Maternal and Infant Health Section of the Demographic and Health Survey Report of Ghana

This article is basically a commentary on some sections on infant and maternal healthcare of the 2008 demographic and health survey of Ghana. The attention of both policy makers and academics are drawn to the need to ensure the expansion of the maternal and infant healthcare in Ghana. In same commentary, attention of readers have been drawn to the proclivity of the free maternal health policy to positively shape maternal and infant care in Ghan

Characterising Wildlife Trade Market Supply-Demand Dynamics.

The trade in wildlife products can represent an important source of income for poor people, but also threaten wildlife locally, regionally and internationally. Bushmeat provides livelihoods for hunters, traders and sellers, protein to rural and urban consumers, and has depleted the populations of many tropical forest species. Management interventions can be targeted towards the consumers or suppliers of wildlife products. There has been a general assumption in the bushmeat literature that the urban trade is driven by consumer demand with hunters simply fulfilling this demand. Using the urban bushmeat trade in the city of Kumasi, Ghana, as a case study, we use a range of datasets to explore the processes driving the urban bushmeat trade. We characterise the nature of supply and demand by explicitly considering three market attributes: resource condition, hunter behaviour, and consumer behaviour. Our results suggest that bushmeat resources around Kumasi are becoming increasingly depleted and are unable to meet demand, that hunters move in and out of the trade independently of price signals generated by the market, and that, for the Kumasi bushmeat system, consumption levels are driven not by consumer choice but by shortfalls in supply and consequent price responses. Together, these results indicate that supply-side processes dominate the urban bushmeat trade in Kumasi. This suggests that future management interventions should focus on changing hunter behaviour, although complementary interventions targeting consumer demand are also likely to be necessary in the long term. Our approach represents a structured and repeatable method to assessing market dynamics in information-poor systems. The findings serve as a caution against assuming that wildlife markets are demand driven, and highlight the value of characterising market dynamics to inform appropriate management

Evaluation of serum iron overload, AST:ALT ratio and log10ferritin:AST ratio among schizophrenia patients in the Kumasi Metropolis, Ghana: A case-control study

Objective: The association between unbalanced iron indices and the conditions of schizophrenia are not well understood. Liver dysfunction which has been linked to iron metabolism might be a contributing factor. This case–control study evaluated serum iron indices and liver function in treatment-naïve schizophrenia patients and those already on treatment at the Psychiatric Department of the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH), Kumasi-Ghana. Results: The mean age of the respondents was 39.6 ± 0.8 years. Increased levels of serum iron, TS, AST, ALT and AST:ALT ratio and lower levels of UIBC, TIBC, Transferrin, and log Ferritin:AST ratio levels were observed among the treatment-naïve group compared to the control. The treatment-naïve and treatment groups showed significantly higher serum AST:ALT ratio, and lower log10ferrtin:AST ratio than the healthy controls. There was a significant correlation between log10ferritin and AST, and log10ferritin and GGT in both treatments (r = 0.343; p = 0.003, and r = 0.502; p = 0.001 respectively) and treatment-naïve groups (r = 0.348; p = 0.002, and r = 0.614; p \u3c 0.001 respectively). Percentage transferrin saturation correlated significantly with GGT only, in the treatment-naïve group (r = 0.667; p \u3c 0.001), and ALT and GGT in the treatment group (r = 0.252; p = 0.030 and r = 0.646; p = 0.014 respectively)

Development of alumino-silicate refractories in Ghana

Alumino-silicate (bauxite), andalusite, kaolin and clay were investigated for suitability in production of alumina, mullite and fireclay brick refractories. The raw materials were characterized by X-ray diffraction, differential thermal and silicate analyses. The X-ray diffraction analysis of alumina and mullite refractories fired at 1450 oC, and fireclay bricks fired at 1350 oC, indicated presence of corundum and alpha-alumina crystals. The values of thermal (fired) shrinkage, crushing strength, porosity, water absorption and bulk density determined were 31.1 %, 2.3 x 103 kg/m3, 4.86 x 106 N/m2 and 13.2 % for mullite; 30.2 %, 2.4 x 103 kg/m3, 3.20 x 106 N/m2 and W = 12.8 % for alumina; and 25.2 %, 2.1 x 103 kg/m3, 2.61 x 106 N/m2 and W = 11.8 % for fireclay, respective-ly. Bauxite, andalusite and special kaolin were identified as potential raw materials for developing alumina and mullite refractories for construction of high temperature kilns and furnaces operating at 1350 oC. The clay and kaolin minerals could be used to produce fireclay refractories for construction of incinerators operating at maxi-mum temperatures of about 1000 oC. The performance of the refractories was demonstrated by producing bric-ks to construct kilns and incinerators for the ceramic industries and hospitals. Journal of Applied Science and Technology Vol. 13 (1 & 2) 2008: pp. 72-7

The ecology of mosquitoes in an irrigated vegetable farm in Kumasi, Ghana: abundance, productivity and survivorship

Abstract Background Irrigated vegetable farms within the city of Kumasi, Ghana, create hotspots for the breeding of malaria vectors, which could lead to high transmission of malaria. This study investigated the abundance and productivity of mosquitoes in an irrigated vegetable farm in Kumasi, Ghana. Methods Adult mosquito productivity was estimated five days in a week in different irrigated scheme types (dug-out wells, furrows and footprints) for 12 weeks using emergence traps. Larval sampling was done five days a week to estimate the abundance of larvae from the different irrigated schemes types. Results Mosquito breeding in the irrigated vegetable field was confined to dug-out wells, furrows and human footprints. Mosquito productivity (m2/week) was highest in the dugout wells followed by the human footprints and the least was in the furrows (11.23, 5.07 and 4.34 An. gambiae/m2/week). Larval abundance for the late instars (3rd, 4th and pupae) also followed the same trend, with the dug-out wells having the highest larval abundance followed by the human footprints and then the furrows (13.24, 6.81, 5.87 larvae/week). Mosquito productivity and abundance was negatively correlated with rainfall (R2 = 0.209; P< 0.01). Conclusion This study showed that adult and larval mosquito abundance and larval survival were high in the irrigated fields in the irrigated vegetable farm. This therefore, contributed significantly to adult mosquito populations and hence malaria transmission in the city

Effect of music on blood pressure, respiratory and pulse rate in patients undergoing tooth extraction at UGDS dental clinic, Accra-Ghana

Backgroud: Fear and anxiety are known to be associated with dental treatment. Reasons include fear of injection and pain associated with tooth extraction. In addition, the fear sometimes leads to increased blood pressure, respiratory and pulse rates. One method of relieving dental anxiety is listening to music. Therefore, the study assesses the impact of classical music on the blood pressure, respiratory, and pulse rates of the patients undergoing tooth extraction. Materials And Methods: A total of 124 patients for tooth extraction at the University of Ghana Dental School clinic were randomly assigned to intervention and control groups. A revised modified dental anxiety scale assessed dental anxiety and collected demographic data prior to the extraction. The intervention group(62) listened to classical music for 5 minutes, but the control group(62) did not. Blood pressures, respiratory and pulses rates were taken before and after tooth extraction. We then evaluated the impact of the intervention on the physiological changes. Results: There were 46.8% males and 53.2% females. The mean age was 46.2±18.0yrs. No significant differences were observed in sex distribution and mean age between intervention and control groups. Overall dental anxiety prevalence was 52(41.9%). The music group had significantly reduced mean systolic blood pressure by 8.8mmHg (p=0.001). The respiratory rate was significantly lower for the music group (19.7±4.1) as compared to the control group (21.2±3.33), p=0.023.Conclusion: Classical music was associated with reducing systolic blood pressure and the respiratory rate, which are some of the physiological indicators of dental anxiety. &nbsp

Implicit Attitudes Toward Ageing: A Case of Funeral Advertisements in the Ghanaian Print Media

Through the agency of the media, individuals within a community absorb impressions, images, ideas and sounds that mirror society’s attitude towards old age. The study explored implicit attitudes towards old age in the print media as depicted in funeral advertisements in Ghana. Data was gathered from print advertisements (funeral announcements from the Daily Graphic) for two (2) years. The research studied only funeral announcements that displayed the age (60 years upwards) at which a person died and captured the picture of the dead person depicted on the funeral announcement poster (either at a later stage of their lives, younger age or both). A content analysis revealed some major themes; Celebration of life, Celebration of profession, Celebration of achievement, Blessing and other sub-themes. Although these themes suggest a positive attitude towards old age, it was however observed that some of the pictures used in the advertisements were those taken at an earlier stage in the life of the dead person. Results are discussed with reference to relevant theories and related studies

Proportion of hunter reports citing particular species as being present or absent in their catch.

<p>‘Present’ refers to species caught frequently; ‘Absent’ refers to species that used to be caught frequently but are now rare or absent entirely. Species are ordered by decreasing proportion of ‘Present’ reports, followed by increasing proportion of ‘Absent’ reports.</p