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

Breeding un-sweetpotato for West Africa: Progress on population development and improvement in Ghana and Peru.

Sweetness of sweetpotato is considered to be a significant constraint to demand for this crop in West Africa where starchy staple root crops with low flavor impact are important. Un-sweetpotato populations and varieties which may have use both for fresh consumption and in processed forms are therefore under development at the Sweetpotato Support Platform for West Africa, and drawing on a global genetic resource base at CIP headquarters in Lima, Peru. In Ghana base populations were assembled from locally adapted regional germplasm, including released varieties, farmers' varieties, breeding lines from IITA reported to be un-sweet, and from exotic germplasm reported to be unsweet. Seed populations were also introduced for assessment from Sweetpotato Support Platforms in Uganda and Mozambique, and from Japan and the USA. Introduced germplasm was evaluated in field trials in production zones/agroecologies where sweetpotato is important in Ghana, and farmers participated in selection based on field performance and taste. Sugars of raw samples were measured using near-infrared reflectance spectrometry, and cooked samples were tasted to assess sweetness. In Peru, a large breeding population was screened for un-sweet taste (low flavor impact) and these materials, presumed to be Beta-amylase nulls, were crossed with a population of breeding lines developed at IITA and presumed to have good adaptation to West African conditions. Seed from the Peruvian crossing block has been sent to Ghana for evaluation and selection. Together, West African and exotic populations are expected to provide a solid foundation for developing un-sweetpotato and for expanding the range of options available to sweetpotato producers and consumers in West Africa and elsewhere

Multi-locational assessment of some physicochemical attributes and amylase activity of sweetpotato varieties and elite materials in Ghana.

As part of the breeding objectives to select sweetpotato materials with acceptable quality attributes for adaptation and subsequent utilisation in Ghana, the total amylase activity and physicochemical attributes (flesh colour, Beta-carotene, dry matter, starch and sugars) of 13 sweetpotato genotypes across five locations were evaluated. Near Infrared Reflectance Spectrometry (NIRS), was mainly employed in the study. The flesh colour of the materials ranged from white to deep orange while thedry matter content ranged from 20% to 44%. Starch, fructose, glucose and sucrose contents were 46– 74, 0.3 - 5, 2 – 8 and 9 – 22% respectively. Apomuden, a deep orange type, recorded the highesttotal sugar content of 36% and the lowest dry matter and starch content of 20% and 46% respectively. Hi-starch variety had the highest dry matter (45%), starch (74%) and the lowest sugar (11%). Dry matter content correlated positively with starch content whilst orange colour intensity was inversely proportional to dry matter content. The outcome of the study supports the fact that sweet potato contains high extractable amylases. Amylase activity of the materials was fairly stable across locations. Okomkum, Faara, Santom Pona, Kemb, and Cemsa 74-228 recorded the highest activity while Hi-starch, Apomuden, Mohc, and 199062.1 were low. There was no correlation between raw sugars and amylase activity. The potential of individual cultivars for food industry will be discussed in relation to starch content and extractable amylases

Embracing complexity and uncertainty to create impact: Exploring the processes and transformative potential of co-produced research through development of a social impact model

© 2018 The Author(s). The potential use, influence and impact of health research is seldom fully realised. This stubborn problem has caused burgeoning global interest in research aiming to address the implementation 'gap' and factors inhibiting the uptake of scientific evidence. Scholars and practitioners have questioned the nature of evidence used and required for healthcare, highlighting the complex ways in which knowledge is formed, shared and modified in practice and policy. This has led to rapid expansion, expertise and innovation in the field of knowledge mobilisation and funding for experimentation into the effectiveness of different knowledge mobilisation models. One approach gaining prominence involves stakeholders (e.g. researchers, practitioners, service users, policy-makers, managers and carers) in the co-production, and application, of knowledge for practice, policy and research (frequently termed integrated knowledge translation in Canada). Its popularity stems largely from its potential to address dilemmas inherent in the implementation of knowledge generated using more reductionist methods. However, despite increasing recognition, demands for co-produced research to illustrate its worth are becoming pressing while the means to do so remain challenging. This is due not only to the diversity of approaches to co-production and their application, but also to the ways through which different stakeholders conceptualise, measure, reward and use research. While research co-production can lead to demonstrable benefits such as policy or practice change, it may also have more diffuse and subtle impact on relationships, knowledge sharing, and in engendering culture shifts and research capacity-building. These relatively intangible outcomes are harder to measure and require new emphases and tools. This opinion paper uses six Canadian and United Kingdom case studies to explore the principles and practice of co-production and illustrate how it can influence interactions between research, policy and practice, and benefit diverse stakeholders. In doing so, we identify a continuum of co-production processes. We propose and illustrate the use of a new 'social model of impact' and framework to capture multi-layered and potentially transformative impacts of co-produced research. We make recommendations for future directions in research co-production and impact measurement