Assessing Households’ Preparedness for Earthquakes in Gbawe, Accra

Episodic earth tremors occurrence in Gbawe signal looming earthquakes, a major threat to many households, lives and properties. One basic approach to reduce future risk and increase the resilience of communities to earthquake is for communities to create household’s preparedness plan for earthquakes. The research explored the basic issue of what preparedness for earthquake means and its relevance to people in Gbawe. The main objective of this paper is to assess the extent of households readiness for earthquake; qualitative research involving collecting and analysing non-numerical data using questionnaires and interviews were used as the basic method. Household preparedness was measured with fourteen (14) earthquake list of items deemed as basic necessities needed during emergency response to earthquake. If an individual acted on 6 of the 14 indicators, they were deemed poorly prepared. Rating was done based on the number of indicators acquired by a household. The study revealed that, no household was very well prepared; 3.3% respondents were well prepared for earthquakes, 10% were moderately prepared, 16.7% were averagely prepared, 20% were below averagely prepared, and 50% were not prepared for earthquake emergencies. About 90% respondents had less than 6 of the emergency necessities and therefore were not well prepared for earthquakes. The study recommends capacity building of households to improve upon their preparedness for earthquakes. Keywords: household, preparedness, earthquakes, Gbawe, mitigation, risk DOI: 10.7176/JEES/12-11-03 Publication date: November 30th 202

Assessing Community Coping Strategies in Sustainable Flood Management. A Case Study of Kaemibre and Walantu in Kasoa

Community based flood management has become fundamental in increasing societies’ resilience to flooding. As climate change and urbanization continue to worsen flood disaster events, it is practical to examine local adaptation to floods. To achieve this objective, multi criteria analysis, using Geographic Information System and Digital Elevation Model for flood modelling and risk mapping assessment, buttressed by questionnaires, was employed to evaluate human relationship and response to flood risks management. A landuse map of Satellite remote sensing Level 1B satellite images from Landsat ETM Plus for the month of October 2018 was created, using Environment for Visualising Images Software and Geographic Information System for estimating changes in the land cover during the modelling process. The most affected communities were defined from the overlay of the risk map on the topographic map of the same scale. It was revealed that even though flood risk map shows communities’ risk of flooding, socio-economic and cultural factors play major role in flood risk management. The coping strategies of the affected communities involved bolstering walls and increasing compound elevation above flood level, desilting drains, and changing jobs. The study recommends the integration of flood hazard maps into sustainable flood management of communities

Community-based Cluster Surveys on Treatment Preferences for Diarrhoea, Severe Diarrhoea, and Dysentery in Children Aged Less Than Five Years in Two Districts of Ghana

Hospital-based surveillance for severe diarrhoea has been recommended to assess the burden of disease due to rotavirus. However, information on healthcare-seeking patterns of residents in the hospital catchment area is needed first to obtain the burden of disease in the community using the hospital data. A community-based cluster survey was conducted in two districts of Ghana, each served by a single district hospital, to determine the prevalence of severe diarrhoea among and treatment preferences for children aged less than five years. Caretakers of 619 children in Tema, an urban district, and caretakers of 611 children in Akwapim South, a rural district, were interviewed. During the month preceding the survey, the prevalence of severe diarrhoea in children aged less than five years was similar in the two districts (13.6% urban and 12.9% rural), as was the proportion of mothers who sought care outside the home (69.0% urban and 70.9% rural). 48.8% of urban mothers of children with severe diarrhoea visited public/private clinics, 9.5% pharmacies, and 3.6% the district hospital. Whereas, 22.8% of rural mothers visited public/private clinics, 19.0% pharmacies, and 13.9% the district hospital. Results of the study suggest that rotavirus surveillance should be guided by community studies on healthcare-use patterns. Where hospital use is low for severe diarrhoea, rotavirus surveillance should include other health facilities

Community-based Cluster Surveys on Treatment Preferences for Diarrhoea, Severe Diarrhoea, and Dysentery in Children Aged Less Than Five Years in Two Districts of Ghana

ABSTRACT Hospital-based surveillance for severe diarrhoea has been recommended to assess the burden of disease due to rotavirus. However, information on healthcare-seeking patterns of residents in the hospital catchment area is needed first to obtain the burden of disease in the community using the hospital data. A community-based cluster survey was conducted in two districts of Ghana, each served by a single district hospital, to determine the prevalence of severe diarrhoea among and treatment preferences for children aged less than five years. Caretakers of 619 children in Tema, an urban district, and caretakers of 611 children in Akwapim South, a rural district, were interviewed. During the month preceding the survey, the prevalence of severe diarrhoea in children aged less than five years was similar in the two districts (13.6% urban and 12.9% rural), as was the proportion of mothers who sought care outside the home (69.0% urban and 70.9% rural). 48.8% of urban mothers of children with severe diarrhoea visited public/private clinics, 9.5% pharmacies, and 3.6% the district hospital. Whereas, 22.8% of rural mothers visited public/private clinics, 19.0% pharmacies, and 13.9% the district hospital. Results of the study suggest that rotavirus surveillance should be guided by community studies on healthcare-use patterns. Where hospital use is low for severe diarrhoea, rotavirus surveillance should include other health facilities

Effect of Cellgevity® Supplement on Selected Rat Liver Cytochrome P450 Enzyme Activity and Pharmacokinetic Parameters of Carbamazepine

Background. There is considerable evidence that many patients concurrently administer dietary supplements with conventional drugs, creating a risk for potential drug-supplement interaction. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of Cellgevity® supplement on selected rat liver cytochrome P450 (CYP) enzymes. Also, based on our previous finding, we sought to determine the effect of Cellgevity® on the pharmacokinetics of carbamazepine, a CYP3A4 substrate. Methods. Male Sprague–Dawley (SD) rats were randomly put into 5 groups and administered either distilled water (negative control), Cellgevity® (3 separate doses), or phenobarbital (positive control), per os. Modulation of liver CYP enzyme activity was evaluated after 30 days of treatment, using probe substrates, spectroscopic, and high-performance liquid chromatographic methods. In the pharmacokinetic study, 12 SD rats were put into 2 groups and administered carbamazepine plus normal saline (group 1) or carbamazepine plus Cellgevity® (group 2), per os, both over a period of 14 days. Blood samples from rats in the same group were collected after treatment. Serum samples were prepared and pooled together at each specific sampling time point. Levels of carbamazepine were determined using a fluorescence polarization immunoassay. Results. Activities of rat liver CYP1A1/2, CYP2C9, and CYP2D6 were significantly increased by Cellgevity® after 30-day treatment. Pharmacokinetic parameters for rats administered carbamazepine with Cellgevity® vis-a-vis carbamazepine with normal saline were as follows: Cmax; 20 μmol/L vs 11 μmol/L, AUC0⟶24; 347 μmol h/L vs 170 μmol h/L, Ke; 0.28 h−1 vs 0.41 h−1, and t1/2; 2.3 h vs 1.7 h, respectively. Conclusions. Cellgevity® increased the activity of rat CYP1A1/2, CYP2C9, and CYP2D6 enzymes and was found to alter the pharmacokinetics of carbamazepine in rats

Antidepressant Potentials of Components from Trichilia monadelpha (Thonn.) J.J. de Wilde in Murine Models

Trichilia monadelpha is a common medicinal plant used traditionally in treating central nervous system conditions such as epilepsy, depression, pain, and psychosis. In this study, the antidepressant-like effect of crude extracts of the stem bark of T. monadelpha was investigated using two classical murine models, forced swimming test (FST) and tail suspension test (TST). The extracts, petroleum ether, ethyl acetate, and hydroethanolic extracts (30–300 mg/kg, p.o.), standard drug (imipramine; fluoxetine, 3–30 mg/kg, p.o.), and saline (vehicle) were given to mice one hour prior to the acute study. In a separate experiment the components (flavonoids, saponins, alkaloids, tannins, and terpenoids; 30–300 mg/kg, p.o.) from the most efficacious extract fraction were screened to ascertain which components possessed the antidepressant effect. All the extracts and components significantly induced a decline in immobility in the FST and TST, indicative of an antidepressant-like activity. The extracts and some components showed increase in swimming and climbing in the FST as well as a significant enhancement in swinging and/or curling scores in the TST, suggesting a possible involvement of monoaminergic and/or opioidergic activity. This study reveals the antidepressant-like potential of the stem bark extracts and components of T. monadelpha

In Vitro Antioxidant Potential and Effect of a Glutathione-Enhancer Dietary Supplement on Selected Rat Liver Cytochrome P450 Enzyme Activity

Background. There is considerable evidence that many people take dietary supplements including those of herbal origin as an alternative therapy to improve their health. One such supplement, with an amalgam of constituents, is CellGevity®. However, the effect of this dietary supplement on drug-metabolizing enzymes is poorly understood, as it has not been studied extensively. Therefore, we investigated the effect of CellGevity dietary supplement on selected rat liver microsomal cytochrome P450 (CYP) enzymes, the most common drug-metabolizing enzymes. We also determined the total antioxidant potential of this dietary supplement in vitro. Methods. To determine the antioxidant potential of CellGevity dietary supplement, 2,2-diphenyl-2-picryl-hydrazyl (DPPH), total phenolic, and flavonoid assays were used after initial preparation of a solution form of the supplement (low dose, LD; 4 mg/kg and high dose, HD; 8 mg/kg). Rats received oral administration of these doses of the supplement for 7 days, after which the effect of the supplement on selected liver CYP enzymes was assessed using probe substrates and spectroscopic and high-performance liquid chromatographic methods. Rats which received daily administration of 80 mg/kg of phenobarbitone and distilled water served as positive and negative controls, respectively. Results. The IC50 value of the supplement 0.34 ± 0.07 mg/ml compared to 0.076±0.03 mg/ml of the BHT (positive control). The total phenolic content of the supplement at a concentration of 2.5 mg/ml was 34.97 g gallic acid equivalent (GAE)/100 g while its total flavonoid content at a concentration of 2.5 mg/ml was 6 g quercetin equivalent (QE)/100 g. The supplement significantly inhibited rat CYP2B1/2B2 (LDT 92.4%; HDT 100%), CYP3A4 (LDT 81.2%; HDT 71.7%), and CYP2C9 (LDT 21.7%; HDT 28.5%) while it had no significant inhibitory effect on CYPs 1A1/1A2, CYP1A2, and CYP2D6. Conclusion. CellGevity dietary supplement possesses moderate antioxidant activity in vitro and has an inhibitory effect on selected rat liver CYP enzymes, suggesting its potential interaction with drugs metabolized by CYP enzymes

Radiological landscape of natural resources and mining: Unveiling the environmental impact of naturally occurring radioactive materials in Ghana's mining areas

This study provides a general observation of the status of naturally occurring radioactive materials (NORMs) distribution in mining and industrial areas of Ghana in order to establish regional and national data on NORMs. The study includes data on radioactivity concentrations of U-238, Th-232, and K-40 in soils and for water concentrations of Ra-226, Th-228, and K-40 from various mining, oil, and gas communities, as well as water sources used for crop farming and farmlands. The average activity concentrations of U-238, Th-232, and K-40 in the soil samples were found to be 59 ± 16 Bq/kg, 48 ± 15 Bq/kg, and 286 ± 57 Bq/kg, respectively. The average concentration of Ra-226, Th-228, and K-40 in the water samples were found to be 1.62 ± 0.33 Bq/L, 2.08 ± 0.53 Bq/L, and 22.36 ± 3.44 Bq/L, respectively. The estimated average annual effective doses from external and internal exposure pathways in soil and water samples were 0.09 mSv/y and 0.54 mSv/y, respectively. The total annual effective dose resulting from both exposure pathways was calculated to be 0.63 mSv/y, which is below the 1 mSv/y dose limit recommended by the International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP) for controlling public radiation exposure. Based on the radiological hazard indices, the majority of the soil samples were found to be suitable as building materials as their respective indices were below the limits except for two sample locations and the sludge and scale samples. The average Excess Lifetime Cancer Risk (ELCR) value of the water samples was 1.6 times greater than the recommended value of 1.16 × 10−3, presenting a relatively higher risk to the public of developing cancer. No significant regional differences in the levels of radioactive elements. The regression models demonstrate strong interrelationships between the studied elements, with high R-squared values suggesting a predictable nature of one element’s concentration based on others