Blood transfusion necessitates screening of transmissible infectious pathogens such as hepatitis B virus (HBV) to curtail post transfusion risk of infection. The study re-examined this approach by evaluating the efficiency of solely... more
Blood transfusion necessitates screening of transmissible infectious pathogens such as hepatitis B virus (HBV) to curtail post transfusion risk of infection. The study re-examined this approach by evaluating the efficiency of solely testing for hepatitis B surface antigen (HbsAg) marker for blood transfusion, the efficacy of the various immunochromatographic assays in the screening process and the residual risk of hepatitis B viral transmission through transfusion in Ghana. A convenient purposive sampling technique was used in selecting ten hospitals, from each of the 10 regions. A total of 480 aliquots of blood were collected anonymously, from blood already tested for HbsAg with immunochromatographic assay in the blood banks of the chosen facilities and declared nega-tive. Plasma from the blood was obtained through centrifugation, separated into well labeled micro-tubes and transported in cold boxes to the Molecular Medicine Department-KNUST. The samples were then re-examined for a...
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Whereas excess adiposity is presumed to be advantageous for the skeleton, studies investigating relations between bone strength and fat during youth have been equivocal. Relations of percentage body fat (BF) and bone strength indexes were... more
Whereas excess adiposity is presumed to be advantageous for the skeleton, studies investigating relations between bone strength and fat during youth have been equivocal. Relations of percentage body fat (BF) and bone strength indexes were assessed in late adolescent females, taking into consideration surrogates of muscle force [ie, muscle cross-sectional area (MCSA) and bone length]. Bone measurements in the normal- and high-fat groups were also compared. Late adolescent females (n = 115; aged 18.2 +/- 0.4 y) participated in this cross-sectional study. Fat-free soft tissue mass, fat mass, and percentage BF were measured with the use of dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry. Tibial and radial peripheral quantitative computed tomography measurements were taken at the 4% (trabecular bone), 20% (cortical bone), and 66% (for measurement of MCSA) sites from the distal metaphyses. Percentage BF was inversely related to radial cortical bone area, total bone cross-sectional area (CSA), cortical b...
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Research Interests: Genomics, Gene expression, Global Analysis, Biological Sciences, Environmental Sciences, and 17 moreStreptomyces coelicolor, Cluster Analysis, Genome, DNA Array, Data Clustering, Immunoprecipitation, ribosomal RNA, Chromatin, Chromatin Immunoprecipitation, Experimental Tests, Heat Shock, Heat Shock Proteins, High Density Concrete, Gene Expression Analysis, Sensitivity and Specificity, Protein Binding, and Gene expression profiling
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Research Interests: Obesity, Adolescent, Adipose tissue, Osteoporosis, Humans, and 19 moreAfrican American, Trabecular Bone, Tibia, Female, Three Dimensional Imaging, Young Adult, Bone Density, African Americans, Clinical Sciences, Fat Mass, Radius, Peripheral Quantitative Computed Tomography, Body Weight, Body Fat, Cortical Bone, Soft Tissue, X ray Computed Tomography, Bone Strength, and Case Control Studies
Human clinical trials targeted at preventing gains in body weight using soy protein and isoflavones are limited to adults and yield conflicting results. We hypothesized that daily intake of soy protein/isoflavones would attenuate gains in... more
Human clinical trials targeted at preventing gains in body weight using soy protein and isoflavones are limited to adults and yield conflicting results. We hypothesized that daily intake of soy protein/isoflavones would attenuate gains in body weight to a greater extent than a casein-based control in 18 to 19 year-old females. To test this hypothesis, we conducted a randomized, double blind, placebo-controlled trial over 16 weeks to examine the effects of a soy protein/isoflavone-based meal replacement (experimental group) versus a casein-based meal replacement (control group) on body weight and body composition variables in female college freshmen (N = 120). Fat mass (FM), fat-free soft tissue mass (FFST), and percent body fat (%BF) were measured using dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA; Delphi A). Repeated measures mixed models were used to determine the effects of treatment on anthropometric and body composition variables (body weight, waist circumference, FM, FFST, and %BF). No significant group×time interactions were observed, even when body mass index was controlled for in the analysis. Over 16 weeks, body weight, FM, FFST, and %BF significantly increased in both groups (P < .05). Our findings show that female college freshmen gained a significant amount of weight over the course of the 16-week study. Gains in body weight and FM were similar among participants assigned to the soy protein/isoflavone- and the casein-based meal replacements. Future research is warranted to determine the effects of soy protein/isoflavone- and casein-based meal replacements versus a non-intervention (i.e., non-protein based) control.
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ABSTRACT Pregnancy-Induced Hypertension (PIH) is one of the leading causes of maternal, neonatal and infant mortality. Several studies have suggested that the occurrence of PIH may be dependent on environmental factors. Although, several... more
ABSTRACT Pregnancy-Induced Hypertension (PIH) is one of the leading causes of maternal, neonatal and infant mortality. Several studies have suggested that the occurrence of PIH may be dependent on environmental factors. Although, several countries have documented the prevalence of PIH, little is known about the occurrence and seasonal variations in the incidence of PIH in Ghana. This study was therefore conducted to assess whether seasonal variation has any effect on the prevalence of PIH. Between, 2006 and 2007, a retrospective observational hospital-based study was conducted at the Obstetric and Gynaecology Department of the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH) using pregnancies of gestational age more than 20 weeks. Maternal age, par-ity, birth weight and maternal death, occurrence of gestational hypertension, preeclampsia, PIH and seasons were variables evaluated and analyzed using SAS System for windows, version 6.12. Of the total of 8,091 antenatal visits to the Hospital, 12.42% presented with PIH, 6.55% with preeclampsia whilst gestational hypertension was identified in 5.87% of pregnant women. The younger mothers as well as the older aged mothers were more prone to presenting with these conditions and delivery of low birth weight babies was more prevalent among these cohorts of women. The prevalence for all the above-mentioned conditions generally declined during the dry season. An association between the rainy season and increased incidence of hypertensive disor-ders of pregnancy was evident. The hypertensive condition was more prevalent among the ex-tremes of age and associated with the delivery of babies with low birth weight.
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Adenovirus 36 (Ad36) is the only adenovirus to date that has been linked with obesity in humans. Our previous studies in late-adolescent females suggest that excess weight in the form of fat mass is associated with lower cortical bone... more
Adenovirus 36 (Ad36) is the only adenovirus to date that has been linked with obesity in humans. Our previous studies in late-adolescent females suggest that excess weight in the form of fat mass is associated with lower cortical bone strength. The purpose of this study was to assess the relationship between Ad36-specific antibodies, adiposity, and bone strength in our sample of late-adolescent females. A cross-sectional study of 115 females aged 18 to 19 years was performed. Participants were classified according to adiposity by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (body fat percentage as normal-fat [ < 32% body fat; n = 93] or high-fat [ ≥ 32% body fat; n = 22]), and according to the presence of Ad36-specific neutralizing antibodies. Peripheral quantitative computed tomography measured bone parameters at the 4% (trabecular bone) and 20% (cortical bone) site, and muscle cross-sectional area (MCSA) at the 66% site, from the distal metaphyses of the radius and the tibia. Bone strength was determined from volumetric bone mineral density and bone geometry to calculate bone strength index (BSI; trabecular site) and polar strength-strain index (SSI; cortical site). After adjustment for MCSA and limb length, radial SSI was lower in Ad36+ versus Ad36- subjects from the high-fat group (p < 0.03), but not the normal-fat group. No significant differences were observed between groups in tibial SSI or BSI. These data support an association of adiposity and cortical bone strength at the radius with the presence of neutralizing antibodies to Ad36 in late-adolescent females.
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Research Interests: Microbiology, Bacteriology, Gene regulation, Adaptation, Macrophages, and 15 moreBiological Sciences, Tuberculosis, Identification, Humans, Mycobacterium tuberculosis, Mycobacterium, Animals, Bacteria, Cluster Analysis, Chemotaxis, Lipid metabolism, Growth rate, Microbial Viability, Mycobacterium bovis, and Gene expression profiling
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The aim of the study was to identify ion channel transcripts expressed in the sinoatrial node (SAN), the pacemaker of the heart. Functionally, the SAN can be divided into central and peripheral regions (center is adapted for pacemaking... more
The aim of the study was to identify ion channel transcripts expressed in the sinoatrial node (SAN), the pacemaker of the heart. Functionally, the SAN can be divided into central and peripheral regions (center is adapted for pacemaking only, whereas periphery is adapted to protect center and drive atrial muscle as well as pacemaking) and the aim was to study expression in both regions. In rabbit tissue, the abundance of 30 transcripts (including transcripts for connexin, Na(+), Ca(2+), hyperpolarization-activated cation and K(+) channels, and related Ca(2+) handling proteins) was measured using quantitative PCR and the distribution of selected transcripts was visualized using in situ hybridization. Quantification of individual transcripts (quantitative PCR) showed that there are significant differences in the abundance of 63% of the transcripts studied between the SAN and atrial muscle, and cluster analysis showed that the transcript profile of the SAN is significantly different from that of atrial muscle. There are apparent isoform switches on moving from atrial muscle to the SAN center: RYR2 to RYR3, Na(v)1.5 to Na(v)1.1, Ca(v)1.2 to Ca(v)1.3 and K(v)1.4 to K(v)4.2. The transcript profile of the SAN periphery is intermediate between that of the SAN center and atrial muscle. For example, Na(v)1.5 messenger RNA is expressed in the SAN periphery (as it is in atrial muscle), but not in the SAN center, and this is probably related to the need of the SAN periphery to drive the surrounding atrial muscle.
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Research Interests: Genetics, Genomics, Molecular Evolution, Biological Sciences, Phylogeny, and 16 moreSequence alignment, Case Study, Streptomyces coelicolor, High Resolution, Anthraquinones, Genetic Instability, Genetic variation, High Density Concrete, Species Specificity, Base Sequence, S-Adenosylmethionine, Rapid Assessment, Comparative Genomic Hybridization, DNA probes, Nucleotides, and Molecular Sequence Data
Research Interests: Proteomics, Biological Sciences, Plant Secondary Metabolism, Streptomyces coelicolor, Genetically modified organisms, and 13 moreStatistical Significance, Cluster Analysis, Secondary Metabolites, Exponential Growth, Proteome analysis, Industrial Production, Base Sequence, Culture Media, Proteome, Submerged Culture, Ribosomal Protein, Gene expression profiling, and Molecular Sequence Data
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... Emma Laing 1 , Julia Grant, Michael Thomas, Charlotte Parmigiani,. ... Verbal short-term memory has been considered a relative strength in WS and has been shown to be at the level of mental age (Udwin and Yule, 1990) or even higher... more
... Emma Laing 1 , Julia Grant, Michael Thomas, Charlotte Parmigiani,. ... Verbal short-term memory has been considered a relative strength in WS and has been shown to be at the level of mental age (Udwin and Yule, 1990) or even higher than mental age (Mervis et al., 1999). ...
Research Interests: Dentistry, Biomedical Engineering, Quality of life, Adolescent, Linear models, and 17 moreHumans, Child, Needs Assessment, Female, Male, Malocclusion, American, Interpersonal Relations, Self Concept, Questionnaires, Self Assessment, Sex Factors, Mastication, Age Factors, Dental Esthetics, Cross Sectional Studies, and Anodontia
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Bovine tuberculosis due to Mycobacterium bovis is a major cause of human gastrointestinal tuberculosis in developing countries where bovine milk is often not pasteurised before use. Little information is available on the prevalence of the... more
Bovine tuberculosis due to Mycobacterium bovis is a major cause of human gastrointestinal tuberculosis in developing countries where bovine milk is often not pasteurised before use. Little information is available on the prevalence of the disease in African cattle and its zoonotic impact. The Ghanaian Government, through its peri-urban dairy cattle development project, is promoting the use of milk and dairy products from local cows in selected districts of the country, including the Dangme-West district of the Greater Accra region. A survey was, therefore, undertaken to determine the prevalence of tuberculosis infection in cattle in this district and to assess the level of awareness with regard to the risks through milk consumption. The standard single intradermal comparative tuberculin test (SCITT) using purified protein derivative (PPD) of M. bovis and M. avium was used to detect cattle infected with M. bovis. The study established the prevalence of a 13.8% infection in cattle in the district although the prevalence was as high as 50% in some kraals. Prevalence was highest in the Ningo sub-district (19.0%), followed by Dodowa, the district capital (14.0%), while the other two sub-districts, Prampram and Osudoku had lower rates of 11.3 and 10. 8%, respectively. Cattle of all ages and both sexes were affected, but the prevalence in cows was twice as high as that in heifers or bulls. The study also established that there is a considerable lack of knowledge about bovine tuberculosis among cattle owners and herdsmen in the community and that milk is often used untreated, thus increasing the risk of human infection.