Regenerative capacity and factors influencing the management of Mucuna pruriens var. utilis live-mulch

The regenerative capacity of Mucuna pruriens var. utilis live-mulch and factors affecting its management were investigated. Six plots of mucuna (each measuring 48 m2) were established at an intra-row spacing of 40 cm and inter-row spacing of 80 cm. The number of days to canopy closure after planting and after the first, second and third trimmings were recorded. The trimming frequency for early-maturing and late-maturing maize varieties and the biomass yield and number of active nodules per plant were determined. Mucuna pruriens attained complete canopy closure 55 days after planting (DAP). The number of days required for complete canopy closure after the first, second and third trimmings were 34, 32 and 26, respectively. The number of trimmings (60 to 90 DAP) varied from 0-1 (for earlymaturing maize) to 1-2 (for late-maturing maize). The fresh biomass yields at the first, second and third trimmings were 12364, 5941 and 7209 kg ha–1, respectively; while litter yield ranged from 469 to 914 kg ha–1. The effective nodule count per plant varied from 4 (45 DAP) to a maximum of 63 (120 DAP). The N yield (90 days after planting mucuna) was 179 kg ha-1 of which 60 kg ha-1 mineralizable N could be provided for an intercrop. Significant positive relationships were established between biomass yield, N content of mucuna plant, days after planting, and number of effective nodules per plant. The study showed that it would be appropriate to trim M. pruriens two times (at 60 DAP and 34 days after first trimming) during the intercropping of a latematuring maize crop to reduce competition between maize crop and live-mulch for water and plant nutrients in the soil. La capacité régénératrice de paillis vif Mucuna pruriens var. utilis et les facteurs influançant son aménagement étaient étudiés. Six lots de mucuna ( de 48 m² chacun) étaient cultivés avec un espacement 40 cm intra-rayons et un espacement de 80 cm inter-rayons. Les nombres de jours à la fermeture de la canopée après la plantation et après les tailles premières, deuxièmes et troisièmes étaient enregistrées . La fréquence de la taille pour les variétés de maïs de maturation tôt et de maturation tardive, le rendement de la biomasse et le nombre de nodule actif par plante étaient déterminés. Mucuna pruriens ont atteint une fermeture complete de la canopée 55 jours après la plantation. Le nombre de jours exigés pour la fermeture complète de la canopée après les tailles premières, deuxièmes et troisièmes étaient respectivement 34, 32 et 26. Les nombres de taille (60-90 jours après plantation ) variaient de 0-1 ( pour le maïs de maturation tôt ) à 1-2 (pour le maïs de la maturation tardive ) . Les rendements de biomasse fraîche aux tailles premières, deuxièmes et troisièmes étaient 12364, 5941 et 7209 kg ha-¹, respectivement, alors que le rendement de litière variait de 469 à 914 kg ha-¹ . Le compte effectif de nodule par plante variait 4 ( 45 jours après plantation) à un maximum de 63 (120 jours après plantation ). Le rendement d'azote (A) (90 jours après plantation de mucuna) était 179 kg ha-¹ dont 60 kg ha-¹ d'A minéralisable pourrait être disponible à une culture associée. Des rapports positives considérables étaient établis entre le rendement de biomasse, la teneur d'A de la plante mucuna, les jours après la plantation et le nombre de nodules effectifs par plante. L'étude montrait qu'il serait approprié de tailler légèrement M. pruriens deux fois (60 jours après plantation et 34 jours après la taille première ) pendant l'association culturale de la culture du maïs d'une maturation tardive afin de réduire la concurrence pour l'eau et les nutriments de plante dans le sol entre la culture maïs et le paillis vif. Ghana Journal of Agricultural Science Vol. 40 (1) 2007: pp. 51-5

Appraisal of some methods of weed control during initial establishment of cocoa in a semi-deciduous forest zone of Ghana

In appraising the effects of the quantum and quality of weed control required in establishment of young cocoa, six manual methods of controlling weeds were compared with chemical weed control at two stations of the Cocoa Research Institute of Ghana. Growth of cocoa seedlings after 2 years in the field was superior (P < 0.05) in plots which were clean-weeded two or four times per year or treated with paraquat four times per year than when plots were slashed two or four times per year. There was strong evidence to suggest that treatments which ensured a weed-free environment to the cocoa over a long period were favourable to girth increments in the seedlings. Death of seedlings during establishment was generally lower in plots which were either clean-weeded or treated with paraquat. Labour requirement for controlling weeds with paraquat was considerably lower than that required for the other treatments. Considering the equipment and chemical input, paraquat application was expensive compared to high slashing with or without clean-line weeding two times a year, or clean weeding two times a year; but by virtue of its efficacy, it is recommended for cocoa establishment. En évaluant les effets du quatum et de la qualité de désherbage exigé dans la culture de jeune cacao, six méthodes de désherbage manuel étaient comparées avec le désherbage chimique à deux stations de l'Institut de Recherche en cacao du Ghana. La croissance de semis de cacao, après deux années, dans le champ était supérieure (P £ 0.05 ) dans les lots qui étaient complètement désherbés 2 ou 4 fois/an ou traités avec le paraquat 4 fois/an que dans les lots qui étaient entaillés 2 ou 4 fois/an. Il y avait de nombreuses preuves qui laissent penser que les traitements qui assuraient un environnement sans mauvaise herbe pour le cacao sur une longue période étaient favorables aux augmentations de circonférence des semis. La mort de semis pendant la culture était dans l'ensemble plus faible dans les lots, qui étaient soit complètement désherbés soit traités avec le paraquat. L'exigence de main-d'oeuvre pour maîtriser les mauvaises herbes avec le paraquat était considérablement plus faible que celle exigée pour les autres traitements. En ce qui concerne les matériels et les intrants chimiques, l'application de paraquat était chère que les entailles élevées avec ou sans le désherbage complet en ligne deux fois par an ou le désherbage complet deux fois par an mais en vertu de son efficacité il est recommandé pour la culture de cacao. Ghana Journal of Agricultural Science Vol. 40 (1) 2007: pp. 67-7

Adequacy of pain management in oncology patients at a tertiary hospital in Ghana

Background: Although cancer pain is well documented, efficient management is largely inadequate in most patients especially in developing countries. This study evaluated the adequacy of pain management as well as potential social factors that may be associated with inadequate pain management.Methods: 204 ambulatory oncology patients (82% female; mean age 53.5) attending clinic at the Oncology Directorate, of a tertiary hospital in Ghana from January to December, 2015 were recruited and their pain severity and functional interference assessed with the Brief Pain Inventory (BPI). The adequacy of pain management was computed as the pain management index (PMI) using the BPI.Results: Although 62% of respondents were prescribed high potency opioids, 56.9% of them exhibited significant pain while 34.9% required a stronger analgesic to manage their pain. Majority of patients (56%) were over-managed for their pain (had PMI score >0). Only 26.4% had optimal cancer pain management. Pain interfered mostly with patients’ sleep (46.2%) and general activity (42.5%). Patients with high pain intensity were more likely to have it affect their daily activity (P<0.0001). Men were more likely to have inadequate pain management than females.Conclusions: This study has shown that whereas pain management may be adequate, there is the tendency for opioid tolerance and abuse as over 50% of patients receive more analgesics than required. The tenets of the WHO 3-step analgesic ladder should be strictly adhered to achieve optimum cancer pain relief

Effect of gold mining on total factor productivity of farmers: Evidence from Ghana

Gold mining comes with several benefits to developing countries, manifested mainly in the form of employment and revenue, but simultaneously impacts negatively on the immediate environment. It affects the economic structure including agriculture and its productivity. Hence, this study investigated the effect of gold mining on total factor productivity of farmers in Ghana using 110 cocoa farmers from Asutifi North and Asutifi South districts of the Brong Ahafo Region, categorised into mining and non-mining areas respectively. About 83 % of the farmers in the mining areas were affected by gold mining through channels such as land disputes, relocation of farm/residence, high cost of labour, illegal small-scale mining and dust settlement on crops. Also, about 64 % of cocoa farmers in the mining areas lost their farm lands (between 0.4 and 3.64 ha as a result of gold mining. The Tornqvist Total Factor Productivity (TFP) indices for cocoa farmers in the non-mining areas (mean TFP of 1.404) were also statistically higher than those in the mining areas (mean TFP of 0.371). The study concluded that gold mining activities adversely affect productivity of farmers in the catchment areas. The study recommends, among others, that a policy of land-for-land should be in place and effectively implemented to ensure that mining companies in order to enhance and ensure continuity of livelihoods must fully replace lands lost through mining activities

Associations of Circulating Estrogens and Estrogen Metabolites with Fecal and Oral Microbiome in Postmenopausal Women in the Ghana Breast Health Study

ABSTRACT The human fecal and oral microbiome may play a role in the etiology of breast cancer through modulation of endogenous estrogen metabolism. This study aimed to investigate associations of circulating estrogens and estrogen metabolites with the fecal and oral microbiome in postmenopausal African women. A total of 117 women with fecal (N = 110) and oral (N = 114) microbiome data measured by 16S rRNA gene sequencing, and estrogens and estrogen metabolites data measured by liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry were included. The outcomes were measures of the microbiome and the independent variables were the estrogens and estrogen metabolites. Estrogens and estrogen metabolites were associated with the fecal microbial Shannon index (global P < 0.01). In particular, higher levels of estrone (β = 0.36, P = 0.03), 2-hydroxyestradiol (β = 0.30, P = 0.02), 4-methoxyestrone (β = 0.51, P = 0.01), and estriol (β = 0.36, P = 0.04) were associated with higher levels of the Shannon index, while 16alpha-hydroxyestrone (β = −0.57, P < 0.01) was inversely associated with the Shannon index as indicated by linear regression. Conjugated 2-methoxyestrone was associated with oral microbial unweighted UniFrac as indicated by MiRKAT (P < 0.01) and PERMANOVA, where conjugated 2-methoxyestrone explained 2.67% of the oral microbial variability, but no other estrogens or estrogen metabolites were associated with any other beta diversity measures. The presence and abundance of multiple fecal and oral genera, such as fecal genera from families Lachnospiraceae and Ruminococcaceae, were associated with several estrogens and estrogen metabolites as indicated by zero-inflated negative binomial regression. Overall, we found several associations of specific estrogens and estrogen metabolites and the fecal and oral microbiome. IMPORTANCE Several epidemiologic studies have found associations of urinary estrogens and estrogen metabolites with the fecal microbiome. However, urinary estrogen concentrations are not strongly correlated with serum estrogens, a known risk factor for breast cancer. To better understand whether the human fecal and oral microbiome were associated with breast cancer risk via the regulation of estrogen metabolism, we conducted this study to investigate the associations of circulating estrogens and estrogen metabolites with the fecal and oral microbiome in postmenopausal African women. We found several associations of parent estrogens and several estrogen metabolites with the microbial communities, and multiple individual associations of estrogens and estrogen metabolites with the presence and abundance of multiple fecal and oral genera, such as fecal genera from families Lachnospiraceae and Ruminococcaceae, which have estrogen metabolizing properties. Future large, longitudinal studies to investigate the dynamic changes of the fecal and oral microbiome and estrogen relationship are needed

Cognitive Impairment Before Intracerebral Hemorrhage Is Associated With Cerebral Amyloid Angiopathy

Background and Purpose—Although the association between cerebral amyloid angiopathy (CAA) and cognitive impairment is increasingly recognized, it is not clear whether this is because of the impact of recurrent intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) events, disruptions caused by cerebral small vessel damage, or both. We investigated this by considering whether cognitive impairment before ICH was associated with neuroimaging features of CAA on magnetic resonance imaging. Methods—We studied 166 patients with neuroimaging-confirmed ICH recruited to a prospective multicentre observational study. Preexisting cognitive impairment was determined using the Informant Questionnaire on Cognitive Decline in the Elderly (IQCODE). Magnetic resonance imaging markers of cerebral small vessel disease, including CAA, were rated by trained observers according to consensus guidelines. Results—The prevalence of cognitive impairment before ICH was 24.7% (n=41) and, in adjusted analyses, was associated with fulfilling the modified Boston criteria for probable CAA at presentation (odds ratio, 4.01; 95% confidence interval, 1.53–10.51; P=0.005) and a higher composite CAA score (for each point increase, odds ratio, 1.42; 95% confidence interval, 1.03–1.97; P=0.033). We also found independent associations between pre-ICH cognitive decline and the presence of cortical superficial siderosis, strictly lobar microbleeds, and lobar ICH location, but not with other neuroimaging markers, or a composite small vessel disease score. Conclusions—CAA (defined using magnetic resonance imaging markers) is associated with cognitive decline before symptomatic ICH. This provides evidence that small vessel disruption in CAA makes an independent contribution to cognitive impairment, in addition to effects due to brain injury caused directly by ICH