Research Articles
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A research article reports the results of original research, assesses its contribution to the body of knowledge in a given area, and is published in a peer-reviewed scholarly journal. The faculty publications through published and on-going articles/researches are captured in this community
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Item Experiences of Unaccompanied Child Migrant Workers from West African Countries Living in Ghana(Springer, 2022) Dako-Gyeke, M.; Kodom, R.B.; Sulemana, A.While independent migration among children is common in West Africa, it has not received much attention in research and policy. Guided by the ecological systems and coping theories, the study explored the experiences of unaccompanied child migrant workers from selected West African countries who reside in Ghana. The objectives of the study were to explore (a) challenges encountered by unaccompanied child migrant workers and (b) coping strategies adopted by unaccompanied child migrant workers. A qualitative research design was adopted, and utilizing both purposive and snowball sampling techniques, 41 children were recruited as participants for the study. Focus group discussions (FGDs) and in-depth interviews (IDIs) were conducted to gather data, which were analyzed thematically. The findings indicated that unaccompanied child migrant workers encountered challenges related to unstable and low daily income, lack of decent accommodation, labor exploitation and loss of income, as well as health issues. Furthermore, evidence showed that the unaccompanied child migrants used both problem-focused (assistance from social networks and support from migrant mutual aid groups) and emotion-focused (inner resources and distraction/avoidance) coping strategies to deal with the challenges they faced. Based on the findings of the study, conclusions and implications are discussed for policy and practice.Item Aedes-borne disease outbreaks in West Africa: A call for enhanced surveillance(Acta Tropica, 2020-05-19) Dadzie, K.S.; Buchwald, A.G.; Hayden, M.H.; Paull, S.H.; Carlton, E.J.Arboviruses transmitted by Aedes mosquitoes are a growing global concern; however, there remain large gaps in surveillance of both arboviruses and their vectors in West Africa. We reviewed over 50 years of data including outbreak reports, peer-reviewed literature, and prior data compilations describing Zika, dengue, and chikungunya, and their vectors in West Africa. Large outbreaks of dengue, Zika, and chikungunya have recently occurred in the region with over 27,000 cases of Aedes-borne disease documented since 2007. Recent arboviral outbreaks have become more concentrated in urban areas, and Aedes albopictus, recently documented in the region, has emerged as an important vector in several areas. Seroprevalence surveys suggest reported cases are a gross underestimate of the underlying arboviral disease burden. These findings indicate a shifting epidemiology of arboviral disease in West Africa and highlight a need for increased research and implementation of vector and disease control. Rapid urbanization and climate change may further alter disease patterns, underscoring the need for improved diagnostic capacity, and vector and disease surveillance to address this evolving health challenge.Item A Systems View and Lessons from the Ongoing Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) Outbreak in West Africa(Ghana Medical Journal, 2014-09) Agyepong, I.A.This article analyses the on-going (2014) Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) outbreak in West Africa from a systems perspective; and draws out lessons for West Africa in general and Ghana in particularItem Some Aspects of Blood Transfusion Practice In West Africa(Ghana Medical Journal, 1994) Acquaye, J.K.Blood transfusion began in Ghana in 1954 at the Medica1 Research Institute Laboratories, Korle-Bu, to meet the demand by surgeons and obstetricians. Until about ten years ago over sixty per cent of blood usage in Ghana was for surgery Surgeons and obstetricians have therefore played and continue to play significant roles in the development of transfusion medicine in West Africa especially in those countries without transfusion medicine experts. As indicated below, the pattern of blood usage in Ghana has changed with diseases of children and women making the most demand on the blood supply. Practice of blood transfusion for a long time was on the basis of "bleed and give" with only a casual check on the donor's blood hemoglobin and enquiries on a past history of jaundice. Until recently there was no screening for syphilis or hepatitis B. The blood was given immediately or stored in a sma11 blood bank refrigerator or domestic refrigerator for a few hours or days.Item Symptoms of Common Mental Disorders and Their Correlates Among Women in Accra, Ghana: A Population-Based Survey(Ghana Medical Journal, 2012-06) de Menil, V.; Osei, A.; Douptcheva, N.; Hill, A.G.; Yaro, P.; de-Graft Aikins, A.Introduction: To comply with its new mental health bill, Ghana needs to integrate mental health within other health and social services. Mental disorders represent 9% of disease burden in Ghana. Women are more affected by common mental disorders, and are underrepresented in treatment settings. This study examines physical and social correlates of mental illness in adult women in Accra, Ghana, so as to inform general clinical practice and health policy. Methods: The SF-36 and K6 forms and 4 psychosis questions were administered in three languages to 2,814 adult women living in Accra, as part of a larger cross-sectional population-based survey of women’s health. The validity of these tools was assessed through correlations within and between measures. Risk factors for mental distress were analysed using multivariate regression. Health service use was also described using statistical frequencies. Results: Both the SF36 and K6 appear valid in a female Ghanaian population. Low levels of education, poverty and unemployment are negatively associated with mental health. Physical ill health is also associated with mental distress. No association was found between mental distress and religion or ethnicity. Some additional risk factors were significant for one, but not both of the outcome variables. Only 0.4% of women reported seeing a mental health professional in the previous year, whereas 58.6% had visited a health centre. Conclusion: The implications for women are that marriage is neither good nor bad for mental health, but education and employment are strong protective factors. Researchers should note that the SF36 and K6 can be used in a Ghanaian population, however more research is needed to determine the cut-off point for serious mental illness on the K6, as well as research into mental disorders in a mixed-gender population.Item Interleukin–6 (IL-6) Rs1800796 and Cyclin Dependent Kinase Inhibitor (CDKN2A/CDKN2B) Rs2383207 are Associated with Ischemic Stroke in Indigenous West African Men(Journal of the Neurological Sciences, 2017-05) Akinyemi, R.; Arnett, D.K.; Tiwari, H.K.; Ovbiagele, B.; Sarfo, F.; Srinivasasainagendra, V.; Irvin, M.R.; Adeoye, A.; Perry, R.T.; Akpalu, A.; Jenkins, C.; Owolabi, L.; Obiako, R.; Wahab, K.; Sanya, E.; Komolafe, M.; Fawale, M.; Adebayo, P.; Osaigbovo, G.; Sunmonu, T.; Olowoyo, P.; Chukwuonye, I.; Obiabo, Y.; Akpalu, O.; Melikam, S.; Saulson, R.; Kalaria, R.; Ogunniyi, A.; Owolabi, M.BACKGROUND: Inherited genetic variations offer a possible explanation for the observed peculiarities of stroke in sub - Saharan African populations. Interleukin-6 polymorphisms have been previously associated with ischemic stroke in some non-African populations. AIM: Herein we investigated, for the first time, the association of genetic polymorphisms of IL-6, CDKN2A- CDKN2B and other genes with ischemic stroke among indigenous West African participants in the Stroke Investigative Research and Education Network (SIREN) Study. METHODS: Twenty-three previously identified single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in 14 genes of relevance to the neurobiology of ischemic stroke were investigated. Logistic regression models adjusting for known cardiovascular disease risk factors were constructed to assess the associations of the 23 SNPs in rigorously phenotyped cases (N=429) of ischemic stroke (Men=198; Women=231) and stroke- free (N=483) controls (Men=236; Women=247). RESULTS: Interleukin-6 (IL6) rs1800796 (C minor allele; frequency: West Africans=8.6%) was significantly associated with ischemic stroke in men (OR=2.006, 95% CI=[1.065, 3.777], p=0.031) with hypertension in the model but not in women. In addition, rs2383207 in CDKN2A/CDKN2B (minor allele A with frequency: West Africans=1.7%) was also associated with ischemic stroke in men (OR=2.550, 95% CI=[1.027, 6.331], p=0.044) with primary covariates in the model, but not in women. Polymorphisms in other genes did not show significant association with ischemic stroke. CONCLUSION: Polymorphisms rs1800796 in IL6 gene and rs2383207 in CDKN2A/CDKN2B gene have significant associations with ischemic stroke in indigenous West African men. CDKN2A/CDKN2B SNP rs2383207 is independently associated with ischemic stroke in indigenous West African men. Further research should focus on the contributions of inflammatory genes and other genetic polymorphisms, as well as the influence of sex on the neurobiology of stroke in people of African ancestry.Item TMPRSS2:ERG Gene Fusions in Prostate Cancer of West African Men and Ameta-Analysis of Racial Differences(American Journal of Epidemiology, 2017-06) Zhou, C.K.; Young, D.; Yeboah, E.D.; Coburn, S.B.; Tettey, Y.; Biritwum, R.B.; Adjei, A.A.; Tay, E.; Niwa, S.; Truelove, A.; Welsh, J.; Mensah, J.E.; Hoover, R.N.; Sesterhenn, I.A.; Hsing, A.W.; Srivastava, S.; Cook, M.B.The prevalence of TMPRSS2-ERG fusions in prostate cancer varies by race. However, such somatic aberration and its association with prognostic factors have neither been studied in a West African population nor been systematically reviewed in the context of racial differences. We used immunohistochemistry to assess ERG expression as the established surrogate of ERG fusion genes among 262 prostate cancer biopsies from the Ghana Prostate Study. Poisson regression with robust variance estimation provided prevalence ratios and 95% confidence intervals of ERG expression in relation to patients' characteristics. We found 47 of 262 (18%) prostate cancers were ERG-positive, and negative ERG staining was associated with higher Gleason score. We further conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of TMPRSS2-ERG fusions in relation to race, Gleason score, and tumor stage, combining results from Ghana with 40 additional studies. Meta-analysis showed the prevalence of TMPRSS2-ERG fusions in prostate cancer to be highest in men of European descent (49%) followed by Asian (27%) and then African (25%). The lower prevalence of TMPRSS2-ERG fusions in men of African descent implies that alternative genomic mechanisms might explain the disproportionately high prostate cancer burden in such populations.Item APOL1, CDKN2A/CDKN2B, and HDAC9 Polymorphisms and Small Vessel Ischemic Stroke(Acta Neurologica Scandinavica, 2018-01) Tiwari, H.K.; Arnett, D.K.; Ovbiagele, B.; Irvin, M.R.; Wahab, K.; Sarfo, F.; Srinivasasainagendra, V.; Adeoye, A.; Perry, R.T.; Akpalu, A.; Jenkins, C.; Arulogun, O.; Gebregziabher, M.; Owolabi, L.; Obiako, R.; Sanya, E.; Komolafe, M.; Fawale, M.; Adebayo, P.; Osaigbovo, G.; Sunmonu, T.; Olowoyo, P.; Chukwuonye, I.; Obiabo, Y.; Onoja, A.; Akinyemi, J.; Ogbole, G.; Melikam, S.; Saulson, R.; Owolabi, M.OBJECTIVE: Worldwide, the highest frequencies of APOL1-associated kidney variants are found in indigenous West Africans among whom small vessel disease (SVD) ischemic stroke is the most common stroke phenotype. The objective of this study was to investigate the association and effect sizes of 23 selected SNPs in 14 genes of relevance, including the APOL1 G1 variants, with the occurrence of SVD ischemic stroke among indigenous West African participants in the Stroke Investigative Research and Education Network (SIREN) Study. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Cases were consecutively recruited consenting adults (aged 18 years or older) with neuroimaging-confirmed first clinical stroke. Stroke-free controls were ascertained using a locally validated version of the Questionnaire for Verifying Stroke-Free Status (QVSFS). Logistic regression models adjusting for known vascular risk factors were fitted to assess the associations of the 23 SNPs in rigorously phenotyped cases (N = 154) of SVD ischemic stroke and stroke-free (N = 483) controls. RESULTS: Apolipoprotein L1 (APOL1) rs73885319 (OR = 1.52; CI: 1.09-2.13, P-value = .013), rs2383207 in CDKN2A/CDKN2B (OR = 3.08; CI: 1.15-8.26, P -value = .026) and rs2107595 (OR = 1.70; CI: 1.12-2.60, P-value = .014) and rs28688791 (OR = 1.52; CI: 1.03-2.26, P-value = .036) in HDAC9 gene were associated with SVD stroke at 0.05 significance level. Polymorphisms in other genes did not show significant associations. CONCLUSION: This is the first report of a specific association of APOL1 with a stroke subtype. Further research is needed to confirm these initial findings and deepen understanding of the genetics of stroke in people of African ancestry with possible implications for other ancestries as all humans originated from Africa.Item Atmospheric monitoring of organochlorine pesticides across some West African countries(Environmental Science and Pollution Research, 2018-11) Isogai, N.; Hogarh, J.N.; Seike, N.; Kobara, Y.; Oyediran, F.; Wirmvem, M.J.; Ayonghe, S.N.; Fobil, J.; Masunaga, S.Most African countries have ratified the Stockholm Convention on persistent organic pollutants (POPs) and are expected to reduce emissions of POPs such as organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) to the atmosphere. Emerging evidence, however, suggests that there are contemporary sources of OCPs in African countries despite the global ban on these products. This study investigated the atmospheric contamination from OCPs in four West African countries—Togo, Benin, Nigeria, and Cameroon—to ascertain the emission levels of OCPs and the characteristic signatures of contamination. Polyurethane foam (PUF) disk passive air samplers (PAS) were deployed in each country for ca. 55 days in 2012 and analyzed for 25 OCPs. Hexachlorocyclohexanes (HCHs) and DDTs constituted the highest burden of atmospheric OCPs in the target countries, at average concentrations of 441 pg m−3 (range 23–2718) and 403 pg m−3 (range 91–1880), respectively. Mirex had the lowest concentration, ranged between 0.1 and 3.3 pg m−3. The concentration of OCPs in rainy season was higher than in dry season in Cameroon, and presupposed inputs from agriculture during the rainy season. The concentrations of ∑25 OCPs in each country were in the following order: Cameroon > Nigeria > Benin > Togo. There was significant evidence, based on chemical signatures of the contamination that DDT, aldrin, chlordane, and endosulfan were recently applied at certain sites in the respective countries. © 2016, Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg.Item With or without you: stem-galling of a tephritid fly reduces the vegetative and reproductive performance of the invasive plant Chromolaena odorata (Asteraceae) both alone and in combination with another agent(BioControl, 2019-02) igbedion-Atalor, P.O.; Day, M.D.; Idemudia, I.; Wilson, D.D.; Paterson, I.D.With or without another biological control agent, the specialist folivore Pareuchaetes pseudoinsulata, the stem-galling fly Cecidochares connexa reduced the performance of the invasive alien plant, Chromolaena odorata in Ghana. There was a strong significant negative relationship between gall densities of the gall fly and stem height, and the number of stems and flower heads of C. odorata. Pareuchaetes pseudoinsulata had very little impact on any C. odorata parameters. However, at sites where both C. connexa and P. pseudoinsulata occurred simultaneously, the performance of C. odorata was significantly reduced when compared with control plants. Increasing densities of both agents had a strong significant negative correlative effect on C. odorata plant parameters. Cecidochares connexa was recorded in all five regions of the country sampled, while P. pseudoinsulata was recorded in four regions. Densities of both agents declined in the dry season, but galls were persistent throughout the study period. This is the first report of the impact of C. connexa on C. odorata in the West African sub-region since its introduction to Cote d’Ivoire in 2003 and it is clear that the agent has a significant impact on C. odorata in Ghana. Further surveys are required to determine the impact of both biological control agents in other parts of the sub-region where they have established. © 2018, International Organization for Biological Control (IOBC).