ghanaopendata/ghanaian-research-english huggingface dataset:
Bioactivity of cardanol against the rust red flour beetle, Tribolium castaneum (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae)

Cashew nut shell liquid (CNSL) is an economically important by-product obtained from the cashew nut Anacardium occidentale L. The liquid has been found to be versatile with a wide range of uses, including as a raw material in the polymer industry, in the development of drugs (antioxidants) and in pest control. One important chemical component of CNSL known for its bioactivity is cardanol. We isolated (8Z,11Z)-3-(8,11,14-pentadecatrienyl)phenol, a cardanol from CNSL, and determined its insecticidal and progeny growth and development inhibition activities against Tribolium castaneum Hebst. We used a bioassay-guided approach for the isolation. Exposure to cardanol produced 80% mortality of adult T. castaneum in the insecticidal bioassay. In the progeny growth and development inhibition bioassay, 46.7% of larvae were killed, and only 20.7% of adults emerged without deformities after the cardanol treatment. The amount of isolated cardanol from the 1 g equivalent/ml extracted CNSL was found to be 36.55 mg with LC50 value of 47.88 mg/ml and 13.28 mg/ml against adult T. castaneum and its larvae, respectively. We conclude that cardanol can potentially be useful in managing stored product insect pests, especially T. castaneum, but with the prerequisite that one should take much care when handling and when applying the compound.

Source: UG
Bioactivity of cypress leaf powder (Cupressus macrocarpa) on cowpea weevil (Callosobruchus maculatus Fabr. Coleoptera: Bruchidae) and maize weevil (Sitophilus zeamais Motschulsky, Coleoptera: Curculionidae) in stored maize grains in Cameroon

Cowpea weevil (Callosobruchus maculatus) and maize weevil (Sitophilus zeamais) are very destructive pests of cowpea and maize respectively. Synthetic chemicals have been used extensively to control these pests. The present study investigated the potential of cypress leaf (Cupressus macropcarpa) powder as a biological agent against these pests. Three doses (g) of cypress leaf powder (2, 5 and 10g) were exposed to 10 adult insects in triplicate and mortality was observed every 24hrs for 3days. A repellency test was also conducted in triplicate using 3 doses (g) (2, 5, and 10g) of cypress leaf powder. The experimental design was Completely Randomised Design (CRD). The experiments were conducted in a laboratory (28 ± 2 °C and 80 ± 10% RH) in the Farm house of the Faculty of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine, University of Buea, Cameroon The results revealed that, the cypress leaf powder did not cause any significant mortality (p > 0.05) compared to the controlled for both insect pests. The repellency test revealed that the cypress leaf powder showed a very high potential as a repellent agent (p < 0.05) with up to 50-60% of both insect pests repelled just after 10mins of exposure to the smallest dose (2g). About 90% repellency was observed for both pests from the highest dose (10g) within 10mins of exposure making 10g a perfectly repellent dose. Our research supports strongly that cypress leaf powder has a strong repellency effect on both pests and little or no potential to cause significant mortality. Thus cypress leaf powder is a good candidate to incorporate in integrated pest management (IPM) programmes for control of cowpea and maize weevil in stored grains by poor-resourced farmers and store keepers in Cameroon and the world at large. Thus, appropriate technology transfer systems should be developed and passed on to poor-resources farmers to promote a direct preparation of indigenous pesticides at farm-house level.

Source: UG
Biobanking in a Challenging African Environment: Unique Experience from the SIREN Project

Africa was previously insufficiently represented in the emerging discipline of biobanking despite commendable early efforts. However, with the Human, Heredity, and Health in Africa (H3Africa) initiative, biorepository science has been bolstered, regional biobanks are springing up, and awareness about biobanks is growing on the continent. The Stroke Investigative Research and Educational Network (SIREN) project is a transnational, multicenter, hospital and community-based study involving over 3000 cases and 3000 controls recruited from 16 sites in Ghana and Nigeria. SIREN aims to explore and unravel the genetic and environmental factors that interact to produce the peculiar phenotypic and clinical characteristics of stroke as seen in people of African ancestry and facilitate the development of new diagnostics, therapeutics, and preventative strategies. The aim of this article is to describe our experience with the development of the procedure for collection, processing, storage, and shipment of biological samples (blood, serum, plasma, buffy coat, red cell concentrates, and DNA) and brain imaging across coordinating and participating sites within the SIREN Project. The SIREN network was initiated in 2014 with support and funding from the H3Africa Initiative. The SIREN Biobank currently has 3015 brain images, 92,950 blood fractions (serum, plasma, red cell concentrates, and buffy coat) accrued from 8450 recruited subjects, and quantified and aliquoted good-quality DNA extracts from 6150 study subjects. This represents an invaluable resource for future research with expanding genomic and trans-omic technologies. This will facilitate the involvement of indigenous African samples in cutting-edge stroke genomics and trans-omics research. It is, however, critical to effectively engage African stroke patients and community members who have contributed precious biological materials to the SIREN Biobank to generate appropriate evidence base for dealing with ethical, legal, and social issues of privacy, autonomy, identifiability, biorights, governance issues, and public understanding of stroke biobanking in the context of unique African culture, language, and belief systems. © Rufus O. Akinyemi et al. 2018.

Source: UG
Biobehavioral Survey Using Time Location Sampling Among Female Sex Workers Living In Ghana In 2020

Background: The HIV epidemic in Ghana is characterized as a mix of a low-level generalized epidemic with significant contributions from transmission among female sex workers (FSW) and their clients. This study seeks to identify and describe key characteristics and sexual behaviors of FSW and estimate the prevalence of HIV, syphilis, gonorrhea, chlamydia, and hepatitis B virus (HBV) among FSW in Ghana. Method: A total of 7,000 FSW were recruited for the study using Time and location. Sampling (TLS) approach, with 5,990 (85.6%) participants completing both biological and behavioral aspects of the study. A structured questionnaire was administered to respondents to assess several factors, such as background characteristics, sexual risk behaviors, condom usage, HIV/AIDS knowledge, opinions, and attitudes. Trained staff conducted face-to-face interviews using mobile data collection software (REDCap) after provision of specimens for HIV and STI testing. Descriptive statistics such as medians, ranges, charts, and percentages are performed and presented. Also included are bivariate analyses to establish relationships between FSW type and other relevant characteristics of the study. Results: Among the 7,000 (100%) FSW sampled from all regions, 6,773 took part in the behavioral and 6,217 the biological. There were 783 (11.2%) respondents who took part only in the behavioral and 227 (3.2%) only in the biological. Most were young, with a median age of 26 years; the majority had never been married or were widowed/divorced and a quarter had no education or had only primary education. majority (74.8%) of FSW first sold sex at age 25 years or less with a median age of 20 years. Most (84.8%) of the FSW indicated that they entered sex work for money, either for themselves or their families, and had an average of eleven (11) sexual partners per week. More than half (55.2%) of the FSW were new entrants who had been in sex work for less than 5 years before the study. Consistent condom use with paying clients was generally unsatisfactory (71%), and was, however, very low (24%) with their intimate partners or boyfriends. Only about half (54.6%) of FSW have been exposed to HIV prevention services in the last three months preceding the survey, and this varies across regions. Overall, comprehensive

Source: UG
Biochemical and haematological changes following an acute toxicity study of a hydro-ethanolic whole plant extract of Synedrella nodiflora (L) Gaertn in male Sprague-Dawley rats.

Synedrella nodiflora (L) Gaertn (family Asteraceae), a common weed in Ghana, is traditionally used for the management of epilepsy, hiccup and threatened abortion. To further promote the ethno-pharmacological uses of the plant, an acute toxicity of a hydro-ethanolic whole plant extract was assessed in male Sprague-Dawley rats. The lethal dose (LD50) and effects of a single oral admin-istration of the extract (1600, 3200 and 6400 mg kg-1) on haematological and serum biochemical parameters were measured. The extract produced no mortality in the rats treated during a 48-hour examination and after a subsequent 12-day assessment. Thus the LD50 was indicated as being greater than 6400 mg kg-1. The extract also did not significantly affect any of the haematological and serum biochemical indices. This result suggests that acute oral administration of the hydro-ethanolic extract of Synedrella nodiflora is virtually non-toxic in male Sprague-Dawley rats under normal laboratory conditions.

Source: UG
Biochemical and haematological markers of alcohol intake in Ghanaians

The serum gamma-glutamyltransferase (GGT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), urate and triglyceride and mean cell volume (MCV) were determined in 60 total abstainers, 56 social drinkers and 100 alcoholics. Both enzymes and urate showed progressive rise with increasing alcohol intake. The mean cell volume was only moderately elevated. Gamma-glutamyltransferase (GGT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), and urate are sensitive enough to detect people who take in alcohol regularly and yet may be regarded as normal and not alcohol dependent.

Source: UG
Biochemical and hematologic parameters for children in the middle belt of Ghana

Reference values derived from developed countries are used in many countries in Africa for interpretation of laboratory results obtained during routine healthcare and clinical trials. Use of locally derived reference values has been recommended. The purpose of the study was to establish age- and sex-specific reference values for children in the middle belt of Ghana. Reference values were determined for 21 biochemical and 18 hematologic parameters by using Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute C28-A3 guidelines in a sample of 1,442 healthy children. Hemoglobin, hematocrit, mean cell volume, erythrocytes, urea, and creatinine were lower when compared with values from northern countries but alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase, and total bilirubin were higher. A panel of locally relevant age- and sex-specific reference values was established for commonly used biochemical and hematologic tests in children in the middle part of Ghana. This will help in interpretation of laboratory results for clinical management of patients, screening, and safety monitoring during clinical trials. Copyright © 2014 by The American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene.

Source: UG
Biochemical and textural changes in trifoliate yam Dioscorea dumetorum tubers after harvest

Biochemical and textural changes were investigated in trifoliate yam Dioscorea dumetorum tubers, after harvest, in an attempt to study the chemical and physical changes associated with the raw and cooked tubers and how these relate to the hardening phenomenon of the tubers after harvest. A 2×2×3×4 factorial experiment, with cultivar, storage condition, treatment and storage time as their respective variables, was done. Samples were analysed for moisture, starch, reducing sugars, alcohol-soluble sugars, acid and neutral detergent fibre, cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin. The Warner-Bratzler test cell was used in a TA.XT2 Texture Analyser to measure the hardness of cooked tubers. The moisture and starch contents of the tubers decreased from 77.8 to 70.4% and 70.5 to 66.5 g/100g, respectively in a period of 72 h of storage, suggesting rapid dehydration after harvest and breakdown of starch. All the other chemical indices increased with storage time. These changes were influenced by the storage temperature and the treatment given to the tubers prior to storage. In general, samples stored at 4°C showed smaller changes in the chemical indices than those at 28°C, suggesting a temperature-dependence of the changes. Both cultivars of yam showed increase in hardness with storage time. A high correlation (r=0.9503-0.9913) was noted between the texture and the chemical indices of the white cultivars. Storage of the trifoliate yam, Dioscorea dumetorum, immediately after harvest, leads to reduction in moisture and starch contents and increase in sugars and structural polysaccharides. Low temperature storage may reduce the hardening phenomenon. A mechanism for the hardening phenomenon has been proposed. © 2002 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.

Source: UG
Biochemical Changes and Aroma Development during the Spontaneous Fermentation of Cassava Fish into Lanhouin and Their Influence on Product Acceptability

Lanhouin, a fermented product from cassava fish (Pseudotolithus sp.), was produced by spontaneous fermentation with inherent risks of quality defects. In this respect, changes in moisture, protein, free fatty acids, total volatile nitrogen, and histamine were monitored during the fermentation period using Pearson’s and AOAC methods. The aroma compounds were detected using the Likens-Nickerson extraction method and gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis. The results showed that the moisture and protein contents decreased while free fatty acid (FFA) and total volatile nitrogen (TVN) increased during fermentation. In contrast, there was no linear relationship between the histamine content and fermentation time since the histamine values didn’t increase continuously as fermentation progressed. A total of 94 compounds were detected in the fermenting fish over a period of 8 days, and 82 compounds were positively identified with a quality index higher than 70%. The compounds included 15 aliphatic hydrocarbons, 9 esters, 9 ketones, 9 amines, 7 aldehydes, 6 aromatic hydrocarbons, 7 acids, 6 thiazoles, 5 alcohols, 3 phenols, 2 amides, 2 furans, and 2 pyrroles.

Source: UG
Biochemical changes associated with the fermentation of baobab seeds in Maari: An alkaline fermented seeds condiment from western Africa

Chemical changes during the fermentation of baobab seeds for production of Maari, a food condiment used in West Africa, were studied. Results showed a wide variety of free amino acids including essential amino acids in the unfermented seeds. Fermentation led to an increase in the concentration of total free amino acids from 16.03 nmol/mg in unfermented seeds to 113.24 nmol/mg after 60 hours of fermentation followed by a decrease thereafter. Fluctuations in the concentrations of each compound were observed during the fermentation period. Differences were also observed in the final products from different production sites with the Gorgadji sample showing the highest content in free amino acids. The output of the oil extraction was 11.5-25.8%. A total of seven fatty acids were identified, with oleic acid being quantitatively the major fatty acid. The results showed a much higher concentration of unsaturated fatty acids than saturated fatty acids. The preponderant fatty acids were oleic, linoleic, palmitic, and stearic acids. These four fatty acids constitute approximately 90% of the composition of Maari. The transformations of amino acids and fatty acids revealed during the fermentation of the seeds during this study will contribute to understanding its contribution to the nutrition of its consumers. © 2015, Korea Food Research Institute, Published by Elsevier.

Source: UG
Biochemical changes in new plantain and cooking banana hybrids at various stages of ripening

New varieties of plantain and cooking banana with higher yields and improved pest and disease resistance are continuously being bred. There is therefore the need to study their properties during postharvest ripening. This work investigates the effects of ripening on the dry matter content, pH, titratable acidity, ascorbic acid content, browning potential, starch content and reducing and non-reducing sugar contents of new FHIA 19 and FHIA 20 plantain and FHIA 03 cooking banana hybrids. The starch and ascorbic acid contents of all hybrids decreased as ripening progressed. The starch and dry matter contents of the FHIA 03 cooking banana were reduced from about 750 to <100g kg-1 and from 260 to 190g kg-1 respectively after stage 9 of ripening, when samples had more black than yellow colour. The FHIA 03 cooking banana was higher than that of the FHIA 19 and FHIA 20 plantains. The browning potential of all hybrids decreased after stage 7 of ripening, when samples were yellow with black spots. The FHIA 19 plantain had the lowest browning potential. Significant reductions in the dry matter,ascorbic acid and starch contents of the plantain and cooking banana hybrids were observed during the progress of ripening. The cooking bana variety contained lower levels of dry matter ascorbic acid and starch than the plantian varieties.

Source: UG
Biochemical mechanisms of insecticide resistance in the diamondback moth (DBM), Plutella xylostella L. (Lepidopterata: Yponomeutidae), in the Sydney region, Australia

Following the detection of resistant diamondback moth (DBM) populations to synthetic pyrethroid, organophosphorus and indoxacarb insecticides in the Sydney Basin, a study of the major biochemical mechanisms was conducted to determine the type of resistance in these populations. The activity of cytochrome P450 monooxygenases increased two- to sixfold when compared with the susceptible strain. Up to a 1.9-fold increase in esterase activity in resistant strains compared with the susceptible strain was observed. In vitro inhibition studies showed that profenofos, methamidophos and chlorpyrifos strongly inhibited the esterases while permethrin and esfenvalerate resulted in less than 30% inhibition. Qualitative analysis of the esterases using native polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis showed four bands in both the susceptible and resistant individuals with more intense staining in the resistant individuals. The development of these bands was inhibited by methamidophos and chlorpyrifos pretreatment of the protein extract while permethrin and esfenvalerate did not exhibit this effect. Glutathione S-transferase (GST) activity was significantly higher in two field populations compared with the remaining populations. Overall, the study showed that the mechanisms of insecticide resistance in the DBM populations in the area studied were due to cytochrome P450 monooxygenases, esterase and GSTs, and possibly other non-metabolic mechanisms that were not investigated in the present study. © 2009 Australian Entomological Society.

Source: UG
Biochemical outcome after curative treatment for localized prostate cancer with external beam radiotherapy: a cross-sectional study

Although many patients who receive definitive radiotherapy (RT) for localised prostate cancer (CaP) experience long-term disease-free survival and better quality of life, some also have biochemical progression during follow-up. Oftentimes this implies additional treatment for patients with the accompanying challenges of cumulative treatment side effects, inconvenience and financial toxicity. This study retrospectively assessed the clini copathological characteristics and biochemical outcomes of patients treated for localised CaP with external beam radiotherapy (EBRT) between 2015 and 2020 at a major cancer treatment centre in Accra, Ghana. Patients’ socio-demographic and clinical data were col lected from their hospital records and analysed with the Statistical Package for Social Sciences version 26. Biochemical failure (BCF) was defined as an increase in the level of serum prostate-specific antigen (PSA) >2 ng/mL above the nadir after curative therapy based on the Phoenix definition. The mean age was 67.6 years (SD ± 6.2). The majority of the study participants (n = 79, 64.8%) had initial PSA >20 ng/mL, with the highest recorded value of 705 ng/mL. All the patients had biopsy-proven adenocarcinoma of the prostate gland. Some patients received 3-dimensional conformal radiotherapy (3DCRT) on a cobalt-60 teletherapy machine whereas others were treated with either 3DCRT or intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) on a 6 MV Linac. In all, 13.1% of the patients experienced BCF after receiving EBRT after an average follow-up of 31.3 months. This study demonstrated a low rate of BCF among patients treated with EBRT for localised CaP in Ghana. Strong prognostic factors of biochemical outcome demonstrated in this study were the percentage of cores positive, grade group, and risk stratification. Diar rhaea and desquamation experienced by treated CaP patients were exclusively attribut able to EBRT. RT produced a complete resolution of symptoms in some of the patients

Source: UG
Biochemical Pharmacology

Several naturally occurring prenylflavones were tested for their inhibitory actions on arachidonate 5-lipoxygenase purified from porcine leukocytes. Of the compounds tested, artonin E (5'-hydroxymorusin) exhibited the most potent inhibition on arachidonate 5-lipoxygenase (IC50 = 0.36 microM). Arachidonate 12-lipoxygenase purified from porcine leukocytes and human platelets, 15-lipoxygenase from rabbit reticulocytes and fatty acid cyclooxygenase from bovine vesicular glands were inhibited by the compound only at higher concentrations (IC50 = 2.3, 11, 5.2 and 2.5 microM, respectively).

Source: UG
Biodiversity of woody species and their utilization in a Savannah ecological zone of Northern Ghana.

Biodiversity composition and usage is fundamental to human existence. We aim in this study to: profile and estimate woody species diversity, identify their preferences, uses and assess local communities’ perception on species dominance, density, disturbance and options for biodiversity management. The research employed quantitative and qualitative survey methods. Semi-structured questionnaires, interviews and focus group discussions were used for data collection. Stratified random sampling aided selection of study plots using 10m × 10m quadrat in four major LUs. The Sorenson index aided species similarity levels assessment. Family Importance Value used to determine most important plant families. The Shannon-Weiner Diversity and Evenness index were used to determine species diversity and evenness. Pearson Correlation Coefficient helped establish correlation among dominant, preferred, disturbed species. A total of 66 woody plant species belonging to 26 families and 54 genera were identified. Trend of high species diversity was found in; sacred groves followed by fallow fields, grazed open fields and cultivated fields. Reduction in species densities over the last decade was widely cited as reasons for this trend. Strong significant differences between dominant and preferred species were observed in Kpalgun (r=0.92, p<0.01), Cheshegu (r=0.90, p<0.01), Zagua (r=0.89, p<0.01), Daboshie (r=0.98, p<0.01) and Fihini (r=0.79, p<0.01). Most common species uses are food, fuel, income, medicine and construction. In Tolon district, biodiversity management is through enforcement of traditional norms and taboos; though bush fires and species exploitation affect sustainable biodiversity management. The study highlights rarity and commonness of plant species distribution in rarely assessed Savannah Ecological zone.

Source: UG