Predictive modelling of metabolic syndrome in Ghanaian diabetic patients: an ensemble machine learning approach.

Objectives: The burgeoning prevalence of cardiometabolic disorders, including type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and metabolic syndrome (MetS) within Africa is concerning. Machine learning (ML) techniques offer a unique opportunity to leverage data-driven insights and construct predictive models for MetS risk, thereby enhancing the implementation of personalised prevention strategies. In this work, we employed ML techniques to develop predictive models for pre-MetS and MetS among diabetic patients.

High prevalence of late presentation with advanced HIV disease and its predictors among newly diagnosed patients in Kumasi, Ghana.

Background: Late presentation with advanced HIV disease (LP-AHD) remains a significant challenge to Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) care, contributing to increased morbidity, mortality, and healthcare costs. Despite global efforts to enhance early diagnosis, a considerable proportion of individuals with HIV infection are unaware of being infected and therefore present late for HIV care. For the first time in Ghana, this study assessed the prevalence of LP-AHD and associated factors among people diagnosed with HIV (PDWH).

Investigation of serum level relationship of pro-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory cytokines with vitamin D among healthy Ghanaian population.

Background: The interplay between vitamin D status and inflammatory cytokines in a supposedly sufficient sunshine environment has not well been evaluated. The study sought to determine their association.

Methods: This cross-sectional study involved 500 healthy adult blood donors from some selected hospitals in Ghana enrolled from June to November 2016.

Comparative analysis of breast cancer characteristics in young premenopausal and postmenopausal women in Ghana.

Breast cancer is increasingly common among young women in Ghana. BCa is heterogeneous with unique traits that impact causes, prognostic, and predictive outcomes of patients before and after menopause. However, limited evidence exists on differences between young premenopausal (YPM) and postmenopausal cases in Ghana.

Demographic, Clinical Profile of Rheumatoid Arthritis Patients and Their Association with Disease Severity in Ghana.

Background: Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is one of the frequent chronic, systemic, inflammatory autoimmune disorders with an estimated global prevalence of 1%. RA leads to joint destruction and disability if left untreated. Ghana has seen very few studies on RA, and little is known about the disease's severity and related variables.

A gist on an obscure neoplasm in Ghana: gastrointestinal stromal tumours.

Background: Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumour is a rare but potentially curable tumour of the gastrointestinal tract accounting for up to 1% of all gastrointestinal tumours. The discovery of Imatinib mesylate, a novel tyrosine kinase inhibitor has improved the chances even for unresectable, recurrent, or metastatic diseases.

Methods: This study sought to document the clinical and pathological characteristics of GISTs from two tertiary hospitals in Ghana that have undergone immunohistochemistry confirmation between 2014 and 2021.

Receptors expressions on peripheral lymphocytes and CD4 CD183 as a diagnostics biomarker for rheumatoid arthritis: A case-control study in Ghana.

Background: T cell receptors play important roles in the development and progression of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Their involvement has been reported in inflammatory autoimmune diseases. However, their role in predicting RA is still under exploration.

Comparison of Modified Manual Acid-Phenol Chloroform Method and Commercial RNA Extraction Kits for Resource Limited Laboratories.

Method: In a comparative experimental cross-sectional study, RNA was extracted from oral swabs and blood samples from 25 healthy individuals at the Department of Molecular Medicine, KNUST. RNA was extracted by the manual AGPC extraction method and commercial RNA extraction kits. The quantity (ng/l) and purities (260/280 nm) of the extracted RNA were measured spectrophotometrically using the IMPLEN NanoPhotometer® N60.

Polymorphism of protein tyrosine phosphatase non-receptor type 22 and protein arginine deiminase 4 gene among Ghanaian rheumatoid arthritis patients: A case-control study.

Aim: Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is an autoimmune disease which affects millions of lives globally characterized by chronic inflammation in the joints of the body. There is no known cause for RA; however, genetic predisposition has been associated with its occurrence. The association between genetic predisposition and RA has been reported largely among Caucasians and Asians.

Prevalence and determinants of low testosterone levels in men with type 2 diabetes mellitus; a case-control study in a district hospital in Ghana.

Diabetes mellitus, an endocrine disorder, has been implicated in many including hypogonadism in men. Given the fact that diabetes mellitus is becoming a fast-growing epidemic and the morbidity associated with it is more disabling than the disease itself. This study sought to assess the prevalence of low testosterone levels and predictors in type 2 diabetes mellitus patients and non-diabetic men in a district hospital in Ghana.

Non-life-threatening adverse reactions from COVID-19 vaccine; a cross-sectional study with self-reported symptoms among Ghanaian healthcare workers.

Health-care professionals in Ghana were among the prioritized high-risk groups to be administered with the initial supply of Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine procured by the Government of Ghana. This study sought to assess and identify the determinants of COVID-19 vaccine short-term side effects among health-care workers. A cross-sectional study was conducted on 654 Ghanaian healthcare workers between 16 March and 5 May 2021.

Vitamin D Deficiency Is Common in Ghana despite Abundance of Sunlight: A Multicentre Comparative Cross-Sectional Study.

Background: Vitamin D is a steroid hormone important for the normal functioning of the body. It is produced through skin exposure to sunlight and from the diet. Although Ghana is located in the tropics where sunlight is abundant, factors like culture, diet, skin pigmentation, variation in the ozone layer, and geographical area influence the optimization of vitamin D concentration.

Intracytoplasmic Expression of IL-6 and IL-17A in Circulating CD4+ T Cells Are Strongly Associated with and Predict Disease Activity in Rheumatoid Arthritis: A Case-Control Study in Ghana.

Background: T cell cytokines play important roles in the development and progression of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Loss of Th1/Th2 and Th17/Treg balance has been reported in several inflammatory autoimmune diseases. However, their role in RA within hitherto rare Ghanaian context has not been explored.