Sustainable Production of Afforestation and Reforestation to Salvage Land Degradation in Asunafo District, Ghana

Savannazation and marshy areas are common features of once evergreen and deciduous forest of Ghana. Attempts to salvage such degraded lands have considered replacement with closed tree canopy. This study aims at examining efforts at Asunafo forest area to use tree planting of different species to remedy land degradation in a swamp area colonized by shrubs and grasses. Study methods include the use of field visits and transect walk, photography, archival data, key informant interview, community meeting and socio-economic survey for sourcing primary data for analysis. The results indicate that where the swamp is vegetated by shrubs of different kinds, afforestation shows rapid success. And, where the swamp is dominated by grass species, afforestation success is slow. Terminalia ivorensis, Triplochiton scleroxylon and Ceiba pentandra registered quick impacts in height growth, stem development, canopy formation where the degraded land was originally covered with shrubs. Trees grow well when weed competition for essential resources is reduced through weed control. The study concludes that tree planting in swamp area is sustainable land management practice to redeem land degradation. Also, environmental benefits are imperatives but host communities derived near to zero social and economic benefits because such projects happen outside clean development mechanisms' arrangement

Industrialization of cassava sector in Ghana: progress and the role of developing high starch cassava varieties

In Ghana, cassava is a marginalized crop in food policies due to low research attention given it. However, high starch in cassava root is an important characteristic that makes the crop a potential industrial cash crop. In light of this, the Government of Ghana in 2001 introduced the Presidential Special Initiative (PSI) on Cassava, which aimed at industrializing the cassava sector for job creation and livelihood improvement through starch extraction. One of the import industrial products from cassava starch is ethanol. Ethanol is reported as the largest opportunity for cassava industrialization in Ghana followed by food-grade starch. However, the local ethanol consuming industry, Kasapreko, operates by importing over 25 million litres of ethanol every year due to inadequate supply of ethanol from local starch factories. This situation exists because of lack of cassava varieties that can yield more starch (75% or more) per total dry weight to feed the starch factories for sustainable production. Therefore, this review explores the relevance of developing high starch yielding cassava to the industrialization of the cassava sector in Ghana and lessons to learn from the success story of Thailand, the country with the world’s most industrialized cassava sector

Prevalence of cholelithiasis among persons undergoing abdominal ultrasound at the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital, Kumasi, Ghana.

Background: The prevalence of gallstones among Ghanaians is unknown. We aimed to determine the prevalence of gallstones among persons undergoing abdominal ultrasound at the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH).Methods: We performed a cross-sectional study of patients aged ≥14years presenting to KATH for abdominal ultrasound between 2009 and 2012. Patient demographics were recorded. The gallbladder was assessed by ultrasonography. Cholelithiasis was defined as presence of gallstones or absence of gallbladder. Data was expressed as descriptive and inferential statistics.Results: There were 2824 participants. 55% were females. Mean age was 47±18 years. Mean body mass index (BMI) was 24.0±5.5. Mean parity among females was 3±3. Prevalence of cholelithiasis was 5.9 (95%C.I:5.0,6.8). Females had a high prevalence compared to males (6.8 vs 4.7). Prevalence increased steadily by age. Prevalence was 6.6, 5.1 and 8.8 for patients with BMI <18.5, 18.5-24.9 and ≥30 respectively. Prevalence among women with parity of 0,1-5 and >5 was 3.1, 6.7 and 6.4 respectively.On multivariate regression analysis, female sex (AOR=1.55;p<0.05), age≥40 years (AOR=2.05;p<0.01), BMI<18.5 (AOR=1.25;p>0.05) or BMI≥30 (AOR=1.39;p>0.05) and family history of gallstones (AOR=11.9;p<0.01) increased the odds of cholelithiasis.Conclusions: Prevalence of cholelithiasis among patients undergoing ultrasonography at KATH was 5.9. Patient age, sex and family history significantly influenced the prevalence.Key words: Cholelithiasis, Prevalence, Kumasi, Ghan

Performance of nine cassava (Manihot esculanta Crantz) clones across three environments

The study was carried out to quantify the genotype × environment interaction (G × E) and to estimate the phenotypic stability by genotype genotype × environment (GGE) biplot of nine cassava clones comprising 5 hybrids, 3 parent checks and 1 improved variety. The study was planted across three different environments; Fumesua, Pokuase and Ejura representing forest, coastal savanna and forest transition zones, respectively. Genotype main effect was significant (P < 0.001) for fresh root yield and dry matter content, G × E interaction effect was significant (P < 0.001) for fresh root yield only and environment main effect was significant (P < 0.01) for only fresh root yield. The most stable clone for fresh root yield with above average performance was La02/026 (hybrid). The high genotype and low environment effects, and the relatively low interaction on dry matter content imply that evaluation and selection can be effectively done in fewer environments to select clones with high performance for the trait whiles fresh root yield requires multiple environments to identify clones with broad and specific adaptation

The role of multimodality radiological imaging in extrauterine misplaced IUCD: A case report

Intrauterine contraceptive device (IUCD) is among the commonly used contraceptive methods in the world including sub-Saharan Africa but have been associated with a number of complications that although rare, can occur. Uterine perforation is the most serious complication of the IUCD. Surgical management is required in cases with complete uterine perforation, in which the IUCD is partially or completely within the peritoneal cavity. We present a case of a 27year old para 2 woman reporting with mild lower abdominal pains and the absence of IUCD string in the vagina after its insertion following evacuation of the uterus 2 years prior to this study. With the utilization of multiple imaging modalities, an exploratory laparotomy was done to remove the migrated IUCD and repair of the perforated bowel and urinary bladder.&nbsp; Keywords: Migrated IUCD, uterine perforation, ultrasonography, radiography, Computed Tomography Le dispositif contraceptif intra-utérin (IUCD) fait partie des méthodes contraceptives couramment utilisées dans le monde, y compris en Afrique subsaharienne, mais a été associé à un certain nombre de complications qui, bien que rares, peuvent survenir. La perforation utérine est la complication la plus grave de l'IUCD. Une prise en charge chirurgicale est nécessaire dans les cas de perforation utérine complète, dans laquelle l'IUCD est partiellement ou complètement dans la cavité péritonéale. Nous présentons le cas d'une femme Para 2 de 27 ans qui a rapporté avec des légères douleurs abdominales basses et l'absence de fil du dispositif contraceptif intra-utérin dans le vagin après son insertion suite à l'évacuation de l'utérus 2 ans avant cette étude. L'utilisation des multiples modalités d'imagerie , une laparotomie exploratoire a été réalisée pour retirer l'IUCD migré et réparer l'intestin et la vessie perforés. Mots-clés: IUCD migré, perforation uterine, échographie, radiographie, Tomodensitométri

Chest radiography patterns of COVID-19 pneumonia in Kumasi, Ghana

Objectives: To document the pattern of chest radiographic findings in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients with moderate to severe disease. Design: Retrospective cross-sectional study. Setting: The study site was Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH) located at Bantama in Kumasi, the capital town of the Ashanti Region. It is the second largest hospital in the country and the major referral site for Ashanti region and the northern part of the country. The hospital hosts a highly infectious isolation unit (HIIU) for COVID19 patients with moderate to severe infections and receives referred cases from the region and within the hospital. Participants: The study involved 27 patients admitted to the HIIU at KATH with COVID-19 infection who underwent chest X-ray as part of their investigations. Results: The study enrolled 12 males and 15 females. The common comorbidities were hypertension and diabetes. Chest x-ray findings in most of the patients (81.5%) revealed ground-glass opacities while a few of them (18.5%) had lung consolidations without ground-glass opacities. For those with ground-glass opacities, eight (29.6%) had superimposed consolidation. All the participants had positive chest x-ray findings. Conclusion: The chest x-ray findings in the 27 COVID-19 positive patients with moderate to severe disease on admission at the KATH HIIU enrolled in this study showed significant pulmonary abnormalities. The predominant pulmonary abnormalities were bilateral peripheral ground-glass opacities with the lower lung zones being mostly affected

Advancing Stroke Genomic Research in the Age of Trans-Omics Big Data Science: Emerging Priorities and Opportunities

Background—We systematically reviewed the genetic variants associated with stroke in genome-wide association studies (GWAS) and examined the emerging priorities and opportunities for rapidly advancing stroke research in the era of Trans-Omics science. Methods—Using the PRISMA guideline, we searched PubMed and NHGRI- EBI GWAS catalog for stroke studies from 2007 till May 2017. Results—We included 31 studies. The major challenge is that the few validated variants could not account for the full genetic risk of stroke and have not been translated for clinical use. None of the studies included continental Africans. Genomic study of stroke among Africans presents a unique opportunity for the discovery, validation, functional annotation, trans-omics study and translation of genomic determinants of stroke with implications for global populations. This is because all humans originated from Africa, a continent with a unique genomic architecture and a distinctive epidemiology of stroke; as well as substantially higher heritability and resolution of fine mapping of stroke genes. Conclusion—Understanding the genomic determinants of stroke and the corresponding molecular mechanisms will revolutionize the development of a new set of precise biomarkers for stroke prediction, diagnosis and prognostic estimates as well as personalized interventions for reducing the global burden of stroke