ABSTRACT A very good reason why calculation of dose distribution is important is that it is essential to plan and replicate the treatment prior to the actual delivery of the radiation dose to the tumour. In modern radiation therapy, computer software is used for performing treatment planning. Different algorithms are employed at every stage of treatment including dose calculation algorithms. The dose calculation used for the HDRplus TPS is the TG43 formalism and just like every other TPS, th...
ABSTRACT Oryza glaberrima is a local rice variety that is native to West Africa. Its tough texture androbustness produces milled rice with a large quantity of broken grains when dehusked (polished) accounting for the huge gap in quality. Consequently, imported rice is much more consumed inGhana than locally cultivated and milled rice. The objective of this study was to add value tolocal rice by developing and characterizing a rice-based baby food from low grade locally milledand parboiled ri...
ABSTRACT Plasmodium falciparum gametocytes are able to infect the mosquito even at levels below microscopic detection and are responsible for malaria transmission. Gametocytes are exposed to immune pressure from the host and as a result, the host is able to develop antibodies against these gametocytes. However, it has not been determined whether naturally acquired immune response against gametocytes have a direct correlation with the presence of sub-microscopic gametocytes in the peripheral ...
ABSTRACT Ghana like most developing countries is undergoing a rapid population growth and this affects and limits the effectiveness of environmental structures. Cholera epidemics have been an ‘annual ritual’ and communities within the Greater Accra Metropolitan Area (GAMA) record the highest number of cases. This study assesses the households’, communities and local governments’ preparedness and response to cholera epidemics in indigenous communities in La and Chorkor. The research u...
The pyridyl based Schiff base ligands from 2-aminopyridine and benzaldehyde and 2-aminopyridine and 2, 4-dihydroxylbenzaldehyde were synthesized by: 1. For Schiff base from 2-aminopyridine and benzaldehyde; Distillation of Benzaldeyde to ensure maximum purity from possible contaminant like water and ammonia, and refluxed with freshly prepared 2-aminopyridine. The refluxing was done with ethanoic acid catalyst at a time and without catalyst. The process was followed up with Thin Layer Chromato...
ABSTRACT The sedimentary record, as revealed in sediment cores, can be used to reconstruct the past history of contaminant input into the aquatic environment. This is because contaminant inputs equilibrate rapidly with sediment supply, and the sediment column represents a continuous sequence of sediments that are associated with contaminant accumulation. With radiometric techniques, it is possible to date recent sediments over a period corresponding to about five half-lives (approximately 10...
ABSTRACT Rice production in Ghana is faced with the major challenge of low patronage. This is due to its poor physical and sensory quality rendering it ‘low grade’ rice. Among the many local varieties of rice in Ghana, Viwonor is perceived to be a low grade rice whereas Jasmine 85 a high grade. Large quantities of rice are imported to address the issue of quality and quantity gap. Protein energy malnutrition (PEM) is a serious nutritional problem facing many countries including Ghana. Co...
ABSTRACT The suitability o f five Schistosoma genus-specific monoclonal antibodies (MoAbs) (Sh3/34.10, Sh3/38.2, Sh4/14.3, Sh5/32.30 and Sh5/34.10) in detecting schistosome antigens in infected human and cattle was evaluated. These antibodies were employed in various diagnostic assays to diagnose human and animal schistosomiasis. Extant MoAb secreting hybridoma cells were first propagated in culture to produce the MoAbs. The culture supernatants containing secreted antibodies were analysed b...
ABSTRACT The important role of antibody-mediated mechanisms in protection from clinical malaria has been demonstrated by passive transfer experiments but the targets of protective immunity are not clearly defined. A number of antigens are however in various stages of testing as possible vaccine candidates. Polymorphism in these antigens, which has been reported to be an immune evasion mechanism, has hampered the development of these antigens as vaccines since antibody responses against one a...
ABSTRACT Background: Cholera has been endemic in Ghana, since it was first detected in 1970. Outbreaks have often started in slums of the city especially Accra. In spite of the overwhelming nature of cholera outbreak that has resulted in high mortality and morbidity, there is little information on the reservoir of the causative agent. It has however, been shown that long-term survival of the bacteria may be attained in watery environments or in humans with no signs of cholera. Consequently, ...
ABSTRACT Current efforts to eliminate malaria worldwide are soaring and one of the approaches to this is the mass screening of medicinal plants for their possible potential anti-malarial property. The current study conducted was to determine the effect of one such plant, Cryptolepis sanguinolenta on gametocyte development. In vitro growth inhibition assays on early and late gametocytes stage using ethanolic and aqueous extract of the C. sanguinolenta roots was performed. Enzyme activity assa...
ABSTRACT The environment harbours many bacterial species, some of which include non-tuberculous mycobacteria which have recently become important in public health. Isolation of mycobacteria from the environment has not been easy because of the presence of other fast growing bacteria and fungi. For isolation of mycobacteria from the environment, decontamination methods that minimize contamination but maximize recovery of mycobacteria are needed. This study sought to compare three decontaminat...
ABSTRACT BACKGROUND: Extended Spectrum Beta-Lactamase (ESBL) producing Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae are pathogens of significant public health interest to which new antibiotics therapies are urgently needed. AIM: This study was designed to determine the prevalence of ESBLs in clinical isolates of E. coli and K. pneumoniae from patients attending the Tamale Teaching Hospital (TTH). METHODOLOGY: The study was conducted from April through June, 2015. A total of 140 isolates of E....
ABSTRACT Background: The pathogenesis of cerebral malaria (CM) is still recognized as multifaceted, despite the plausible explanation provided by the high degree of sequestration of parasitized erythrocytes in major organs of the body. Postmortem studies have demonstrated the presence of hemorrhage, deposition of fibrin and clots in blood vessels of the body where sequestration has been observed. These findings support a potential association between sequestration, endothelial damage and re...
ABSTRACT Human systemic fungal infections have increased in the past decade due to the dramatic increase in immunocompromised patients hence the emergence of resistant fungal strains. It is therefore necessary to discover new antifungal compounds with novel mode of action. This study was aimed at isolating and characterizing antifungal agents from wood decaying fungi (WDF). The growth conditions for maximum production of bioactive agents from WDF were first tested. It was observed that miner...