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Background There is a dearth of data on scabies from Ghana. In September 2019, local health authorities in the East Mamprusi district of northern Ghana received reports of scabies from many parts of the district. Due to on-going reports of more cases, an assessment team visited the communities to assess the effect of the earlier individual treatment on the outbreak. The assessment team furthermore aimed to contribute to the data on scabies burden in Ghana and to demonstrate the use of the International Alliance for the Control of Scabies (IACS) diagnostic tool in a field survey in a resource limited setting. Methodology/Principal findings This was a cross sectional study. Demographic information and medical history was collected on all participants using a REDCap questionnaire. A standardised skin examination of exposed regions of the body was performed on all participants. Scabies was diagnosed based on the criteria of the International Alliance for the Control of Scabies (IACS). Participants were mostly female (61.5%) and had a median age of 18.8 years (IQR 13–25). Two hundred out of 283 (71%) of participants had scabies with most (47%) presenting with moderate disease. Impetigo was found in 22% of participants with scabies and 10.8% of those without scabies [RR 2.27 (95% CI 1.21–4.27)]. 119 participants who received scabies treatment in the past months still had clinical evidence of the disease. 97% of participants reported a recent scabies contact. Scabies was commoner in participants ≤16 years compared to those >16 years [RR 3.06 (95% CI 1.73–5.45)]. Conclusion/Significance The prevalence of scabies was extremely high. The lack of a systematic approach to scabies treatment led to recurrence and ongoing community spread. The IACS criteria was useful in this outbreak assessment in Ghana. Alternative strategies such as Mass drug administration may be required to contain outbreaks early in such settings., Author summary Scabies, recently categorised as a Neglected Tropical Disease by the WHO is caused by infestation with Sarcoptes scabiei and is characterised by intense pruritus and rash that typically involves the genitalia and the web spaces of the fingers and toes. It has a large global burden and is associated with significant morbidity and socio-economic burden. Secondary bacterial infections following scabies can lead to significant complications including chronic kidney disease from glomerulonephritis and possibly rheumatic heart disease. An outbreak of scabies was reported in Ghana’s East Mamprusi district in September 2019. Despite earlier treatment of individual cases, scabies prevalence was 71%. About 19% of participants had impetigo which was mostly mild in severity. Absence of a systematic approach to treat scabies led to recurrence and ongoing community spread. The recently published IACS criteria for diagnosing scabies proved useful in this outbreak assessment in Ghana. Alternative strategies such as Mass drug administration may be required to contain outbreaks in such settings.

Background: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the third cause of cancer-related mortality globally. However, available treatments are expensive and are associated with adverse effects or poor treatment outcomes in advanced disease. Meanwhile, plants like Carica papaya have demonstrated various biological activities that further studies may lead to the identification of newer and safer treatment options for HCC. Aim: To evaluate the anticancer activity of an alkaloidal extract derived from Carica papaya seeds using rodent models of HCC. Experimental procedure: Carica Papaya fruits were collected and authenticated. The seeds were isolated and air-dried. Alkaloidal extract was prepared from a 70% ethanol soxhlet crude extract and referred to as Carica papaya alkaloidal extract (CPAE). HCC was induced in 68 out of 84 healthy male Sprague Dawley rats by intraperitoneal injection of carbon tetrachloride (CCl4) for 16 weeks. These rats were put into five groups of 10; Carica papaya alkaloidal extract [(CPAE) (50, 100, and 200 mg/kg), Lenvatinib (4 mg/kg)], 1% dimethyl sulphoxide (DMSO), and 2 untreated groups (control and model). A prophylaxis study was performed with 10 rats by co-administration of CPAE (200 mg/kg) and CCl4 six hours apart for 16 weeks. Rats were sacrificed after a twelve-week treatment program under anesthesia for histological, hematological, and biochemical analyses. Results and conclusion: CPAE (100 and 200 mg/kg) significantly restored weight loss (48.44 and 51.75% respectively), reduced tumor multiplicity, and dose-dependently reversed liver histomorphological changes induced by CCl4 compared to the model group. The CPAE (100 and 200 mg/kg) further reduced bleeding time, improved prothrombin time and restored platelet count (p < 0.01) compared to the model. The CPAE (200 mg/kg) again significantly (p < 0.0001) reduced serum alpha-fetoprotein levels compared to the model group and prevented the establishment of HCC in rats when concerrently administered with CCl4 in 16 weeks prophylactic study.

Introduction Staining is an important histological process; however, the use of non-toxic and environmentally friendly products is generally required. We explored the staining quality of two natural plants, Allium cepa skin and Sorghum bicolor seed extract on the cytoplasm. Materials and methods Distilled water at 37 °C and 1% acid-ethanol were respectively used to extract the dyes from Allium cepa skin and Sorghum bicolor seed. Result The application of these two dyes on rodent tissue showed an excellent cytoplasmic histomorphology. Conclusion Allium cepa skin and Sorghum bicolor seed extracts are good cytoplasmic dyes when used as counterstain for haematoxylin., Highlights • At acidic pH (3.5), Allium cepa skin extract stains cytoplasm and shows comparable result to eosin application. • Similarly, at a pH of 7.0, crude extract from Sorghum bicolor seed stains the cytoplasm with clear cellular features. • These extracts can serve as non-toxic and eco-friendly natural dyes for the demonstration of cellular and tissue morphology.

Introduction: Increase in the prevalence of type-2 diabetes in Sub-Sahara Africa has created the need for robust treatment and management programs. However, an effective diabetes management program requires a high annual budget that most countries in this region cannot afford. That said, various plants and plant products in this region have either been confirmed and/or ethnopharmacologically used for the management of type-2 diabetes. Aim: To investigate the antidiabetic and insulin secretory effects of an alkaloidal extract derived from Zanthoxylum zanthoxyloides in normoglycemic and experimental diabetic rats. Materials and methods: Alkaloidal extract was prepared from leaves of Zanthoxylum zanthoxyloides (ZZAE). Nicotinamide/streptozotocin-induced type-2 diabetes was modeled in male Sprague Dawley rats weighing between 130 to 150 g. The experimental diabetic rats were grouped into six treatment groups [Model, 20% Tween20, chlorpropamide, and ZZAE (50, 100, and 150 mg/kg)], and one control group. Fasting blood glucose (FBG), and body weight were measured weekly. Rats were sacrificed 2 days after treatment under chloroform anesthesia to collect blood samples and to isolate major organs for biochemical, and histological analyses respectively. Islets of Langerhans were isolated from normoglycemic rats and co-cultured with ZZAE and chlorpropamide (10 μg/mL) to assess the insulin secretory effect of ZZAE. Results: ZZAE improved glucose kinetics curve in normoglycemic (p < 0.001) and experimental diabetic rats (p < 0.05) compared to the model. ZZAE (100 and 150 mg/kg) restored islets population, and improved kidney, and liver, histoarchitecture. ZZAE (150 mg/kg) improved post-treatment serum insulin levels compared to the model group (p < 0.001) and the Chlorpropamide group (p < 0.05). ZZAE also restored glycogen synthesis in skeletal muscles of experimental diabetic rats and stimulated insulin secretion in pancreatic islets of Langerhans isolated from normoglycemic rats. Conclusion: These results showed that ZZAE has active alkaloids that can be explored for diabetes management.

The protozoan parasites are evolutionarily divergent, unicellular eukaryotic pathogens representing one of the essential sources of parasitic diseases. These parasites significantly affect the economy and cause public health burdens globally. Protozoan parasites share many cellular features and pathways with their respective host cells. This includes autophagy, a process responsible for self-degradation of the cell's components. There is conservation of the central structural and functional machinery for autophagy in most of the eukaryotic phyla, however, Plasmodium and Toxoplasma possess a decreased number of recognizable autophagy-related proteins (ATG). Plasmodium noticeably lacks clear orthologs of the initiating kinase ATG1/ULK1/2, and both Plasmodium and Toxoplasma lack proteins involved in the nucleation of autophagosomes. These organisms have essential apicoplast, a plastid-like non-photosynthetic organelle, which is an adaptation that is used in penetrating the host cell. Furthermore, available evidence suggests that Leishmania, an intracellular protozoan parasite, induces autophagy in macrophages. The autophagic pathway in Trypanosoma cruzi is activated during metacyclogenesis, a process responsible for the infective forms of parasites. Therefore, numerous pathogens have developed strategies to impair the autophagic mechanism in phagocytes. Regulating autophagy is essential to maintain cellular health as adjustments in the autophagy pathway have been linked to the progression of several physiological and pathological conditions in humans. In this review, we report current advances in autophagy in parasites and their host cells, focusing on the ramifications of these studies in the design of potential anti-protozoan therapeutics.

Thalassemia and sickle cell disease constitute the most monogenic hemoglobin (Hb) disorders worldwide. Clinical symptoms of α(+)-thalassemia (α(+)-thal) are related to inadequate Hb production and accumulation of β- and/or γ-globin subunits. The association of thalassemia with malaria remains contentious, though from its distribution it appears to have offered some protection against the disease. Data on the prevalence of thalassemia in Ghana and its link with malaria is scanty and restricted. It was an objective of this cross-sectional study to determine the prevalence of thalassemia in areas representing two of Ghana's distinct ecological zones. The relationship between thalassemia and Plasmodium falciparium (P. falciparum) infection was also ascertained. Overall, 277 patients presenting to health facilities in the study areas were recruited to participate. Tests were carried out to determine the presence of α(+)-thal, sickle cell and malaria parasites in the blood samples of participants. The outcome of this study showed an α(+)-thal frequency of 19.9% for heterozygotes (-α/αα) and 6.8% for homozygotes (-α/-α). Plasmodium falciparum was detected in 17.7% of the overall study population and 14.9% in those with α(+)-thal. No association was observed between those with α(+)-thal and the study sites (p > 0.05). A test of the Hardy-Weinberg law yielded no significant difference (p

Johnson Nyarko Boampong,1 Elvis Ofori Ameyaw,1 Samuel Kyei,2 Benjamin Aboagye,1 Kwame Asare,1 Richmond Afoakwah,1 Alex Boye,3 Jean Hubert Donfack41Department of Biomedical and Forensic Sciences, School of Biological Sciences, 2Department of Optometry, School of Physical Sciences, 3Department of Laboratory Technology, School of Physical Sciences, University of Cape Coast, Cape Coast, Ghana; 4Department of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Sciences, University of Dschang, Dschang, CameroonBackground: The need for new antimalarial agents with a transcriptional mode of action but fewer side effects compared with artemisinin-based combination therapy for malaria has been the preoccupation of scientists in areas where malaria is a menace. Stem bark extracts of Plumeria alba, used traditionally for the treatment of malaria in Ghana, were investigated to evaluate their prophylactic and curative antimalarial properties.Methods: The antimalarial properties of P. abla were probed using aqueous (30–300 mg/kg) and dichloromethane/methanol (30–300 mg/kg) extracts of the plant in imprinting control region mice infected with Plasmodium berghei. For the curative test, the extracts were administered to the infected mice 4 days post-infection. In the prophylactic test, the animals were pre-treated with the extracts for 3 days before challenging them with P. berghei infected erythrocytes.Results: The aqueous extract exerted significant (P < 0.05–0.001) effects on P. berghei infection, similar to artemether and lumefantrine curatively and sulfadoxine/pyrimethamine prophylactically. However, the dichloromethane/methanol extract reduced the parasitemia curatively (P < 0.05–0.01) but not prophylactically.Conclusion: This study provides evidence to support the antimalarial properties of stem bark extract of P. alba in mice.Keywords: malaria, parasitemia, artemether, lumefantrine, sulfadoxine/pyrimethamine, Ghana

Efforts have been intensified to search for more effective antimalarial agents because of the observed failure of some artemisinin-based combination therapy (ACT) treatments of malaria in Ghana. Xylopic acid, a pure compound isolated from the fruits of theXylopia aethiopica,was investigated to establish its attributable prophylactic, curative antimalarial, and antipyretic properties. The antimalarial properties were determined by employing xylopic acid (10–100 mg/kg) in ICR mice infected withPlasmodium berghei. Xylopic acid exerted significant (P<0.05) effects onP. bergheiinfection similar to artemether/lumefantrine, the standard drug. Furthermore, it significantly (P<0.05) reduced the lipopolysaccharide- (LPS-) induced fever in Sprague-Dawley rats similar to prednisolone. Xylopic acid therefore possesses prophylactic and curative antimalarial as well as antipyretic properties which makes it an ideal antimalarial agent.