In Ghana, the management of hypertension in primary health care is a cost-effective way of addressing premature deaths from vascular disorders that include hypertension. There is little or no evidence of large-scale studies on the prevalence, risk, and knowledge/awareness of hypertension in students aged 12-22 years in Ghana. In a cross-sectional study, blood pressure, anthropometric indices, and knowledge/awareness assessment of students at second-cycle schools were recorded from 2018 to 2020 in three regions of Ghana.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Infection prevention and control (IPC) is a globally relevant aspect of all health systems impacting the health and safety of both patients and healthcare workers. However, best practices remain a challenge in healthcare delivery especially in resource limited situations. The primary objective of this study was to assess the infection prevention and control (IPC) preparedness levels of acute healthcare facilities in Ghana and to determine the factors associated with the overall IPC preparedness levels in acute healthcare facilities.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Over 34 countries in Africa have introduced rotavirus vaccine to their national immunization programs: monovalent (Rotarix®, RV1) and pentavalent (RotaTeq®, RV5) after South Africa introduced it in 2009. Since then several studies assessing the impact of the vaccine have been conducted. The principal aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of rotavirus vaccine in sub-Saharan Africa.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Folate supplementation treatment is the first-line therapy in hyperhomocysteinaemia (HHcy). Up to 40% of HHcy patients do not benefit from folate therapy. Genetic and epigenetic factors of one-carbon metabolism (1-CM) might be identified as a predictor of folate supplementation treatment response.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Patients with hyperhomocysteinemia (HHcy) have a higher risk of developing ischemic stroke (IS). The association between MTRR A66G polymorphism and promoter methylation with IS in patients with HHcy is also uncertain. The present study aimed to investigate the association between the MTRR polymorphism and methylation with IS in HHcy patients.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: A decrease in cystathionine beta-synthase (CBS) enzyme activity could lead to hyperhomocysteinemia (HHcy). Studies have revealed that DNA methylation has a mediating effect on the development of diseases. The present study aimed to explore CBS promoter methylation-mediating effects on the efficacy of folate treatment for HHcy.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground And Objectives: Hyperhomocysteinaemia (HHcy) is an independent risk factors for several disorders, including cardiovascular disease. The understanding of the relationship among genetic, epigenetic and the efficacy of folate therapy for HHcy remain unclear. This study aim to investigate whether betaine-homocysteine methyltransferase (BHMT) single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and DNA methylation are related to the efficacy of folate therapy for HHcy and whether BHMT DNA methylation mediates the SNP-folate therapy efficacy association.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBoth betaine homocysteine methyltransferase (BHMT) and cystathionine β-synthase (CBS) are major enzymes in the metabolism of plasma homocysteine (Hcy). Abnormal methylation levels of BHMT and CBS are positively associated with Hcy levels. The present study is performed to explore the association between the methylation levels in the promoter regions of the BHMT and CBS genes and the efficacy of folic acid therapy in patient with hyperhomocysteinemia (HHcy).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIntroduction: Hypertension is among the first five causes of mortality, globally contributing more than 40% to cardiac related deaths worldwide, with almost 70% cardiovascular deaths in the low- and middle-income countries. Its burden is projected to be 150 million by 2025 based on epidemiological data within the Sub-Saharan Africa regions, with Ghana experiencing 505,180 increases in 2007. It is currently among the leading cause of death in the country, with prevalence ranging from 19% to 48%.
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