Sociodemographic and clinical characteristics of the first cohort of COVID-19 recoveries at two national treatment centres in Accra, Ghana

Introduction COVID-19 is a new disease, knowledge on the mode of transmission and clinical features are still evolving, new tests are being developed with inherent challenges regarding interpretation of tests results. There is generally, a gap in knowledge on the virus globally as the pandemic evolves and in Ghana, there is dearth of information and documentation on the clinical characteristics of the virus. With these in mind, we set out to profile the initial cohort of COVID-19 patients who recovered in Ghana. Methods: We reviewed clinical records of all confirmed cases of COVID-19 who had recovered from the two main treatment centres in Accra, Ghana. Descriptive data analysis was employed and presented in simple and relational tables. Independent t-test and ANOVA were used to determine differences in the mean age of the sexes and the number of days taken for the first and second retesting to be done per selected patient characteristics. Results: Of the 146 records reviewed, 54% were male; mean age of patients was 41.9 ± 17.5 years, nearly half were asymptomatic, with 9% being severely ill. The commonest presenting symptoms were cough (22.6%), headache (13%) and sore throat (11%) while the commonest co-morbidities were hypertension (25.3%), diabetes mellitus (14%) and heart disease (3.4%). Conclusion: COVID-19 affected more males than females; nearly half of those infected were asymptomatic. Cough, headache and sore throat were the commonest symptoms and mean duration from case confirmation to full recovery was 19 days. Further research is required as pandemic evolve

Clinical features of COVID-19 in Ghana: symptomatology, illness severity and comorbid non-communicable diseases

Objective: This analysis described the clinical features of COVID-19 in the early phase of the pandemic in Ghana.Methods: Data were extracted from two national COVID-19 treatment centers in Ghana for over 11 weeks(from March to May 2020). Descriptive and inferential statistics were performed. Modified Ordered Logistic and Negative Binomial Regression analysis were applied to establish factors associated with illness severity and Non-communicable Disease (NCDs) counts respectively. All analysis was conducted at the 95% confidence level (p-value ≤ 0.05) using Stata 16.Results: Among the 275 patients, the average age was 40.7±16.4, with a preponderance of males (54.5%). The three commonest symptoms presented were cough (21.3%), headache (15.7%), and sore throat (11.7%). Only 7.6% of the patients had a history of fever. Most patients were asymptomatic (51.65). Approximately 38.9% have an underlying co-morbid NCDs, with Hypertension (32.1%), Diabetes (9.9%), and Asthma (5.2%) being the three commonest. The odds of Moderate/severe (MoS) was significantly higher for those with unknown exposures to similar illness [aOR(95%CI) = 4.27(1.12-10.2)] compared with non-exposure to similar illness. An increased unit of NCD’s count significantly increased the odds of COVID-19 MoS illness by 26%[cOR(95%CI) =1.26(1.09-1.84)] and 67% (adjusting for age) [aOR(95%CI)=1.67(1.13-2.49)].Conclusion: The presence of cardiovascular co-morbidities dictated the frequency of reported symptoms and severity of COVID-19 infection in this sample of Ghanaians. Physicians should be aware of the presence of co-morbid NCDs and prepare to manage effectively among COVID-19 patients

Characterizing Prostate Cancer Risk Through Multi-Ancestry Genome-Wide Discovery of 187 Novel Risk Variants

The transferability and clinical value of genetic risk scores (GRSs) across populations remain limited due to an imbalance in genetic studies across ancestrally diverse populations. Here we conducted a multi-ancestry genome-wide association study of 156,319 prostate cancer cases and 788,443 controls of European, African, Asian and Hispanic men, reflecting a 57% increase in the number of non-European cases over previous prostate cancer genome-wide association studies. We identified 187 novel risk variants for prostate cancer, increasing the total number of risk variants to 451. An externally replicated multi-ancestry GRS was associated with risk that ranged from 1.8 (per standard deviation) in African ancestry men to 2.2 in European ancestry men. The GRS was associated with a greater risk of aggressive versus non-aggressive disease in men of African ancestry (P = 0.03). Our study presents novel prostate cancer susceptibility loci and a GRS with effective risk stratification across ancestry groups

Health-seeking behaviour among Ghanaian urban residents: A quantitative exploratory case study

Health seeking behaviour is important for personal and social reasons, and several health problems can be adequately treated if they are reported early for appropriate health intervention. We examined the health-seeking behaviour of residents of a suburb in the capital of Ghana, the point in ill-health that they seek healthcare, their first point of call for healthcare, and the determinants of choice of first point of call. Simple random sampling was used to select 316 eligible respondents. Quantitative data were collected with questionnaire and analysed with IBM SPSS version 22. Descriptive statistics and Logistic regression were used to interpret the findings at 95% confidence intervals. Most respondents (50.6%) sought healthcare days to months after their first experience with ill-health, 15.5% sought healthcare when they were severely ill, and about 34% sought healthcare immediately they experienced ill-health. Most of the respondents’ (54.2%) first point of call for healthcare was self-medication with herbal sources or faith-based healing, and 45.8% sought attention from orthodox sources. Males were 1.97 times more likely than females; married individuals were 2.33 times more likely than the unmarried; and health insurance holders were 1.55 times more likely than the uninsured to use orthodox outfits as first point of call for healthcare. Healthcare stakeholders and policy makers need to intensify education on the need to seek orthodox healthcare in ill-health, encourage increased enrolment on the national health insurance scheme and strengthen social support systems that encourage good health-seeking behaviours

Antibacterial, Antibiofilm, and Efflux Pump Inhibitory Properties of the Crude Extract and Fractions from Acacia macrostachya Stem Bark

Microbial infections remain a public health problem due to the upsurge of bacterial resistance. In this study, the antibacterial, antibiofilm, and efflux pump inhibitory activities of the stem bark of Acacia macrostachya, an indigenous African medicinal plant, were investigated. In traditional medicine, the plant is used in the treatment of microbial infections and inflammatory conditions. A crude methanol extract obtained by Soxhlet extraction was partitioned by column chromatography to obtain the petroleum ether, ethyl acetate, and methanol fractions. Antibacterial, efflux pump inhibition and antibiofilm formation activities were assessed by the high-throughput spot culture growth inhibition (HT-SPOTi), ethidium bromide accumulation, and the crystal violet retention assay, respectively. The minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) of the crude extract and major fractions ranged from 250 to ≥500 μg/mL. At a concentration of 3.9–250 μg/mL, all extracts demonstrated >80% inhibition of biofilm formation in S. aureus. In P. aeruginosa, the EtOAc fraction showed the highest antibiofilm activity (59–69%) while the pet-ether fraction was most active against E. coli biofilms (45–67%). Among the test samples, the crude extract, methanol, and ethyl acetate fractions showed remarkable efflux pump inhibition in S. aureus, E. coli, and P. aeruginosa. At ½ MIC, the methanol fraction demonstrated significant accumulation of EtBr in E. coli having superior efflux inhibition over the standard EPIs: chlorpromazine and verapamil. Tannins, flavonoids, triterpenoids, phytosterols, coumarins, and saponins were identified in preliminary phytochemical studies. Stigmasterol was identified in the EtOAc fraction. This study justifies the use of A. macrostachya in the treatment of infections in traditional medicine and highlights its potential as a source of bioactive compounds that could possibly interact with some resistance mechanisms in bacteria to combat antimicrobial resistance

Teenage pregnancy and experience of physical violence among women aged 15-19 years in five African countries: Analysis of complex survey data.

BackgroundPregnant teenage women are prime targets of violence against women perpetrated by intimate partners, family members, and miscreants in their neighborhoods. This study estimated the prevalence of Teenage pregnancy (TP) and Physical Violence (PV) and further assessed the relationship between TP and PV in five Low-and-Middle-Income Countries (LMICs).MethodsThe study was conducted among five LIMCs (Burkina Faso, Kenya, Malawi, Nigeria, and Tanzania) using data from the most recent Demographic and Health Surveys conducted in these countries. Modified Poisson with the robust standard error was used to quantify the association between TP and PV. All analyses adjusted for the complex survey design structure (clustering, weighting, and stratification).ResultsThe analysis involved a total of 26055 adolescent women aged 15-19 years across the five countries. The overall prevalence of TP was 25.4% (95%CI = 24.4-26.4) with the highest prevalence occurring among Malawians [29.0% (95%CI = 27.4-30.7)]. Meanwhile, the prevalence of TP among older adolescents (18-19 years) was approximately two-thirds significantly higher compared with young adolescents [aPR(95%CI) = 1.60[1.49-1.71)]. The prevalence of PV among teenagers across the five countries was 24.2% (95%CI = 22.3-26.2). The highest prevalence of PV was recorded among Nigerian adolescent women [31.8% (95%CI = 28.5-35.3)]. The prevalence of PV among adolescent women who were pregnant was approximately 5-folds significant compared to those who were not pregnant (adjusted prevalence ratio; aPR = 4.70; 95% CI: 3.86-5.73; pConclusionThere was a high prevalence of pregnancy among older teenagers aged 18-19 years. Close to a quarter of teenage women ever experienced physical violence. Pregnant teenage women ever experience of physical violence was very high compared to non-pregnant peers. Intervention should target PV and TP by adopting a gender-sensitive approach to eliminate physical violence, particularly among teenagers to prevent TP

In Vivo Antiplasmodial Activity of Different Solvent Extracts of Myrianthus libericus Stem Bark and Its Constituents in Plasmodium berghei-Infected Mice

The emergence and resurgence of P. falciparum resistance to generations of antimalarial drugs have prompted the search for new, effective, and safe antimalarial agents. This study aimed at investigating the in vivo antiplasmodial activity of the 70% hydroethanolic extract and constituents of the stem bark of Myrianthus libericus based on its ethnomedicinal use as an antimalarial agent. The antiplasmodial activity was assessed in Swiss albino mice employing the 4-day suppressive and Rane’s tests. MLB significantly (p<0.0001) suppressed parasitaemia by 52.26%, 65.40%, and 77.11% at 50, 100, and 200 mg·kg−1 doses, respectively, in the 4-day suppressive test. In Rane’s test, the highest parasitaemia suppression of 72.50% was recorded at a dose of 200 mg·kg−1 of the extract. Fractionation of the bioactive ethyl acetate fraction by solvent-solvent partitioning and column chromatography led to the isolation of friedelan-3-one and stigmasterol being reported for the first time from this species. The compounds demonstrated remarkable antiplasmodial activity by suppressing parasitaemia by 65–72% in the suppressive test and 61–70% in the curative test at doses of 10–30 mg·kg−1. Both the extract and the isolated compounds significantly prolonged the survival time of infected mice and averted the cardinal signs associated with P. berghei-induced malaria including weight loss, hypothermia, and haemolysis. The results obtained confirm the prospect of M. libericus as an important source of new antimalarial compounds and justifies its folkloric use as an antimalarial agent

Clinical features of COVID-19 in Ghana : Symptomatology, illness severity and comorbid non-communicable diseases

Objective: This analysis described the clinical features of COVID-19 in the early phase of the pandemic in Ghana. Methods: Data were extracted from two national COVID-19 treatment centers in Ghana for over 11 weeks(from March to May 2020). Descriptive and inferential statistics were performed. Modified Ordered Logistic and Negative Binomial Regression analysis were applied to establish factors associated with illness severity and Non-communicable Disease (NCDs) counts respectively. All analysis was conducted at the 95% confidence level (p-value ≤ 0.05) using Stata 16. Results: Among the 275 patients, the average age was 40.7±16.4, with a preponderance of males (54.5%). The three commonest symptoms presented were cough (21.3%), headache (15.7%), and sore throat (11.7%). Only 7.6% of the patients had a history of fever. Most patients were asymptomatic (51.65). Approximately 38.9% have an underlying co-morbid NCDs, with Hypertension (32.1%), Diabetes (9.9%), and Asthma (5.2%) being the three commonest. The odds of Moderate/severe (MoS) was significantly higher for those with unknown exposures to similar illness [aOR(95%CI) = 4.27(1.12-10.2)] compared with non-exposure to similar illness. An increased unit of NCD’s count significantly increased the odds of COVID-19 MoS illness by 26%[cOR(95%CI) =1.26(1.09-1.84)] and 67% (adjusting for age) [aOR(95%CI)=1.67(1.13-2.49)]. Conclusion: The presence of cardiovascular co-morbidities dictated the frequency of reported symptoms and severity of COVID-19 infection in this sample of Ghanaians. Physicians should be aware of the presence of co-morbid NCDs and prepare to manage effectively among COVID-19 patients

Genetic signatures of gene flow and malaria-driven natural selection in sub-Saharan populations of the "endemic Burkitt Lymphoma belt"

Submitted by Nuzia Santos ([email protected]) on 2020-02-04T14:35:16Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Genetic signatures of gene flow and malaria-driven.pdf: 11801795 bytes, checksum: fd87b07ab4fac498d62a72df070e920d (MD5)Approved for entry into archive by Nuzia Santos ([email protected]) on 2020-02-04T16:03:51Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 Genetic signatures of gene flow and malaria-driven.pdf: 11801795 bytes, checksum: fd87b07ab4fac498d62a72df070e920d (MD5)Made available in DSpace on 2020-02-04T16:03:51Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Genetic signatures of gene flow and malaria-driven.pdf: 11801795 bytes, checksum: fd87b07ab4fac498d62a72df070e920d (MD5) Previous issue date: 2019Fundação Oswaldo Cruz. Instituto René Rachou. Belo Horizonte, MG, Brasil / Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais. Instituto de Ciências Biológicas. Departamento de Biologia. Belo Horizonte, MG, Brasil /Center for Research on Genomics & Global Health, National Institutes of Health. US Department of Health and Human Services. Bethesda, Maryland, USA.Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics. National Cancer Institute. National Institutes of Health. US Department of Health and Human Services. Bethesda, Maryland, USA.Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais. Instituto de Ciências Biológicas. Departamento de Biologia. Belo Horizonte, MG, Brasil.Universidade de São Paulo. Instituto de Biociências. Departamento de Genética e Biologia Evolutiva. São Paulo, SP, Brasil.Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais. Instituto de Ciências Biológicas. Departamento de Biologia. Belo Horizonte, MG, Brasil / Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais. Departamento de Estatística. Belo Horizonte, MG, Brasil.EMBLEM Study. African Field Epidemiology Network. Kampala, Uganda.University of Ghana Medical School, Accra, Ghana.University of Ghana Medical School, Accra, Ghana.EMBLEM Study. African Field Epidemiology Network. Kampala, Uganda.EMBLEM Study. African Field Epidemiology Network. Kampala, Uganda.EMBLEM Study. African Field Epidemiology Network. Kampala, Uganda.EMBLEM Study. African Field Epidemiology Network. Kampala, Uganda.Department of Biological Sciences. University of Botswana. Gaborone, Botswana.Department of Biomedical Sciences. University of Botswana School of Medicine. Gaborone, Botswana.EMBLEM Study. African Field Epidemiology Network. Kampala, Uganda.Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics. National Cancer Institute. National Institutes of Health. US Department of Health and Human Services. Bethesda, Maryland, USA.Division of Intramural Research. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. National Institutes of Health. US Department of Health and Human Services. Bethesda, Maryland, USA.University of Ghana Medical School. Accra, Ghana.University of Ghana Medical School. Accra, Ghana.University of Ghana Medical School. Accra, Ghana.University of Ghana Medical School. Accra, Ghana.Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics. National Cancer Institute. National Institutes of Health. US Department of Health and Human Services. Bethesda, Maryland, USA.Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics. National Cancer Institute. National Institutes of Health. US Department of Health and Human Services. Bethesda, Maryland, USA.Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics. National Cancer Institute. National Institutes of Health. US Department of Health and Human Services. Bethesda, Maryland, USA.Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics. National Cancer Institute. National Institutes of Health. US Department of Health and Human Services. Bethesda, Maryland, USA.Laboratory of Translational Genomics. Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics. National Cancer Institute. National Institutes of Health. USDepartment of Health and Human Services. Bethesda, Maryland, USA.Laboratory of Translational Genomics. Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics. National Cancer Institute. National Institutes of Health. US Department of Health and Human Services. Bethesda, Maryland, USA.Cancer Genomics Research Laboratory. Leidos Biomedical Research. Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research. US Department of Health and Human Services. Frederick, Maryland, USA.Fundação Oswaldo Cruz. Instituto René Rachou. Belo Horizonte, MG, Brasil.Stanford Cancer Institute. Stanford University. Stanford, California, USA.Department of Genetics and Biology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, USA.Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics. National Cancer Institute. National Institutes of Health. US Department of Health and Human Services. Bethesda, Maryland, USA.Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais. Instituto de Ciências Biológicas. Departamento de Biologia Geral. Belo Horizonte, MG, Brasil.Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics. National Cancer Institute. National Institutes of Health. US Department of Health and Human Services. Bethesda, Maryland, USA.Populations in sub-Saharan Africa have historically been exposed to intense selection from chronic infection with falciparum malaria. Interestingly, populations with the highest malaria intensity can be identified by the increased occurrence of endemic Burkitt Lymphoma (eBL), a pediatric cancer that affects populations with intense malaria exposure, in the so called “eBL belt” in sub-Saharan Africa. However, the effects of intense malaria exposure and sub-Saharan populations’ genetic histories remain poorly explored. To determine if historical migrations and intense malaria exposure have shaped the genetic composition of the eBL belt populations, we genotyped ~4.3 million SNPs in 1,708 individuals from Ghana and Northern Uganda, located on opposite sides of eBL belt and with ≥ 7 months/year of intense malaria exposure and published evidence of high incidence of BL. Among 35 Ghanaian tribes, we showed a predominantly West-Central African ancestry and genomic footprints of gene flow from Gambian and East African populations. In Uganda, the North West population showed a predominantly Nilotic ancestry, and the North Central population was a mixture of Nilotic and Southern Bantu ancestry, while the Southwest Ugandan population showed a predominant Southern Bantu ancestry. Our results support the hypothesis of diverse ancestral origins of the Ugandan, Kenyan and Tanzanian Great Lakes African populations, reflecting a confluence of Nilotic, Cushitic and Bantu migrations in the last 3000 years. Natural selection analyses suggest, for the first time, a strong positive selection signal in the ATP2B4 gene (rs10900588) in Northern Ugandan populations. These findings provide important baseline genomic data to facilitate disease association studies, including of eBL, in eBL belt populations