Investigation of the Risk of Infection of Urinary Schistosomiasis at Mahem and Galilea Communities in the Greater Accra Region of Ghana

Urinary schistosomiasis is of great public health importance in developing countries. It has adverse economic and health implications on residents living in endemic areas. Various factors including human behaviour are known to play key role in the transmission of the disease. The knowledge of the levels of risk of infection of urinary schistosomiasis and people’s perception will be an important tool in its control. The study determined the prevalence of urinary schistosomiasis and the risk of infection in some communities near the Weija lake in the Ga District. It assessed the knowledge base of the subjects on the disease and its impact on transmission. Data were collected on demographic variables, some behavioural activities in water bodies, knowledge base on the disease and sanitary facilities. Urine samples were analysed using the centrifugation technique. The percentage prevalence for Mahem and Galilea were 58% and 49%, respectively. The difference in prevalence was insignificant; 0.09 (-0.04, 0.21; P < 0.426). Bloody urine was associated with high risk of infection; OR of 4.55 (2.82, 7.36); P < 0.001. Subjects with primary level of education and invariably below 26 years of age had about two times the risk of infection; OR of 2.12 (1.13, 3.97); P < 0.02. The communities had 52% prevalence of urinary schistosomiasis. Frequent contacts and use of the infested lake were associated with infection. Educational intervention alone may not be effective in the control of the disease. The use of an integrated approach should be given favourable consideration

Anthelmintic Effect of Moringa oleifera Lam. in Wild-caught Achatina achatina Linnaeus, 1758 from the Sefwi Wiawso District, Ghana

Parasitic infection in edible snail species such as Achatina achatina has the potential of reducing growth and&nbsp;requires investigation.This study assessed the anthelmintic effect of Moringa oleifera in A. achatina. Using&nbsp;dissecting and microscopic techniques, the proportion of parasitic infection in A. achatina group fed with M.&nbsp;oleifera was significantly lower than that of the control group (χ²(1) = 14.97; P = 0.0001). The mean parasite&nbsp;intensity recorded for the kidney of both treated (2.17) and control (3.33) groups of snails were significantly&nbsp;different (bootstrap t = 2.31; P = 0.041). Similar observation was made in the lung of treated (1.43) and control&nbsp;(3.14) snail groups (bootstrap t = 3.54; P = 0.005). However, no significant mean parasite intensity in the&nbsp;spermoviduct of treated (1.80) and control (1.96) snail groups was observed (bootstrap t = 0.475; P = 0.627). The&nbsp;results generally highlight anthelmintic value of M. oleifera in the control of parasites in A. achatina. Fresh&nbsp;foliage of M. oleifera may serve as useful addition to the feed of reared edible snails

An exploratory study into promoting construction health and safety in Ghana through public works procurement

The construction industry is commonly associated with high or increasing levels of work-related hazards with ensuing injuries and fatalities. Studies have shown that procurement can further promote good construction H&S practice as it occurs throughout the life cycle of a project. However, the use of procurement as an instrument to promote H&S practices in construction has received little attention till date especially in developing countries. For this reason, the research aimed to explore practical measures to improve construction H&S through public works procurement in Ghana. Qualitative data was collected through semi-structured interviews. Seven respondents (procurement managers, consultants and Quantity surveyors), selected through a non-probabilistic purpose sampling from public institutions participated in the survey. In Ghana, the Public Procurement Act, Act 663 which was introduced in 2003 to ensure sanity and value for money in public procurement provides guidelines for the procurement of public works. In view of this, a case study of the H&S management of project procured using the Act 663 was also carried out. This was done to ascertain how public works is carried out in the Ghanaian public sector setting by determining the various stakeholders involved, the processes the project underwent and the various considerations looked at especially under H&S. The results however indicated that the Act 663 has no clause that addresses construction H&S. The paper also finds that, H&S does not form part of the criteria for evaluating tenders. To address the constraints so as to improve upon construction H&S, certain recommendations are offered. These include the inclusion of non- ambiguous H&S requirements as criteria for evaluating tenders and the pricing of H&S items in bills of quantities. Additionally, practical measures to improving construction H&S in Ghana at the key stages of works procurement are also provided. It also includes the specific roles and involvements of other stakeholders in the procurement process

A Comparative Analysis of Students’ Technology Uses During Covid-19 Lockdown in Ghana

The study tests an author-derived quantitative version of the Student Technology Use Framework by assessing the effectiveness of distance learning technologies deployed by universities in Ghana during the Covid-19 lockdown period. It focuses on the knowledge acquisition needs of students who were initially admitted into the traditional learning mode but had to adapt to distance learning following the lockdown. The population comprises undergraduate and postgraduate students of the Christian Service University College (CSUC), a private university in Kumasi, and the Ghana Institute of Journalism (GIJ), a public university in Accra. The sample size was 351 - 187 from CSUC and 164 from GIJ. Copies of a questionnaire were distributed to CSUC students by personal contact, and a Google Forms link to GIJ students via e-mail. Results show that students in public universities had lower technological learning capabilities than their compatriots in private universities, resulting in a better learning experience throughout the lockdow

Systems level roadmap for solvent recovery and reuse in industries

Recovering waste solvent for reuse presents an excellent alternative to improving the greenness of industrial processes. Implementing solvent recovery practices in the chemical industry is necessary, given the increasing focus on sustainability to promote a circular economy. However, the systematic design of recovery processes is a daunting task due to the complexities associated with waste stream composition, techno-economic analysis, and environmental assessment. Furthermore, the challenges to satisfy the desired product specifications, particularly in pharmaceuticals and specialty chemical industries, may also deter solvent recovery and reuse practices. To this end, this review presents a systems-level approach including various methodologies that can be implemented to design and evaluate efficient solvent recovery pathways

Preclinical Applications of 3'-Deoxy-3'-[18F]Fluorothymidine in Oncology - A Systematic Review

The positron emission tomography (PET) tracer 3'-deoxy-3'-[18F]fluorothymidine ([18F]FLT) has been proposed to measure cell proliferation non-invasively in vivo. Hence, it should provide valuable information for response assessment to tumor therapies. To date, [18F]FLT uptake has found limited use as a response biomarker in clinical trials in part because a better understanding is needed of the determinants of [18F]FLT uptake and therapy-induced changes of its retention in the tumor. In this systematic review of preclinical [18F]FLT studies, comprising 174 reports, we identify the factors governing [18F]FLT uptake in tumors, among which thymidine kinase 1 plays a primary role. The majority of publications (83 %) report that decreased [18F]FLT uptake reflects the effects of anticancer therapies. 144 times [18F]FLT uptake was related to changes in proliferation as determined by ex vivo analyses. Of these approaches, 77 % describe a positive relation, implying a good concordance of tracer accumulation and tumor biology. These preclinical data indicate that [18F]FLT uptake holds promise as an imaging biomarker for response assessment in clinical studies. Understanding of the parameters which influence cellular [18F]FLT uptake and retention as well as the mechanism of changes induced by therapy is essential for successful implementation of this PET tracer. Hence, our systematic review provides the background for the use of [18F]FLT in future clinical studies

Development of a fluorine-18 radiolabelled fluorescent chalcone: evaluated for detecting glycogen"

Background: Glycogen is a multibranched polysaccharide of glucose produced by cells to store energy and plays a key role in cancer. A previously reported fluorescent probe (CDg4) was shown to selectively bind glycogen in mouse embryonic stem cells, however the molecule was not evaluated in cancer cells. We report the synthesis and biological evaluation of a dual-modality imaging probe based on CDg4, for positron emission tomography (PET) and fluorescence microscopy. Results: A fluorine-18 radiolabelled derivative of CDg4, ([18F]5) for in vivo quantification of total glycogen levels in cancer cells was developed and synthesised in 170 min with a non-decay corrected radiochemical yield (RCY n.d.c) of 5.1 ± 0.9 % (n = 4) in >98% radiochemical purity. Compound 5 and [18F]5 were evaluated in vitro for their potential to bind glycogen, but only 5 showed accumulation by fluorescence microscopy. The accumulation of 5 was determined to be specific as fluorescent signal diminished upon the digestion of carbohydrate polymers with α-amylase. PET imaging in non-tumour bearing mice highlighted rapid hepato-biliary-intestinal elimination of [18F]5 and almost complete metabolic degradation after 60 min in the liver, plasma and urine, confirmed by radioactive metabolite analysis. Conclusions: Fluorescent compound 5 selectively accumulated in glycogen containing cancer cells, identified by fluorescence microscopy; however, rapid in vivo metabolic degradation precludes further investigation of [18F]5 as a PET radiopharmaceutical

Performance of Higher National Diploma of Building Technology Graduates in the Construction Industry: A Tracer Study in Kumasi Metropolis, Ghana

Building Technology graduates from Ghanaian Polytechnics seek employment in the construction industry, yet little information is known as to whether their tertiary education is really related to and meeting the actual needs of their prospective employers in the construction industry. The tracer study was conducted to ascertain the performance of Higher National Diploma (HND) Building Technology graduates and the extent to which their academic training meets the employers’ needs in the construction industry. In order to obtain a good assessment of the skills (technical and non-technical) and competencies of Polytechnic HND building Technology graduates, purposive sampling technique was used. Construction firms with Ministry of Water Resources, Works and Housing classification of D3K3 and above who have been in operation for a minimum of one year and have employed Polytechnic HND Building Technology graduates were identified. Out of the firms identified, thirty-five (35) were selected using simple random sampling technique. A Structured questionnaire was designed and distributed to site engineers, site supervisors, quantity surveyors, operation managers and project managers in the selected construction firms. Descriptive statistic was used to analyse the data using. The study revealed that Polytechnic HND graduates in the construction industry were performing creditably since the index of performance of site supervisors, quantity surveyors and site managers were generally above average. Apart from the academic competence, graduates possessed non-academic attributes which the employers emphasized as criteria for graduates’ employability and performance in the construction industry. These attributes included verbal communication, teamwork, time management, commitment and interpersonal skills. Keywords: Building Technology, Graduates, Polytechnic, Construction Industry, Performanc

A Study of the Publication pattern in CSIR- Plant Genetic Resources Research Institute

Plant genetic resources (PGR) are those resources that are of benefit to man. They are plant materials containing useful characters of actual or potential values. They are the basic raw mate­rials for crop improvement today and for the future. This paper analysed changes in publication trend by scientists from 1981 to 2015 at the CSIR-Plant Genetic Resources Research Institute. It investigated major commodities covered by the articles produced by scientists of the Institute. The main area of study included publication formats covered by the articles in the Plant Ge­netic Resources Research Institute Reference (PGRRIREF Directory) (1981-2015). The study also highlighted recent research and development activities in each publication discipline in the PGRRIREF Directory. It is believed that information gathered from the analysis of this research, would increase the utilization of the crop plants in Ghana and beyond. Content analysis method and interviews were used for the study of the Publication pattern in CSIR-Plant Genetic Re­sources Research Institute. The findings indicated among others that, socio-economic (27.2%), horticulture (21.5%), root and tubers (18.5%) recorded increasing publication disciplines. Tech­nologies developed in these publication disciplines could be put on-line for a wider audience to enhance efficient conservation and utilization of plant genetic resources materials. Keywords: CSIR-Plant Genetic Resources Research Institute; publication pattern; discipline; formats; research activitie