Cigarette smoking among in-school adolescents in Yilo Krobo municipality in the Eastern Region of Ghana

Background: Adolescent cigarette smoking is of public health importance since many adult smokers had initiated the habit as adolescents. This study aims to determine the prevalence of cigarette smoking among in-school adolescents in Yilo Krobo Municipality, Ghana and factors associated with cigarette smoking.Methods: A school-based cross-sectional analytic study was conducted in February 2017 in Yilo Krobo Municipality in the Eastern Region of Ghana. A stratified random sampling method was applied to select 700 students. After obtaining informed consent, structured questionnaires were administered to collect information on demographic characteristics,behaviours, family, peer and school factors. Data was entered into SPSS and analysed with level of significant as p-value of less than 0.05. Univariate, bivariate and multivariate analysis were applied to determine prevalence and risk factors of cigarette smoking.Results: A total of 700 students participated in the study and the prevalence of cigarette smoking was 14.3% (100) and 77.5% (76) were introduced to smoking by their peers. Those who started smoking cigarette at the age of 10 years and below were 32% (32). Factors associated with cigarette smoking were being in JHS 1 (AOR:2.23, p=0.006), closefriends smoking cigarette (AOR: 2.26, p=0.001), having drank alcohol before (AOR: 6.0, p<0.001) and having ever used marijuana (AOR: 6.48, p<0.001). However, recognizing marijuana usage to be wrong was protective against cigarette smoking (AOR: 0.58, p=0.006).Conclusion: Cigarette smoking among in-school adolescents exists in Yilo Krobo Municipality and school-based interventions such as counselling services on substance use should be implemented to address these behaviours.Funding: No external funding was received to conduct the studyKeyword: Cigarette-smoking, Adolescents, Prevalence, Factors, Ghan

Instructional Strategies for Effective Teaching and Learning of Creative Arts: The Dilemma of Generalist Teachers in Ghana

Creative Art was introduced into Ghana s primary school curriculum in 2007 Comprising Performing Literary and Visual Arts Creative Art was intended to foster creativity development among primary pupils However Creative Art is taught by generalist classroom teachers who lack the specialized training knowledge skill and experience to identify efficient teaching-learning strategies that allow pupils to actively participate in art making experiences This study adopted action research to guide 20 Lower Primary teachers in two schools to design and teach activity-based lessons in drawing colourwork weaving printmaking composition and assemblage to 95 pupils using clay crayons drums cardboard glue among other resources The intervention workshops proved that in-service education and training could build the professional capacity of generalist teachers in Ghana to effectively implement the Creative Arts curriculum for primary schools Ghana Education Service should train primary teachers if the objective of developing creative thinkers through Creative Arts could be achieve

SARS-CoV-2 viral dynamic modeling to inform model selection and timing and efficacy of antiviral therapy

Mathematical models of viral dynamics have been reported to describe adequately the dynamical changes of SARS-CoV-2 viral load within an individual host. In this study, eight published viral dynamic models were assessed, and model selection was performed. Viral load data were collected from a community surveillance study, including 2155 measurements from 162 patients (124 household and 38 non-household contacts). An extended version of the target-cell limited model that includes an eclipse phase and an immune response component that enhances viral clearance described best the data. In general, the parameter estimates showed good precision (relative standard error <10), apart from the death rate of infected cells. The parameter estimates were used to simulate the outcomes of a clinical trial of the antiviral AZD7442, a monoclonal antibody combination which blocks infection of the target cells by neutralising the virus. The simulated outcome of the effectiveness of the antiviral therapy in controlling viral replication was in a good agreement with the clinical trial data. Early treatment with high antiviral efficacy is important for desired therapeutic outcome

Molecular epidemiology of Mycobacterium africanum in Ghana

BACKGROUND: Mycobacterium africanum comprises two phylogenetic lineages within the M. tuberculosis complex (MTBC) and is an important cause of human tuberculosis (TB) in West Africa. The reasons for this geographic restriction of M. africanum remain unclear. Here, we performed a prospective study to explore associations between the characteristics of TB patients and the MTBC lineages circulating in Ghana. METHOD: We genotyped 1,211 MTBC isolates recovered from pulmonary TB patients recruited between 2012 and 2014 using single nucleotide polymorphism typing and spoligotyping. Associations between patient and pathogen variables were assessed using univariate and multivariate logistic regression. RESULTS: Of the 1,211 MTBC isolates analysed, 71.9 % (871) belonged to Lineage 4; 12.6 % (152) to Lineage 5 (also known as M. africanum West-Africa 1), 9.2 % (112) to Lineage 6 (also known as M. africanum West-Africa 2) and 0.6 % (7) to Mycobacterium bovis. Univariate analysis revealed that Lineage 6 strains were less likely to be isoniazid resistant compared to other strains (odds ratio = 0.25, 95 % confidence interval (CI): 0.05-0.77, P < 0.01). Multivariate analysis showed that Lineage 5 was significantly more common in patients from the Ewe ethnic group (adjusted odds ratio (adjOR): 2.79; 95 % CI: 1.47-5.29, P < 0.001) and Lineage 6 more likely to be found among HIV-co-infected TB patients (adjOR = 2.2; 95 % confidence interval (CI: 1.32-3.7, P < 0.001). CONCLUSION: Our findings confirm the importance of M. africanum in Ghana and highlight the need to differentiate between Lineage 5 and Lineage 6, as these lineages differ in associated patient variables

Juvenile Delinquency: Its Causes and Effects

The aim of the study was to find out the circumstances that led inmates of two correctional facilities for young offenders into behaviours considered criminal and the effect it has had on them and the society they lived in. The study hypothesized that; peer association and family situation will influence delinquency and that delinquency did not have a significant effect on the future (schooling) of the juveniles affected. Fifty-seven (57) inmates of two Junior Correctional Centres in Accra were conveniently selected to respond to a structured questionnaire. Juveniles attributed the causes of their delinquent behaviours to their own initiatives, family situations, spiritual influences and peer association. Peer pressure was found to influence adolescent behaviour formation. Implications of juveniles’ incarceration and parental role in guiding adolescent children are discussed. Keywords: delinquency, juvenile, causes, peer association. DOI: 10.7176/JLPG/88-24 Publication date: August 31st 201

Cultural Models of Well-Being Implicit in Four Ghanaian Languages

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.This contribution to the collection of articles on “African Cultural Models” considers the topic of well-being. Reflecting modern individualist selfways of North American and European worlds, normative conceptions of well-being in hegemonic psychological science tend to valorize self-acceptance, personal growth, and autonomy. In contrast, given the embedded interdependence of everyday life in many West African worlds, one can hypothesize that cultural models of well-being in many Ghanaian settings will place greater emphasis on sustainability-oriented themes of material sufficiency and successful navigation of normative obligations. To explore this hypothesis, we interviewed local cultural experts who function as custodians of religion and an important source of support for well-being in many Ghanaian settings. We asked participants to identify and explain models of well-being implicit in four Ghanaian languages (Akan, Dagbani, Ewe, and Ga). Participants were 19 men and 15 women (age range 32–92 years; Mean = 59.83; SD: 14.01). Results reveal some features of local models, including good health and positive affective states, that appear to resonate with standard understandings of well-being in hegemonic psychological science. However, results also provide evidence for other features of local models – specifically, good living (including moral living, material success, and proper relationality) and peace of mind – associated with a sustainability or maintenance orientation to well-being.Volkswagen Foundation, Germany (94667

Effects of Polymer 3D Architecture, Size, and Chemistry on Biological Transport and Drug Delivery In Vitro and in Orthotopic Triple Negative Breast Cancer Models

© 2020 Wiley-VCH GmbH The size, shape, and underlying chemistries of drug delivery particles are key parameters which govern their ultimate performance in vivo. Responsive particles are desirable for triggered drug delivery, achievable through architecture change and biodegradation to control in vivo fate. Here, polymeric materials are synthesized with linear, hyperbranched, star, and micellar-like architectures based on 2-hydroxypropyl methacrylamide (HPMA), and the effects of 3D architecture and redox-responsive biodegradation on biological transport are investigated. Variations in “stealth” behavior between the materials are quantified in vitro and in vivo, whereby reduction-responsive hyperbranched polymers most successfully avoid accumulation within the liver, and none of the materials target the spleen or lungs. Functionalization of selected architectures with doxorubicin (DOX) demonstrates enhanced efficacy over the free drug in 2D and 3D in vitro models, and enhanced efficacy in vivo in a highly aggressive orthotopic breast cancer model when dosed over schedules accounting for the biodistribution of the carriers. These data show it is possible to direct materials of the same chemistries into different cellular and physiological regions via modulation of their 3D architectures, and thus the work overall provides valuable new insight into how nanoparticle architecture and programmed degradation can be tailored to elicit specific biological responses for drug delivery

Omega-3 Fatty Acids Reduce Adipose Tissue Macrophages in Human Subjects with Insulin Resistance

Fish oils (FOs) have anti-inflammatory effects and lower serum triglycerides. This study examined adipose and muscle inflammatory markers after treatment of humans with FOs and measured the effects of ω-3 fatty acids on adipocytes and macrophages in vitro. Insulin-resistant, nondiabetic subjects were treated with Omega-3-Acid Ethyl Esters (4 g/day) or placebo for 12 weeks. Plasma macrophage chemoattractant protein 1 (MCP-1) levels were reduced by FO, but the levels of other cytokines were unchanged. The adipose (but not muscle) of FO-treated subjects demonstrated a decrease in macrophages, a decrease in MCP-1, and an increase in capillaries, and subjects with the most macrophages demonstrated the greatest response to treatment. Adipose and muscle ω-3 fatty acid content increased after treatment; however, there was no change in insulin sensitivity or adiponectin. In vitro, M1-polarized macrophages expressed high levels of MCP-1. The addition of ω-3 fatty acids reduced MCP-1 expression with no effect on TNF-α. In addition, ω-3 fatty acids suppressed the upregulation of adipocyte MCP-1 that occurred when adipocytes were cocultured with macrophages. Thus, FO reduced adipose macrophages, increased capillaries, and reduced MCP-1 expression in insulin-resistant humans and in macrophages and adipocytes in vitro; however, there was no measureable effect on insulin sensitivity. Diabetes 62:1709–1717, 201

Comparative genomics of Mycobacterium africanum Lineage 5 and Lineage 6 from Ghana suggests distinct ecological niches.

Mycobacterium africanum (Maf) causes a substantial proportion of human tuberculosis in some countries of West Africa, but little is known on this pathogen. We compared the genomes of 253 Maf clinical isolates from Ghana, including N = 175 Lineage 5 (L5) and N = 78 Lineage 6 (L6). We found that the genomic diversity of L6 was higher than in L5 despite the smaller sample size. Regulatory proteins appeared to evolve neutrally in L5 but under purifying selection in L6. Even though over 90% of the human T cell epitopes were conserved in both lineages, L6 showed a higher ratio of non-synonymous to synonymous single nucleotide variation in these epitopes overall compared to L5. Of the 10% human T cell epitopes that were variable, most carried mutations that were lineage-specific. Our findings indicate that Maf L5 and L6 differ in some of their population genomic characteristics, possibly reflecting different selection pressures linked to distinct ecological niches