Comparative studies on the in vitro antioxidant properties of methanolic and hydro-ethanolic leafy extracts from eight edible leafy vegetables of Ghana

Epidemiological studies indicate that consumption of fruits and vegetables has the ability to inhibit the damaging activities of free radicals in the human body. Eight edible leafy vegetables of Ghana namely: Xanthosoma sagittifolium, Hibiscus Sabdariffa, Solanum macrocarpon, Talinum triangulare, Corchorus olitorius, Laportea aestuans, Ipomoea batatas, and Amaranthus cruentus were assessed for their antioxidant properties. The experimental results indicate that hydro-ethanol is an effective solvent for extracting the phytoconstituents of the leafy vegetables. The total antioxidant capacity (TAC) and total phenol content (TPC) in the methanol extracts (METE) and hydro-ethanol extracts (HETE) from the selected leafy vegetables within the measured concentration range (0.1 - 3.0 mg/ml) decreased in the order X. sagittifolium > I. batatas > L. aestuans > T. Triangulare > H. Sabdariffa > C. olitorius > S. macrocarpon > A. cruentus. A high and positive correlation was observed between TPC and TAC in both the METE and HETE from all the selected leafy vegetables. The selected leafy vegetables showed strong antioxidant properties with respect to their free radical scavenging activity and Fe3+ reduction ability with hydro-ethanol extracts indicating higher antioxidant potential compared with theirrespective methanol extracts.Key words: Hydro-ethanol extract, 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl free radical scavenging activity, total antioxidant capacity, reducing power, edible leafy vegetables

The use of Traditional Medicine by Ghanaians in Canada

Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Prevalence of rice blast and varietal screening in Ghana

Surveys were conducted in farmers' fields, participatory varietal selection (PVS) nurseries and researchers' fields during 2000-2002 cropping seasons to assess the incidence of rice blast (Pyricularia oryzae) in Ghana. Screenhouse artificial inoculation studies and field trials were also carried out on some of the rice varieties to assess their response to blast. Blast was recorded in 264 fields in the countrywide surveys. The incidence of blast varied considerably across the country and areas of blast scores of 0-3 (low), 4-6 (moderate) and 7-9 (high) have been identified. No blast was observed in Brong Ahafo, Greater Accra and Upper West Regions. Farmers at some of the high blast areas notably Fodome, Hohoe, Santrokofi and Datano reported complete devastation of their rice fields due to blast infection. The survey results suggest that Datano, Hohoe and Nyankpala are blast prone areas and key sites for resistance screening. The PVS rice varieties, with a few exceptions, had low blast severity scores at the key screening sites under natural field conditions, while the improved varieties had shown varying degrees of resistance to the dominant Ghanaian blast lineage representatives under screenhouse conditions. These improved varieties need to be tested sufficiently at other major rice-growing areas across the country to benefit the low-resourced farmers where improved varieties are not available or where local varieties are susceptible to the blast disease. Journal of Science and Technology Vol. 25(2) 2005: 18-3

A pooled analysis of outcomes according to cytogenetic abnormalities in patients receiving ixazomib- vs placebo-based therapy for multiple myeloma

10.1038/s41408-022-00768-5Blood Cancer Journal13114

Induction of a protective capsular polysaccharide antibody response to a multiepitope DNA vaccine encoding a peptide mimic of meningococcal serogroup C capsular polysaccharide

Systemic infection by encapsulated organisms, such as Neisseria meningitidis, is a major cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide, especially in individuals less than 2 years of age. Antibodies directed at the capsular polysaccharide are shown to be protective against disease by inducing complement-dependent bactericidal activity. The current polysaccharide vaccine has been shown to be poorly immunogenic in high-risk groups and this is probably related to its T-independent properties. An alternative approach to eliciting a T-dependent serum immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibody response to encapsulated pathogens is DNA vaccination. We assessed the immunogenicity of a multiepitope DNA vaccine encoding a T-cell helper epitope and a peptide mimic of N. meningitidis serogroup C. The DNA construct induced a significant anti-polysaccharide antibody response that was bactericidal. Mice immunized with the DNA construct were subsequently protected against challenge with a lethal dose of N. meningitidis serogroup C