ABSTRACT Milicia regia and M . excelsa are inva.lua.iDle plant species in Ghana for their durable timber. Their numbers are however dwindling. Efforts by the forestry department to establish plantations have been unsuccessful due primarily to attack by Phytolyma species, resulting in gall formation. Phenols and phenolic oxidases appear to be important in the defence mechanisms of some plants as well as in wound healing and regulation of growth in these plants. Thus, they may be natural resist...
ABSTRACT Background: Influenza B viruses are receiving attention lately perhaps due to the degree of haemagglutinin (HA) antigen mismatching between vaccine composition strains and circulating strains. Neuraminidase inhibitor (NI) antiviral has also been implicated in prophylaxis and treatment of severe cases of influenza diseases. However, mutations in the two major surface glycoproteins, HA and nueraminidase (NA) could cause the virus to escape host defence mechanisms leading to failure of ...
ABSRACT Background: Recent studies have indicated PON 1 polymorphism to be associated with cardiovascular-related diseases such as diabetes mellitus but varied reports have been provided from such association studies. In Ghana, there is no such information on PON 1 polymorphism in disease situations; except one instance reported in non-diseased Ghanaians. The present study has therefore provided baseline information on PON 1 Q192R polymorphism in Ghanaians with type II Diabetes Mellitus. Main...
ABSTRACT Purpose: Nasopharyngeal cancer (NPC) is a malignant tumor which is commonly associated with Epstein Barr virus (EBV). Two genotypes of EBV, genotype 1 and genotype 2, which are geographically restricted, are implicated in the pathogenesis of NPC. This study aimed at detecting and characterizing EBV genotypes involved in the pathogenesis of NPC in Ghana. Experimental design: Whole blood and biopsy samples were collected from 55 patients diagnosed of NPC by CT scan and endoscopy at the...
ABSTRACT HIV-1 infection is mediated by the interaction between the host cellular CD4 receptor and co-receptors with HIV Envelope protein (Env). Inhibition of HIV entry into host cell presents a biological target for therapeutic intervention. Broadly neutralizing antibody (bNabs) are potent in neutralizing a broad range of HIV strains by binding to the Env and preventing entry into the host cell. VRC01 is a CD4 binding-site class bNabs that binds to the conserved CD4 binding region of Env. Ho...
ABSTRACT Background Buruli ulcer (BU) is a skin disease caused by Mycobacterium ulcerans. BU is the third most common mycobacterial disease after tuberculosis and leprosy, but in Ghana and Cote d’ Ivoire, it is the second. M. ulcerans produces mycolactone, an immunosuppressant macrolide toxin which makes the infection painless. However, some patients have complained of painful lesions and delay healing. Painful ulcers and delay healing experienced by some patients may be due to secondary ba...
ABSTRACT Some traditional medical practitioners use decoctions of the plants Tridax procumbens and Phyllanthus amarus, separately, to treat malaria in Ghana. These plants have however, not been investigated scientifically to establish their antimalarial activities. In this study, inhibition of chloroquine-resistant Plasmodium falciparum uptake o f 3H-hypoxanthine was used as an in vitro assay to assess the antiplasmodial activities of aqueous, ethanolic, chloroform and ethyl acetate extr...
ABSTRACT As reported malaria cases continue to decline, heterogeneity in transmission will become more pronounced and thus more sensitive tools would be required to identify micro-geographic areas of higher risk for targeted interventions. Sero-positivity against antigens expressed at different stages of the parasite life cycle and proteins in the mosquito saliva cocktail have gained relevance as transmission monitoring tool. However, the persistent nature of blood stage antigens and the poss...
ABSTRACT Livestock production is one of the farming systems and has a great impact on food and economic security in most developing countries. Animal African trypanosomiasis is a major limitation to livestock production in Africa, particularly cattle production. The disease is caused by Trypanosoma spp., a broad range of protozoan parasites of wild and domestic animals through cyclical and mechanical transmission. Cross-sectional studies conducted in Ghana reveal the common species of trypano...
Introduction Bacteria are essential components of all ecosystems. They inhabit soil, water, air and even travel in space (Afshinnekoo et al., 2015; Osman et al., 2008). Bacteria also survive on inanimate objects such as fomites either transiently or for long periods (Boone and Gerba, 2007; Miller and Diep, 2008). Some bacteria that live in contact with or infect animals, have been implicated in zoonotic infections, which can be a health risk for humans (Cantas and Suer, 2014) and can modulate...
ABSTRACT Background: The face of HIV/AIDS disease is constantly evolving, spreading among populations, and the virus mutating to become resistant to available antiretroviral drugs. Nevirapine, a NNRTI is widely used as the first-line treatment of HIV-1 infection in developing countries. Although it is generally well tolerated and effective, some individuals experience severe cutaneous and/or hepatic adverse events during the initial weeks of therapy. The risk factors associated with the devel...
ABSTRACT The possible influence of aflatoxin a potent hepatocellular carcinogen on the regulation of intracellular Ca^+ homeostasis has been studied using the red cell as a model. Preliminary work on the interaction of the toxin with the red cell membrane using spectrofluometric analysis indicated that the toxin binds spontaneously and irreversibly to the red cell membrane. The binding is highest at pH 4 and least at pH 10. Results obtained from studies using equilibrum dialysis technique sh...
ABSTRACT The effects of the liver tumour promoter, dicophane, with those of low protein intake (LPI) 2+ on the functional expression of rat liver microsomal Ca -ATPase were compared. The effects of dicophane and LPI on the activity of the microsomal enzyme after carcinogenic initiation by pretreatment with aflatoxin B (AFB ), a genotoxic liver carcinogen, were also 1 2+ compared. The Status of membrane - bound Ca -ATPase of erythrocytes of humans having primary liver cancer (PLC) and kwashior...
ABSTRACT Processing o f gold arsenopyrite and sulphide ores is currently done with biooxidizing bacteria. This procedure is preferred because of its environmental friendliness and efficiency o f gold recovery from ores, compared to the conventional methods. The efficiency of biomining is, however, largely influenced by the origin o f biooxidizing bacteria used and local organisms have been found to be better adapted to extracting gold from the ore from which they were isolated. The work repor...
ABSTRACT Competitive Binding Assay methods have been used to determine the serum levels of 25- hydroxyvitamin D^ in healthy Ghanaians and patients suffering from cirrhosis of the liver and chronic renal failure. Although the assay followed fairly standard methods as used by several workers, an improvement in stability and sensitivity was obtained by the use of gelatin in the buffer; the final assay buffer being 0.02M phosphate buffer, pH 7 ,C with 0.1% gelatin. Though rachitic rat s...