School of Biological Sciences

Permanent URI for this communityhttp://197.255.125.131:4000/handle/123456789/4743

Browse

Search Results

Now showing 1 - 10 of 49
  • Item
    Associations Of Blood Glucose Levels With Some Diabetes Risk Factors (Body Mass Index, Blood Pressure And Total Body Fat) In Inhabitants Of Ho Municipality, Ghana: A Cross-Sectional Survey
    (African Journal of Food, Agriculture, Nutrition and Development, 2021) Kortei, N.K.; Koryo-Dabrah, A.; Akonor, P.T.; et al.
    One complex metabolic disorder that can unenviably affect normal human physiology is diabetes mellitus (DM). It is indeed one of the most common noncommunicable diseases that have heightened to an epidemic level worldwide. For diseases like DM, hypertension, cardiovascular disease, type II DM, and other chronic diseases, body mass index (BMI) is identified as a positive and independent risk factor associated with morbidity and mortality. The study's objective was to determine the relationships between BMI, blood pressure, and total body fat among inhabitants of peri-urban Ho, Ghana. A cross-sectional survey was carried out between May and June 2018, among 132 inhabitants of Ho to determine the prevalence and associations among DM risk factors. The participants were selected by systematic random sampling. Standardized international protocols measured BMI, blood pressure, blood glucose, and total body fat. Out of 132 respondents, 96 (72.7%) were female and the most common age group was 54-60 (31.1%). From the BMI classifications, 65 (49.2%) people were of normal weight while 6 (4.5%) were underweight. Total body fat (%) and blood pressure, likewise total body fat and BMI recorded significant associations of values (0.299, p<0.001-systolic; 0.298, p=0.001-diastolic), and 0.585 (p<0.001), respectively. On the contrary, there were insignificant associations found between blood glucose and diastolic blood pressure and also blood glucose and systolic blood pressure (0.100, p=0.253) and (0.057. p=0.514), respectively using Spearman’s correlation analysis. Lastly, the test of association of socio-demographics and anthropometrics revealed there was a significant (p<0.001) correlation between total body fat and BMI using Pearson’s correlation analysis. BMI is closely related to total body fat and blood pressure; hence, education on lifestyle modification needs to be intensified to create awareness among the inhabitants of Ho municipality of Ghana. It is imperative to educate Ghanaians and beyond about the risk factor associations that predispose an individual to DM.
  • Item
    Exploring The Knowledge And Awareness Of Diabetes Mellitus Among Inhabitants Of Ho Municipality In Ghana A Cross-Sectional Study
    (African Journal of Food, Agriculture, Nutrition and Development, 2021) Annan-Asare, J.; Koryo-Dabrah, A.; Berko Nartey, E.; et al.
    One of the fast-growing major non-communicable diseases (NCD) that poses a danger to global public health is Diabetes mellitus (DM). Trends in the incidence of DM indicate a disproportionate increase in developing countries due to the current rapid demographic transitions from traditional to more westernized and urbanized lifestyles. Knowledge of DM is vital for curbing or control. The objectives of this study were to evaluate the level of knowledge and awareness of DM among the Ho municipality general population, identify areas of deficiency for targeted health education efforts, and identify respondent characteristics that may be associated with knowledge of diabetes. A survey involving 132 respondents (aged over 18 years) was conducted in the Ho municipality of the Volta region of Ghana. A 42-item pre-tested questionnaire was administered to participants to evaluate general and specific knowledge and awareness of DM. The Pairwise Multiple Comparison and Fisher’s Exact tests were used to test the hypotheses and associations between the respondents’ knowledge level and groups respectively. Of the 132 respondents, 22% were in the age range of 40-46 years; 72.7% were female. The mean overall diabetes knowledge composite score was poor: 32.99% (CI; 27.5, 38.5). Respondents performed best in the symptoms section: the mean score was 36.247% (CI; 29.0, 43.4); and worst in the section on complications: the mean score was 30.909% (CI; 23.6, 38.2). In multiple linear regression analyses, education level, older age, own self having diabetes, and having a family member/relative/friend with diabetes were significantly associated with knowledge of diabetes. Knowledge of diabetes among the inhabitants of Ho municipality respondents was interpreted as being inadequate at 32.99% (CI; 27.5, 38.5). Some deficient portions and factors associated with knowledge of diabetes were identified. Relevant information for targeted health education programs in Ghana and beyond may be considered as one of such benefits of these findings.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Assessing The Diversity Of Insects In A Quarry Operational Area In The Ashanti Region Of Ghana
    (University of Ghana, 2022-11) Addae, S.
    Quarrying activities have negative impacts on invertebrate biodiversity and threaten local species through a variety of factors, such as habitat loss and pollution. Quarrying is a common practice in Ghana, but little is known about its impact on local insect diversity and abundance. In this study, the relationship between quarrying activities and insect communities at an active quarrying site, the Mowire quarry site in the Ashanti region of Ghana, was assessed. Transect counts, aerial netting, pitfalls, FIT, and Charaxes trapping have been employed to assess arthropod assemblages, particularly insects as surrogate arthropod communities. A total of 2,902 individual insects from 56 families and eleven orders were recorded at all transect points of the three zones. The quarry operational area habitat in the East Zone (EZ) supported a high abundance (N = 974) of insects and high species richness (S = 49), corresponding to a large diversity of flowering plants at this site, which is a food source for pollinators and herbivorous insects. The western zone of the quarry's operational area was not conducive to insect assemblage as the lowest abundance, diversity and richness occurred at the transect point (TP) 400 m, consistent with the low abundance of host plants as well as the amounts of dust settling in the western zone after each blast, as dust travels toward the zone. It is recommended that interventions to prevent the loss of biodiversity habitats in and around the quarry site must be focused on policies that ensure and enforce the establishment of a dust control mechanism system in the extractive industry.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Evaluating The Performance Of CMRI For Estimating The Spatial Distribution Of Mangroves At The Keta Lagoon Complex In The Volta Region Of Ghana
    (University of Ghana, 2020-10) Sackey-Addo, S.
    Data obtained from remote sensing is useful for evaluating and mapping infrastructure and natural resources including vegetation. Over the past years, a number of vegetation indices have been developed to detect vegetation with the use of satellite imageries to monitor the distribution and phenology of mangroves. Forest managers and environmental scientists have developed a wide range of indices for delineating and assessing the health of different vegetation and forest cover. This study will evaluate the performance of Combined Mangrove Recognition Index (CMRI) for estimating and distinguishing mangroves in the Keta Lagoon Complex. The CMRI was compared to the Normalized Vegetation Index (NDVI), a widely used vegetation index and supervised classification (maximum likelihood) which were selected based on their classification accuracies of about 80% in the estimation of vegetation. Sentinel-2 imagery was used to generate vegetation maps for the NDVI and CMRI indices and a land cover map generated using the supervised classification (maximum likelihood) technique. The threshold value method was used to extract the values of mangrove areas for each index and used to delineate areas of mangrove and non-mangrove using binary data with the use of UAV imagery for validation. Random points with their coordinates were generated as reference points on the UAV imagery and overlaid on the other maps. Areas of mangroves were denoted “1” and areas with non-mangroves were denoted “0”. The Cochran’s Q test, used for statistical analysis of binary data was used to derive the p-value after which the area coverage of mangroves in the study area was estimated. From the study, the threshold values used to mask out mangroves were observed to be between 0.27 and 0.37, and between 0.51 and 0.70 for NDVI and CMRI respectively. UAV imagery was used to validate the area coverage due to its high resolution. The imagery covered an area of 1.8 km2 and was used as a subset for the mangrove area coverage comparison. Mangrove area coverage was estimated to be 0.32km2, 0.30km2, and 0.25km2 for NDVI, supervised classification and CMRI respectively. All techniques used in classification showed no statistical significance (>0.05) when compared to ground truth data. The CMRI was observed to have performed better and hence confirmed its sensitivity in estimating mangroves and that other satellite missions with optical sensors and multiple bands can be used to generate the index with high accuracy.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Detection Of Crimean-Congo Haemorrhagic Fever Virus And Rickettsia Spp. In Ticks And Disease Exposure Of Livestock Handlers In The Greater Accra And Upper East Regions Of Ghana
    (University of Ghana, 2022-10) Bentil, R.E.
    Ticks are important blood-sucking arthropod vectors. They are known to spread a wide range of diseases that cause severe and life-threatening illnesses in humans and animals all over the world through feeding. In population-dense and trade-dominant areas such as the Greater Accra and Upper East Regions, the risk of zoonotic infections may be on the rise. This study, therefore, sought to identify the circulating tick species, assess the pathogens they carry and the risk of exposure of primary animal handlers. A total of 705 ticks were collected from cattle (n=188) and horses (n=11). Three tick genera (Hyalomma, Amblyomma and Rhipicephalus) were observed in the study with the predominant species being Hyalomma rufipes (n=290, 41.13%), followed by Amblyomma variegatum (n=157, 22.27%) and the least, Rhipicephalus sanguineus (n=1, 0.14%). It was also observed that the preferred point of attachment of all identified ticks was predominantly the Anal region (n=469, 68.37%) with the least site being the Abdominal region (n=5, 0.73%) for cattle except for Horses that had the least site being the chest (n=1, 5.26%). Out of the 705 tick samples, it was observed that in the Upper East Region, higher percentage of ticks collected (62.67%) were infected with Rickettsia as compared to ticks from Greater Accra (42.13%). Similarly, slightly more ticks were infected with Rickettsia africae in the Upper East Region (91.8%) than Greater Accra (91.38%). In addition, although Amblyomma variegatum was the second most prevalent species identified, the highest Rickettsia and Rickettsia africae infection rates were recorded in this species. The highest CCHFV infection rates were observed in Hyalomma rufipes. Serology carried out for a total of 120 human sera samples, for Rickettsia using an in-house ELISA revealed that 27.50% had been exposed to Spotted Fever Group (SFG) and 4.17% to Typhus Group (TG) and none exposed to the Scrub Typhus group (STG). Furthermore, preliminary analysis for antibodies to CCHFV IgG was detected in 42.5% of the human serum (n=120) samples pending confirmatory Plaque Reduction Neutralization Test (PRNT). This study further reports the first whole-genome sequencing of CCHFV in tick species within Ghana with sequence analysis revealing genotype III (Africa III) may be circulating in the Upper East Region of Ghana. This suggests the possible importation of the CCHFV virus into the country through trade and thus puts livestock and humans who may have primary contact with livestock at risk of infection of these diseases.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Weather Pattern And Diarrhoea Disease Vectors In Some Coastal Areas In Southern Ghana
    (University Of Ghana, 2021-12) Amekugee, N.E.
    Dipterans belonging to Muscidae, Sarcophagidae and Calliphoridae families may mechanically transmit many microorganisms to humans like diarrhoea causing pathogens. It was imperative to determine seasonal variations in the diversity and density of dipteran vectors of diarrhoeal diseases in some coastal communities in the southern part of Ghana namely Anyako, Anyanui, Opetekwei and Mumford. This study investigated the seasonal variations in the diversity and density of dipteran vectors of diarrhoeal diseases relative to climatic factors in these coastal communities. The flies were collected by the use of plastic water bottle fly traps baited with mango, fish and meat. The collection was done in two seasons, dry (January-March) and wet (April-June). The flies were grouped into pools based on insect family, the month of collection and study sites then morphological identification of the flies was done using keys from Kirk-Spriggs & Sinclair (2017). These flies were swabbed for bacteria culture on T.C.B.S agar, S.S agar and Chromogenic UTI clarity agar. Identification of bacteria was performed using biochemical tests. The seasonality of flies was assessed throughout 6 months with baited traps in these 4 communities. A total of 8817 insects were collected and identified, consisting of 3 families and 3 genera – Muscidae (87.10%), Sarcophagidae (2%), Calliphoridae (10.66%). The greatest number of Muscidae, Sarcophagidae and Calliphoridae peaked from April to May. The abundance levels of Muscidae and Sarcophagidae were positively correlated with relative humidity with p value of p<0.01 and p<0.05 respectively whiles Calliphoridae had a positive correlation with precipitation with a p value of p<0.01 in Anyako. Muscidae abundance level had a positive correlation with a p value of p<0.05 with temperature only in Anyanui and Mumford while no correlation was seen in Opetekwei. Escherichia coli, a diarrhoea-causing bacteria was isolated from all insect genera from all the communities in both the dry and wet seasons. The study has found that there was a seasonal variation in the density of flies across the different sites and these vary with climatic factors such as temperature and precipitation and most flies carried E. coli, a diarrhoea-causing bacteria.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Consumption Patterns Of Energy Drinks At Lorry Stations In Accra And Concentration Of Their Main Constituents
    (University Of Ghana, 2022-08) Oscar, N.Y.C.
    Energy drinks are beverages that are rich in caffeine and sugars and contain other constituents. Energy drink consumption has become popular in Ghana in the last five years, and are mostly retailed at lorry stations in Accra. In spite of this, there is little information on the consumption patterns or reasons for consumption among consumers. There is also poor data on the concentrations of the main constituents (sugar and caffeine) of energy drinks in Ghana. Therefore, the objective of the study was to determine the consumption patterns of energy drinks at lorry stations in Accra, and the concentrations of the main constituents of energy drink. This was a combined cross sectional survey done at three lorry stations in Accra and laboratory analysis of main constituents (sugar and caffeine) of energy drink samples. The energy drinks that were analyzed were; Local (Rush, Storm, Run, BigBoss and 5Star energy drink) and imported (Red Bull, Xploza, Bullet, Lucozade). A total of 360 participants were surveyed in the study. Most of the participants (78.3 %) were consumers of energy drink and males were dominant. The dominant age for the consumers was (21-30 years, 39.4 %), with JHS (33 %) and SHS (30.5 %) being the dominant level of education. Commercial drivers (25.5 %) and traders (25.2 %) were the top occupations amongst the consumers. Most of the consumers drank 1-2 bottles of energy drinks in a week (29.7%), and the energy drinks were mostly drunk in the afternoons (55.3 %). The foreign energy drinks had higher caffeine concentrations than the local ones. The caffeine concentrations of imported energy drinks were above 300mg/L except for Lucozade that was below 150 mg/L whereas the local energy drinks were below 300 mg/L except Rush, which was above 320 mg/L. The sugar concentrations of the energy drinks were within similar ranges; majority of them were above 100 g/L and less than 120 g/L. The sugar concentrations of the energy drinks were within similar ranges; majority of them were above 100 g/L and less than 120 g/L. The local energy drinks were mostly consumed by the participants in the study than the foreign ones due to their cheaper price, and also they were very accessible because they were sold by hawkers at lorry stations but the foreign ones were mostly sold at marts and big malls. Energy drink consumption is highly prevalent at lorry stations in Accra. In spite of the consumption rate being excessive, few experienced adverse health effects. Some of the adverse effects were insomnia, accelerated heartbeat and sexual weakness. Most consumers of energy drink perceived it to be helpful whiles most non-consumers perceived them to be harmful.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Diversity And Abundance Of Insects At Different Heights In Cocoa Farms.
    (University Of Ghana, 2022-07) Martinson, N.A.A.
    The usage of traps at a single stratum has mostly been investigated, which may underestimate or misrepresent the true abundance of insect species. Flowers along the stems, of cocoa trees, spreading out through the branches into the canopy, makes it unique and therefore may attract insects along its entire length. The goal of this study was to access the diversity and abundance of insects at different heights in cocoa farms. Pan traps consisting of yellow, blue and white colors were set at 3.0 m, 1.5 m, and 0.0 m on cocoa trees in three cocoa farms in the North-Eastern part of the Ashanti region. A total of 25,470 insects belonging to 87 species, 62 families, and 12 orders were catalogued and ranked. Thysanoptera was the most prevalent insect order, with 9,601 (37.7%), followed by Diptera with 7,079 (27.79%), and Hymenoptera with 6,101 (23.95 %). The three most dominant insect orders put together constituted between 62 – 95 % of the total coloured pan trap catches. The yellow pan traps proved to be the most effective, in terms of diversity of insects collected at the upper (3.0 m), middle \ (1.5 m) and lower (0.0 m) levels. The white pan traps performed better than the other traps at 1.5 m and 3.0 m. The white pan traps had the highest abundance of insects at 3.0 m and 1.5 m but for blue traps, height had little effect on its insect catches. Though there were no significant differences in insect abundance at different heights and trap performance, there were variations in total insect catches at the different levels and to pan trap colour. Knowledge on the distribution and collections of insects would help to control or conserve their numbers in a more systematic way and which can be a good reference in future, making sampling easier and increasing reliability. At different heights it could inform levels at which insect groups are likely to be concentrated, between times and seasons. This could be useful in pest management practices, as well as suggesting monitoring and sampling protocols future research activities. Note: Height = Vertical level keywords: Insect diversity & abundance, heights, cocoa, pan traps.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Evaluation Of The Susceptibility Of Four Garden Egg (Solanum Aethiopicum) Varieties To The Major Field Insect Pests
    (University Of Ghana, 2022-12) Asamoah, M.P.
    Field experiments were conducted at Forest and Horticultural Crop Research Center, Kade, Ghana during the 2020 and 2021 cropping season. The susceptibility of four garden egg varieties against the major field insect pest under field conditions. The varieties namely: Aworoworo, Yorgbe, Round garden egg and Legon 1 varieties were laid in randomized complete block design with four replicates. The major insects observed to be causing varying degree of damage were Aphis gossypii, Aphis craccivora, Urentius hystricellus, thrips tabaci Leucinodes orbonalis and lastly Zonocerus variegatus. Insect pest infestation varied among the different varieties. The weekly population build-up of the insects per the different varieties were observed. The population of the insects was fluctuating from the time data collection began to harvesting. For insects such as the Aphis gossypii, Aphis craccivora, their numbers were high whilst insects such as Zonocerus variegatus, Leucinodes orbonalis were recorded in low numbers. In the minor season, Urentius hystricellus was found but was recorded in high numbers in the dry season however, their numbers reduced in the major season. Also, insect pests that attacked the different developmental stages of garden egg were observed. From the study, Aphis gossypii, Aphis craccivora, Zonocerus variegatus, Thrips tabaci and Urentius hystricellus were found to be attacking all the different growth stages of garden eggs. For Leucinodes orbonalis, it was found to be attacking the plant during the flowering and fruiting stages of the plant. In assessing the resistance level in the varieties, none of the varieties was found to be resistant. Based on the susceptibility index, it was found that the Legon 1 variety recorded the highest susceptibility level and was grade as susceptible whilst the Yorgbe variety recorded the least index and was graded as being moderately resistant. The Aworoworo variety and the Round garden egg variety was graded moderately susceptible and moderately resistant respectively.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Phenotypic Characterization Of Cowpea.
    (University Of Ghana, 2021-12) Arthur, K.S.
    Cowpea is indigenous to the African continent and is usually grown for its leaves and grain in different countries of the world. The objective of this study was to evaluate cowpea accessions using morphological descriptors and phytochemical analysis to identify cowpea accessions with a more specific traits that could be used by breeders. Phenotypic characterization of twenty-seven (27) cowpea accessions which consist of twenty-four (24) from the Department of Plant and Environmental Biology as test material and three (3) others, namely ‘Asontem’, ‘Wang Kae’ and ‘Kirkhouse’ which were used as checks, was undertaken. The cowpea population was evaluated based on agro-morphological traits (quantitative and qualitative) and phytochemical traits. STATA version 15.0 was used to carry out descriptive, multivariate analyses whiles ‘R’ software was used for genetic component analysis to determine the extent of variation. Phytochemical analysis was carried out to study the polyphenolic and amino acid contents of the cowpea seeds using standard methods and protocols. Polyphenolic compounds were determined using a spectrometer and amino acid contents were determined with assistance from Ghana Standard Authority. In the morphological qualitative traits studied, erect cowpea plants showed the highest distribution for growth habit with frequencies of 91% in the test material and 84.17% in the entire population. The pale tan pod colour recorded the highest frequency of 62.58% in the entire population, similarly, the pale tan with frequencies 65.48% and 62.58% were the highest frequency in both control and test material respectively. The white seed coat colour had the highest frequency of 66.11%in the entire population as well. The chi-square test of association between qualitative traits showed 86 significant associations in the test materials, with growth habit having the highest signicant associations with leaf size (χ² = 220.84, P = 0.000), whereas the control showed 78 significant associations. The overall population exhibited 86 significant associations, with growth habit having the highest positive significant association with terminal leaflet shape (χ² = 243.87, P = 0.000). The phenolic compound had higher mean concentration in the controls than the test material, however higher mean concentration of amino acid was obatined in the test materials than in the control. A total of 145, 113 and 123 significant pairwise correlations were observed in the control, test materials, and entire population respectively for all quantitative traits. In the test material vanillic acid was highly correlated with gallic acid (r = 1.00) and p-coumaric acid (r = 1.00). Principal component analysis showed that, the first seven principal components in the morphological traits accounted for a total variability of 84.00% in the control, while nine principal components explained 81.00% of the total variation in the test material. On the other hand the first five principal components in the phytochemical traits accounted for 100%, 100% and 83% of the total variation in the control, test materials and entire population respectively. The biplot showed that the relationships among accessions and morphological, phytochemical and all traits explained 33% and 51% of the total variance respectively. The cluster analysis for the morphological traits revealed five distinct clusters. Genotypes named Asontem, T3, T5, T22 were grouped in a single cluster and were characterized by least days to germination (3.58), highest mean number of branches (4.93), least mean number of leaves (41.26), highest mean number of nodes (9.83), least mean leaflet width (3.69), the highest mean days to first flowering, least mean number of pods per peduncle (2.81), least average pod width (0.80), highest mean number of pods per plant (49.50), the highest average number of seed per pod (15.97), highest mean days to first matured pod (42.01), highest mean number of seeds per plants (795.75) compared to other clusters. These genotypes could be used as parents in genetic improvement programs aiming to increase yield. Biometrical analysis revealed that the phenotypic variance (σ2 p) was higher than the genotypic variance (σ2 g) regarding all morphological traits evaluated. The number of seeds per plant reported the highest genotypic (80841.20) and phenotypic (107162.90) variance while the lowest genotypic (0.09) and phenotypic (0.69) value was recorded by the days to germination and average seed thickness respectively. Low (≤20%) heritability broad sense values were observed in all the morphological traits and ranged from 0.33% for days to germination to 0.99% for seed weight.