Prospects for Intensifying Soil Fertility Management on the Growth and Yield of Assava in Ghana

Crop-specific fertilizer recommendations are necessary to improve yield and enhance food security in Ghana. This approach would help in improving crop productivity while maintaining a good soil health status. A new NPK fertilizer has been recently developed by the private sector with Nitrogen (N), Phosphorus (P), and Potassium (K) proportions of 11:22:21 respectively for improved cassava root yield. This study evaluated the right and economic rate of this fertilizer to apply for improved cassava productivity and farmer livelihoods. Rates of 0, 300, 400, 600, and 800 kg/ha of newly developed fertilizer were applied at Fumesua and Akumadan located in the forest agro-ecological zone, and at Ejura and Techiman located in the transitional agro-ecological zone of Ghana. The experiments were conducted in two growing seasons (May 2019 to April 2020 and May 2020 to April 2021). Increases in cassava growth were observed with the increasing levels of fertilizer at all locations and in the two growing seasons. Cassava yield was in the linear phase of the fertilizer response curve. It ranged from 28 to 52 tons/ha with the increasing fertilizer levels. Cassava in the forest agro-ecology had better growth and 25% more yield than other locations. Fertilizer rates between 0 and 400 were found to have the best yield returns and sufficient profit opportunities to sensitize adoption by financially constrained farmers. The results indicate that the newly developed fertilizer (11:22:21 N:P2O5:K2O) can improve cassava productivity in the inherently poor soils of Ghana. Keywords: fertilizer recommendation; plant nutrients; rainfall; agronomic practices; cassava productivity; root yield DOI: 10.7176/JBAH/12-18-03 Publication date:September 30th 202

African Linguistics in Central and Eastern Europe, and in the Nordic Countries

Non peer reviewe

Prognostic factors associated with survival in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma undergoing transarterial chemoembolisation: an Australian multicenter cohort study

Aim: Transarterial chemoembolisation (TACE) is recommended therapy for intermediate-stage hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, the wide variations in outcomes reflect significant heterogeneity of this patient group. We evaluated the prognostic factors associated with survival in a real-world setting to identify those at high risk of a poor outcome.Methods: Patients with HCC who underwent initial TACE at six tertiary hospitals between 2009 to 2014 were included via an extensive search of hospital databases and electronic medical records. Overall survival (OS) was measured from the date of initial treatment to the date of death or last follow-up. Univariate and multivariate Cox regression analyses were used to assess the effects of baseline variables on post-TACE survival.Results: The majority of the 431 eligible patients were Caucasian (80%), male (87%), with a mean age of 66 years and had alcohol-related cirrhosis (43%). Most were Child-Pugh A (69%) with BCLC stage A (59%) or B (35%) disease, with a median OS of 28 months. On multivariate analysis, pre-treatment ascites (P = 0.001) and larger HCC (P < 0.001) were associated with worse overall survival, while higher serum albumin (P < 0.001) and HBV (P = 0.005) were associated with improved survival.Conclusion: Patients with advanced liver disease, including the presence of ascites and lower serum albumin, as well as those with greater tumour burden, have poorer outcomes following TACE treatment. Such findings provide a better understanding of the variation in survival after TACE and are helpful in facilitating selection and timely stage migration of patients undergoing this therapy

Adherence to a Mediterranean diet may improve serum adiponectin in adults with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease: The MEDINA randomized controlled trial✩

The aim of this study was to determine the effect of an ad libitum MedDiet versus low-fat diet (LFD) on inflammatory markers in adults with NAFLD. It was hypothesized that the MedDiet, and its individual components, would improve inflammation. This multicenter, randomized controlled trial, randomized participants to a MedDiet or LFD intervention for 12 weeks. Primary outcomes included change from baseline to 12 weeks for serum high-sensitivity C-reactive protein, interleukin-6, tumor necrosis factor-α, adiponectin, leptin, and resistin. Forty-two participants (60% female; age 52.3 ± 12.6 years; body mass index, 32.2 ± 6.2 kg/m²) were randomized to the MedDiet (n = 19) or low-fat diet (n = 23). At 12 weeks, the LFD showed a greater decrease in leptin compared with the MedDiet (–1.20 ± 3.9 ng/mL vs 0.64 ± 3.5 ng/mL, P = .010). Adiponectin significantly improved within the MedDiet (13.7 ± 9.2 μg/mL to 17.0 ± 12.5 μg/mL, P = .016), but not within the LFD group. No statistically significant changes were observed for other inflammatory markers following the MedDiet or LFD. Adherence to the MedDiet significantly improved in both study arms, although greater improvements were seen in the MedDiet group. Adiponectin significantly improved following a Mediterranean diet intervention, in the absence of weight loss. The low-fat diet did not elicit improvements in inflammatory markers. High-quality clinical trials appropriately powered to inflammatory markers are required in this population.</p