Predictive model for genital tract infections among men and women in Ghana: An application of LASSO penalized cross-validation regression model.

To enhance the capacity for early and effective management of genital tract infections at primary and secondary levels of the healthcare system, we developed a prediction model, validated internally to help predict individual risk of self-reported genital tract infections (sGTIs) at the community level in Ghana. The study involved 32973 men and women aged 15-49 years from three rounds of the Ghana Demographic Health Survey, from 2003 to 2014. The outcomes were sGTIs.

Correction: Hygienic disposal of stools and risk of diarrheal episodes among children aged under two years: Evidence from the Ghana Demographic Health Survey, 2003-2014.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.

Health-seeking behaviour of breast cancer patients receiving care at a tertiary institution in Ghana.

Background: Breast cancer incidence rates are rising in Africa and mortality is highest in West Africa. Reasons for poor survival are multifactorial but delays in seeking appropriate health care result in late presentation which contributes significantly to poor outcomes. Total delays of more than 3 months have been associated with advanced stage at presentation and poorer survival.

Preliminary study on hand dimensions as potential predictors of female populations native to forest and savanna zones in Ghana.

The hand is a versatile structure that performs numerous tasks, ranging from exertion of great force such as grip, pinch and torque to execution of precise fine motor skills. The aim of current study was to undertake a preliminary study on hand dimensions as potential predictors of female populations native to the forest and savanna zones of Ghana. A total of one hundred (100) female students aged between 17 and 24 years were recruited into this study, comprising of 53 native to the forest zone and 47 native to savanna zone of Ghana between 12th June to 27th July, 2023 at the Department of Anatomy, School of Medicine and Dentistry, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology.

Wettability of rock minerals and the underlying surface forces: A review of the implications for oil recovery and geological storage of CO.

The wettability of subsurface minerals is a critical factor influencing the pore-scale displacement of fluids in underground reservoirs. As such, it plays a key role in hydrocarbon production and greenhouse gas geo-sequestration. We present a comprehensive and critical review of the current state of knowledge on the intermolecular forces governing wettability of rock minerals most relevant to subsurface fluid storage and recovery.

Psychological Distress and Its Associated Factors Among Parents of Children With Congenital Heart Disease: A Cross-Sectional Mixed Method Study at the National Cardiothoracic Center, Ghana.

Background: The aim of this study was to examine the prevalence and factors associated with psychological distress among parents of children with congenital heart disease (PCCHD) receiving treatment at the National Cardiothoracic Centre (NCTC), Accra.

Methods: A cross-sectional mixed method study involving 248 parents of children with congenital heart disese receiving treatment at the NCTC was employed. Systematic sampling was used to select participants.

Nasal Anthropometry: An Assessment Among the Akan and Ewe Ethnic Groups in Ghana.

The distribution of nasal types has been reported to be influenced by climatic adaptation as the nose is involved in conditioning inhaled air. Previous studies have reported differential nasal types and dimensions among varying populations which is very beneficial in planning for rhinoplasty and in forensic identification. However, there is inadequate data on nasal types and dimensions of the various ethnic groups in the Ghanaian population.

Expression patterns of immune checkpoint proteins and -induced cytokines in chronic hepatitis B virus-infected and uninfected individuals: A cross-sectional study.

Background And Aim: Chronic hepatitis B virus (CHB) infection remains a major public health problem. The American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (AASLD) 2018 Hepatitis B Guidelines provide that CHB individuals not requiring antiviral therapy yet are monitored to determine the need for antiviral therapy in the future; however, these tests do not include measurement of cytokines and immune cell characterization. This case-control study compared the cytokine and immune checkpoint protein expression profiles between CHB individuals not yet on antiviral treatment and hepatitis B virus (HBV)-negative individuals.

Effect of ethylene oxide groups on calcite wettability reversal by nonionic surfactants: An experimental and molecular dynamics simulation investigation.

Hypothesis: Ethoxylated nonionic surfactants are promising candidates for enhanced oil recovery (EOR) from oil-wet carbonate reservoirs due to their ability to reverse the mineral wettability. The wettability-reversal efficiency increases with the number of the ethoxy (EO) groups in the surfactant molecule.

Methodology: Contact angle measurements, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and molecular dynamics (MD) simulations were combined to investigate the wettability reversal of an oil-wet calcite by three ethoxylated nonionic surfactants with 1, 4 and 8 EO groups, respectively, to directly probe the role of the EO groups and to uncover the molecular mechanism responsible for the wettability reversal.

Corrigendum to "Comovement of African stock markets: Any influence from the COVID-19 pandemic?" [Heliyon 10(9) (May 2024) e29409].

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.

Assessing the impacts of vaccination and viral evolution in contact networks.

A key lesson learned with COVID-19 is that public health measures were very different from country to country. In this study, we provide an analysis of epidemic dynamics using three well-known stochastic network models-small-world networks (Watts-Strogatz), random networks (Erdös-Rényi), and scale-free networks (Barabási-Albert)-to assess the impact of different viral strains, lockdown strategies, and vaccination campaigns. We highlight the significant role of highly connected nodes in the spread of infections, particularly within Barabási-Albert networks.

A three-year review of lung cancer patient characteristics in a tertiary hospital.

Objective: The study sought to determine clinical characteristics and histologic subtypes of a cohort of lung cancer patients in a tertiary facility.

Design: Retrospective review of the medical records of histology-confirmed lung cancer cases at the respiratory clinic over a 3-year period.

Setting: Respiratory Clinic, Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital, Accra, Ghana.

Satisfaction levels and associated influencing factors among inpatients and outpatients with breast cancer at a tertiary health facility in Ghana.

Objectives: To uncover variables linked to breast cancer patient satisfaction in order to improve policy choices and actions for breast cancer care in Ghana.

Design: We employed a cross-sectional design using a quantitative approach.

Setting: The Radiotherapy, Oncology and Surgery Departments of the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital, Accra.

A national audit of facilities, human and material resources for the comprehensive management of diabetes in Ghana-A 2023 update.

Introduction: The human and material resources as well as the systems for managing diabetes in Africa are inadequate. This study or needs assessment, aimed at updating the human and material resources, identifying the gaps and unmet needs for comprehensive diabetes care in Ghana.

Methods: We conducted a national audit of 122 facilities in all 16 administrative regions of Ghana.

Self-reported smoking, urine cotinine, and risk of type 2 diabetes: Findings from the PREVEND prospective cohort study.

Background: Smoking is a major risk factor for type 2 diabetes (T2D), but the evidence has mostly relied on self-reports. We aimed to compare the associations of smoking exposure as assessed by self-reports and urine cotinine with T2D.

Methods: Using the PREVEND prospective study, smoking status was assessed at baseline by self-reports and urine cotinine in 4708 participants (mean age, 53 years) without a history of diabetes.

Comovement of african stock markets: Any influence from the COVID-19 pandemic?

Utilising daily data from twelve Sub-Saharan stock markets we investigate the co-movements and information transmission among African stock markets as a result of the impact of COVID while employing multiple wavelet techniques and applying the Complete Ensemble Empirical Mode Decomposition with Adaptive Noise (CEEMDAN) to Renyi's and Shannon's effective transfer entropy analysis. The results infer that some number of co-movements exist among stock markets in Africa and that during periods of uncertainties, diversification through the creation of portfolios in African markets is not conducive since they tend to comove strongly during such periods. The study discovered that, a few of the markets responded to the pandemic in leads lags in the pre-, during and post-COVID era, as well as reacted to information transmission.

The Ghana heart initiative - a health system strengthening approach as index intervention model to solving Ghana's cardiovascular disease burden.

Cardiovascular diseases (CVD) are the leading cause of death worldwide, with 80% of these deaths occurring in low-middle income countries (LMICs). In Ghana and across Africa, CVDs have emerged as the leading causes of death primarily due to undetected and under treated hypertension, yet less than 5% of resources allocated to health in these resource-poor countries go into non-communicable diseases (NCD) including CVD prevention and management. Consequently, most countries in Africa do not have contextually appropriate and sustainable health system framework to prevent, detect and manage CVD to achieve Universal Health Coverage (UHC) in CVD care through improved Primary Health Care (PHC) with the aim of achieving Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) in CVD/NCD.

Peptide Extract from Red Kidney Beans, (Fabaceae), Shows Promising Antimicrobial, Antibiofilm, and Quorum Sensing Inhibitory Effects.

The rapid spread of multidrug-resistant bacteria has led to an increased risk of infectious diseases. , in particular, poses a significant obstacle due to its propensity to rapidly acquire resistance to conventional antibiotics. This has resulted in an urgent need for the development of new classes of antibiotics that do not induce resistance.

Food insecurity and associated health and social determinants among older adults in Ghana: Analysis of the WHO's study on global AGEing and adult health (SAGE), 2014-2015.

This study was conducted to assess the prevalence and factors associated with Food Insecurity (FI) and further quantify its association with unmet need for health services and health-related outcomes among older adults aged 50 years and above in Ghana. The Ghana Study on Global AGEing and Adult Health was used. Body Mass Index (BMI), depressive episodes, functional difficulties (FD), low Quality of Life (QoL), memory decline, and Unmet Needs of Health Services (UNHS) are the the study outcomes.

Self-reported sexually transmitted infections among men and women in Papua New Guinea: A cross-sectional study.

Background And Aims: Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) pose a considerable concern for global healthcare systems. We examined the prevalence and correlates of self-reported STIs (SR-STIs) among men and women in Papua New Guinea.

Methods: A total of 7,195 women and 4,069 men from Papua New Guinea who participated in the 2016-2018 Demographic and Health Survey were included in this study.

Determinants of semantic and episodic memory decline among older adults in Ghana: Evidence from the WHO study on global AGEing and adult health Ghana wave 2.

Objective: Determined factors associated with semantic (SM) and episodic memory (EM) among older adults aged 50 years and older in Ghana.

Methods: Data from WHO Study on Global AGEing and Adult Health (SAGE) Ghana Wave 2 was used for this study. Semantic memory (SM) and Episodic memory (EM) were the main study outcomes separately.

Skipping breakfast and its association with sociodemographic characteristics, night eating syndrome, and sleep quality among university students in Bangladesh.

Introduction: Skipping breakfast has become more common, and it can significantly affect a person's health, performance, mood, and other physiological and psychological factors. In Bangladesh, university students often encounter unhealthy dietary habits, which raises questions about why many university students choose to skip breakfast. The purpose of this study was to investigate the prevalence of skipping breakfast among university students in Bangladesh and explore the contributing factors.

Opportunistic Infections among newly diagnosed HIV patients in the largest tertiary facility in Ghana.

Background: Opportunistic infections (OIs) among newly diagnosed HIV patients are a marker for inadequateness of HIV awareness and testing. Despite global efforts at creating awareness for early detection, late HIV diagnosis and its associated OIs still exist. This study sought to determine the prevalence and patterns of OIs and associated factors among newly diagnosed HIV patients in Ghana.

High prevalence of impaired glucose metabolism among children and adolescents living with HIV in Ghana.

Background: Antiretroviral therapy (ART)-associated metabolic abnormalities, including impairment of glucose metabolism, are prevalent in adults living with HIV. However, the prevalence and pathogenesis of impaired glucose metabolism in children and adolescents living with HIV, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa, are not well characterized. We investigated the prevalence of impaired glucose metabolism among children and adolescents living with perinatally infected HIV in Ghana.