Enablers and barriers to the implementation of breast self-examination (BSE) education programmes among adolescent girls in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA): an integrative systematic review protocol.

Background: Breast cancer is emerging as a leading cause of mortality among women and adolescent girls in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). However, there is a lack of clarity on the enablers and barriers associated with the implementation of preventive strategies, such as breast self-examination (BSE), particularly among adolescent girls.

Objective: This paper presents a protocol for conducting a systematic review aiming to synthesise studies on the enablers and barriers to implementing BSE education programmes among adolescent girls in SSA.

A Retrospective Analysis Reveals That the 2021 Outbreaks of African Swine Fever Virus in Ghana Were Caused by Two Distinct Genotypes.

African swine fever virus (ASFV) is the causative agent of African swine fever (ASF), a highly infectious and lethal disease of domesticated swine. Outbreaks of ASF have been mostly restricted to the continent of Africa. The outbreaks that have occurred outside of Africa were controlled by extensive depopulation of the domesticated pig population.

Subcritical water digestion of woody biomass: extraction of cellulose nanomaterials under acid-lean condition.

Subcritical water extraction (SWE) is an emerging green and efficient hydrothermal technology, that offers superior performance in active material extraction, scalability, and reduction of harsh process chemicals, in biomass conversion. Regarding biomaterials, traditional isolation methods for cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) are reliant on harsh chemicals (, strong acid), which are expensive with little to no recyclability. This paper explores SWE as a nanotechnology platform to produce CNCs under the principle of "less is more" - by using low content (1 wt%) of phosphoric acid under subcritical conditions.

The Effects of Medium-Chain Triglyceride Oil and Butter on Lipid Profiles.

Background and objective Butter coffee drinks, mainly a form of a saturated fat diet, are widely accepted as a "healthy energy-boosting drink", especially in the young and healthy military population. The objective of our study was to determine the effects of medium-chain triglyceride (MCT) oil and butter on lipid profile, especially apolipoprotein B (ApoB), low-density lipoprotein (LDL)-cholesterol (LDL-C), high-density lipoprotein (HDL)-cholesterol (HDL-C), and other risk factors for coronary heart disease, such as BMI, BP, fasting blood glucose, HbA1c, and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) levels in healthy adults. Materials and methods We conducted a prospective study of 60 subjects who were randomized to one of the two following regimens: (1) coffee or (2) coffee with butter plus MCT oil combination.

Prevalence of Preferences for End-of-Life Place of Care and Death Among Patients With Cancer in Low- and Middle-Income Countries: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Purpose: There is limited information on preferences for place of care and death among patients with cancer in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). The aim was to report the prevalence and determinants of preferences for end-of-life place of care and death among patients with cancer in LMICs and identify concordance between the preferred and actual place of death.

Methods: Systematic review and meta-analysis guided by Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses was conducted.

Participant Evaluation of a Multi-disciplinary Oncology Preceptorship Training Program for Oncology Health Professionals from Kumasi, Ghana.

A critical shortage of skilled healthcare workers is a primary cause of disparate global cancer outcomes. We report participant evaluation of a multidisciplinary preceptorship program. In collaboration with the city of Kumasi, Ghana, Mayo Clinic and the City Cancer Challenge hosted a preceptorship program for comprehensive multidisciplinary breast and cervix cancer training.

Determinants of iron-rich food deficiency among children under 5 years in sub-Saharan Africa: a comprehensive analysis of Demographic and Health Surveys.

Background: Iron deficiency is a major public health problem that affects the physical and cognitive development of children under 5 years of age (under-5 children) in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). However, the factors associated with the limited consumption of iron-rich foods in the region are poorly understood.

Objective: This study examined the prevalence and determinants of iron-rich food deficiency among under-5 children in 26 SSA countries.

Helmet utilisation and its associated factors among motorcyclists in northern Ghana: an analytical cross-sectional survey.

Background: Motorcycle crashes are a major source of road traffic deaths in northern Ghana. Helmet use has been low. The last time it was formally assessed (2010), helmet use was 30.

Patient-derived tumor organoids with p53 mutations, and not wild-type p53, are sensitive to synergistic combination PARP inhibitor treatment.

Poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase inhibitors (PARPi) are used for patients with BRCA1/2 mutations, but patients with other mutations may benefit from PARPi treatment. Another mutation that is present in more cancers than BRCA1/2 is mutation to the TP53 gene. In 2D breast cancer cell lines, mutant p53 (mtp53) proteins tightly associate with replicating DNA and Poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) protein.

Mosquito control exposures and breast cancer risk: analysis of 1071 cases and 2096 controls from the Ghana Breast Health Study.

Epidemiologic data on insecticide exposures and breast cancer risk are inconclusive and mostly from high-income countries. Using data from 1071 invasive pathologically confirmed breast cancer cases and 2096 controls from the Ghana Breast Health Study conducted from 2013 to 2015, we investigated associations with mosquito control products to reduce the spread of mosquito-borne diseases, such as malaria. These mosquito control products were insecticide-treated nets, mosquito coils, repellent room sprays, and skin creams for personal protection against mosquitos.

Patient-derived tumor organoids with p53 mutations, and not wild-type p53, are sensitive to synergistic combination PARP inhibitor treatment.

Poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase inhibitors (PARPi) are used for patients with mutations, but patients with other mutations may benefit from PARPi treatment. Another mutation that is present in more cancers than is mutation to the gene. In 2D breast cancer cell lines, mutant p53 (mtp53) proteins tightly associate with replicating DNA and Poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) protein.

Speech emotion recognition using machine learning techniques: Feature extraction and comparison of convolutional neural network and random forest.

Speech is a direct and rich way of transmitting information and emotions from one point to another. In this study, we aimed to classify different emotions in speech using various audio features and machine learning models. We extracted various types of audio features such as Mel-frequency cepstral coefficients, chromogram, Mel-scale spectrogram, spectral contrast feature, Tonnetz representation and zero-crossing rate.

The 2022 Outbreaks of African Swine Fever Virus Demonstrate the First Report of Genotype II in Ghana.

African swine fever (ASF) is a lethal disease of domestic pigs that has been causing outbreaks for over a century in Africa ever since its first discovery in 1921. Since 1957, there have been sporadic outbreaks outside of Africa; however, no outbreak has been as devastating and as far-reaching as the current pandemic that originated from a 2007 outbreak in the Republic of Georgia. Derivatives with a high degree of similarity to the progenitor strain, ASFV-Georgia/2007, have been sequenced from various countries in Europe and Asia.

Prevalence and factors associated with undernutrition among children under the age of five years in Benin.

Background: Benin ranks as one of the countries in the world with an alarmingly high prevalence of stunting, wasting, and underweight in children under five years. However, limited studies have examined the factors associated with the prevalence of these undernutrition indicators among children under five years in the country. This study aimed to fill this research gap by examining the prevalence rates and factors associated with stunting, wasting, and underweight among this specific population of interest.

Substance use and adolescent injuries: a multi-country analysis of the association and mediating effect of interpersonal violence among 122,945 in-school paediatric populations in 29 countries.

Background: Adolescent use of substances and injury experiences such as head injury have become increasingly prevalent. However, information regarding their association and the potential pathways linking them remains limited. This study examined the association between substance use and injuries, emphasizing the mediating role of interpersonal violence among adolescents.

Association of food insecurity and sleep difficulty among 189,619 school-going adolescents: a study from the global in-school students survey.

Introduction: Adolescents' sleep disturbances are associated with chronic and dramatic physical, emotional, and mental development and school performance consequences. Although food insecurity could significantly contribute to these effects, few studies have explored the effect of food insecurity on sleep disturbances among adolescents. The study aimed to examine the relationship between adolescents' food insecurity and sleep disturbance.

Accuracy of the electronic apex locator, tactile, and radiographic methods in working length determination.

Background: Determination of working length (WL) is necessary for the successful outcome of root canal treatment (RCT). Common methods in WL determination include tactile, radiographic, and electronic apex locators (EAL).

Aim: The aim of this study was to compare three methods of WL determination to the actual visualization of the apical constriction (AC).

Work-related respiratory health conditions among construction workers: a systematic narrative review.

Background: Emerging evidence in both developed and developing countries indicate that occupational health hazards and diseases among construction workers constitute a significant public health challenge. While occupational health hazards and conditions in the construction sector are diverse, a burgeoning body of knowledge is emerging about respiratory health hazards and diseases. Yet, there is a notable gap in the existing literature in terms of comprehensive syntheses of the available evidence on this topic.

Associations of Circulating Estrogens and Estrogen Metabolites with Fecal and Oral Microbiome in Postmenopausal Women in the Ghana Breast Health Study.

The human fecal and oral microbiome may play a role in the etiology of breast cancer through modulation of endogenous estrogen metabolism. This study aimed to investigate associations of circulating estrogens and estrogen metabolites with the fecal and oral microbiome in postmenopausal African women. A total of 117 women with fecal (N = 110) and oral (N = 114) microbiome data measured by 16S rRNA gene sequencing, and estrogens and estrogen metabolites data measured by liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry were included.

Fascia Iliaca Blocks: A Cadaveric Study Comparing the Suprainguinal Approach to the Loss of Resistance Technique.

Background Local anesthetic fascia iliaca blocks (FIB) are used for peri- and post-operative analgesia in hip fracture patients. The loss of resistance technique (LORT) and the suprainguinal approach (SIA) are two techniques commonly used. We present a pilot, first cadaveric study model that compares both techniques.

Prevalence, treatment outcomes and determinants of TB-HIV coinfection: a 10-year retrospective review of TB registry in Kwabre East Municipality of Ghana.

Objective: To assess the prevalence, treatment outcomes and determinants of tuberculosis (TB)-HIV coinfection in Ghana.

Study Design: A retrospective review of TB case register for Kwabre East Municipality was conducted for the period 2010-2020 to identify TB-HIV coinfections.

Setting: 462 patients with TB from four sub-municipal treatment centres were included in the study.

COVID-19 pandemic and African innovation: Finding the good from the bad using Twitter data and text mining approach.

This study investigates public sentiments and the essential topics of discussion on Africa's innovation amidst COVID-19. Web scraping techniques were used to collect and parse data from Twitter platform using the keywords "Africa Innovation COVID-19". A total of 54,318 cleaned English tweets were gathered and analysed using Twint Python Libraries.