Determinants of low birth weight in the Lower Manya Krobo Municipality of the Eastern region of Ghana

Background: Low birth weight refers to new borns weighting less than 2.5 kg at birth. In November 2017, the WHO reported a global prevalence of 15.5% with 96.5% of these cases happening in developing countries. Whilst this is a global canker, the risk factors differ from locality to locality.  This study aims at determining which maternal factors explains low birth weight baby delivery in the Lower Manya Krobo Municipality.Methods: The chi-square test for independence was used to test for independence. The binary logistic model is fitted for the associated factors. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) is used to classify unbiased estimators.Results: ANC (yes β= -2.769 sig.=0.000); Alcohol (none β=-1.479 sig.=0.000, occasionally β= −2.043 sig.=0.000); Age (<20years β=0.178 sig. =0.676, 20 to 25years β= -1.487 sig.=0.000, 26 to 30 β= -0.941 sig.=0.086); Education level (None β=2.778 sig. =0.000, primary β=3.090 sig.=0.000, JHS β=1.913 sig.=0.002, SHS/Secondary β=1.951 sig.=0.000); Exposure to Heat (Yes β=4.507 sig.=0.000). AUC education=0.67, 95% CI=0.6,0.7 and AUC Exposure to heat=0.73, 95% CI=0.68,0.77 of low birth weight.Conclusions: Social status was not significant factor. Mothers exposed to heat had the highest risk (odds=90 times). Adolescent mothers stand high risk with odds 1.195. Mothers who attended antenatal clinics were at 94% less likelihood. Mild drinkers had lesser risk compared to no and heavy drinkers. Mothers with primary education (odds=21 times) were the riskiest compared to mothers with tertiary education. This differs from researches where no education mothers were riskiest. Only mother’s exposure to heat was found to be fairly good unbiased estimators

An Integrated Assessment of the Ecological Health Status of Coastal Aquatic Ecosystems of Ada in Ghana

This paper aims at assessing the ecological health status of aquatic ecosystems in the coastal area of Ada in Ghana. Healthy aquatic ecosystems are characterized by high species diversity, good water and habitat quality among others. An ecological assessment was conducted to describe the landuse pattern, water quality and habitat quality of critical aquatic ecosystems. Physicochemical parameters of water were monitored for three months each in the dry and wet seasons. Biological components which composed of macroinvertebrate and aquatic macrophyte were studied to determine the biodiversity status. The results revealed that 70% of the sampled aquatic ecosystems have concentrations of water parameters within the limits of natural background levels. However, the concentrations of nitrates and phosphates were significantly higher than the recommended World Health Organization (WHO) standards for healthy aquatic ecosystems. With regards to landuse and habitat quality, seventy percent (70%) of the sampled ecosystems were found to be in poor condition. Increasing effort on awareness programmes is needed to improve community participation to ensure proper disposal of domestic and industrial waste

Reliability of non-invasive tissue sampling methods for DNA extraction in rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus)

[EN] Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) can be extracted from different tissue sources. The most common is blood, but in some situations it can be easier to take a biopsy. In some cases when it is difficult to capture animals, especially in wild populations, faeces and hairs can be considered as a source of DNA. This paper presents a pilot study conducted to compare the applicability of invasive and non-invasive sampling methods for extracting DNA for use in genetic studies of rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus). The study included 24 rabbits from the INRA 1001 strain. Blood, hair, ear biopsies and faeces were collected and used as DNA sources. Our aim was to verify the quantity of DNA obtained from different tissues using two or three types of extraction. DNA was obtained for all tissue types and all extraction methods. DNA extraction was shown to be optimal with the LGC (Laboratory of Cellular Genetics) blood extraction method. With regard to non-invasive methods, DNA extraction for hair using the LGC protocol and QIAamp¿ DNA mini kit gave very low quantities of DNA that could not be used for PCR reactions. The Chelex extraction protocol gave good results for PCR but could not be quantified. DNA extracted from faeces is a viable source of DNA for determining individual genotypes. The use of such non-invasive samples as a source of genetic material is a recent and very promising technique, especially for the study of endangered species, but these techniques are still too unreliable and costly to altogether replace invasive techniques when the latter are possible.Ben Larbi, M.; Tircazes, A.; Feve, K.; Tudela, F.; Bolet, G. (2012). Reliability of non-invasive tissue sampling methods for DNA extraction in rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus). World Rabbit Science. 20(2):117-124. doi:10.4995/wrs.2012.1077SWORD11712420

Chemical composition and anti-arthritic activity of Anacyclus valentinus extract on adjuvant-induced arthritis in rats

Anacyclus valentinus L. is a common annual plant in Algeria, known for her various therapeutic effects. In addition, the plant is used as a food condiment. We reported our investigations on the chemical compositions and the antiarthritic activity of methanolic extract of A. valentinus (MEAV). The polyphenol extraction by maceration with methanol (80%) gave yields of 17.82%. The identification by LC-MS and colorimetric assays revealed the wealth of methanolic extracts on phenolic compounds including flavonoids (52.15 mg Equ/g) and lactones. Acute oral toxicity of extract was performed in line with OECD guidelines and the lethal dose 50 was assessed greater than 2500 mg/Kg. Regarding the anti-arthritic power, rheumatoid arthritis was induced by Freund\u27s adjuvant in rats. The methanolic extract of A. valentinus presented a largest effect with weight gain, an arthritic score, thymus indices; spleen and serum parameters close to those of the control. The extract also inhibited edema and restored cartilage structure

Outlining an Intelligent Tutoring System for a University Cooperation Information System

International opening of universities and research institutions is essential in the development of their research and innovation activities. Abdelmalek Essaadi University (AEU) attaches crucial importance to partnership and international cooperation, and actively participates in national and international cooperation and exchange programs. In order to manage the monitoring and evaluation of its cooperation activities as it evolves, the University has set up a system of information on the governance of university cooperation for proper management and managing better partnerships. When setting up a new information system, end-user training in this new management tool is a very important part of this process. For this reason, the University has adopted the idea of developing an intelligent tutoring system. This system will be based on the Moodle platform and will be fully automated and adaptable to the needs of each learner. This article presents the basic design of the intelligent tutoring system incorporated in the management information system of university cooperation SIMACoop of our university and shows the feasibility of the intelligent tutoring system around an information system