Analytical Study of the Implications of Text Illustrations on Lower Primary Pupils' Construal in the Classroom: The Case of Illustrations in Ghanaian Language and Literacy Textbook

Illustrations used in textbooks for lower primary school teaching form an integral part of pupils’ cognitive abilities. Ghanaian publishers and illustrators give marginal attention to the liaison between textbook illustrations and their corresponding text when illustrating for children in lower primary schools. The incongruities between text and its illustrations in the textbooks pose challenges to lower primary pupils in their quest to understand, interpret and match text with adjoining illustrations. The study adopted qualitative research design to study how the misalliance of text and illustrations in textbooks affects teaching and learning at the lower primary level in selected Ghanaian schools in the Ashanti Region. Illustrations in the Ghanaian language and Literacy textbook (Asante Twi) for the lower primary level was chosen for the study.  Two (2) lower primary schools were sampled for the study based on proximity. One (1) teacher was sampled from each school; and a total of eighty (80) pupils were also censused from the 2 schools with convenience and purposive techniques. Thirty-nine (39) and forty-one (41) pupils were used in school A and B respectively. Prospectively, Seguin’s model evaluates that there are standard illustrations in the Ghanaian language and literacy textbook. Conversely, the study evidenced that misalliances between text and its illustrations in textbook affected teaching and learning thereby resulting in pupils’ abysmal academic performance in terms of their comprehension of the illustrations to the various passages read. The teaching methods adopted by individual teachers also played a contributing factor to pupils’ understanding or misinterpretation of the text and its illustration.  The study advocates that text and illustrations in textbooks should equally match in the passage to enable lower primary pupils make meaning and create appropriate mental models of text and its adjoining text illustrations. Keywords: Illustrations, Textbooks, lower primary schools, Language and Literacy, Asante Twi, Ghana

Correlates of Patients’ Preference for Therapeutic Injections in a Major Regional Referral Hospital in Ghana:Implications for Policy and Clinical Practice

Abuse of injections, particularly in resource poor countries, remains a challenge evident in the increasing preference for therapeutic injections over oral medication. Objective of this study is to explore factors associated with patients’ preference for therapeutic injection over oral medication in the Volta Regional Hospital, Ho in Ghana. The study is a cross-sectional survey conducted among 200 patients accessing care in Volta Regional Hospital. Data were analyzed using STATA statistical software for data analysis. Univariate probit regression was used to ascertain factors associated with patients’ preference for therapeutic injections over oral medication (main outcome variable of interest). It was found that 74% of the 200 respondents preferred injection to oral medication. More outpatients preferred injectable medication over oral (p = .041); 86% of the respondents said they never experienced complication related to injectable medication. Patients who perceived injection as more efficacious were more likely to opt for it over oral medication (coefficient = 2.22; SE = 0.33; p < .05). It is concluded that patients’ preference for injectable medication over oral remains high in Ghana, and this preference is significantly associated with patients’ perceptions on superiority of injections over oral medication. There is the need to intensify health education for clients and in-service trainings for health providers to control abuse of therapeutic injections and promote patient safety

Correlates of Patients’ Preference for Therapeutic Injections in a Major Regional Referral Hospital in Ghana:Implications for Policy and Clinical Practice

Abuse of injections, particularly in resource poor countries, remains a challenge evident in the increasing preference for therapeutic injections over oral medication. Objective of this study is to explore factors associated with patients’ preference for therapeutic injection over oral medication in the Volta Regional Hospital, Ho in Ghana. The study is a cross-sectional survey conducted among 200 patients accessing care in Volta Regional Hospital. Data were analyzed using STATA statistical software for data analysis. Univariate probit regression was used to ascertain factors associated with patients’ preference for therapeutic injections over oral medication (main outcome variable of interest). It was found that 74% of the 200 respondents preferred injection to oral medication. More outpatients preferred injectable medication over oral (p = .041); 86% of the respondents said they never experienced complication related to injectable medication. Patients who perceived injection as more efficacious were more likely to opt for it over oral medication (coefficient = 2.22; SE = 0.33; p < .05). It is concluded that patients’ preference for injectable medication over oral remains high in Ghana, and this preference is significantly associated with patients’ perceptions on superiority of injections over oral medication. There is the need to intensify health education for clients and in-service trainings for health providers to control abuse of therapeutic injections and promote patient safety

Effect of mosaic virus diseases on dry matter content and starch yield of five cassava (Manihot esculenta Crantz) accessions in Ghana

The effect of mosaic virus diseases on dry matter content and starch yield of five local accessions of cassava, “Ankrah”, “AW/17, “Tomfa”, “Dagarti” and “Tuaka” was evaluated. Tomfa showed the highest (95%) incidence of the disease, index of severity of symptoms for all plants (ISSAP) of 3.70, as well as, for diseased plants (ISSDP) (3.84) while Dagarti did not show any phenotypic expression of the disease throughout the study period. Most of the accessions displayed mosaic disease symptoms two months after planting but by the fifth month had fully recovered. However, polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based testing at 12 months after planting revealed the presence of ACMV in all the accessions while EACMV was observed in Ankrah, Dagarti and AW/17. Mean tuber (fresh root weight) and starch yield at 12 months after planting (MAP) was significantly (P ≤ 0.05) high in Ankrah while percentage dry matter was significantly higher in Dagarti than the other accessions. A negative correlation between starch yield and cassava mosaic disease incidence implies that a high mosaic incidence particularly in the first three months results in lower tuber and starch yields.Keywords: Mosaic virus diseases, dry matter, starch yield, PCR, disease incidenceAfrican Journal of Biotechnology Vol. 12(27), pp. 4310-431

ANTIOXIDANT AND ANTI-PROLIFERATIVE EFFECTS OF AN ETHYL ACETATE FRACTION OF THE HYDRO-ETHANOLIC EXTRACT OF SYNEDRELLA NODIFLORA (L) GAERTN

Objective: Synedrella nodiflora is traditionally used in the treatment of several ailments. Pharmacologically, this plant has anticonvulsant, sedative, anti-nociceptive and anti-proliferative effects. This study further investigated S. nodiflora for its antioxidant and in vitro inhibition of cancerous cell lines. Methods: Phytochemical assays, and the DPPH radical scavenging method were employed in preliminary screening for antioxidant activities of the crude hydro-ethanolic extract (SNE) and resulting fractions. The potent ethyl acetate fraction (EAF), was further investigated for total phenol and flavonoid contents, reducing power, lipid peroxidation potential, and cytotoxic effects on human breast cancer (MCF-7), leukemic (Jurkat), and normal liver (Chang’s liver) cell lines. Results: The extract contained phenols, flavonoids, tannins, glycosides, sterols, terpenoids, and alkaloids. It scavenged for DPPH with an IC50 of 114 µg/ml, whereas that of EAF was 8.9 µg/ml. EAF prevented peroxidation of egg lecithin at an IC50 of 24.01±0.08 µg/ml. These IC50s are four and three times lower than the reference standards. EAF produced anti-proliferative effects against MCF-7, and Jurkat cell lines with IC50s of 205.2 and 170.9 µg/ml, respectively. EAF had a high IC50 of 252.2 µg/ml against Chang’s liver cells. At 0.1 mg/ml EAF had similar total flavonoid content to SNE, but a significantly higher total phenol content. Conclusion: The ethyl acetate fraction of S. nodiflora, exhibited the most potent antioxidant activity. It inhibited the proliferation of breast and leukemic cancer cell lines, whiles having weak cytotoxic effect on normal liver cells. These can be explored for further drug development

Clinicopathologic characteristics of early-onset breast cancer: a comparative analysis of cases from across Ghana

BACKGROUND: Breast cancer is the commonest cancer diagnosed globally and the second leading cause of cancer-related mortality among women younger than 40 years. This study comparatively reviewed the demographic, pathologic and molecular features of Early-Onset Breast Cancer (EOBC) reported in Ghana in relation to Late Onset Breast Cancer (LOBC). METHODS: A descriptive, cross-sectional design was used, with purposive sampling of retrospective histopathology data from 2019 to 2021. Reports of core or incision biopsy, Wide Local Excision or Mastectomy with or without axillary lymph node dissection specimen and matched immunohistochemistry reports were merged into a single file and analysed with SPSS v. 20.0. Descriptive statistics of frequencies and percentages were used to describe categorical variables. Cross-tabulation and chi-square test was done at a 95% confidence interval with significance established at p \u3c 0.05. RESULTS: A total of 2418 cases were included in the study with 20.2% (488 cases) being EOBCs and 79.8% (1930 cases) being LOBCs. The median age at diagnosis was 34.66 (IQR: 5.55) in the EOBC group (\u3c 40 years) and 54.29 (IQR: 16.86) in the LOBC group (≥ 40 years). Invasive carcinoma-No Special Type was the commonest tumour type with grade III tumours being the commonest in both categories of patients. Perineural invasion was the only statistically significant pathologic parameter with age. EOBC was associated with higher DCIS component (24.8% vs 21.6%), lower hormone-receptor-positive status (52.30% vs 55.70%), higher proliferation index (Ki-67 \u3e 20: 82.40% vs 80.30%) and a higher number of involved lymph nodes (13.80% vs 9.00%). Triple-Negative Breast cancer (26.40% vs 24.30%) was the most predominant molecular subtype of EOBC. CONCLUSION: EOBCs in our setting are generally more aggressive with poorer prognostic histopathological and molecular features when compared with LOBCs. A larger study is recommended to identify the association between relevant pathological features and early onset breast cancer in Ghana. Again, further molecular and genetic studies to understand the molecular genetic drivers of the general poorer pathological features of EOBCs and its relation to patient outcome in our setting is needed

Efficiency of private and public primary health facilities accredited by the National Health Insurance Authority in Ghana

BACKGROUND: Despite improvements in a number of health outcome indicators partly due to the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS), Ghana is unlikely to attain all its health-related millennium development goals before the end of 2015. Inefficient use of available limited resources has been cited as a contributory factor for this predicament. This study sought to explore efficiency levels of NHIS-accredited private and public health facilities; ascertain factors that account for differences in efficiency and determine the association between quality care and efficiency levels. METHODS: The study is a cross-sectional survey of NHIS-accredited primary health facilities (n = 64) in two regions in southern Ghana. Data Envelopment Analysis was used to estimate technical efficiency of sampled health facilities while Tobit regression was employed to predict factors associated with efficiency levels. Spearman correlation test was performed to determine the association between quality care and efficiency. RESULTS: Overall, 20 out of the 64 health facilities (31 %) were optimally efficient relative to their peers. Out of the 20 efficient facilities, 10 (50 %) were Public/government owned facilities; 8 (40 %) were Private-for-profit facilities and 2 (10 %) were Private-not-for-profit/Mission facilities. Mission (Coef. = 52.1; p = 0.000) and Public (Coef. = 42.9; p = 0.002) facilities located in the Western region (predominantly rural) had higher odds of attaining the 100 % technical efficiency benchmark than those located in the Greater Accra region (largely urban). No significant association was found between technical efficiency scores of health facilities and many technical quality care proxies, except in overall quality score per the NHIS accreditation data (Coef. = −0.3158; p < 0.05) and SafeCare Essentials quality score on environmental safety for staff and patients (Coef. = −0.2764; p < 0.05) where the association was negative. CONCLUSIONS: The findings suggest some level of wastage of health resources in many healthcare facilities, especially those located in urban areas. The Ministry of Health and relevant stakeholders should undertake more effective need analysis to inform resource allocation, distribution and capacity building to promote efficient utilization of limited resources without compromising quality care standards

Metabolic profiling detects early effects of environmental and lifestyle exposure to cadmium in a human population

Background: The ‘exposome’ represents the accumulation of all environmental exposures across a lifetime. Topdown strategies are required to assess something this comprehensive, and could transform our understanding of how environmental factors affect human health. Metabolic profiling (metabonomics/metabolomics) defines an individual’s metabolic phenotype, which is influenced by genotype, diet, lifestyle, health and xenobiotic exposure, and could also reveal intermediate biomarkers for disease risk that reflect adaptive response to exposure. We investigated changes in metabolism in volunteers living near a point source of environmental pollution: a closed zinc smelter with associated elevated levels of environmental cadmium. Methods: High-resolution 1H NMR spectroscopy (metabonomics) was used to acquire urinary metabolic profiles from 178 human volunteers. The spectral data were subjected to multivariate and univariate analysis to identify metabolites that were correlated with lifestyle or biological factors. Urinary levels of 8-oxo-deoxyguanosine were also measured, using mass spectrometry, as a marker of systemic oxidative stress. Results: Six urinary metabolites, either associated with mitochondrial metabolism (citrate, 3-hydroxyisovalerate, 4- deoxy-erythronic acid) or one-carbon metabolism (dimethylglycine, creatinine, creatine), were associated with cadmium exposure. In particular, citrate levels retained a significant correlation to urinary cadmium and smoking status after controlling for age and sex. Oxidative stress (as determined by urinary 8-oxo-deoxyguanosine levels) was elevated in individuals with high cadmium exposure, supporting the hypothesis that heavy metal accumulation was causing mitochondrial dysfunction. Conclusions: This study shows evidence that an NMR-based metabolic profiling study in an uncontrolled human population is capable of identifying intermediate biomarkers of response to toxicants at true environmental concentrations, paving the way for exposome research. Keywords: metabonomics, cadmium, environmental health, exposome, metabolomics, molecular epidemiolog