

Despite the remarkable progress made in some leukemias such as CML and CLL, cytotoxic treatment for AML remains essentially unchanged over the last 4 decades. Several lines of evidence, including the graft versus leukemia effect associated with allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT), suggest that immunotherapy is an active modality in AML. Given the lack of progress for chemotherapy in this disease, many novel immunologic treatment approaches have been explored. The goals of non-transplant based immune approaches have largely consisted of the stimulation or restoration of endogenous immune responses or the targeting of specific tumor antigens by immune cells. These strategies have been associated with less toxicity than allogeneic HSCT but typically have inferior efficacy. Allogeneic HSCT exploits major and minor histocompatibility differences between the donor and recipient in order to recognize and eradicate malignancy. With the recognition that the immune system itself provides a basis for treating AML, immunotherapy continues to be an attractive modality to exploit in the treatment of this disease.Cancer 2015;121:2689-704.VC 2015 American Cancer Society

Source: UCC
Impact Assessment of Goldfields Ghana Foundation Agricultural Projects and Extension Services on Agricultural Sustainability in Ghana; A Case of Prestea Huni-Valley Municipality

Agricultural and food security is a concern in Sub-Saharan Africa and this has invited the intervention from both government and private sectors. Gold Fields Ghana (GFG), a leading gold mining company in Ghana is a significant contributor to the nation’s tax revenue, and an industry leader in socio-economic development. It has created Gold Fields Ghana Foundation (GFGF) to provide financial support to the company’s development initiatives, projects and programs in health, education, agriculture and infrastructure. The agricultural projects have been in existence for some years now but no assessment has been done on its impact on agricultural and food security in the country, hence the aim of the present study. The study used mixed method and recruited 180 farmers from 9 communities within the Goldfields Tarkwa and Damang mines catchment area located in the Prestea Huni Valley and Tarkwa Nsuaem Municipalities. The primary data was collected from the respondents by the use of questionnaires and interview guides while secondary data was obtained from related literature and other useful and relevant published materials. Data was analysed using SPSS version 22 at significant p-value <0.01, 0,05 and 0.1. The study revealed that Youth in Organic Horticulture Production (YouHop), Community Oil Palm Production Project and Cocoa Farmers’ Support Program are the main agricultural projects provided by the GFGF and the participated farmers receive Training, Personal Protective Equipment (PPEs), Farm Inputs, Farm Tools, Financial and Extension Support. The top 3 problems faced by the beneficiaries were a limited number of a selected farmers for the projects, high extension agent-to-farmer ratio, and inadequate extension service officers. The findings also showed that, GFGF project has highly improved the income of the beneficiaries and about 85% of the farmers were satisfied with the service of the Extension agents. The study also revealed that community acceptance and project.

Source: UCC
Impact du Dagara sur l'enseignement / apprentissase du francais langue entrangere( fle) : Le gas des apprenants Dagara en SHS de Upper West region

This study tries to identify the impact of Dagara on the teaching and learning of French as a foreign language by third year students in Senior High School in the Upper West Region. All the students who constitute our sample speak Dagara as their first acquired language (LI). In the study, we try to bring out the similarities and differences that exist between French and Dagara. This is to enable us identify the difficulties associated with the transfer of Dagara from the phonetic (phonologic) and semantic (lexical) points of view. The data collected from the study was based on two instruments namely, a questionnaire and three tests: listening comprehension, dictation and reading. The results of our analysis reveal that differences as well as similarities from the phonetic (spelling and reading) and semantic (comprehension) points of view among other factors, are responsible for students' learning difficulties in French as a foreign language. The study ends with pedagogical suggestions for teachers to take into account the student's Ll in the teaching and learning situation in a multilingual context like Ghana in order to minimise these difficulties.

Source: UCC
Impact du theatre educatif sur la production orale des apprenants de fle : Le cas de Sekondi college dans la metropole de Sekondi-Takoradi

This study focused on the impact of educational play on the oral expression of learners in the study of French as a foreign language (FFL). Our main objectives were to identify activities through which educational play facilitate learner’s vocabulary acquisition in the learning of French as a foreign language and also explain the benefits of educational play on learner’s oral expression and then propose steps to follow for the exploitation of educational play in the classroom. We conducted a descriptive study with second year Senior High School students of Sekondi College, in the Sekondi-Takoradi Metropolis. We collected data by means of a non-participant observation of FFL class, an educational play, a questionnaire and an oral production activity. The outcome of the study showed that learners acquire vocabulary by reading, rehearsing, memorising and practicing speeches of a play. Learners later make use of vocabulary acquired in their own speeches and speak freely with self-confidence. We then elaborated proposed steps to follow to exploit educational play in the classroom. We recommended that teachers adopt or develop drama text based on strands in the French Curriculum for educational play and afterwards do oral activities with learners to enable them make use of vocabularies acquired in their own speech. We asked teachers integrate educational play in the FFL class and follow the steps for the presentation of educational play. We call on both boys and girls to take part in educational play. We then suggested that further research be carried out later to reproduce this study using a bigger sampling and also determine French teacher’s views on the exploitation of educational play in the teaching/learning of FFL.

Source: UCC
Impact evaluation of a quality improvement intervention on maternal and child health outcomes in Northern Ghana: early assessment of a national scale-up project

Objective. To evaluate the inﬂuence of the early phase of Project Fives Alive!, a national child survival improvement project, on key maternal and child health outcomes. Design. The evaluation used multivariable interrupted time series analyses to determine whether change categories tested were associated with improvements in the outcomes of interest. Participants. The evaluation used program and outcome data from interventions focused on health-care staff in 27 facilities. Setting. Northern Ghana. Intervention. The project uses a quality improvement (QI) approach whereby process failures are identiﬁed by health staff and process changes are tested in the health facilities and corresponding communities to address those failures. Main Outcome Measures. The maternal health outcomes were early antenatal care attendance and skilled delivery, and the child health outcomes were underweight infants attending child wellness clinics, facility-level neonatal mortality and facility-level infant mortality. Results. Postnatal care changes for the ﬁrst 1–2 days of life (β = 0.10, P = 0.07) and the ﬁrst 6–7 days of life (β = 0.10, P = 0.07) were associated with a higher rate of visits by underweight infants to child wellness clinics. There was an association between the early pregnancy identiﬁcation change category with increased skilled delivery (β = 1.36 P = 0.07). In addition, a greater number of change categories tested was associated with increased skilled delivery (β = 0.05, P = 0.01). Conclusion. The QI approach of testing and implementing simple and low cost locally inspired changes has the potential to lead to improved health outcomes at scale both in Ghana and other low- and middle-income countries.

Source: UCC
Impact iof ifinancial iliteracy ion ifinancial ibehaviour iof iuniversity iof ICape iCoast i(ucc) istudents

The imain ithrust iof ithe istudy iwas ito iexamine ithe iimpact iof ia imastery iof ia iset iof iknowledge, iattitude iand ibahaviour iof iUCC istudents. i iThe iresearch iwas iconceptually iframed iby ithree iresearch iquestions iand ithree ihypotheses. iDescriptive isurvey idesign iinvolving ithe iquantitative iapproach iwas iused iin ithe istudy. iThe itarget ipopulation iof ithe istudy iwas iall iUCC istudents. iA isample isize iof i382 istudents iwas ichosen ifor ithe istudy iusing iKrejcie iand iMorgan i(1970) isampling itable iof idetermination. iSome iJumpstart i(2013) iand iother inotable iliterature iquestionnaire iadapted ion ifinancial iknowledge, ifinancial iattitudes, iand ifinancial ibehaviour, iwhich iaffect ifinancial iliteracy iwas iused ifor ithe idata icollection. iPre-testing iof ithe iinstrument iwas idone iand ireliability iand ivalidity iwere iensured. iThe idata icollected iwas ianalysed iusing idescriptive istatistics i(frequencies iand ipercentages, ivariances) iand istatistical iinference i(Chi-square, iχ2 icorrelational iregression ibetween ione-way iANOVA). iThe istudy irevealed ithat ithe ifinancial iliteracy ilevels i(knowledge) iof iUCC istudents iare igenerally ifair. iThe iresults ifrom ithe istudy ifurther iindicated ithat idemographic icharacteristic iof ithe istudents iimparts iupon itheir imastery iof ia iset iof ifinancial ialertness. iThe iresults iof istatistical ievidence ito ithe ieffect ithat ifinancial iliteracy iof iUCC istudents ido inot idiffer iin iterms iof ithe istudents’ iages. iTherefore, ithe inull ihypothesis istated ias i“There iwill ibe ino istatistically isignificant idifference iamong ithe iage igroups iof irespondents iwith irespect ito ithe ifinancial iliteracy iof iUCC iStudents”

Source: UCC
Impact of ADAM17 Expression as a Potential Prognostic Biomarker and Target for Therapy in Node-negative Breast Carcinoma

Aims: To evaluate the expression and the possible prognostic impact of the tissue-based protein ADAM17 in node-negative breast cancer and investigate its association with clinical and pathological features to aid in differentiating indolent node-negative breast cancer from aggressive node-negative breast cancer. Study Design: Cross sectional. Place and Duration of Study: Department of Pathology and Molecular Immunology, Institute of Biomedical Sciences Abel Salazar (ICBAS), University of Porto, from December 2012 to June 2013. Methodology: 50 cases of breast cancer patients (40 node-negative and 10 node-positive) with ages ranging from 24 - 89 and with tumor size ranging from 0.6 cm to 4.7 cm were used. The ADAM17 protein expression was confirmed by immunohistochemistry analysis, which was performed on formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded, 3 micro meters thick tissue sections using the avidin-biotin-peroxidase complex method. In addition, the presence of HER2, Ki67, Progesterone and Estrogen receptors were also determined. Results: Both node-negative and node-positive breast cancer showed ADAM17 expression with more expression in node-negative cases. The anti-ADAM17 antibodies showed immunostaining with 19 strong expression (38% - 19/50) and 31 weak expression (62% - 31/50) .In addition to ADAM17, other markers such as ER, PR, HER2 and Ki67 were also expressed. In analyzing the relationship between ADAM17 expression and clinicopathological parameters, the expression level did not present any statistical relationship with all the conventional prognostic factors with P value >0.05 except histological type with P value of .009 and .01. Conclusion: Our study shows ADAM17 protein expression may be involved in human breast cancer initiation, progression and distant metastasis and its prognostic impact could be independent of conventional prognostic factors. In grouping high expression against low, we had 19 high risks and 31 low risks. Upon further confirmation, ADAM17 could be used to determine individuals who may need adjuvant chemotherapy and those who could be spared from the toxic effect of chemotherapy.

Source: UCC
Impact of Administrators’ work and the Physical Plant on Learning: Perspectives of Lecturers and Students in the University of Cape Coast

The university administrator plays a critical role in the delivery of quality education in every nation. Their role complements that of the faculty within the university set up to bring about desired results in the educational system. In their line of duty, they interact with lecturers and students alike. Without doubt, the physical environment which comprises the school plant such as lecture theatres, libraries, computer centres, among others may either enhance or distract the learning process. The purpose of this descriptive survey was therefore to examine and ascertain the effect the physical plant and the role of the university administrator on students’ learning from the viewpoint of lecturers and students. The study drew on the Strategic Asset Management theory (SAMT) and others to adduce its arguments to interrogate the issues. The outcome showed inter alia, that lecturers and students perceived lecture theatres as the most important component of the physical plant that affects students’ learning. Also, lecturers and students viewed the administrators’ surveillance roles in maintaining the physical plant in the university as having direct influence on students’ learning. Eventually, the study showed no significant variation between the views of the lecturers and students on the effect of the physical plant on learning. In view of these finding, novel recommendations were made to university management boards, directorate of physical and estate development and administrators to put in place efficient and effective mechanisms to safeguard and harness the efficient use of the stock of physical plant that universities are endowed with to enhance students’ learning.

Source: UCC