Background: Making prognosis and identifying the patients at higher risk of mortality are important issues in breast cancer (BC) treatment. The aim of this study was to stratify BC case receiving mastectomy into prognostic risk categories using the Nottingham Prognostic Index (NPI).Methods: This was a retrospective review from January 2002 to December 2014 Results: Approximately 35% of all BCs diagnosed in our institution had undergone mastectomy. The mean age was 51.9 years. The mean size of...
Background: There is paucity of published data on head and neck tumours (HNTs) in Ghana, even the few studies available were conducted in the middle and southern belts of the country. The present study in northern Ghana, was conducted to study the histopathological characteristics of HNTs and offer recommendations. Methods: This retrospective study analysed HNTs for the past 10 years at the Tamale Teaching Hospital in northern Ghana. Results: There were 576 HNTs, with 66.0% benign and 34.0% m...
Background: Primary malignant orbito-ocular tumours (OOTs) frequently affect the younger age groups. Though mostly curable, they are a major cause of morbidity and even mortality in developing countries. The aim of this review was to describe the spectrum and clinico-pathological features of primary malignant OOTs in northern Ghana. Material and Methods: This study was a retrospective histopathological review from 1st June, 2013 – 30th June, 2019. Data were analysed using SPSS version 23 (S...
Background: More recently, contraception has been increasingly studied with regards to adolescent reproductive health. This study sought to investigate the knowledge, attitudes and perceptions of adolescents on contraception in the Bongo District. Material and methods: This was a cross-sectional descriptive study using structured questionnaires. Data was analysed using SPSS software (version 20) at two levels: gender and education. Results: The average age of first intercourse was 15.8 and 15...
Galactocele is a non-neoplastic cystic breast lesion found commonly in postpartum or lactating women.It may mimic neoplastic lesion because of the timing of its occurrence and or the clinicopathological changes in the affected breast tissue. It may thus pose a diagnostic challenge to clinicians in the absence of advanced imaging technology and histopathological examination. We present a 30-year-old woman para 7(5 alive, 2 dead) from the northern region of Ghana with an ulcerated giant galacto...
Background: Post-transfusion malaria in children under five years is associated with increased morbidity and mortality. The RDTs currently are used to supplement microscopy in the diagnosis of malaria in many endemic countries. However their efficiency as a screening tool for the detection of malaria in donors or in transfusion recipients has not been well evaluated. This study aimed to determine the efficiency of malaria RDT in the detection of post transfusion malaria. Material and methods:...
Background: Malignancies of the thyroid gland are common in certain parts of the world. In Ghana there are no available data on the trends and gender characteristics of thyroid malignancies (TMs). The aim of this retrospective study was to determine the trends and gender characteristics of TMs in the Department of Pathology. Keywords: Thyroid malignancies; Trends; Gender characteristics; Ghana Introduction Malignancies of the thyroid gland are relatively rare neoplasms worldwide, accounting f...
ABSTRACT Published data on GIT cancers in Northern Ghana is scanty. The aim of this review was to document the spectrum and the clinico-pathological characteristics of GIT cancers diagnosed in northern Ghana as a baseline data. Material and Methods: This was a histopathological review (n = 238) from 1st January, 2013 to 31st December, 2020. Data were analysed using SPSS software, version 26.0 (Chicago). Fisher’s exact test with a significance level of 0.05 was performed using GraphPad Prism...
Abstract The global food security and plant resources levels are continuously under threat from climate change, environmental pollution, population pressure, co-evolving plant pests and pathogens. Currently, scientists across the world are in pursuit of plant genotypes that can be resilient in growth and development amidst these stresses to enable survival of humans in the changing times. Therefore, to effectively select plants that have known and favorable resistance or tolerance levels aga...
Abstract Zoonotic diseases, such as brucellosis, Q fever and Rift Valley fever (RVF) caused by Brucella spp., Coxiella burnetii and RVF virus, respectively, can have devastating effects on human, livestock, and wildlife health and cause economic hardship due to morbidity and mortality in livestock. Coinfection with multiple pathogens can lead to more severe disease outcomes and altered transmission dynamics. These three pathogens can alter host immune responses likely leading to increased mo...
Abstract: In agricultural ecosystems, insect pests, pathogens, weather patterns, and reduced soil fertility pose major challenges to crop productivity and are responsible for significant yield losses worldwide. Iris yellow spot virus (IYSV) vectored by Thrips tabaci Lindeman,is a major hindrance to onion production in eastern Africa. Control measures often rely on insecticides with deleterious effects. Endophytes are one key alternative as they can play important roles in mediating induced s...
Abstract: Citrus greening is a serious disease of Citrus sp. and has been associated with the collapse of several citrus industries in Asia and America (Bové 2006). The disease is associated with the presence of a phloem-limited bacterium, of the ‘Candidatus Liberibacter’ genus. ‘Candidatus Liberibacter africanus’, the principal agent of African citrus greening disease (ACG) has been reported in South, East, and Central Africa (Aubert et al. 1988; Garnier and Bové 1996), but its pr...
Abstract: Endophytic fungi live within plant tissues without causing any harm to the host, promote its growth, and induce systemic resistance against pests and diseases. To mitigate the challenging concealed feeding behavior of immature stages of Tuta absoluta in both tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) and nightshade (Solanum scabrum) host plants, 15 fungal isolates were assessed for their endophytic and insecticidal properties. Twelve isolates were endophytic to both host plants with varied colo...
Abstract: The Asian citrus psyllid (Diaphorina citri) is a key pest of Citrus spp. worldwide, as it acts as a vector for “Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus (Las)”, the bacterial pathogen associated with the destructive Huanglongbing (HLB) disease. Recent detection of D. citri in Africa and reports of Las-associated HLB in Ethiopia suggest that the citrus industry on the continent is under imminent threat. Endosymbionts and gut bacteria play key roles in the biology of arthropods, especia...
Abstract: Entomopathogenic fungi are commonly applied as inundative sprays to protect plants against insect pests. Their artificial establishment as fungal endophytes to provide other benefits to the host plants aside mere protection against the primary pests has also been widely demonstrated. In the present study, two fungal strains of Beauveria bassiana and one strain of Isaria fumosorosea were assessed in a pathogenicity test against adults of Asian citrus psyllid (Diaphorina citri) and f...