CHALLENGES OF TEACHERS’ SUPERVISION TOWARDS THE SAFETY OF GHANAIAN KINDERGARTEN LEARNERS

The study sought to assess the challenges of teacher supervision towards the safety of learners in kindergarten schools within Komenda Edina Eguafo Abrem Municipality in the Central Region of Ghana. The study was situated in the interpretivist paradigm by employing a qualitative research approach. The instrumental case study design was adopted for this study. A semi-structured interview guide was utilized to collect data from 16 participants. A convenience sampling technique was used in selecting the participants for the study. The data were analyzed thematically with the help of an online qualitative analysis tool, Taguette. The findings of the study revealed that the majority of kindergarten teachers are overloaded with tasks that make them inefficient to supervise their learners for their safety. Again, this study emerged that poor maintenance culture in kindergarten schools contributes to the ineffective supervision of most kindergarten teachers. The study findings also suggest that most kindergarten teachers are challenged with inactive supervision because of the inequivalent teacher-learner ratio. It was recommended to the National School Inspectorate Authority (NaSIA), the Ministry of Education (MoE) and the Ghana Education Service (GES) to collaborate and make a policy criterion for inspecting all kindergarten schools for safety before certification of operation would be issued to them. It was also recommended to the National Teaching Council (NTC) to include teacher supervision and safety in their assessment modules for licensing kindergarten teachers and school administrators and heads.  Article visualizations

The Level of Heavy Metal Pollution in the Soil as Affected by Wastes from Pig Production in Assin South District, Ghana

Pig wastes have been considered a source of heavy metal pollution in soils in pig production communities in Ghana. The study was conducted to determine the pollution levels of copper (Cu), iron (Fe) and zinc (Zn) in soils in some pig production communities in Assin South District. Soils and pig droppings from five pig waste dumping sites designated as NS, AM, AK, AD and NK and one non-dumping site,O, (control) were studied. The mean Cu concentration in the droppings varied from 12 mg kg-1 to 46 mg kg-1 and in the order of NK> AM >NS > AK > AD. The mean Fe concentration in the droppings also ranged from 551 mg kg-1 to 657 mg kg-1 whilst the Zn concentration ranged from 55 mg kg-1 to 118 mg kg-1 and in the order of AD >AM > NS > NK > AK and NS > NK > AM > AK > AD respectively. The mean concentrations of extractable Cu, Fe and Zn in the soils from all the dumping sites were significantly (P ≤ 0.05) higher than the background value (control). The mean Cu concentration in the soils varied from 49 mg kg-1 to 70 mg kg-1, whilst the Fe varied from 957 mg kg-1 to 1020 mg kg-1 and the Zn varied from 108 mg kg-1 to 204 mg kg-1, and the order of the variations differed from that of the pig droppings. The results of the quantification of the metal contamination in the soils from the dumping sites using geoaccumulation index indicated that at all the sites, the Cu pollution in the soils was moderate, the soils were almost not polluted by Fe, and the Zn pollution was light. Keywords: heavy metal, pollution, dumping site, Assin South District, geoaccumulation index

Effects of Group Size on Students Mathematics Achievement in Small Group Settings

An ideal group size is hard to obtain in small group settings; hence there are groups with more members than others. The purpose of the study was to find out whether group size has any effects on students’ mathematics achievement in small group settings. Two third year classes of the 2011 / 2012 academic year were selected from two schools in the Central Region of Ghana for the study.  The two classes constituted the control and experimental groups respectively and consisted of 50 students in the control group and 47 in the experimental group. The experimental group was subdivided into 12 groups made up of groups of 3members, groups of 4 members and groups of 5 members using stratified and simple random sampling. The students’ pre- and post-test scores served as the data for the study. The results of the study showed no significant difference in the mean scores of the three subgroups of the experimental group. Keywords: Group size, Cooperative learning, Achievemen

Pharmacokinetic herb-drug interaction study of selected traditional medicines used as complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) for HIV/AIDS

Thesis (DMed)--Stellenbosch University, 2015ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Introduction The increasing intake of traditional medicines among HIV/AIDS patients in sub-Saharan Africa needs urgent consideration by clinicians and other healthcare providers since the safety of such medications are unknown. The pharmacokinetic parameters - Absorption, Distribution, Metabolism and Elimination (ADME) play important role in the safety evaluation of drugs, thus implicating drug metabolizing enzymes and transporters as critical indicators for herb-drug interactions. The objective of this study was to evaluate the risk potential of seven herbal medicines commonly consumed by HIV/AIDS patients for drug interactions applying in vitro models. In this study, inhibition and induction effects of the herbal medicines on cytochrome P450s (CYPs) 1A2, 2C9, 2C19, 2D6 and 3A4 as well as P-glycoprotein (P-gp) were investigated. Methods Herbal medicines – Lessertia frutescens, Hypoxis hemerocallidea, Kalanchoe integra and Taraxacum officinale were sourced from Medico Herbs, South Africa were identified by experts from Compton Herbarium, South African National Biodiversity Institute, Cape Town. Moringa oleifera, Echinacea purpurea and Kalanchoe crenata were obtained from the repository of the National Centre for Natural Product Research (NCNPR), University of Mississippi, USA. Reversible inhibitory effect of aqueous and methanol herbal extracts were evaluated in recombinant CYPs applying the fluorescent metabolites at specified excitation/emission wavelengths; CYP1A2 (3-cyano-7-hydroxycoumarin (CHC); 405/460 nm), CYP2C9, CYP2C19 and CYP3A4 (7-hydroxy-4-(trifluoromethyl)-coumarin (HFC); 405/535 nm) and CYP2D6 (7-hydroxy-4-(aminomethyl)-coumarin (HAMC); 390/460 nm). Comparative studies in human liver microsomes (HLM) and recombinant CYPs were conducted to investigate the inhibitory effect of methanol herbal extracts and fractions on 6β testosterone hydroxylation activity. Time dependent inhibitory (TDI) effect of the herbal extracts were evaluated applying the IC50 shift fold, normalized ratio and the NADPH-, time- and concentration-dependent approaches. Influence of herbal extracts on metabolic clearance of testosterone was assessed in both HLM and human hepatocytes. The effects of each herbal extract on expression of CYP1A2, CYP3A4 and MDR1 genes were evaluated in activated human pregnane X receptor (PXR) co-transfected HepG2 cells. Finally, the inhibitory effect of herbal extracts on P-gp was assessed using the calcein-acetoxymethyl ester (calcein-AM) uptake and the digoxin radiolabelled substrates in MDCKII-MDRI cells. Results The aqueous extracts of Moringa oleifera, Kalanchoe integra, Kalanchoe crenata, Echinacea purpurea and Lessertia frutescens demonstrated high risk of in vivo inhibition on CYPs 3A4 and 1A2 with Cmax/Ki >1.0. Methanol extracts of these herbal medicines also indicated potential risk of reversible drug interaction. The methanol extracts of M. oleifera, K. crenata and L. frutescens showed strong TDI effect on CYP3A4 with IC50 shift fold >1.5 and normalised ratio <0.7. Moringa oleifera intermediately reduced intrinsic clearance of testosterone in human hepatocytes (2 ≤ AUC ratio ≤ 5) when scaled up to humans. Methanol extracts of Echinacea purpurea up-regulated the expression of CYP1A2, CYP3A4 and MDR1 genes in activated PXR. Kalanchoe crenata and Echinacea purpurea indicated strong inhibition on P-gp by reducing transport of digoxin across hMDR1-MDCKII cell monolayer from basolateral to apical with IC50 values of 18.24 ± 2.52 μg/mL and 24.47 ± 4.97 μg/mL, respectively. Conclusion The herbal medicines especially M. oleifera, K. integra and E. purpurea have the potential to cause herb-drug interaction in vivo if sufficient hepatic concentration is achieved in humans.AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Inleiding Die verhoogde inname van tradisionele medisynes onder MIV/VIGS-pasiënte in sub-Sahara-Afrika verg dringend oorweging deur klinici en ander gesondheidsorgverskaffers, aangesien die veiligheid van sodanige medikasies onbekend is. Die farmakokinetiese parameters – Absorpsie, Distribusie, Metabolisme en Eliminasie (ADME) – speel ’n belangrike rol by die veiligheidsevaluering van geneesmiddels, en impliseer gevolglik geneesmiddel-metaboliserende ensieme en vervoerders as kritiese indikators vir krui-geneesmiddel-interaksies (HDI). Die oogmerk van hierdie studie is om die risikopotensiaal van sewe kruiemedisynes wat algemeen deur MIV/VIGS-pasiënte geneem word, vir geneesmiddel-interaksies te evalueer deur in vitro-modelle te gebruik. In hierdie studie is die inhiberings- en induseringsuitwerkings van die kruiemedisynes op sitochroom P450’s (verkort na CYP’s) 1A2, 2C9, 2C19, 2D6 en 3A4, sowel as P-glikoproteïen (P-gp), ondersoek. Metodes Kruiemedisynes – Lessertia frutescens, Hypoxis hemerocallidea, Kalanchoe integra en Taraxacum officinale – is van Medico Herbs, Suid-Afrika, bekom en deur kundiges van die Compton-herbarium, by die Suid-Afrikaanse Nasionale Biodiversiteitsinstituut, Kaapstad, geïdentifiseer. Moringa oleifera, Echinacea purpurea en Kalanchoe crenata is van die bewaarplek van die Nasionale Sentrum vir Natuurlike Produknavorsing (NCNPR) aan die Universiteit van Mississippi in die VSA verkry. Die omkeerbare inhiberende uitwerking van kruie-ekstrakte in water en metanol is in rekombinante CYP’s geëvalueer deur die gebruik van die fluoresserende metaboliete op gespesifiseerde opwekkings-/emissiegolflengtes; CYP1A2 (3-siaan-7-hidroksikumarien (CHC); 405/460 nm), CYP2C9, CYP2C19 en CYP3A4 (7-hidroksi-4-(trifluoormetiel)-kumarien (HFC); 405/535 nm) en CYP2D6 (7-hidroksi-4-(aminometiel)-kumarien (HAMC); 390/460 nm). Vergelykende studies van menslikelewermikrosome (HLM) en rekombinante CYP’s is uitgevoer om die inhiberende uitwerking van metanolkruie-ekstrakte en -fraksies op 6β-testosteroonhidroksileringsaktiwiteit te ondersoek. Die tydafhanklike inhiberende uitwerking (TDI) van die kruie-ekstrakte is geëvalueer deur gebruikmaking van die IC50-verskuiwingsvou-, die genormaliseerdeverhoudings- en die NADPH-, tyd- en konsentrasieafhanklike benaderings. Die invloed van kruie-ekstrakte op metaboliese testosteroonverheldering is in beide HLM en menslike hepatosiete geëvalueer. Die uitwerkings van elke kruie-ekstrak op die uitdrukking van CYP1A2-, CYP3A4- en MDR1-gene is in geaktiveerde menslike pregnaan-X-reseptor(PXR)-, ko-getransfekteerde HepG2-selle geëvalueer. Laastens is die inhiberende uitwerking van kruie-ekstrakte op P-gp geëvalueer, met gebruikmaking van die kalsien-asetoksimetiel-ester (kalsien-AM)-opname en die digoksien- radiogemerkte substrate in MDCKII-MDRI-selle. Resultate Die ekstrakte in water van M. oleifera, K. integra, K. crenata, E. purpurea en L. frutescens het ’n hoë risiko van in vivo-inhibering op CYP’s 3A4 en 1A2 met Cmaks/Ki >1.0 getoon. Ekstrakte van hierdie kruiemedisynes in metanol het verder potensiële risiko van omkeerbare geneesmiddelinteraksie getoon. Die ekstrakte van M. oleifera, K. crenata en L. frutescens in metanol het sterk TDI-uitwerking op CYP3A4 met IC50-verskuiwingsvou >1.5 en genormaliseerde verhouding <0.7 getoon. M. oleifera het intermediêre vermindering van intrinsieke testosteroonverheldering in menslike hepatosiete (2 ≤ AUC verhouding ≤ 5) tot gevolg wanneer die skaal na mense verhoog word. Ekstrakte van E. purpurea in metanol het die uitdrukking van CYP1A2-, CYP3A4- en MDR1-gene in geaktiveerde PXR opgereguleer. K. crenata en E. purpurea het sterk inhibering van P-gp getoon deur die vervoer van digoksien deur die hMDR1-MDCKII-selmonolaag van basolateraal tot apikaal met IC50-waardes van onderskeidelik 18.24 ± 2.52 μg/mL en 24.47 ± 4.97 μg/mL te verminder. Gevolgtrekking Kruiemedisynes, veral M. oleifera, K. integra en E. purpurea, het die potensiaal om HDI in vivo te veroorsaak indien voldoende hepatiese konsentrasie by mense bereik word

Prevalence and determinants of care needs among older people in Ghana

Introduction Given the longevity noticed among older people in Ghana, and the potential occurrence of functional disability in later years of life, it has become essential to understand their care needs. This study examined the care needs in daily tasks and associated factors in Ghana, following the World Health Organisation International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health framework. Materials and methods A cross-sectional survey was conducted among a sample of 400 older people from Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital in Southern Ghana. Care need was assessed by one question; “Do you regularly need help with daily tasks because of long-term illness, disability, or frailty?” Multivariate logistic regression was used to test the association between care need and independent variables based on the WHO-ICF conceptual framework. Results Majority of the sample (81%), particularly women (54%) reported needing care in daily tasks. Per the WHO-ICF conceptual framework, functional disability—activity variable, (OR = 1.07 95%CI: 1.05–1.09, p<0.001), and absence of government support—an environmental factor, (OR = 3.96 95%CI: 1.90–8.25, p<0.001) were associated with care need. Conclusions The high prevalence of care needs among older people may offer an indication that majority of older people in Ghana could benefit from long-term care services. Functional disability and the absence of government support are the major issues that need to be prioritised in addressing the increased demand for care related to performing daily tasks among older people in Ghana.Introduction Given the longevity noticed among older people in Ghana, and the potential occurrence of functional disability in later years of life, it has become essential to understand their care needs. This study examined the care needs in daily tasks and associated factors in Ghana, following the World Health Organisation International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health framework. Materials and methods A cross-sectional survey was conducted among a sample of 400 older people from Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital in Southern Ghana. Care need was assessed by one question; “Do you regularly need help with daily tasks because of long-term illness, disability, or frailty?” Multivariate logistic regression was used to test the association between care need and independent variables based on the WHO-ICF conceptual framework. Results Majority of the sample (81%), particularly women (54%) reported needing care in daily tasks. Per the WHO-ICF conceptual framework, functional disability—activity variable, (OR = 1.07 95%CI: 1.05–1.09, p<0.001), and absence of government support—an environmental factor, (OR = 3.96 95%CI: 1.90–8.25, p<0.001) were associated with care need. Conclusions The high prevalence of care needs among older people may offer an indication that majority of older people in Ghana could benefit from long-term care services. Functional disability and the absence of government support are the major issues that need to be prioritised in addressing the increased demand for care related to performing daily tasks among older people in Ghana.publishedVersio

Enhancing Biopharmaceutical Attributes of Phospholipid Complex-loaded Nanostructured Lipidic Carriers of Mangiferin: Systematic Development, Characterization and Evaluation

Mangiferin (Mgf), largely expressed out from the leaves and stem bark of Mango, is a potent antioxidant. However, its in vivo activity gets tremendously reduced owing to poor aqueous solubility and inconsistent gastrointestinal absorption, high hepatic first-pass metabolism and high P-gp efflux. The current research work, therefore, was undertaken to overcome the biopharmaceutical hiccups by developing the Mgf-phospholipid complex (PLCs) loaded in nanostructured lipidic carriers (NLCs). The PLCs and NLCs were prepared using refluxing, solvent evaporation and hot emulsification technique, respectively with various molar ratios of Mgf and Phospholipon 90 G, i.e., 1:1; 1:2; and 1:3. The complex was evaluated for various physicochemical parameters like drug content (96.57%), aqueous solubility (25-fold improved) and oil-water partition coefficient (10-fold enhanced). Diverse studies on the prepared complex using FTIR, DSC, PXRD and SEM studies ratified the formation of PLCs at 1:1 ratio. The PLCs were further incorporated onto NLCs, which were systematically optimized employing a face centered cubic design (FCCD), while evaluating for particle size, zeta potential, encapsulation efficiency and in vitro drug release as the CQAs. Caco-2 cell line indicated insignificant cytotoxicity, and P-gp efflux, bi-directional permeability model and in situ perfusion studies specified enhanced intestinal permeation parameters. In vivo pharmacokinetic studies revealed notable increase in the values of Cmax (4.7-fold) and AUC (2.1-fold), respectively, from PLCs-loaded NLCs vis-à-vis Mgf solution. In a nutshell, the promising results observed from the present research work signified boosted biopharmaceutical potential of the optimized PLCs-loaded NLCs for potentially augmenting the therapeutic efficacy of Mgf

Meta-analysis on outcome-worsening comorbidities of COVID-19 and related potential drug-drug interactions

CITATION: Awortwe, C. & Cascorbi, I. 2020. Meta-analysis on outcome-worsening comorbidities of COVID-19 and related potential drug-drug interactions. Pharmacological Research, 161:105250, doi:10.1016/j.phrs.2020.105250.The original publication is available at https://www.sciencedirect.comENGLISH ABSTRACT: Drug-drug interactions (DDI) potentially occurring between medications used in the course of COVID-19 infection and medications prescribed for the management of underlying comorbidities may cause adverse drug reactions (ADRs) contributing to worsening of the clinical outcome in affected patients. First, we conducted a meta-analysis to determine comorbidities observed in the course of COVID-19 disease associated with an increased risk of worsened clinical outcome from 24 published studies. In addition, the potential risk of DDI between medications used in the course of COVID-19 treatment in these studies and those for the management of observed comorbidities was evaluated for possible worsening of the clinical outcome. Our meta-analysis revealed an implication cardiometabolic syndrome (e.g. cardiovascular disease, cerebrovascular disease, hypertension, and diabetes), chronic kidney disease and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease as main co-morbidities associated with worsen the clinical outcomes including mortality (risk difference RD 0.12, 95 %-CI 0.05−0.19, p = 0.001), admission to ICU (RD 0.10, 95 %-CI 0.04−0.16, p = 0.001) and severe infection (RD 0.05, 95 %-CI 0.01−0.09, p = 0.01) in COVID-19 patients. Potential DDI on pharmacokinetic level were identified between the antiviral agents atazanavir and lopinavir/ritonavir and some drugs, used in the treatment of cardiovascular diseases such as antiarrhythmics and anti-coagulants possibly affecting the clinical outcome including cardiac injury or arrest because of QTc-time prolongation or bleeding. Concluding, DDI occurring in the course of anti-Covid-19 treatment and co-morbidities could lead to ADRs, increasing the risk of hospitalization, prolonged time to recovery or death on extreme cases. COVID-19 patients with cardiometabolic diseases, chronic kidney disease and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease should be subjected to particular carefully clinical monitoring of adverse events with a possibility of dose adjustment when necessary.Alexander von Humboldt Foundationhttps://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1043661820315589#!Publisher's versio

Impact of Selected Financial Measures on the Term Debt Repayment Ability of Illinois Grain Farms

A clear and accurate assessment of the financial performance of a farm business is an important component of financial management at any time but becomes even more crucial in periods of economic downturn in the farm sector. Farmers continue to increase their debt even though the prices of commodities are low, and the prices of inputs are high (Krapf, Raab, & Zwilling, 2017). In addition, high family living expenses can also place financial pressure on farms (Scott, 2016). This study focused on identifying and estimating the impact of key factors which included financial measures and family living expenses on the term debt repayment ability of Illinois grain farms. A data set was obtained from the 2017 final financial statements of grain farms that utilized financial services of the Illinois Farm Business Farm Management Association. A binary logistic regression model was used to estimate the impact of selected financial measures and family living expenses on the term debt coverage ratio, which was used to measure the term debt repayment ability of grain farms in Illinois. The results showed that return on farm assets and acres operated positively affected the ability of a grain farm to service term debt whereas debt to asset, asset turnover, farm operator’s age and family living expenses negatively affected the ability of a grain farm to service term debt