Enhancing the food security of the peri-urban and urban poor through improvements to the quality, safety and economics of street-vended foods

There has been a continuing growth in urbanisation in developing countries, and governments’ face a major challenge in ensuring that city dwellers are able to procure sufficient food. Street foods are sold in almost every country in the world. In most towns and cities in Ghana, selling of snacks and whole meals on the streets is an important way to obtain income, especially among the poor women. Street foods have a long tradition in most countries. The role of this sector in the urbanisation process and the urban economy reflects the way of life and the survival and coping strategies adopted in most African cities. Some earlier studies on street food vending in Ghana have taken place. The FAO and WHO have funded these. Unfortunately, the studies did not include potential food safety concerns such as the presence of heavy metals, pesticide residues and the presence of mycotoxins. The studies did not also examine the contribution of these informal microenterprises to the Ghanaian economy. The DFID/NRI/FRI project on improved street-vended foods was a one-year exploratory study aimed at assessing the safety and quality of food sold in Accra as well as estimates the contribution of this sector to the national economy of Ghana. The project complemented previous work carried on the sector by other workers. This workshop was therefore organized to present findings and identifies new areas where further knowledge is required. As part of this dissemination, key stakeholders of the streetfood vending business in Ghana made short presentations on the status of the foods sold in Accra. These short presentations are also included in this report.Streetfood; microenterprises; mycotoxins; public health; economics; Organochlorines; Poverty

Peculiarities of Anamnesis and Life Quality in Patients with Atrial Fibrillation

Atrial fibrillation is a common rhythm disturbance. One of the main parameters being crucial for the choice of tactics of treatment and prevention of complications is the life quality of patients.       The objective of our study was to evaluate this indicator in patients with atrial fibrillation depending on different approaches to treatment. The study involved 254 patients with paroxysmal and persistent forms of atrial fibrillation and 42 practically healthy persons. The main features of anamnesis, presence of comorbidities, aggravating risk factors were studied as well as a survey using “AFEQT Questionnaire” was conducted. When studying the anamnesis it was revealed that patients treated by medications only (the first experimental group) had arterial hypertension as a main presumable cause of atrial fibrillation (92.4%); in one third of cases different forms of coronary artery disease and heart failure were diagnosed (38.6% and 33.3%, respectively). In the fourth group (after left ventricular revascularization) a prevailing cause of atrial fibrillation was coronary heart disease (100%). In the second group (after cardioversion) as well as in the third group (after ablation) the largest proportion of patients was also diagnosed with arterial hypertension – 62.0% and 40.9%, respectively. The mean total AFEQT score among the control group was 82.3±3.1 points. Patients of the first group scored the minimum value among interviewed patients -53.4±4.6 - that was significantly less compared to the control group, р<0.05. The total average value of the third group was significantly higher than that in the first group, 69.3±4.6 points against 53.4±4.6 points, respectively, р<0.05.            Thus, it was found that the lowest life quality is typical for patients treated with medications only. The patients after ablation have the highest life quality. Left ventricle revascularization slightly improves life quality, but this trend is not statistically significant

Analysis of Consumer Perceptions on Payday Loan Services, Asset Ownership, and Financial Management Education

Payday loan services, asset ownership, and financial management have been issues of interest to many consumers and scholars. Using a cross-sectional survey, we analyzed perceptions on payday loan services, asset ownership, and financial management education. The results showed that, only a small number of respondents used payday loan services. A majority had savings and checking accounts, and owned a vehicle; however, a majority did not own an IDA or a home. Furthermore, many were willing to participate in a financial management workshop. We also found that selected socioeconomic factors had statistically significant effects on selected indicators. For instance, gender had a statistically significant effect on using payday loan services. Age and household income had statistically significant effects on owning a home. The number of children under 18 years, gender, age, and household income had statistically significant effects on the willingness to participate in a financial management workshop. The findings show that socioeconomic factors may be important, and should be considered in policies regarding payday loan services, asset ownership, and financial management. Keywords: Payday Loan Services, Asset Ownership, Financial Education, Financial Management, Socioeconomic Factor

Educational technology adoption in leading Ghanaian state university business school

Today, the rapid growth of the use of technology in education has substantially increased the focus and relevance of educational technology research. This study addresses the question of whether technology can provide significant support in teaching and learning approaches and the associated issue of the elements needed for an effective implementation of technology within an educational reform context. Mixed methodological approach was adopted. Observations, interviews and questionnaires administration were the main form of data collection techniques employed by the researcher. Participants for the study were selected by purposive random sampling, which includes 20 teachers from business schools from four case study universities in Ghana together with 396 students. The study also took into consideration other stakeholders in the higher educational setting by interviewing 5 educational/learning technologists from the United Kingdom. The findings from the study suggest that most students and teachers do not use some form of educational technology due to the absence of these technologies and the poor training arrangement given by university authorities. Poor attitude was also seen to be an important factor for accepting and incorporating technologies in teaching and learning. The research provides an indication that information technology supports virtually every aspect of higher education, including research and e-learning which improves digital literacy of students and sustainability, and educators need to understand the range of problems their students face so they apply IT where it brings greatest value. The study also demonstrate that creating this IT support environment will require collaboration across organizational and national boundaries, bringing together the collective intelligence of people from backgrounds including education, corporations, and government. Keywords: Education, Learning, ICT, Educational technology, Higher Education, Leadershi

Biocompatibility of cross-linked hyaluronate (Gel-200) for the treatment of knee osteoarthritis

SummaryObjectiveTo compare the biocompatibility and immunogenicity of two intra-articular hyaluronan formulations, Gel-200 (Gel-One®) and hylan G-F 20 (Synvisc® series).Experimental designA comparison of the biocompatibility of Gel-200 and hylan G-F 20 was made using a rat subcutaneous air pouch model and the knee joint of normal rabbits. Immunogenicity was evaluated using a homologous passive cutaneous anaphylaxis (PCA) assay in guinea pigs.ResultsIn the air pouch model in rats, characteristic fibrous belts formed in the subcutaneous tissue. Injection of hylan G-F 20 into the air pouch induced granulomatous nodules primarily composed of macrophages, multinucleated giant cells, and eosinophils accompanied with the test material in the center of the nodules in the fibrous belt. Furthermore, the thickness of the fibrous belt in the hylan G-F 20 group increased significantly compared to the saline group. Injection of Gel-200 into the air pouch induced neither granulomatous inflammation nor significant thickening of fibrous belt, while foamy macrophages containing the test material were observed. Intra-articular injection of hylan G-F 20 into the rabbit knee joints induced granulomatous inflammation, eosinophil infiltration, and significant increase in the number of cells in the synovial fluid, while these findings were absent in the Gel-200 group. In the immunogenicity assay, hylan G-F 20 induced a positive PCA reaction, but the Gel-200 did not.ConclusionGel-200 showed more favorable biocompatibility and less immunogenicity compared to hylan G-F 20. Gel-200 is expected to be a single injection hyaluronan product with less safety concerns for the treatment of knee osteoarthritis (OA) pain

Evaluating the Economic Feasibility of Producing Broilers on Pasture and in a Conventional Production System

The demand for pasture raised poultry is increasing because of the perception that it is healthier and tastier than conventionally raised poultry. In order to meet this demand, some producers are considering switching from the conventional to the pasture system to take advantage of this niche market. Therefore, the objective of the study was to determine the economic viability of rearing broilers in a pastured poultry system (PPS) versus a conventional poultry system (CPS). Each of these systems was replicated three times with 60 birds per treatment in a study lasting seven weeks. Data were collected on costs of inputs, and others estimated. The mean net returns for PPS and CPS were, respectively, $56.44 and -$92.02. The break-even prices were, respectively, $10.89 for PPS and$11.87 for CPS. Also, the benefit/cost ratio was 1.103 for PPS and 0.845 for CPS. The paired t-test for the benefit/cost ratios indicated a significant difference (p< 0.05) between PPS and CPS. PPS was deemed more feasible than CPS. Hence, it was recommended that the former system is more appropriate for small and limited resource producers, and that technical assistance should be provided to them regarding PPS. Keywords: Pastured poultry, Conventional poultry, Economic feasibility, Broiler