Urinary iodine concentration and thyroid volume of pregnant women attending antenatal care in two selected hospitals in Ashanti Region, Ghana: a comparative cross-sectional study

Abstract Background Iodine deficiency is a major public health problem affecting people worldwide, particularly pregnant women. Iodine requirements increase substantially during pregnancy making pregnant women vulnerable to iodine deficiency and its disorders such as abortions, stillbirths and pregnancy goitre as well as congenital abnormalities, cretinism and mental retardation in their children. The primary aim of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of iodine deficiency and goitre among pregnant women attending antenatal sessions at two selected hospitals in Ashanti region, Ghana. Methods A cross-sectional study was carried out in 239 pregnant women who attended the antenatal clinic at Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) Hospital or Ejura District Hospital, both in Ashanti Region, Ghana. Socio-demographic data and information related to iodine were captured using a questionnaire. Urinary iodine concentration (UIC) was determined on spot urine samples using the Sandell-Kolthoff reaction with ammonium persulfate as digesting agent. Each woman’s thyroid volume was also measured by ultrasonography. Results The overall median UIC was 155.9 μg/L, indicating adequate iodine intake in the study population. However, goitre prevalence in the pregnant women was 11.3%, denoting mild iodine deficiency. The median UIC for pregnant women who attended KNUST Hospital was higher (163.8 μg/L) than that of Ejura District Hospital (149.0 μg/L). The proportion of women who did not consume iodised salt was significantly higher (p < 0.001) in Ejura District Hospital (71.2%) than KNUST Hospital (28.0%). In total, 47.3% of the pregnant women studied had a UIC < 150 μg/L. Only 16.3% knew about the increase in iodine requirement during pregnancy and 21.3% of them had knowledge of the effects of iodine deficiency during pregnancy with most (81.8%) knowing of pregnancy goitre. Conclusion There is generally adequate iodine intake among the pregnant women, however, iodine deficiency and goitre still exist among some pregnant women. Thus, assessment and continuous monitoring of iodine nutritional status in pregnant women in the country are warranted. Also, intensification of effective public health campaigns (through radio and television) with regard to iodine utilization and its benefits in pregnancy are still recommended among Ghanaian pregnant women

Mucin expression patterns in histological grades of colonic cancers in Ghanaian population

Introduction: Myriad roles of mucins in normal tissues have been well documented, including lubrication of the epithelial surfaces; protection from physical damage; facilitation in cell-cell signaling and suppression of inflammatory activity. Pathological expression of mucins has been noted in cancer development and progression. This study sought to identify and quantify the types of mucins produced during various histological grades of colon cancer and to assess the diagnostic significance. Methods: Formalin fixed, paraffin-embedded tissue blocks, comprising three (3) normal colon and twenty-two (22) colon cancer tissues, were retrieved from the archives of the histopathology department of the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital. They were stained with Haematoxylin and eosin (H&amp;E) for diagnosis and grading of tumours. Tissues were pre-digested with diastase and stained with Alcian blue (pH 2.5)/Periodic Acid Schiff to characterize the mucin variants present. Results: Our findings indicated that normal colonic tissues expressed exceptionally high amount of acid mucin and low amount of neutral mucin. However, there was a general decrease in mucin expression in colon cancers compared to normal colon tissues. Additional findings suggested that as cancer progresses from low grade to high grade of adenocarcinoma of the colon, there was generally a considerable decrease in the acid mucin production and an increase in the neutral mucin expression. In contrast, a sizeable subpopulation of high-grade adenocarcinomas of colon showed a rather opposite mucin expression pattern- increase in acid mucin and a decrease in neutral mucin. Conclusion: As colonic cancer progresses, there are corresponding changes in the mucin types and content such that there are decrease in acid mucin and increase in neutral mucin expressions

Additional file 1: of Urinary iodine concentration and thyroid volume of pregnant women attending antenatal care in two selected hospitals in Ashanti Region, Ghana: a comparative cross-sectional study

Questionnaire. (PDF 34 kb

Aberrant plasma IL-7 and soluble IL-7 receptor levels indicate impaired T-cell response to IL-7 in human tuberculosis

<div><p>T-cell proliferation and generation of protective memory during chronic infections depend on Interleukin-7 (IL-7) availability and receptivity. Regulation of IL-7 receptor (IL-7R) expression and signalling are key for IL-7-modulated T-cell functions. Aberrant expression of soluble (s) and membrane-associated (m) IL-7R molecules is associated with development of autoimmunity and immune failure in acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) patients. Here we investigated the role of IL-7/IL-7R on T-cell immunity in human tuberculosis. We performed two independent case-control studies comparing tuberculosis patients and healthy contacts. This was combined with follow-up examinations for a subgroup of tuberculosis patients under therapy and recovery. Blood plasma and T cells were characterised for IL-7/sIL-7R and mIL-7R expression, respectively. IL-7-dependent T-cell functions were determined by analysing STAT5 phosphorylation, antigen-specific cytokine release and by analysing markers of T-cell exhaustion and inflammation. Tuberculosis patients had lower soluble IL-7R (p < 0.001) and higher IL-7 (p < 0.001) plasma concentrations as compared to healthy contacts. Both markers were largely independent and aberrant expression normalised during therapy and recovery. Furthermore, tuberculosis patients had lower levels of mIL-7R in T cells caused by post-transcriptional mechanisms. Functional <i>in vitro</i> tests indicated diminished IL-7-induced STAT5 phosphorylation and impaired IL-7-promoted cytokine release of <i>Mycobacterium tuberculosis</i>-specific CD4⁺ T cells from tuberculosis patients. Finally, we determined T-cell exhaustion markers PD-1 and SOCS3 and detected increased SOCS3 expression during therapy. Only moderate correlation of PD-1 and SOCS3 with IL-7 expression was observed. We conclude that diminished soluble IL-7R and increased IL-7 plasma concentrations, as well as decreased membrane-associated IL-7R expression in T cells, reflect impaired T-cell sensitivity to IL-7 in tuberculosis patients. These findings show similarities to pathognomonic features of impaired T-cell functions and immune failure described in AIDS patients.</p></div

Membrane-associated IL-7R expression on CD4⁺ and CD8⁺ T cells.

<p>Membrane-associated IL-7R expression of CD4⁺ (left graphs) and CD8⁺ (right graphs) T cells from tuberculosis patients (n = 17) and healthy contacts (n = 21) analysed by flow cytometry. <b>(a)</b> Mean fluorescence intensity (MFI) analyses of IL-7R. <b>(b)</b> Proportions of IL-7R_low-expressing CD4⁺ and CD8⁺ T cells from tuberculosis patients and healthy contacts. Median and interquartile range is depicted, and each symbol indicates mean values of duplicates from each individual donor. Exact Mann-Whitney U test used for comparison of groups. Nominal p-values are indicated as * p < 0.05, ** p < 0.01.</p

Patient characteristics.

<p>Patient characteristics.</p

PD-1 and SOCS3 mRNA expression of CD4+ T cells from tuberculosis patients and healthy contacts.

<p>The expression of PD-1 <b>(a)</b> and SOCS3 <b>(c)</b> was determined for mRNA isolated from CD4⁺ T cells, using Glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH) as a reference. Cycle threshold differences (2^-ΔCt) are shown for healthy contacts [n = 117 (PD-1), n = 119 (SOCS3)], and for tuberculosis patients prior to (0 months, n = 40), during (2 months, n = 28), and after (6 months, n = 17) treatment. Median and interquartile range is depicted. Spearman correlation between plasma IL-7 and <b>(b)</b> PD-1 or <b>(d)</b> SOCS3 for healthy contacts (circles) or tuberculosis patients (squares) prior to treatment. Each symbol indicates mean values of duplicates from each individual donor. Due to a low overlap between tuberculosis patients, exact Mann-Whitney U test used for comparison of all groups. Nominal p-values are indicated as * p < 0.05, ** p < 0.01, *** p < 0.001.</p