Studies on the biosorption of hexavalent chromium from aqueous solutions by using boiled mucilaginous seeds of Ocimum americanum.

Investigations were carried out to study the chromium removal efficiency of boiled mucilaginous seeds of Ocimum americanum. Batch experiments were conducted to study the biosorption kinetics of chromium removal for the concentrations 10mg/L, 20mg/L and 40 mg/L of chromium(VI) solutions. The biosorbent dosage was 8 g dry seeds/L.

The epidemiology of malaria among pregnant women attending antenatal clinics in an area with intense and highly seasonal malaria transmission in northern Ghana.

Objective: To describe the factors associated with malaria infection and anaemia in pregnancy in northern Ghana.

Method: We studied 3642 pregnant women of all gravidities and gestational age of 18-32 weeks who attended an antenatal clinic in the Kassena-Nankana district of Ghana between June 2004 and July 2006. Blood samples were examined for haemoglobin concentrations and parasitaemia, and we obtained socio-demographic data, an obstetric history, information on their past and current state of health and bed net use.

Fracture of the penis: a radiological or clinical diagnosis? A case series and literature review.

Introduction: Fracture of the penis is rare and needs a surgeon's attention for appropriate management. The exact role of diagnostic investigations has not been established. We studied the role of these investigations and the results of surgery.

High resistance of Plasmodium falciparum to sulphadoxine/pyrimethamine in northern Tanzania and the emergence of dhps resistance mutation at Codon 581.

Background: Sulphadoxine-pyrimethamine (SP) a widely used treatment for uncomplicated malaria and recommended for intermittent preventive treatment of malaria in pregnancy, is being investigated for intermittent preventive treatment of malaria in infants (IPTi). High levels of drug resistance to SP have been reported from north-eastern Tanzania associated with mutations in parasite genes. This study compared the in vivo efficacy of SP in symptomatic 6-59 month children with uncomplicated malaria and in asymptomatic 2-10 month old infants.

Estimating the burden of malaria in pregnancy: a case study from rural Madhya Pradesh, India.

Background: Malaria in pregnancy (MiP) is inadequately researched in India, and the burden is probably much higher than current estimates suggest. This paper models the burden of MiP and associated foetal losses and maternal deaths, in rural Madhya Pradesh, India.

Methods: Number of pregnancies per year was estimated from the number of births and an estimate of pregnancies that end in foetal loss.

Size effect on the physical properties of CdS thin films prepared by integrated physical-chemical approach.

Using an integrated physical-chemical approach, nanocrystalline cadmium sulfide (CdS) thin films were prepared by evaporating chemically synthesized CdS nanorods. Both the CdS nanorods and nanocrystalline thin films exhibited hexagonal wurtzite structure. Chemically synthesized CdS nanorods of about 7 nm average diameter were flexible, frequently folded to have elliptical cage linked chain structures and aggregate to form nanorod bundles.

Exercise improves cognitive responses to psychological stress through enhancement of epigenetic mechanisms and gene expression in the dentate gyrus.

Background: We have shown previously that exercise benefits stress resistance and stress coping capabilities. Furthermore, we reported recently that epigenetic changes related to gene transcription are involved in memory formation of stressful events. In view of the enhanced coping capabilities in exercised subjects we investigated epigenetic, gene expression and behavioral changes in 4-weeks voluntarily exercised rats.

Adherence to Artesunate-Amodiaquine Therapy for Uncomplicated Malaria in Rural Ghana: A Randomised Trial of Supervised versus Unsupervised Drug Administration.

Introduction. To enhance effective treatment, african nations including Ghana changed its malaria treatment policy from monotherapy to combination treatment with artesunate-amodiaquine (AS+AQ). The major challenge to its use in loose form is adherence.

The natural progression of Gambiense sleeping sickness: what is the evidence?

Gambiense human African trypanosomiasis (HAT, sleeping sickness) is widely assumed to be 100% pathogenic and fatal. However, reports to the contrary exist, and human trypano-tolerance has been postulated. Furthermore, there is uncertainty about the actual duration of both stage 1 and stage 2 infection, particularly with respect to how long a patient remains infectious.

Seasonal intermittent preventive treatment for the prevention of anaemia and malaria in Ghanaian children: a randomized, placebo controlled trial.

Background: Malaria and anaemia are the leading causes of morbidity and mortality in children in sub-Saharan Africa. We have investigated the effect of intermittent preventive treatment with sulphadoxine-pyrimethamine or artesunate plus amodiaquine on anaemia and malaria in children in an area of intense, prolonged, seasonal malaria transmission in Ghana.

Methods: 2451 children aged 3-59 months from 30 villages were individually randomised to receive placebo or artesunate plus amodiaquine (AS+AQ) monthly or bimonthly, or sulphadoxine-pyrimethamine (SP) bimonthly over a period of six months.

Setting priorities in global child health research investments: guidelines for implementation of CHNRI method.

This article provides detailed guidelines for the implementation of systematic method for setting priorities in health research investments that was recently developed by Child Health and Nutrition Research Initiative (CHNRI). The target audience for the proposed method are international agencies, large research funding donors, and national governments and policy-makers. The process has the following steps: (i) selecting the managers of the process; (ii) specifying the context and risk management preferences; (iii) discussing criteria for setting health research priorities; (iv) choosing a limited set of the most useful and important criteria; (v) developing means to assess the likelihood that proposed health research options will satisfy the selected criteria; (vi) systematic listing of a large number of proposed health research options; (vii) pre-scoring check of all competing health research options; (viii) scoring of health research options using the chosen set of criteria; (ix) calculating intermediate scores for each health research option; (x) obtaining further input from the stakeholders; (xi) adjusting intermediate scores taking into account the values of stakeholders; (xii) calculating overall priority scores and assigning ranks; (xiii) performing an analysis of agreement between the scorers; (xiv) linking computed research priority scores with investment decisions; (xv) feedback and revision.

Azithromycin-chloroquine and the intermittent preventive treatment of malaria in pregnancy.

In the high malaria-transmission settings of sub-Saharan Africa, malaria in pregnancy is an important cause of maternal, perinatal and neonatal morbidity. Intermittent preventive treatment of malaria in pregnancy (IPTp) with sulphadoxine-pyrimethamine (SP) reduces the incidence of low birth-weight, pre-term delivery, intrauterine growth-retardation and maternal anaemia. However, the public health benefits of IPTp are declining due to SP resistance.

Photoinduced electron transfer from phycoerythrin to colloidal metal semiconductor nanoparticles.

Phycoerythrin is a water soluble pigment which absorbs in the visible region at 563 nm. The interaction of phycoerythrin with colloidal metal semiconductors was studied by absorption, FT-IR and fluorescence spectroscopy. Phycoerythrin adsorbed strongly on the surface of TiO(2) nanoparticles, the apparent association constant for the association between colloidal metal-TiO(2) nanoparticles and phycoerythrin was determined from fluorescence quenching data.

Gastrocoele: a complication of combined oesophageal and antral corrosive strictures.

Corrosive strictures of the gastrointestinal tract are a surgical challenge. We describe a previously undescribed condition called gastrocoele, a rare condition caused by combined oesophageal and antral strictures and review our results. We present our experience with nine cases of gastrocoele due to combined corrosive strictures of oesophagus and antrum between 1993 and 2005.

Design, Synthesis and antiHIV activity of Novel Isatine-Sulphonamides.

A series of novel isatine-sulphonamide derivatives have been synthesized by combining isatin derivatives with sulphonamides. The structure of the synthesized compounds were elucidated by spectral analysis (IR, NMR and Mass). Investigation of anti-HIV activity was done against HIV-1(IIIB) in MT-4 cells and HIV integrase inhibitory activity.

Effect of salinity on the predatory performance of Diplonychus rusticus (Fabricius).

Predatory efficiency of Diplonychus rusticus (Fabricius) was recorded at different prey density with different salinity ranges. When the salinity level (ppt) was increased, the predation rate of the bug decreased. Fifth nymphal stage showed higher predation in the 2, 4 and 6 ppt levels of salinityin both 1 hr and 24 hr period of exposure at prey densities 50, 100, 150 and 200.

Performance of the OptiMAL dipstick in the diagnosis of malaria infection in pregnancy.

The accuracy of OptiMAL((R)) dipsticks was compared with that of microscopy in the diagnosis of malaria infection in pregnancy. During the course of a clinical trial of antimalarial drugs in pregnancy, we screened 4500 pregnant women of all parities who accessed antenatal clinic services at St. Theresa's Hospital's in Nkoranza, Ghana, between March 2003 and December 2004 with OptiMAL((R)) dipsticks and confirmed the diagnosis of malaria with microscopy.

Eu(3+) doped gadolinium oxysulfide (Gd(2)O(2)S) nanostructures-synthesis and optical and electronic properties.

One-dimensional Eu(3+) doped gadolinium oxysulfide (Gd(2)O(2)S:Eu(3+)) nanotubes/nanorods have been synthesized via precursors of Gd(OH)(3) nanostructures using a hydrothermal technique. The blue-shifts in the optical spectra for the Gd(2)O(2)S:Eu(3+) system corresponding to the fundamental absorption and Eu(3+)-X(2-) ligand (X =  O/S) charge transfer bands (CTBs) are significant (∼0.22-0.

Optimization of growth conditions of ZnO nano thin films by chemical double dip technique.

Zinc oxide (ZnO) nano thin films have been deposited by the chemical double-dip technique using aqueous ZnSO and NaOH solutions. The ZnO films were characterized in terms of surface morphology by x-ray diffraction, energy-dispersive x-ray analysis (EDX), the use of a scanning electron microscope (SEM) and atomic force microscope (AFM) for surface morphology. The films exhibited a smooth morphology.

A randomized, controlled trial of intermittent preventive treatment with sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine, amodiaquine, or the combination in pregnant women in Ghana.

Background: The use of sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine (SP) for intermittent preventive treatment in pregnancy (IPTp) is threatened by the spread of resistance to SP. Therefore, we studied the efficacy, safety, and tolerance of amodiaquine (AQ) or the combination of AQ and SP (SPAQ) as possible alternative treatments.

Methods: The study was performed in Ghana from June 2004 through February 2007.

Cyanobacterial chlorophyll as a sensitizer for colloidal TiO2.

Chlorophyll has been extracted from cyanobacteria. The adsorption of chlorophyll on the surface of colloidal TiO(2) through electrostatic interaction was observed. The apparent association constant (K(app)) of chlorophyll-TiO(2) obtained from absorption spectra is 3.