Chemosensitivity analysis of tiger nuts ( L.) using ethyl methanesulfonate (EMS) and colchicine mutagens.

Four hundred tubers of four genotypes, two brown and two black tiger nuts were subjected to Ethyl Methanesulfonate (EMS) and Colchicine treatments at concentrations of 0 %, 0.1 %, 0.25 %, 0.

Scalable generation of sensory neurons from human pluripotent stem cells.

Development of new non-addictive analgesics requires advanced strategies to differentiate human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs) into relevant cell types. Following principles of developmental biology and translational applicability, here we developed an efficient stepwise differentiation method for peptidergic and non-peptidergic nociceptors. By modulating specific cell signaling pathways, hPSCs were first converted into SOX10 neural crest, followed by differentiation into sensory neurons.

Iron status predicts cognitive test performance of primary school children from Kumasi, Ghana.

Background: Good nutritional status of school-aged children is crucial in achieving improved cognition. The objective of this study was to assess the relationship between nutritional status and cognition of school-aged children in the Kumasi metropolis, Ghana.

Methods: 389 children were selected from ten government-owned schools.

A comparative study of different laboratory storage conditions for enhanced DNA analysis of crime scene soil-blood mixed sample.

Crime scene investigation is an important step in the entire criminal investigation process because this is where evidence is gathered. Blood from the perpetrator or victim of a crime can be left at crime scenes or transferred to other materials such as clothing, knives and guns. Most often, this body fluid is contaminated with soil at outdoor crime scenes but this might be the only or the most important evidence in solving a crime.

Loss-of-Function GRHL3 Variants Detected in African Patients with Isolated Cleft Palate.

In contrast to the progress that has been made toward understanding the genetic etiology of cleft lip with or without cleft palate, relatively little is known about the genetic etiology for cleft palate only (CPO). A common coding variant of grainyhead like transcription factor 3 ( GRHL3) was recently shown to be associated with risk for CPO in Europeans. Mutations in this gene were also reported in families with Van der Woude syndrome.

The prevalence, penetrance, and expressivity of etiologic variants in orofacial clefts patients from sub-Saharan Africa.

Background: Orofacial clefts are congenital malformations of the orofacial region, with a global incidence of one per 700 live births. Interferon Regulatory Factor 6 () (OMIM:607199) gene has been associated with the etiology of both syndromic and nonsyndromic orofacial clefts. The aim of this study was to show evidence of potentially pathogenic variants in in orofacial clefts cohorts from Africa.

Association Studies and Direct DNA Sequencing Implicate Genetic Susceptibility Loci in the Etiology of Nonsyndromic Orofacial Clefts in Sub-Saharan African Populations.

Orofacial clefts (OFCs) are congenital dysmorphologies of the human face and oral cavity, with a global incidence of 1 per 700 live births. These anomalies exhibit a multifactorial pattern of inheritance, with genetic and environmental factors both playing crucial roles. Many loci have been implicated in the etiology of nonsyndromic cleft lip with or without cleft palate (NSCL/P) in populations of Asian and European ancestries, through genome-wide association studies and candidate gene studies.

Pica practice among pregnant women in the Kumasi metropolis of Ghana.

Pica, an eating disorder in which non-nutritional objects are frequently eaten, has negative health implications. Despite this, pica is less studied in many African communities where it is believed to be highly prevalent. This study therefore sought to determine the prevalence of pica and its various forms among pregnant women in Kumasi, Ghana, and the effects of education and place of residence (rural and urban) on pica practice.

Caspase inhibitors affect the kinetics and dimensions of tracheary elements in xylogenic Zinnia (Zinnia elegans) cell cultures.

Background: The xylem vascular system is composed of fused dead, hollow cells called tracheary elements (TEs) that originate through trans-differentiation of root and shoot cambium cells. TEs undergo autolysis as they differentiate and mature. The final stage of the formation of TEs in plants is the death of the involved cells, a process showing some similarities to programmed cell death (PCD) in animal systems.

Establishing in vitro Zinnia elegans cell suspension culture with high tracheary element differentiation.

The Zinnia elegans mesophyll cell culture is a useful system for xylogenesis studies. The system is associated with highly synchronous tracheary element (TE) differentiation, making it more suitable for molecular studies requiring larger amounts of molecular isolates, such as mRNA and proteins and for studying cellulose synthesis. There is, however, the problem of non-uniformity and significant variations in the yields of TEs (%TE).

Induction of immunologic memory in Gambian children by vaccination in infancy with a group A plus group C meningococcal polysaccharide-protein conjugate vaccine.

Two hundred twenty-one Gambian children vaccinated previously with one, two, or three doses of a meningococcal conjugate vaccine or two doses of polysaccharide vaccine before the age of 6 months were revaccinated at the age of 18-24 months with either meningococcal polysaccharide, conjugate, or inactivated polio vaccines. Children who had previously received one, two, or three doses of conjugate vaccine had significantly (P < .001) higher anti-group C meningococcal antibody levels following revaccination than did children vaccinated with a polysaccharide vaccine for the first time.

A trial of a group A plus group C meningococcal polysaccharide-protein conjugate vaccine in African infants.

The safety and immunogenicity of a group A plus group C meningococcal polysaccharide-CRM197 conjugate vaccine was evaluated in 304 8- to 10-week-old Gambian infants. Infants were immunized with one, two, or three doses of conjugate vaccine or with two doses of a meningococcal A plus C polysaccharide vaccine. The conjugate vaccine produced few systemic side effects, and local reactions were similar to those produced by the polysaccharide vaccine.

Rosette formation in Plasmodium falciparum isolates and anti-rosette activity of sera from Gambians with cerebral or uncomplicated malaria.

The ability of Plasmodium falciparum-infected red blood cells (RBC) to form spontaneous erythrocyte rosettes was studied in 130 fresh isolates from Gambian children with cerebral or uncomplicated malaria from August to November 1990. All isolates (24 of 24) from patients with cerebral malaria formed rosettes, but only 61 of 106 isolates from children with uncomplicated malaria formed rosettes. The mean rate of rosette formation in isolates from children with cerebral malaria (28.

Common west African HLA antigens are associated with protection from severe malaria.

A large case-control study of malaria in West African children shows that a human leucocyte class I antigen (HLA-Bw53) and an HLA class II haplotype (DRB1*1302-DQB1*0501), common in West Africans but rare in other racial groups, are independently associated with protection from severe malaria. In this population they account for as great a reduction in disease incidence as the sickle-cell haemoglobin variant. These data support the hypothesis that the extraordinary polymorphism of major histocompatibility complex genes has evolved primarily through natural selection by infectious pathogens.

Sensitivity of Plasmodium falciparum in The Gambia to co-trimoxazole.

In The Gambia co-trimoxazole is used widely to treat children with an acute respiratory infection (ARI). Because malaria may sometimes be mistaken for ARI, some children with malaria are treated with co-trimoxazole. Therefore, we investigated the sensitivity of Gambian isolates of Plasmodium falciparum to this drug.

TNF concentration in fatal cerebral, non-fatal cerebral, and uncomplicated Plasmodium falciparum malaria.

Plasma levels of tumour necrosis factor (TNF) were significantly higher in 178 Gambian children with uncomplicated malaria due to Plasmodium falciparum than in 178 children with other illnesses. 110 children with cerebral malaria were studied shortly after admission to hospital; 28 subsequently died. Compared with the children with uncomplicated malaria, mean plasma TNF levels were twice as high in cerebral malaria survivors and ten times as high in the fatal cases.

Local politicization of Primary Health Care as an instrument for development: a case study of community health workers in Zambia.

The integrated approach of the Primary Health Care Concept has obvious implications for development. In view of Zambia's commitment to Primary Health Care it is important to evaluate the effectiveness of present institutional frameworks and the problems that may arise in shifting towards community responsibility for the provision of health. It is often assumed that the Primary Health Care approach of working through the community should be free of serious implementation problems.