Investigating the Presence of Falsified and Poor-Quality Fixed-Dose Combination Artemether-Lumefantrine Pharmaceutical Dosage Forms in Kumasi, Ghana.

Artemether-lumefantrine (AL) is a highly effective and commonly used Artemisinin-based Combination Therapy (ACT) for treating uncomplicated malaria caused by , including drug-resistant strains. However, ineffective regulatory systems in resource-limited settings can lead to the infiltration of poor-quality and counterfeit antimalarial medicines into the pharmaceutical supply chain, causing treatment failures, prolonged illness, and disease progression. The objective of the study was to assess the quality of selected brands of fixed-dose combination (FDC) AL tablets and suspensions marketed in Kumasi, Ghana.

Development of the RP-HPLC Method for Simultaneous Determination and Quantification of Artemether and Lumefantrine in Fixed-Dose Combination Pharmaceutical Dosage Forms.

Developing countries face enormous challenges with substandard and falsified antimalarial drugs. One specific issue is the lack of a simple, cost-effective, and robust HPLC method to simultaneously determine and quantify the active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) in fixed-dose artemether-lumefantrine pharmaceutical dosage forms. The current study developed a novel, simple, sensitive, precise, accurate, and cost-effective RP-HPLC method for the simultaneous determination and quantification of artemether and lumefantrine in pharmaceutical dosage forms.

Self-medication among pregnant women in Ghana: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Despite the associated health risks of self-medication during pregnancy, recent evidence suggests that the phenomena persist in most countries. However, self-medication during pregnancy in Ghana is poorly understood due to the lack of a comprehensive review study.

Objectives: We sought to review existing literature on the prevalence of self-medication, drugs used in self-medication, diseases associated with self-medication, and why pregnant women in Ghana self-medicate.

Bacterial Contaminants and Antibiogram of Ghana Paper Currency Notes in Circulation and Their Associated Health Risks in Asante-Mampong, Ghana.

Transmission of pathogens through currency notes has become very relevant in today's world due to COVID-19 pandemic. This study profiled microbial flora and their antibiotic activities from Ghana paper currency (GH¢) notes in circulation in Mampong Municipal of Ashanti Region, Ghana. The study employed a cross-sectional design to assess bacterial contaminants and their antibiotic activities from January to May 2019.

Microbial Contamination, an Increasing Threat to the Consumption of Fresh Fruits and Vegetables in Today's World.

Microbes are found all over the globe with some few exceptions, including sterilized surfaces. They include normal flora that is nonpathogenic, which contribute to the larger percentage, and pathogenic species which are few. Hence, the activities of humans cannot be completely separated from microbes.

Three monthly doses of 60 mg/kg praziquantel for Schistosoma haematobium infection is a safe and effective treatment regimen.

Background: Praziquantel (PZQ) is the standard treatment for Schistosomiasis in sub-Saharan Africa. However, there is evidence suggesting praziquantel treatment failure in Schistosome infections with associated potential renal impairment. The objective of this study was to determine the effect of three monthly doses of 60 mg/kg/day PZQ on schistosome egg count, liver and renal function during the treatment of urinary schistosomiasis in Ghana.

Cytotoxic T Cell-Derived Granzyme B Is Increased in Severe Malaria.

In malaria, CD8 T cells play a double-edged role. Liver-stage specific CD8 T cells can confer protection, as has been shown in several vaccine studies. Blood-stage specific CD8 T cells, on the other hand, contribute to the development of cerebral malaria in murine models of malaria.

Author Correction: Differential expression pattern of co-inhibitory molecules on CD4 T cells in uncomplicated versus complicated malaria.

A correction to this article has been published and is linked from the HTML and PDF versions of this paper. The error has not been fixed in the paper.

Differential expression pattern of co-inhibitory molecules on CD4 T cells in uncomplicated versus complicated malaria.

The immune response of malaria patients is a main factor influencing the clinical severity of malaria. A tight regulation of the CD4 T cell response or the induction of tolerance have been proposed to contribute to protection from severe or clinical disease. We therefore compared the CD4 T cell phenotypes of Ghanaian children with complicated malaria, uncomplicated malaria, asymptomatic Plasmodium falciparum (Pf) infection or no infection.

Health care workers indicate ill preparedness for Ebola Virus Disease outbreak in Ashanti Region of Ghana.

Background: The recent Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) epidemic that hit some countries in West Africa underscores the need to train front line high-risk health workers on disease prevention skills. Although Ghana did not record (and is yet to) any case, and several health workers have received numerous training schemes, there is no record of any study that assessed preparedness of healthcare workers (HCWS) regarding EVD and any emergency prone disease in Ghana. We therefore conducted a hospital based cross sectional study involving 101 HCWs from two facilities in Kumasi, Ghana to assess the level of preparedness of HCWs to respond to any possible EVD.

Bacterial etiology of sexually transmitted infections at a STI clinic in Ghana; use of multiplex real time PCR.

Background: Most sexually transmitted infection (STI) management efforts focus on the syndromic approach to diagnose and treat patients. However, most women with STIs have been shown to be entirely asymptomatic, or if symptoms exist, are often missed when either clinical or conventional bacteriologic diagnostic tools are employed.

Methods: We assessed the performance of a multiplex real time PCR assay to describe other potential pathogens that could be missed by conventional bacteriological techniques in 200 women attending a routine STI clinic in Kumasi, Ghana.

Genotypic characterisation of human papillomavirus infections among persons living with HIV infection; a case-control study in Kumasi, Ghana.

Objectives: The objective of this study is to describe the burden of human papillomavirus (HPV) infection among women living with HIV and non-infected women in Ghana.

Methods: A case-control study was conducted involving 107 women living with HIV aged between 18 and 59 years (cases) and 100 non-HIV-infected apparently healthy women (controls) who were recruited from the Kumasi South Hospital, from July to December, 2014. Cervicovaginal swabs were taken from study participants to characterise 28 high- and low-risk HPV genotypes using a multiplex real-time PCR.

Variations in levels of IL-6 and TNF-α in type 2 diabetes mellitus between rural and urban Ashanti Region of Ghana.

Background: A surge in pro-inflammatory markers, Il-6 and TNF-α, has been associated with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). However, there is no data on the dynamics of these markers in T2DM Ghanaian populations. The aim of this study was to determine variations in the levels of IL-6 and TNF-α in T2DM patients.

Effectiveness of artemisinin-based combination therapy used in the context of home management of malaria: a report from three study sites in sub-Saharan Africa.

Background: The use of artemisinin-based combination therapy (ACT) at the community level has been advocated as a means to increase access to effective antimalarial medicines by high risk groups living in underserved areas, mainly in sub-Saharan Africa. This strategy has been shown to be feasible and acceptable to the community. However, the parasitological effectiveness of ACT when dispensed by community medicine distributors (CMDs) within the context of home management of malaria (HMM) and used unsupervised by caregivers at home has not been evaluated.