ABSTRACT Introduction: Plasmodium falciparum malaria remains a global public health threat especially for children under five years. Fetuses receive maternal immunoglobulins in utero by passive transfer and this is believed to protect infants at least for the first six months after delivery. IgG3 among the IgG subclasses is known to be more protective because of the long hinge region making the molecule flexible and easier to link antigens and Fc receptors for antigen elimination. However, th...
ABSTRACT Background: Injectable contraceptives are the most used form of contraception in Ghana. Its introduction was faced with misconceptions, doubt and disbelief. DMPA-IM is the first choice of injectable administered by service providers in health care centres in Ghana. DMPA-SC is a subcutaneous form of injectable that can be self-administered. Socio-cultural values and factors affect patient’s willingness to accept and access self-administered hormonal contraceptives. Objective: The ob...
ABSTRACT Background: Preterm births are the single greatest direct cause of neonatal deaths, responsible for 35% of the world's 3.1 million deaths a year. Preterm deliveries in Ghana is unacceptably higher than that of global estimates. An understanding of the placental morphological characteristics is essential for advancing our knowledge of the cause and mechanisms through which placental characteristics influence preterm births as well as identifying pregnancies at risk of these adverse pe...
ABSTRACT Background: Diseases of the gallbladder are common and its management is costly. The best epidemiological screening method to accurately determine point prevalence of gallstones disease is ultrasonography. Symptomatic gallstones present with characteristic right upper quadrant discomfort or pain (biliary colic).Many risk factors for cholesterol gallstones formation are not modifiable such as ethnic background, increasing age, female gender and family history or genetics. Conversely,...
ABSTRACT Background: Hysterectomy, the surgical removal of the uterus, is a frequently performed gynaecological surgical procedure worldwide. However, hysterectomy is associated with some complications and in a few instances fatal consequences. A woman after hysterectomy loses her reproductive ability, the ability to menstruate, in addition to a few minor complications and occasional major complications. Setting: This study was done at the department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology of the Korle...
ABSTRACT Rational use of drugs is one of the major priority issues in health systems worldwide. Analysing prescriptions is fundamental to evaluating rational use of drugs in health facilities. Irrational prescribing in Lawra district is a concern to health care delivery (DDHS personal communication, 2009). Some of the reasons identified include: Inadequate personnel and middle to low level staff such as community health officers, nurses and medical assistants are the main prescribers (DDHS Pe...
ABSTRACT Background: Human papillomavirus (HPV) has been well established as the primary cause of cervical squamous intraepithelial lesion/cervical intraepithelial neoplasia and invasive cervical cancer. More than 100 genotypes of HPV have been identified and 40 types are sexually transmitted. Cervical cancer is the fourth most common cancer among women worldwide and about 85% of the cases occur in developing countries. In Ghana, cervical cancer ranks as the first most frequent cancer among w...
Abstract Background: Intestinal parasitic infection is highly prevalent among children in the tropics. Identifying the most at risk group and subsequent targeted intervention will lead to cost effective and easy to implement control programme. We thus aim to determine the prevalence and pattern of intestinal parasite among pupils from public and private schools. Material and Method: This was a cross-sectional survey. Participants were recruited through multistage stratified random sampling....
ABSTRACT The study was conducted in the Accra Metropolitan Area of the Greater Accra Region. It is the National as well as the Regional Capital. In many developing countries lack of appropriate slaughtering facilities and practices go to affect the end product available for consumption. One abattoir, the Accra Slaughter House in James Town was built about 70 years ago during the colonial rule as a small facility to serve the comparatively small area. It had since not seen any further developm...
ABSTRACT Background: Childhood malnutrition remains a public health challenge in Africa. The original aim of the Ghana School Feeding Programme was to improve school enrolment and attendance with secondary aim to alleviate hunger and malnutrition among school aged children across every region. The aim of this study was to investigate the nutritional status of the SAC enrolled in the GSFP. Methodology: A cross-sectional study was carried out among 300 randomly selected 6-12 year aged school ch...
ABSTRACT Background: Parent-child communication regarding sexual and reproductive health has the potential to reduce adolescent sexual risk-taking behaviours; yet parents find it difficult to discuss sexual issues with their children. In particular, parents fail to communicate with their adolescent children on sensitive issues of sexuality, like sexual intercourse, condom use, puberty, STIs, and physical development, but rather do so on less sensitive ones such as the effects of HIV. Communic...
ABSTRACT Introduction: About 80% of the world’s populations rely on traditional medicine. As a result, many countries (both developing and developed) are making efforts to integrate Traditional Medicine into mainstream healthcare delivery system. World Health Organisation (WHO) considers Traditional Medicine as one of the surest means to achieve universal health coverage. Since the early 1970s, Ghana has made tremendous efforts to integrate traditional/herbal medicine into the national heal...
ABSTRACT Introduction Research from several Western countries has revealed that most pregnant women are likely to engage in pica practice. Despite the dangers associated with pica and its prevalence in various communities across the world and particularly in Ghana, most pregnant women still engage in the practice.Investigation was conducted to assess perception and practices of pica among pregnant women in La Nkwantanang-Madina Municipal. Methods A descriptive cross –sectional design was us...
ABSTRACT Background: Hand hygiene or hand washing is a well-known major infection control measure and has been mentioned by WHO as the most important hygiene measure in preventing the spread of infection. Schools like hospitals, have close, crowded environments that increase the risk of microbial cross- contaminations and transmissions. It has been observed that, there are high rates of infectious, gastrointestinal, neurocognitive and psychological illnesses in schools where water and sanitat...
ABSTRACT Background: Human Leukocyte Antigen (HLA) -G is a non-classical major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I protein which has been described as being selectively expressed on the invasive trophoblast at the materno-foetal interface at the beginning of pregnancy. HLA-G has the potential role of protecting the trophoblast from cytotoxicity and enhancing maternal acceptance of the semi-allogeneic foetus by modulating the maternal immune system. HLA-G exerts several immunomodulatory e...