ABSTRACT Background Nitric oxide (NO) is a potent vasodilator synthesized by endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) enzyme of the vascular endothelial cells and plays a significant role in the regulation of vascular homeostasis by attenuating leukocyte adhesion to the endothelium. Nitric oxide levels are found to be low in Sickle cell disease (SCD) patients. The eNOS gene polymorphism has been implicated. Moreover, very scanty data with conflicting findings exist in theliterature on the ass...
ABSTRACT Background Quality of service at the antenatal clinic is a key success factor in healthcare delivery in hospitals in Ghana. So, the assessment of clients‟ level of satisfaction with quality antenatal care is crucial upon which improvement of health service delivery can be undertaken periodically. Thus, the aim of this study was to assess the satisfaction of clients with the quality of antenatal care at Korle – Bu teaching hospital. Method The study was a cross-sectional survey em...
ABSTRACT The perception that an individual forms about a thing affects that individual’s behaviour and attitude towards that thing. The District Mutual Health Insurance Schemes in Ghana are a new way o f financing health care in the country. The need to sustain these newly introduced schemes by improving and sustaining quality o f health care services under them is extremely important. However, there is a dearth o f knowledge on subscribers’ perception o f the quality o f health care serv...
ABSTRACT Background: Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a serious public health issue. Leptin, a peptide hormone produced by the adipocytes is very important in the regulation of food and energy. Increased Leptin concentrations are seen in CKD, and have been observed to trigger further complications such as cardiovascular diseases with significant mortality. Despite the interrelationship between leptin and CKD, and their associated adverse health outcomes, the precise role of leptin in hypertens...
ABSTRACT Vine-browning and die-back disease (anthracnose disease) is a major constraint and a predominant disease in all yam producing areas especially, in Africa. The disease reduces photosynthetic area of infected yam plants resulting in severe yield loss. Farmers and Agricultural Extension Agents in the Nkwanta-North and Krachi-West districts of the Volta Region have recently reported high incidence of the disease on their farms. A study was, therefore, conducted from January, 2012 to June...
ABSTRACT Malaria is a parasitic disease infecting millions of people on the globe annually, especially children less than five years of age and pregnant women. It is caused by any of the human malaria parasites including; Plasmodium falciparum, malariae, vivax and ovale of which Plasmodium falciparum is the most dangerous and dreaded malaria parasite. According to Ghana Health Service (GHS) health facility data, malaria is the number one cause of morbidity, accounting for about 38% of all out...
ABSTRACT Background: Occupational hearing loss is a general term used to describe hearing loss that occurs in work environments. Noise and industrial chemicals such as organic solvents are two main toxic acoustic disturbance and substances that can have adverse effects on the auditory system and consequently induce hearing loss. This is corroborated by experimental studies on both animal and human which confirm ototoxic effects of industrial organic solvents and noise. Worldwide, several indu...
ABSTRACT Background: There is increasing concern about self-medication during pregnancy in many low resource countries. Notwithstanding its adverse impact on pregnancy, in Wa municipality, pregnant women still engaged in the practice of self-medication. The aim of this study was to investigate the perception and practice of self-medication among pregnant women in Wa Municipality. Methodology: A cross-sectional study was conducted in 3 health centers of Wa Municipality from May to June 2017. S...
ABSTRACT Background: Open air burning of e-waste produces smoke, fumes and toxic gases such as furans, dioxins, brominated flame retardants and metallic dust which are deleterious to human health. High environmental and biological levels of heavy metals have previously been reported among e-waste workers at Agbogbloshie. However, no study has been conducted to investigate the effect of these contaminants on the respiratory function of the e-waste workers. Objective: The primary objective of t...
ABSTRACT Background: Mining activities are a high prevalence of certain diseases compared to nonmining areas as a result of the environmental and social changes that create conditions that favor disease emergence over time. Over the years, most research on gold mining areas in Ghana have been from an economic perspective, with few looking into gold mining-related disease prevalence. This study is aimed to identify new diseases that emerge as a result of mining activities and exposures to haza...
ABSTRACT Background: The nutritional status of mothers before conception and nutrition of the child during the first 1000 days of life starting from conception is a critical determinant of their future well-being. Iron deficiency Anaemia is still an issue of concern in Ghana. It increases mortality rate and impairs development of the grey matter infrastructure. The study sought to assess the efficacy of an iron fortified complementary food on the nutritional status of children 6- 18months of ...
ABSTRACT The health system in Ghana is fraught with many well documented challenges. Health service delivery is inefficient and unreliable in many respects, access to adequate and reliable health care personnel and services is limited and quality of service delivered at various health facilities continues to be problematic. Among factors hindering quality of service given to clients at health facilities are gaps in clinical decision making and information given to clients. There is evidence t...
ABSTRACT Background: Ghana’s pro-poor National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) has been implemented since 2004 to provide financial protection to households through the reduction of financial obstacles to accessing health care services therefore averting payment at point of use of health services. Using secondary data from the Ghana Living Standards Survey Round 6 (GLSS6). Objectives: The study sought to determine the proportion of households faced with catastrophe due to health care payment...
ABSTRACT Introduction: Determination of oestrogen receptor (ER), progesterone receptor (PR) and human epidermal growth factor receptor-2 (Her-2/neu) has become part of the diagnostic tests for breast cancer. Results of ER and PR are used to select breast cancer patients who are most likely to respond to hormonal therapy whereas Her-2/neu results are used to select patients with invasive breast cancer most likely to respond to targeted therapy. Immunohistochemical (IHC) determination of ER, PR...
ABSTRACT Background: Low utilization of skilled delivery claims the lives of about half a million of women globally each year and more than half of these deaths occur in Africa. Meanwhile, skilled delivery has been demonstrated to decrease maternal mortality and morbidity, yet in 2016 only 56. 2 % of women gave birth with the assistance of skilled birth attendants in Ghana. Objectives: The study assessed factors influencing utilisation of skilled delivery services in the Fanteakwa District, E...