Determinants of propensity of tertiary agricultural students in Ghana to enter agribusiness as a self-employment venture

The study aimed to identify factors that affect the decision of tertiary agricultural students in Ghana to enter agribusiness as a self-employment venture after graduation. The results showed that tertiary agricultural students in Ghana were predominantly males with little or no farming background. They had a rather moderate propensity to enter self-employed agribusiness. The propensity was based on the perception that agribusiness was beneficial, sustainable, and had a bright future. A significant and positive relationship was found between the propensity to enter self-employed agribusiness and availability of inputs, training received by students and supportive policies. However, a significant and negative relationship was found between students' propensity to enter self-employed agribusiness and the desire for other competing enterprises as well as risks and constraints in agribusiness. The most important determinants of the decision of tertiary level agricultural students to enter into agribusiness were found to be attraction to other businesses such as NGOs, non-agricultural manufacturing industries and banks; training received; perceived constraints; and needs for self- employment in agribusiness. The results indicate that the propensity of agricultural graduates to enter self-employed agribusiness may be increased by (1) making agribusiness attractive by increasing its competitiveness with respect to other enterprises, ( 2) modifying the curricula to make agricultural training at the tertiary level more practical, (3) making it easier to acquire production inputs for agribusiness, and (4) improving the policy environment with supportive policies to minimize risk and constraints in agribusiness.. La recherche était entreprise pour identifier les facteurs qui influencent la decision d'étudiants agricoles du niveau supérieur au Ghana de s'établir dans les agro-industries comme une entreprise de travailleur indépendant après l'obtention du diplôme. Les résultats montraient que les étudiants agricoles de l'enseignement supérieur au Ghana étaient principalement mâles avec peu ou sans expérience d'agriculture. Ils avaient plutôt une propension modérée de s'établir dans l'agro-industrie de travailleur indépendant. Cette propension est fondée sur l'idée que l'agro-industrie est bénéfique, durable et avait un avenir brillant. Un rapport considérable et positif était découvert entre la propension de s'établir dans l'agro-industrie de travailleur indépendant et la disponibilité d'intrants, la formation reçue par les étudiants et les politiques d'appui. Un rapport considérable et négatif était toutefois découvert entre la propension d'étudiants de s'établir dans les agro-industries indépendantes et le désir pour d'autres entreprises en concurrence ainsi que les risques et les contraintes d'agro-industries. Les déterminants les plus importants de la decision d'étudiants agricoles du niveau supérieur de s'établir dans les agro-industries étaient découverts d'être l'attrait aux autres entreprises telles que les ONGs, les industries manufacturières non-agricoles et les banques; la formation reçue; les contraintes remarquées; et les besoins requis pour l'indépendant en agro-industrie. Les résultats indiquent que la propension de licenciés agricoles de s'établir dans l'agro-industrie comme travailleurs indépendants pourrait être augmenté par (1) la transformation d'agro-industrie en la rendant attirante par l'augmentation de sa compétitivité relativement aux autres entreprises, (2) la modification du programme scolaire pour rendre la formation agricole au niveau supérieur plus pratique, (3) la facilitation de l'acquisition de resources de production pour l'agro-industrie, et (4) l'amélioration de l'environnement politique avec les politiques d'appui pour réduire au minimum le risque et les contraintes d'agro-industrie. Ghana Journal of Agricultural Science Vol. 39 (1) 2006: pp. 41-5

Lowered Serum Triglyceride Levels among Chronic Hepatitis B-Infected Patients in Ghana

Dyslipidemia is a common finding in most studies of liver diseases. Little is however known about the effect of the two pathological stages of chronic hepatitis B (CHB) infection – chronicsymptomatic and asymptomatic – on the distribution of serum lipids in CHB infection. We conducted a study on CHB-infected patients attending specialist care at the Gastro-Intestinal (GI) Clinic at the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH) during a 7-month period. 64 participants were randomly sampled over the period. On the basis of serological and liver enzyme assays, participants were categorised as chronic asymptomatic, chronic symptomatic and healthy individuals. The relationship between the hosts pathological stage of infection were evaluated with the indices of lipid metabolism – LDL, HDL, triglyceride, and total serum cholesterol using ANOVA. The 64 volunteers recruited in the study were found to consist of 18 patients (28.1%) who were chronic symptomatic, 35 patients (54.7%) who were chronic asymptomatic hepatitis B, and 11 (17.2%) were healthy subjects. Significant overall male dominance was observed among all categories of population enrolled (p=0.0063). Serum triglyceride levels decreased more among the CHB-infected population compared to the healthy individuals (p=0.0010) with value lowest among the chronic symptomatic population. Basal serum cholesterol, HDL, and LDL were unaffected by the disease. This work reveals that serum triglyceride is significantly lowered in CHB infection and that the extent of this decrease in host is independent of the pathological stage of the infection.Keywords: chronic hepatitis B, lipid metabolism, triglyceride, chronic symptomati

Health Risk Assessment of Organochlorine Pesticides Contaminations in Dairy Products from Selected Farms in Greater Accra Region-Ghana

The study was geared towards ascertaining the levels of synthetic pyrethroids and organochlorine pesticides residues in dairy products(milk, cheese and yoghurt) from selected farms in Greater Accra Region of Ghana. In all fifty (50) samples of dairy products (25 fresh cow milk, 9 cheese and 16 yoghurt) were analyzed. Detectable levels of organochlorine pesticides,OCPs(β-HCH, endrin, endosulfan, p’p’-DDT, heptachlor and methoxychlor) and Synthetic pyrethroids(permethrin, allethrin, cypermethrin, deltamethrin and cyfluthrin). Ultrasonic extraction was employed and extract clean-up was done using silica gel and analyzed using a gas chromatograph (Agilent Model 6890 Gas Chromatograph) equipped with Ni-63 electron capture detector (ECD). . Milk samples were found to be the most contaminated with respect to the OCPs and the levels ranged between 0.0001μg/ml and 0.0407μg/ml. β-HCH was the highest OCP with concentration of 0.0407μg/ml while Cyfluthrin was the highest synthetic pyrethroids recorded in yoghurt sample (0.0318μg/ml).The levels of organochlorine pesticide residues detected in all the tissues were below the accepted Maximum Residue Limits (MRL), as adopted by the WHO/FAO Codex Alimentarius Commission (2005). Keywords: dairy products, organochlorine pesticides, synthetic pyrethroid, health risk, Ghana, gas chromatograph

The Association between Adult Sport, Fitness, and Recreational Physical Activity and Number and Age of Children Present in the Household: A Secondary Analysis Using NHANES

Article describes how only one in three adults in the United States meets the weekly recommendation for physical activity. The purpose of this study was to examine the association between adult moderate and vigorous sport, fitness, and recreational physical activities and the number and age (0–5 and 6–17) of children in their household

The Accuracy and Perception of Test-Based Management of Malaria at Private Licensed Chemical Shops in the Middle Belt of Ghana.

The sale of artemisinin-based combination therapy (ACT) by private licensed chemical shops (LCS) without testing is contrary to current policy recommendations. This study assessed the accuracy and perception of test-based management of malaria using malaria rapid diagnostic test (mRDT) kits at private LCS in two predominantly rural areas in the middle part of Ghana. Clients presenting at LCS with fever or other signs and symptoms suspected to be malaria in the absence of signs of severe malaria were tested with mRDT by trained attendants and treated based on the national malaria treatment guidelines. Using structured questionnaires, exit interviews were conducted within 48 hours and a follow-up interview on day 7 (±3 days). Focus group discussions and in-depth interviews were also conducted to assess stakeholders' perception on the use of mRDT at LCS. About 79.0% (N = 1,797) of clients reported with a fever. Sixty-six percent (947/1,426) of febrile clients had a positive mRDT result. Eighty-six percent (815/947) of clients with uncomplicated malaria were treated with the recommended ACT. About 97.8% (790/808) of clients with uncomplicated malaria treated with ACT were reported to be well by day 7. However, referral for those with negative mRDT results was very low (4.1%, 27/662). A high proportion of clients with a positive mRDT result received the recommended malaria treatment. Test-based management of malaria by LCS attendants was found to be feasible and acceptable by the community members and other stakeholders. Successful implementation will however require effective referral, supervision and quality control systems

Appropriateness of Antibiotic Prescribing for Acute Conjunctivitis: A Cross-Sectional Study at a Specialist Eye Hospital in Ghana, 2021

Most presentations of conjunctivitis are acute. Studies show that uncomplicated cases resolve within 14 days without medication. However, antibiotic prescription remains standard practice. With antimicrobial resistance becoming a public health concern, we undertook this study to assess antibiotic prescription patterns in managing acute conjunctivitis in an eye hospital in Ghana. We recorded 3708 conjunctivitis cases; 201 were entered as acute conjunctivitis in the electronic medical records (January to December 2021). Of these, 44% were males, 56% were females, 39% were under 5 years, 21% were children and adolescents (5–17 years) and 40% were adults (≥18 years). A total of 111 (55.2%) patients received antibiotics, of which 71.2% were appropriately prescribed. The use of antibiotics was more frequent in children under 17 years compared to adults (p < 0.0001). Of the prescribed antibiotics, 44% belonged to the AWaRe “Access” category (Gentamycin, Tetracycline ointment), while 56% received antibiotics in the “Watch” category (Ciprofloxacin, Tobramycin). Although most of the antibiotic prescribing were appropriate, the preponderance of use of the Watch category warrants stewardship to encompass topical antibiotics. The rational use of topical antibiotics in managing acute conjunctivitis will help prevent antimicrobial resistance, ensure effective health care delivery, and contain costs for patients and the health system

‘Fish out of water’: a cross-sectional study on the interaction between social and neighbourhood effects on weight management behaviours

Objective: To analyse whether an individual’s neighbourhood influences the uptake of weight management strategies and whether there is an interaction between individual socio-economic status and neighbourhood deprivation. Methodology: Data were collected from the Yorkshire Health Study (2010–2012) for 27 806 individuals on the use of the following weight management strategies: ‘slimming clubs’, ‘healthy eating’, ‘increasing exercise’ and ‘controlling portion size’. A multi-level logistic regression was fit to analyse the use of these strategies, controlling for age, sex, body mass index, education, neighbourhood deprivation and neighbourhood population turnover (a proxy for neighbourhood social capital). A cross-level interaction term was included for education and neighbourhood deprivation. Lower Super Output Area was used as the geographical scale for the areal unit of analysis. Results: Significant neighbourhood effects were observed for use of ‘slimming clubs’, ‘healthy eating’ and ‘increasing exercise’ as weight management strategies, independent of individual- and area-level covariates. A significant interaction between education and neighbourhood deprivation was observed across all strategies, suggesting that as an area becomes more deprived, individuals of the lowest education are more likely not to use any strategy compared with those of the highest education. Conclusions: Neighbourhoods modify/amplify individual disadvantage and social inequalities, with individuals of low education disproportionally affected by deprivation. It is important to include neighbourhood-based explanations in the development of community-based policy interventions to help tackle obesit

Exploitation of TerraSAR-X Data for Land use/Land Cover Analysis Using Object-Oriented Classification Approach in the African Sahel Area, Sudan.

Recently, object-oriented classification techniques based on image segmentation approaches are being studied using high-resolution satellite images to extract various thematic information. In this study different types of land use/land cover (LULC) types were analysed by employing object-oriented classification approach to dual TerraSAR-X images (HH and HV polarisation) at African Sahel. For that purpose, multi-resolution segmentation (MRS) of the Definiens software was used for creating the image objects. Using the feature space optimisation (FSO) tool the attributes of the TerraSAR-X image were optimised in order to obtain the best separability among classes for the LULC mapping. The backscattering coefficients (BSC) for some classes were observed to be different for HH and HV polarisations. The best separation distance of the tested spectral, shape and textural features showed different variations among the discriminated LULC classes. An overall accuracy of 84 % with a kappa value 0.82 was resulted from the classification scheme, while accuracy differences among the classes were kept minimal. Finally, the results highlighted the importance of a combine use of TerraSAR-X data and object-oriented classification approaches as a useful source of information and technique for LULC analysis in the African Sahel drylands

Circulating tumor DNA is readily detectable among Ghanaian breast cancer patients supporting non-invasive cancer genomic studies in Africa.

Circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) sequencing studies could provide novel insights into the molecular pathology of cancer in sub-Saharan Africa. In 15 patient plasma samples collected at the time of diagnosis as part of the Ghana Breast Health Study and unselected for tumor grade and subtype, ctDNA was detected in a majority of patients based on whole- genome sequencing at high (30×) and low (0.1×) depths. Breast cancer driver copy number alterations were observed in the majority of patients

Randomized Controlled Trial of RTS,S/AS02D and RTS,S/AS01E Malaria Candidate Vaccines Given According to Different Schedules in Ghanaian Children

Background:The target delivery channel of RTS,S candidate malaria vaccines in malaria-endemic countries in Africa is the World Health Organisation Expanded Program on Immunization. As an Adjuvant System, age de-escalation and schedule selection step, this study assessed 3 schedules of RTS,S/AS01E and RTS,S/AS02D in infants and young children 5&ndash;17 months of age in Ghana.Methodology:A Phase II, partially-blind randomized controlled study (blind to vaccine, not to schedule), of 19 months duration was conducted in two (2) centres in Ghana between August 2006 and May 2008. Subjects were allocated randomly (1:1:1:1:1:1) to one of six study groups at each study site, each defining which vaccine should be given and by which schedule (0,1-, 0,1,2- or 0,1,7-months). For the 0,1,2-month schedule participants received RTS,S/AS01E or rabies vaccine at one center and RTS,S/AS01E or RTS,S/AS02D at the other. For the other schedules at both study sites, they received RTS,S/AS01E or RTS,S/AS02D. The primary outcome measure was the occurrence of serious adverse events until 10 months post dose 1.Results:The number of serious adverse events reported across groups was balanced. One child had a simple febrile convulsion, which evolved favourably without sequelae, considered to be related to RTS,S/AS01E vaccination. Low grade reactions occurred slightly more frequently in recipients of RTS,S/AS than rabies vaccines; grade 3 reactions were infrequent. Less local reactogenicity occurred with RTS,S/AS01E than RTS,S/AS02D. Both candidate vaccines were highly immunogenic for anti-circumsporozoite and anti-Hepatitis B Virus surface antigen antibodies. Recipients of RTS,S/AS01E compared to RTS,S/AS02D had higher peak anti-circumsporozoite antibody responses for all 3 schedules. Three dose schedules were more immunogenic than 2 dose schedules. Area under the curve analyses for anti-circumsporozoite antibodies were comparable between the 0,1,2- and 0,1,7-month RTS,S/AS01E schedules.Conclusions:Both candidate malaria vaccines were well tolerated. Anti-circumsporozoite responses were greater with RTS,S/AS01E than RTS,S/AS02D and when 3 rather than 2 doses were given. This study supports the selection of RTS,S/AS01E and a 3 dose schedule for further development in children and infants