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The goal of this study is to explore how memes are used as tools to expose and shame corruption in Ghana. The Ghanaian media has used memes to criticize unhealthy governmental and social practices and advocated for alternative approaches to addressing these issues. Thus, we explore the qualities memes possess in contributing to the anti-corruption discourse in Ghana.

Background. The global presence of high blood pressure and depression poses a significant public health threat, particularly in emerging nations. High blood pressure and depression are inevitable among the working population of Ghana, and it is crucial to recognize the potential influence of these conditions on the working‐age population. Materials and Methods. The study analyzed the risk factors associated with high blood pressure and depression among the working population of Ghana. The data in this study were drawn from Wave 1 data of the Study on Global Ageing and Adult Health (SAGE) survey, which was conducted by World Health Organization (WHO) in Ghana from January 2007 to December 2008. A longitudinal survey under the banner of SAGE was conducted. The study used 2681 participants aged 18–60 years. We modeled high blood pressure using logistic regression and depression with the proportional odds model of ordinal logistic regression. Results. The study revealed that the prevalence of depression among the working‐age population was 42.5%, whereas that of high blood pressure was 48.7%. The result also showed that males have a lower risk of developing high blood pressure and depression (OR = 0.851 and OR = 0.658, respectively) compared with females. Also, older adults (40–60 years) have a higher risk of developing high blood pressure and depression (OR = 1.992 and OR = 2.334, respectively) compared with younger adults. Other risk factors associated with high blood pressure include diabetes (2.107), depression, and weight. Last, alcohol intake (1.502), tobacco intake (1.279), and high blood pressure were found to be other risk factors associated with depression. Conclusion. The prevalence of depression and high blood pressure is high among the working population of Ghana. There is therefore the need to incorporate health awareness programs on these topics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Malaria in pregnancy has severe consequences for the mother and foetus. Antibody response to specific malaria vaccine candidates (MVC) has been associated with a decreased risk of clinical malaria and its outcomes. We studied Plasmodium falciparum (Pf) and Schistosoma haematobium (Sh) infections and factors that could influence antibody responses to MVC in pregnant women. A total of 337 pregnant women receiving antenatal care (ANC) and 139 for delivery participated in this study. Pf infection was detected by qPCR and Sh infection using urine filtration method. Antibody levels against CSP, AMA‐1, GLURP‐R0, VAR2CSA and Pfs48/45 MVC were quantified by ELISA. Multivariable linear regression models identified factors associated with the modulation of antibody responses. The prevalence of Pf and Sh infections was 27% and 4% at ANC and 7% and 4% at delivery. Pf infection, residing in Adidome and multigravidae were positively associated with specific IgG response to CSP, AMA‐1, GLURP‐R0 and VAR2CSA. ITN use and IPTp were negatively associated with specific IgG response to GLURP‐R0 and Pfs48/45. There was no association between Sh infection and antibody response to MVC at ANC or delivery. Pf infections in pregnant women were positively associated with antibody response to CSP, GLURP‐R0 and AMA‐1. Antibody response to GLURP‐R0 and Pfs48/45 was low for IPTp and ITN users. This could indicate a lower exposure to Pf infection and low malaria prevalence observed at delivery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article discusses the high content of hexavalent chromium (Cr(VI)) in cement samples from three African countries: Tanzania, Ghana, and South Africa. The study found that while the total amount of chromium in the samples was relatively low compared to samples from EU and non-EU countries, the content of Cr(VI) was alarmingly high. In six out of the eight samples, the Cr(VI) content exceeded the maximal allowed concentration in the EU. The authors suggest that reducing the concentration of Cr(VI) in cement and implementing measures to prevent direct skin contact with cement could significantly reduce chromium allergy in these African countries. [Extracted from the article]

Members of the Plasmodium falciparum erythrocyte membrane protein 1 (PfEMP1) family are important targets for protective immunity. Abnormal display of PfEMP1 on the surfaces of infected erythrocytes (IEs) and reduced cytoadhesion have been demonstrated in hemoglobin (Hb) AS and HbAC, inherited blood disorders associated with protection against severe P. falciparum malaria. We found that Ghanaian children with HbAS had lower levels of immunoglobulin G against several PfEMP1 variants and that this reactivity increased more slowly with age than in their HbAA counterparts. Moreover, children with HbAS have lower total parasite biomass than those with HbAA at comparable peripheral parasitemias, suggesting impaired cytoadhesion of HbAS IEs in vivo and likely explaining the slower acquisition of PfEMP1-specific immunoglobulin G in this group. In contrast, the function of acquired antibodies was comparable among Hb groups and appears to be intact and sufficient to control parasitemia via opsonization and phagocytosis of IEs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background. Anaemia is common in sub-Saharan Africa, and parasitic infections could worsen its burden during pregnancy. Moreover, women become susceptible to malaria during pregnancy. We investigated Plasmodium falciparum (P. falciparum) and Schistosoma haematobium (S. haematobium) infections and determined their association with anaemia during pregnancy. Methods. A cross-sectional study involving 707 pregnant women attending antenatal care visits (ANC) and 446 at delivery was conducted in Battor and Adidome hospitals. Pregnant women were screened by microscopy and qPCR for P. falciparum and S. haematobium infections. Haemoglobin (Hb) levels were determined, and most participants received intermittent preventive treatment during pregnancy (IPTp) during ANC till delivery. Regression analyses were performed for associations between parasite infection and anaemia. Results. P. falciparum microscopy prevalence at ANC and delivery was 8% and 2%, respectively, and by PCR 24% at ANC and 12% at delivery. Anaemia prevalence at ANC was 52% and 49% at delivery. There was an increased risk of anaemia with P. falciparum infection (aOR = 1.92 ; p = 0.04). IPTp (p = 0.003) and age (p = 0.004) were associated with increased Hb levels at delivery. S. haematobium prevalence by microscopy was 4% at ANC and 2% at delivery. No significant correlation between S. haematobium and Hb levels was observed (coef. = − 0.62 g/dl; p = 0.07). Conclusion. High anaemia prevalence was observed during pregnancy, and P. falciparum infection was associated with anaemia at ANC. Low S. haematobium prevalence could be attributed to previous praziquantel treatment during mass drug administration. Routine diagnosis and treatment of S. haematobium infections in endemic areas could be initiated to reduce schistosomiasis during pregnancy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Weighted Cox regression models were proposed as an alternative to the standard Cox proportional hazards models where consistent estimators can be obtained with more relative strength compared to unweighted cases. We proposed censoring balancing functions which can be built in a way that allows us to obtain the maximum possible significant treatment effects that may have gone undetected due to censoring. The harm caused by this is compensated and new weighted parameter estimates are found. These functions are constructed to be monotonic because even the hazard ratios are not exactly constant as in the ideal case, but are violated by monotonic deviations in time. For more than one covariate, even the interaction between covariates in addition to censoring can lead to the loss of significance for some covariates' effects. Undetected significant effects of one covariate can be obtained, still keeping the significance and approximate size of the remaining one(s). This is performed by keeping the consistency of the parameter estimates. The results from both the simulated datasets and their application to real datasets supported the importance of the suggested censoring balancing functions in both one covariate and more than one covariate cases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Parasitemia among pregnant women with protective immunity to Plasmodium falciparum malaria is often dominated by VAR2CSA-positive infected erythrocytes (IEs). VAR2CSA mediates sequestration of IEs in the placenta. We hypothesized that the previously observed spontaneous postpartum clearance of parasitemia in such women is related to the expulsion of the placenta, which removes the sequestration focus of VAR2CSA-positive IEs. We assessed parasitemias and gene transcription before and shortly after delivery in 17 Ghanaian women. The precipitous decline in parasitemia postpartum was accompanied by selective reduction in transcription of the gene encoding VAR2CSA. Our findings provide a mechanistic explanation for the earlier observation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Malaria during pregnancy is a major global health problem caused by infection with Plasmodium falciparum parasites. Severe effects arise from the accumulation of infected erythrocytes in the placenta. Here, erythrocytes infected by late blood-stage parasites adhere to placental chondroitin sulphate A (CS) via VAR2CSA-type P. falciparum erythrocyte membrane protein 1 (PfEMP1) adhesion proteins. Immunity to placental malaria is acquired through exposure and mediated through antibodies to VAR2CSA. Through evolution, the VAR2CSA proteins have diversified in sequence to escape immune recognition but retained their overall macromolecular structure to maintain CS binding affinity. This structural conservation may also have allowed development of broadly reactive antibodies to VAR2CSA in immune women. Here we show the negative stain and cryo-EM structure of the only known broadly reactive human monoclonal antibody, PAM1.4, in complex with VAR2CSA. The data shows how PAM1.4's broad VAR2CSA reactivity is achieved through interactions with multiple conserved residues of different sub-domains forming conformational epitope distant from the CS binding site on the VAR2CSA core structure. Thus, while PAM1.4 may represent a class of antibodies mediating placental malaria immunity by inducing phagocytosis or NK cell-mediated cytotoxicity, it is likely that broadly CS binding-inhibitory antibodies target other epitopes at the CS binding site. Insights on both types of broadly reactive monoclonal antibodies may aid the development of a vaccine against placental malaria. Author summary: Placental malaria remains a major global health problem. The disease is caused by the accumulation of malaria parasite-infected red blood cells in the placenta. The parasites export members of the polymorphic VAR2CSA protein family onto the red blood cell surface to bind placental chondroitin sulphate A (CS). The VAR2CSA protein family have diversified in sequence to avoid immune recognition, but recent CryoEM structures of VAR2CSA shows that all variants fold into a large, dense and stable core comprised of multiple interwoven "DBL" domains, and a flexible two-DBL domain tail. Immunity to placental malaria is acquired through exposure and thought to be mediated by broadly reactive antibodies acting through neutralizing CS binding or opsonizing infected red blood cells for cell-mediated killing. Here, we used negative stain and cryo-EM to resolve the first molecular structure of a broadly reactive antibody (PAM1.4) against VAR2CSA. We find that the antibody binds a highly conserved conformational epitope on the VAR2CSA core structure, distant from previously determined CS binding sites. This aligns with new data showing negligible PAM1.4 neutralization of parasite binding to CSA. As a well-characterized non-neutralizing monoclonal antibody, PAM1.4 and Fc-modifications thereof, can now be used for reference and benchmarking in future studies aiming to map, identify and qualify functional antibodies against VAR2CSA in the continued quest for vaccines or therapeutics against placental malaria. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Crinum pedunculatum (R.Br) has been used by traditional medicine practitioners in Ghana for the topical management of inflammation and associated disorders. This study investigated the anti-arthritic activity of the methanol, ethanol and ethyl acetate extract of the bulbs of Crinum pedunculatum using Sprague Dawley rats. The anti-arthritic activity of Crinum pedunculatum at various doses (100, 200 and 400 mg/kg) was evaluated using Complete Freund's Adjuvant (CFA) in rat model. After successful induction of the arthritis, the paw oedema, hematological parameters, pro-inflammatory cytokines and arthritis marker were assessed. Also, the radiological and histopathological evaluations were also performed. There was a significant inhibition (P<0.01) of paw oedema after treatment with 100, 200 and 400 mg/kg of the methanol, ethanol and ethyl acetate Crinum pedunculatum extracts relative to the control. There was also a significant increase in haemoglobin and RBC levels as well as a decrease in WBC count. All the extracts of Crinum pedunculatum decreased IL-6 and Rheumatoid factor serum concentrations and improved joint and cartilage destruction in both contralateral and ipsilateral paw of CFAinduced rats. Significant anti-arthritic activity was observed by the 200 and 400 mg/kg ethanol and methanol Crinum pedunculatum extract. This study confirms that the bulb of Crinum pedunculatum has an anti-arthritic potential and the findings justify the folkloric use the plant as an anti-inflammatory agent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The changes occurring in the T cell repertoire during clinical malaria infection in children remain unknown. In this study, we undertook the first detailed comparative study of the T cell repertoire in African children with and without clinical malaria to test the hypothesis that clonotypic expansions that occur during P. falciparum infection will contribute to the generation of a T cell repertoire that is unique to each disease state. We profiled the complementarity-determining region 3 (CDR3) of the TCRβ chain sequences from children with Plasmodium falciparum infections (asymptomatic, uncomplicated and severe malaria) and compared these with sequences from healthy children. Interestingly, we discovered that children with symptomatic malaria have a lower TCR diversity and frequency of shared (or "public") TCR sequences compared to asymptomatic children. Also, TCR diversity was inversely associated with parasitemia. Furthermore, by clustering TCR sequences based on their predicted antigen specificities, we identified a specificity cluster, with a 4-mer amino acid motif, that is overrepresented in the asymptomatic group compared to the diseased groups. Further investigations into this finding may help in delineating important antigenic targets for vaccine and therapeutic development. The results show that the T cell repertoire in children is altered during malaria, suggesting that exposure to P. falciparum antigens disrupts the adaptive immune response, which is an underlying feature of the disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper studies the dynamics of a full delay-logistic population model incorporated with a proportionate harvesting function. The study discusses the stability of the model in comparison with the well-known Hutchinson logistic growth equation with harvesting function using the rate of harvesting as a bifurcation parameter to determine sustainable harvesting rate even at a bigger time delay of τ = 3.00. In all cases, the Hutchinson equation with harvesting was forced to converge to equilibrium using an additional and a different time delay parameter, a deficiency previous researchers have failed to address when the Hutchinson model is used for this purpose. The population fluctuations are catered for with this model making the estimated maximum sustainable growth and harvest reflect realities as this model drastically reduces time-delay associated oscillations compared to the well-known Hutchinson delayed logistic models. The numerical simulations were be done using the MatLab Software. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Amaryllidaceae is a significant source of bioactive phytochemicals with a strong propensity to develop new drugs. The genera Allium, Tulbaghia, Cyrtanthus and Crinum biosynthesize novel alkaloids and other phytochemicals with traditional and pharmacological uses. Amaryllidaceae biomolecules exhibit multiple pharmacological activities such as antioxidant, antimicrobial, and immunomodulatory effects. Traditionally, natural products from Amaryllidaceae are utilized to treat non-communicable and infectious human diseases. Galanthamine, a drug from this family, is clinically relevant in treating the neurocognitive disorder, Alzheimer's disease, which underscores the importance of the Amaryllidaceae alkaloids. Although Amaryllidaceae provide a plethora of biologically active compounds, there is tardiness in their development into clinically pliable medicines. Other genera, including Cyrtanthus and Tulbaghia, have received little attention as potential sources of promising drug candidates. Given the reciprocal relationship of the increasing burden of human diseases and limited availability of medicinal therapies, more rapid drug discovery and development are desirable. To expedite clinically relevant drug development, we present here evidence on bioactive compounds from the genera Allium, Tulgbaghia, Cyrtanthus and Crinum and describe their traditional and pharmacological applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]