ghanaopendata/ghanaian-research-english huggingface dataset:
Blood metabolite concentration, milk yield, resumption of ovarian activity and conception in grazing dual purpose cows supplemented with concentrate during the post‐partum period

Cattle grazing on natural pasture face seasonal variation in pasture availability and nutritive value. Improving the nutrition of cows by providing supplementary feeds during periods of pasture or nutrient deficit is necessary for improved productivity. This study was conducted to determine the effect of feed supplementation during the post-partum period on the metabolic status and reproductive performance of 40 grazing Sanga and Friesian × Sanga cows. Twenty out of a total of 40 cows (10 Sanga and 10 Friesian × Sanga cows) were supplemented with 2.5 kg of concentrate per day for 16 weeks after calving. Parameters measured include daily milk yield, concentration of blood metabolites, resumption of ovarian activity and conception. Supplemented cows had higher partial milk yield than their non-supplemented counterparts (2.07 vs. 1.60 kg/day; P < 0.001). Sanga cows had lower milk yield than the Friesian × Sanga crossbreds (1.61 vs. 2.05 kg/day; P < 0.01). Supplemented cows had higher mean total protein (86.7 vs. 81.3 g/L; P = 0.007) and globulin (53.0 vs. 47.7; P = 0.014) concentrations than non-supplemented cows. Sanga cows had higher glucose (P = 0.027), total protein (P < 0.001) and globulin (P < 0.001) but lower triglyceride (P = 0.003) and progesterone (P = 0.023) concentrations than Friesian × Sanga cows. Supplemented cows had less proportion not cycling (20 vs. 55%; P = 0.022) and less days open (95.8 vs. 106 days; P = 0.032) than non-supplemented cows. The Friesian × Sanga cows had higher progesterone concentrations at first progesterone rise (3.34 vs. 1.32 ng/mL; P = 0.032) and shorter interval from calving to conception (96.7 vs. 106 days; P = 0.042). The results from this study indicate the beneficial effects of feed supplementation in terms of increased milk yield, better metabolic status and reproductive performance.

Source: UG
Blood metabolite concentrations and postpartum resumption of ovarian cyclicity in sanga cows

An experiment was conducted to investigate the effect of concentrations of certain blood nutrient-sensitive metabolites and the resumption of postpartum ovarian cyclicity in 16 Sanga cows (mean BCS 5). Blood samples were taken from cows from weeks 1 to 13 (90 days) postpartum, processed and the plasma progesterone concentration measured to determine the resumption of postpartum ovarian cyclicity. The cows were classified as having resumed ovarian cyclicity when a plasma progesterone concentration of ≥1.0 ng/mL was recorded for two consecutive weekly samples. Based on the resumption of ovarian activity, cows were classified as early cycling, late cycling or non-cycling. The plasma glucose, cholesterol, total protein, albumin and globulin concentrations recorded were similar in the early cycling, late cycling and non-cycling cows. The mean blood glucose, cholesterol, total protein, albumin and globulin concentrations were 3.60 mmol/L, 2.47 mmol/L, 83.1 g/L, 29.9 g/L and 52.9 g/L, respectively. Plasma urea concentrations in late (6.57 ± 0.17 mmol/L) and non-cycling (6.59 ± 0.17 mmol/L) cows were higher than in the early cycling (5.99 ± 0.17 mmol/L) cows in weeks 1 to 13 postpartum. In addition, the plasma creatinine concentration in the early cycling cows was higher than in late cycling cows (101.8 ± 1.82 versus 94.0 ± 1.99 mmol/L). Cows with higher plasma concentrations of urea and lower creatinine concentrations were at risk of delayed resumption of postpartum ovarian cyclicity. Results suggest poor nutritional status, especially energy deficiency, as a major underlying factor suppressing the postpartum resumption of ovarian cyclicity.

Source: UG
Blood metabolite profile in Holstein-Friesian cows fed diets varying in dry matter and metabolizable energy density during early lactation

Dietary effects on circulating concentrations of some blood metabolites were assessed in Holstein-Friesian cows in early lactation. Thirty-two lactating cows were randomly assigned to receive four diets differing in dry matter intake (DMI) and metabolizable energy (ME) density, namely low dry matter and metabolizable energy (LL), low dry matter and high metabolizable energy (LH), high dry matter and low metabolizable energy (HL), high dry matter and high metabolizable energy (HH), and concentrations of some blood metabolites determined. At the end of the 5-week study, the level of insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I) was higher (P < 0.001) in cows on diet HH than those on diets HL, LH, or LL. The glucose concentration was higher (P < 0.001) in cows on HH and LH than those on HL and LL diets, while those of non-esterified fatty acid (NEFA) were similar in cows on the four dietary treatments. Cows fed HL and LL diets recorded higher (P < 0.001) beta-hydroxybutyrate (BHB) concentrations than those on the HH or LH diets. Urea concentration was higher (P < 0.001) in cows on LL than that of their counterparts on the other diets. IGF-I was positively correlated (P < 0.01) with glucose, but negatively related with BHB (P < 0.01) and urea (P < 0.05). Glucose was negatively correlated with BHB (P < 0.01) and urea (P < 0.05). NEFA was negatively correlated with urea (P < 0.05) while BHB was positively correlated with urea (P < 0.01). The levels of metabolites in the blood can reflect the nutritional status of cows during early lactation.

Source: UG
Blood outgrowth endothelial cells (BOECs) as a novel tool for studying adhesion of Plasmodium falciparum-infected erythrocytes

The Department of Immunology conducts research in the field of immunology of infectious and non-infectious diseases. The Department has the overall goal of contributing knowledge to better diagnosis, management, control and prevention of infectious and non-infectious diseases in Ghana and worldwide. This is consistent with the overall strategy of the Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research (NMIMR) and in line with the strategy of the College of Health Sciences of the University of Ghana.

Source: UG
Blood Pressure IndicesandAssociated Risk Factors in a Rural West African Adult Population: Insights from an AWI-Gen Substudy in Ghana

Systolic (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) are commonly used for cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk prediction, and pulse pressure (PP) and mean arterial blood pressure (MAP) can provide additional information. It is therefore important to understand the factors associated with these cardiovascular risk markers. ,is cross-sectional study involved 1839 men and women aged 40–60 years. Data on SBP, DBP, MAP, PP, sociodemography, lifestyle, anthropometry, and lipids were collected. Genderstratified linear regression analyses were performed to determine the association between log-transformed blood pressure indices and the study variables. Age was associated with all measured blood pressure indices (p < 0.001) among men and women. Men had higher SBP (p = 0.007) and PP (p < 0.001) than women. Nankana ethnicity was associated with higher PP levels (p < 0.005) in the total population. Vendor meal consumption among women was associated with higher PP levels (p < 0.05). Fruit intake among men was associated with lower PP levels (p < 0.05). Currently unmarried women had higher SBP (p < 0.005), DBP (p < 0.05), MAP (p < 0.005), and PP (p < 0.005) than currently married women. Pesticide exposure was negatively associated with SBP (p < 0.005), DBP (p < 0.005), MAP (p < 0.005), and PP (p < 0.05) among women. Increased subcutaneous fat was associated with DBP (p < 0.005) and MAP (p < 0.05) among women. Among men, hip circumference was associated with higher DBP and MAP (p < 0.05 for both associations), subcutaneous fat associated with higher SBP (p < 0.005), DBP (p < 0.001), and MAP (p < 0.001) and visceral fat was associated with higher PP (p < 0.05). In the total population, visceral fat was associated with higher DBP (p < 0.05) and MAP (p < 0.001). High-density lipoprotein cholesterol was positively associated with SBP (p < 0.005), DBP (p < 0.005), and MAP (p < 0.001) for women and positively associated with SBP, DBP, and MAP (p < 0.001 for all three) and PP (p < 0.05) for men. ,e association of blood pressure indices with modifiable risk factors suggests that targeted health interventions may reduce CVD risk in this population

Source: UG
Blood pressure patterns and body mass index status in pregnancy: An assessment among women reporting for antenatal care at the Korle-Bu Teaching hospital, Ghana

The Epidemiology Department contributes to the mission of the institute through basic and applied epidemiological research on, but not limited to, malaria and other diseases of public health importance. It is also home to the Social Science Unit of the Institute, including the Health Support Centre for HIV/AIDS and other communicable and noncommunicable health problems.

Source: UG
Blood pressure patterns in rural, semi-urban and urban children in the Ashanti region of Ghana, West Africa

Abstract Background High blood pressure, once rare, is rapidly becoming a major public health burden in sub-Saharan/Africa. It is unclear whether this is reflected in children. The main purpose of this study was to assess blood pressure patterns among rural, semi-urban, and urban children and to determine the association of blood pressure with locality and body mass index (BMI) in this sub-Saharan Africa setting. Methods We conducted a cross-sectional survey among school children aged 8&#8211;16 years in the Ashanti region of Ghana (West-Africa). There were 1277 children in the study (616 boys and 661 females). Of these 214 were from rural, 296 from semi-urban and 767 from urban settings. Results Blood pressure increased with increasing age in rural, semi-urban and urban areas, and in both boys and girls. The rural boys had a lower systolic and diastolic blood pressure than semi-urban boys (104.7/62.3 vs. 109.2/66.5; p &lt; 0.001) and lower systolic blood pressure than urban boys (104.7 vs. 107.6; p &lt; 0.01). Girls had a higher blood pressure than boys (109.1/66.7 vs. 107.5/63.8; p &lt; 0.01). With the exception of a lower diastolic blood pressure amongst rural girls, no differences were found between rural girls (107.4/64.4) and semi-urban girls (108.0/66.1) and urban girls (109.8/67.5). In multiple linear regression analysis, locality and BMI were independently associated with blood pressure in both boys and girls. Conclusion These findings underscore the urgent need for public health measures to prevent increasing blood pressure and its sequelae from becoming another public health burden. More work on blood pressure in children in sub-Saharan African and other developing countries is needed to prevent high blood pressure from becoming a major burden in many of these countries.

Source: UG
Blood/plasma secretome and microvesicles

A major but hitherto overseen component of the blood/plasma secretome is that of extracellular vesicles (EVs) which are shed from all blood cell types. These EVs are made up of microvesicles (MVs) and exosomes. MVs, 100 nm-1 μm in diameter, are released from the cell surface, and are a rich source of non-conventionally secreted proteins lacking a conventional signal peptide, and thus not secreted by the classical secretory pathways. Exosomes are smaller vesicles (≤ 100 nm) having an endocytic origin and released upon multivesicular body fusion with the plasma membrane. Both vesicle types play major roles in intercellular cross talk and constitute an important component of the secretome especially in the area of biomarkers for cancer. The release of EVs, which are found in all the bodily fluids, is enhanced in cancer and a major focus of cancer proteomics is therefore targeted at EVs. The blood/plasma secretome is also a source of EVs, potentially diagnostic of infectious disease, whether from EVs released from infected cells or from the pathogens themselves. Despite the great excitement in this field, as is stated here and in other parts of this Special issue entitled: An Updated Secretome, much of the EV research, whether proteomic or functional in nature, urgently needs standardisation both in terms of nomenclature and isolation protocols. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled: An Updated Secretome. © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Source: UG
Bloodstream infections in pediatric patients.

OBJECTIVE: Blood stream infection (BSI) is the leading cause of morbidity and mortality in pediatric patients. This study aims to describe the clinical, microbiological characteristics and outcome of BSI in pediatric patients. METHODS: We collected the clinical data from all pediatric patients with positive blood cultures. We identified all isolates from these patients from January 2004 to December 2004 at King Khalid University Hospital (KKUH), Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, and determined antimicrobial susceptibilities by MicroScan Walk Away 96 (Dade Behring Inc., West Sacramento, CA95691, USA). RESULTS: Two hundred and twenty pediatric patients had BSI, of whom 147 (67%) were males and 71 (32.2%) were from intensive care units (ICUs). Two hundred and ten (95.4%) had single blood culture isolate. One hundred and seventy-three (78.6%) of the isolates were Gram positive bacteria and included the following: Staphylococcus epidermidis (55.4%), Staphylococcus aureus (9.5%) of which 14% were methicillin resistant, Streptococcus pneumoniae (S. pneumoniae) (4.5%), 40% of which were resistant to penicillin and Enterococcus faecalis (4%). Gram negative bacteria were 44 (20%) and included Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae (K.pneumoniae) (3.6% each). Three isolates (1.3%) were Candida glabrata. None of the Gram positive isolates were vancomycin resistant. Three K.pneumoniae and one Pseudomonas spp. isolates were multiresistant. One hundred and ninety-four (88%) of BSI isolates were hospital acquired. Fever was the most common presentation of pediatric patients (26%) with positive blood culture with no apparent focus of infection. Respiratory tract infections 26 (12%) were the next most common. We seen sepsis in (7.7%) children between 8 days and 6 months of age. Bone and joint infections, cardiac, renal, gastrointestinal diseases, malignancy and surgical cases were other associated clinical diagnoses of BSI in pediatric patients. Patients with immuno- suppressive disorders with BSI had isolates such as Salmonella spp., S. pneumoniae and Pseudomonas spp. Overall mortality was 13 (6%) (p<0.005) and those patients had underlying serious medical conditions with associated risk factors such as prolonged hospital stay, intensive care unit (ICU) admission, indwelling catheterization, mechanical ventilation and prior antimicrobial use. CONCLUSION: Bloodstream infection is an important cause of morbidity and mortality in pediatric patients. Risk factors for hospital acquired infection include: prematurity, prolonged hospitalization, ICU admission, indwelling catheterization, mechanical ventilation and prior antimicrobial therapy.

Source: UG
Bloody widows? Discourses of tradition and gender in Ghanaian politics

According to the Inter-Parliamentary Union, although there have been steady increases in the number of women in politics, widespread gender inequalities persist. This is particularly pervasive in patriarchal societies where gender norms and practices are deeply entrenched, with socio-cultural barriers often cited as some of the key impediments to women’s search for political power. There have, therefore, been calls to remove such barriers for effective participation. Unfortunately, some events that occurred before Ghana’s 2020 election discouraged, rather than encourage women’s participation in governance. With data from articles, headlines and comments from various online media outlets, this paper examines three events that reinforce what may be called ‘a bloody widow discourse’ in Ghana’s politics. Using Feminist Critical Discourse Analysis, the paper shows how traditional norms and expectations associated with widowhood can be perceived as barriers to women’s (and not men’s) quest for political power, thereby sustaining the unequal gender and power relations in politics. The use of allusions and rhetorical questions and presuppositions further perpetuate a ‘blame-the-widow’ discourse which makes the women appear unworthy of the power they seek.

Source: UG
Blue Skies research is essential for ending the Tuberculosis pandemic and advancing a personalized medicine approach for holistic management of Respiratory Tract infections.

The Bacteriology Department aims to improve the quality of life first for Ghanaians and the world at large by conducting research into bacterial diseases of public health importance to Ghana and globally. In addition to working on enteric pathogens and sexually transmitted diseases, the department’s current main focus is on the two most important mycobacterial diseases of public health importance to Ghana, namely Buruli ulcer (BU) and tuberculosis (TB).

Source: UG
BLUETOOTH-BASED WIRELESS DIGITAL STETHOSCOPE with MOBILE INTEGRATION

Acoustic stethoscopes are used to monitor signals from patients. Incidentally, the connecting tube between the chest-piece and the ear-piece of common stethoscopes is known to serve as a medium for transmitting pathogens from patients to physicians or from one patient to another patient. This work presents a wireless stethoscope design with mobile integration that transmits heart sounds to mobile devices for evaluation and analysis, thus, eliminates the connecting tube. This is an extension of the previous work that presented the proof of concept of a wireless stethoscope with Bluetooth transmission. In this work, however, the chest-piece of the traditional stethoscope is integrated with microcontroller unit and Bluetooth communication device. Captured signals are processed and transmitted wirelessly to a mobile device with interface application software for recording, listening and visual display of waveforms. Following numerical simulation, a prototype was developed. Testing conducted on the prototype device using a class 2 Bluetooth device with 4dBm transmission power showed good quality received signals when the mobile device was placed 20m within indoor environments and 42m in open-space outdoor environment, beyond which degradation in quality occurs. It is worth pointing out that a smart Bluetooth device with high transmission range and data speed may produce much longer operating distance. Hence, for applications that require operating ranges beyond 50m, smart Bluetooth devices may be well suited for such systems. This system may serve as the means for monitoring patients from remote locations particularly quarantine units and can also be useful for training health personnel through broadcasting of recorded signals for analysis and evaluation by members of a medical team. © 2018 National Taiwan University

Source: UG
The Boabeng-Fiema Monkey Sanctuary, Ghana: A case for blending traditional and introduced wildlife conservation systems

The introduction of nationally-managed "western"-style protected area systems in Africa often led to antagonism between government authorities and local communities, because rural communities, which were largely excluded and displaced, often resorted to unsustainable activities like encroachment for settlement, illegal hunting and farming. It is the view of most biodiversity conservationists, however, that the management of natural resources must take into consideration both the introduced "western" model and traditional or local knowledge. The study aimed at assessing the Boabeng-Fiema Monkey Sanctuary in Ghana, as an example of blending traditional and introduced wildlife conservation systems, using interviews and questionnaire to obtain information from a cross-section of inhabitants of the area. The results indicated that the dual management system in operation at present has been largely successful, as the inhabitants appear to support the mechanisms put in place to manage the Sanctuary. Policy recommendations proposed to further enhance this success are in the areas of research and monitoring, education and awareness, tourism improvement, and introduction of community incentive schemes.

Source: UG
Board Characteristics, Ownership Structures and Gender Diversity on Bank Risk-taking Behavior of Banks in Ghana

The study examined the effect of board characteristics, ownership structure and gender diversity on bank risk-taking behaviour in Ghana. The study sampled 15 commercial banks in Ghana over a 10-year period, where data was analysed using descriptive statistics, correlation analysis and regression analysis. The analysis showed that board characteristics such as board size, the proportion of non-executive directors on the board, board chairperson independence as well as female representation on the board of banks in Ghana are significant determinants of bank risk-taking behaviour. The result shows that while board size, the proportion of non-executive directors on the board and female representation are associated with higher risk-taking behavior. chairperson independence is associated with lower bank risk-taking behaviour. On the ownership variables, the study found that foreign ownership and government ownership were significant determinants of bank risk-taking behavior, while managerial ownership was statistically insignificant. On the significant ownership structure variables: foreign ownership reduces bank risk-taking, while government ownership increases bank risk-taking. Female CEO was statistically insignificant, even though it is positively associated with bank's risk-taking level. The results show that corporate governance variables and ownership structures are significant determinants of bank risk-taking behaviour

Source: UG
Board expertise and the relationship between bank risk governance and performance

The aim of this paper is to analyze the correlation between risk govern ance and bank performance while taking into consideration the influence of board expertise. The study argues that the connection between risk governance and performance depends on the level of expertise among board members who are integral to the risk governance framework. By analyzing data from 83 bank-year observations, which includes information from the bank focus database and hand collected data from annual reports spanning the period from 2012 to 2021, this research employs panel models to analyze the impact of board expertise on bank risk governance and performance relationships among a selection of banks in Sub Saharan Africa. The research reveals two significant findings: Firstly, the establish ment of risk governance structures is negatively associated with bank performance. Secondly, there exists a negative association between the expertise of the board members and their performance. Finally, the study found the risk governance and performance relationship to be positively and significantly moderated by board expertise. The evidence in this study suggests that for risk governance structures to achieve the desired objectives of enhancing performance, board members must possess the required technical expertise. Regulators and shareholders may find this result useful in strengthening regulatory requirements on board expertise and in appointing board members, respectively.

Source: UG