High prevalence of vitamin D deficiency among normotensive and hypertensive pregnant women in Ghana.

Background: Hypovitaminosis D in pregnancy is associated with adverse health outcomes in mothers, newborns and infants. This study assessed the levels of 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] in normotensive pregnancies and in preeclampsia, evaluated the association between vitamin D deficiency and preeclampsia risk; and determined the foeto-maternal outcome in preeclamptic women with vitamin D deficiency.

Methods: This case-control study was conducted among pregnant women who visited the Comboni Hospital, in Ghana from January 2017 to May 2018 for antenatal care.

Altered Bioavailability of Nitric Oxide and L-Arginine Is a Key Determinant of Endothelial Dysfunction in Preeclampsia.

Background: Preeclampsia is a major cause of maternal and neonatal morbidity and mortality in sub-Saharan Africa. Evidence indicates that endothelial dysfunction is central to the pathogenesis of preeclampsia. This study assessed the level of the components of the arginine-nitric oxide pathway to evaluate endothelial dysfunction in normotensive pregnancies and pregnancies complicated with preeclampsia.

Ophthalmia Secondary to Cobra Venom Spitting in the Volta Region, Ghana: A Case Report.

Purpose: To report the first case of ophthalmia due to contact with cobra venom in the Volta Region, Ghana.

Methods: An ointment containing vitamin A was applied to treat the patient's unilateral defects in the corneal epithelium and the consequent diminished visual acuity.

Results: Healing of the corneal epithelium and improvement of visual acuity were observed after only 1 day.

The modern pre-levodopa era of Parkinson's disease: insights into motor complications from sub-Saharan Africa.

During the past decade, a number of large drug trials suggested that the initiation of levodopa therapy should be delayed to reduce the risk of motor complications in patients with Parkinson's disease. However, the relative contribution of the cumulative exposure to levodopa and of disease progression to the pathophysiology of motor fluctuations and dyskinesias is still poorly understood. In this 4-year multicentre study, we investigated a large cohort of patients with Parkinson's disease in a sub-Saharan African country (Ghana), where access to medication is limited and the initiation of levodopa therapy often occurs many years after onset.