Fournier’s Gangrene is a formidable rare disease characterized by high mortality rates despite optimal medical and surgical management. It is an acute surgical emergency and requires a high degree of suspicion. The mainstay of treatment is swift open drainage and early aggressive surgical debridement of all necrotic tissue, followed by targeted antibiotic therapy. The authors report on two patients who were admitted to the surgical ward. Both presented with initial perianal sepsis complicat...
Background: Making prognosis and identifying the patients at higher risk of mortality are important issues in breast cancer (BC) treatment. The aim of this study was to stratify BC case receiving mastectomy into prognostic risk categories using the Nottingham Prognostic Index (NPI).Methods: This was a retrospective review from January 2002 to December 2014 Results: Approximately 35% of all BCs diagnosed in our institution had undergone mastectomy. The mean age was 51.9 years. The mean size of...
Background/aims: Colon cancer remains a life-threating disease with increasing morbidity and mortality worldwide despite the advancement in modern medical treatment. Therefore, novel and effective anti-colon cancers drugs are urgently needed. In this study, we investigated the anti-metastatic property EnDuo, a modified version of Endostar, and the underlying mechanisms. Methods: Colon cancer cells were treated with different concentrations of EnDuo (50 μg/mL, 100 μg/mL, 200 μg/ mL), and En...
Background: Worldwide about 20 million women give birth through surgical intervention and as such it is placed first among operative cases in most hospitals. Little is known about how this method of delivery affects the psychosocial health of the mothers. Yet, the rate keeps on increasing. This study sought to explore the psychosocial experiences of women who have undergone caesarian section (CS) in the Tamale Metropolis. Methods: This is an exploratory and descriptive study with a qualitativ...
Abstract: Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) has been strongly associated with single nucleotide poly morphisms (SNPs) in the TCF7L2 gene. This study investigated the association between rs12255372, rs7903146 in the TCF7L2 gene and T2DM in a Ghanaian population. A case-control study design was used for this study. A total of 106 T2DM patients and 110 control participants were selected. Basic data collected included body mass index, blood pressure and socio-demographics. Fasting blood samples wer...
Objective: Neonates are more susceptible to infections, as well as medication toxicities. This study, therefore, sought to describe the clinical characteristics, medication prescription pattern, and treatment outcomes for neonates admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) of a tertiary health-care facility in Ghana. Methods: A retrospective cross-sectional study was conducted to ascertain clinical records, conditions for admission, spectrum of medications prescribed, and treatment o...
Background. 'e clinical learning environment and clinical rotation experience of students are integral to nursing curriculum and are a crucial component of nursing education which helps transform theoretical knowledge to clinical practical skills. Objective.This study was aimed at assessing the role of the clinical learning environment on undergraduate nursing and midwifery students satisfaction with their clinical rotation experience. Method. 'e study employed a quantitative cross-sectional ...
Objective: We conducted a cross-sectional study in the five administrative regions of Northern Ghana to determine the diversity of Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex (MTBC) sub/lineages and their susceptibility to isoniazid (INH) and rifampicin (RIF). Methods: Sputum specimens were collected and cultured from 566 pulmonary tuberculosis patients reporting to 17 health facilities from 2015 to 2019. Mycobacterial isolates obtained from solid cultures were confirmed as members of the MTBC by PCR ...
Objectives Paediatric cancer is a leading cause of death for children. Children in low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs) were four times more likely to die than children in high-income countries (HICs). This study aimed to test the hypothesis that the COVID-19 pandemic had affected the delivery of healthcare services worldwide, and exacerbated the disparity in paediatric cancer outcomes between LMICs and HICs. Design A multicentre, international, collaborative cohort study. Setting 9...
Introduction Childhood cancer is a leading cause of death. It is unclear whether the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted childhood cancer mortality. In this study, we aimed to establish all-cause mortality rates for childhood cancers during the COVID-19 pandemic and determine the factors associated with mortality. Methods Prospective cohort study in 109 institutions in 41 countries. Inclusion criteria: children
Background: There is paucity of published data on head and neck tumours (HNTs) in Ghana, even the few studies available were conducted in the middle and southern belts of the country. The present study in northern Ghana, was conducted to study the histopathological characteristics of HNTs and offer recommendations. Methods: This retrospective study analysed HNTs for the past 10 years at the Tamale Teaching Hospital in northern Ghana. Results: There were 576 HNTs, with 66.0% benign and 34.0% m...
Menstruation plays a crucial role in the reproductive lives of all women. This presents as one of the marked changes that appears with puberty. The advent of menses in most settings is accompanied by physical and psychological health, religious, social and cultural implications. The aim of the study was to assess determinants of menstrual hygiene practices among adolescent girls in Basic Schools in the West Gonja Municipality of the Savannah Region of Ghana. The study employed analytical cros...
Access and utilization of maternal health care services is still a challenge for some rural communities in Ghana. The study examined the quality of maternal health care services (MHCS) and the barriers that hindered access and utilization of MHCS in the Kumbungu district of northern Ghana. An exploratory sequential mixed method design was adopted and implemented in two phases. The phase I study (the quantitative component) involved the use of a questionnaire for a facility-based cross-section...
Problem statement: Bacterial infections caused by multidrug resistant organisms are a major global threat; however, there remains a knowledge gap on this situation in Ghana, especially in its northern Region. The objective of this study was therefore to determine the prevalence and resistance profile of bacterial infections. It also identified factors associated with multidrug resistance in the study area. Methodology: The study employed a quantitative approach with a retrospective analytic d...
Background: The UNAIDS target for the 3rd 90% stipulated that; 90% of HIV patients on ART attained VS by end of 2020 (Ansah, et al., 2021; Marsh et al., 2019). The WHO recommended intensified adherence counseling to increase VS rate (WHO, 2015). This research determined VLF in HIV patients and recommended strategic interventions to achieve the new third 95% VS rate by 2025 (UNAIDS, 2016). The GHS identified the UER as a hotspot with increased HIV prevalence and VLF. In 2019, the UER recorded ...