Browsing by Author "Debrah, Alexander Yaw"

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    Assessing the Efficacy of High-Dose Rifampicin plus Albendazole against Onchocerciasis
    (KNUST, 2026) Ahiadorme, Monica; Debrah, Linda Batsa; Debrah, Alexander Yaw; et al.
    The dataset provides de identified participant data from the ASTAWOL clinical trial (https://kccr-ghana.org/research-impact/research-groups/filariasis-2/), a phase II pilot study investigating the efficacy and safety of high-dose rifampicin (RIF) plus albendazole (ALB) in treating onchocerciasis. The trial was conducted in the Sefwi Akontombra District, Ghana – an area endemic for this parasitic disease. Study Design: Participants (adults aged 18–55 with confirmed onchocercomata and microfilaria) were randomized into four treatment arms: RIF+ALB (7 or 14 days), ALB alone (14 days), and No Treatment, alongside six-month ivermectin administration. Data Included: The dataset encompasses comprehensive clinical data including demographic characteristics, treatment allocation, adverse events, laboratory safety parameters, skin microfilarial densities, Wolbachia depletion measurements via qPCR, and detailed immunohistology analysis of surgically removed onchocercomata tissue to assess embryogenesis and worm viability. Access and Use: Access to this dataset is subject to reasonable requests to the corresponding author, obtaining relevant institutional ethics approval, and proper acknowledgement and citation of the original study.
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    Effect of Pulmonary Tuberculosis on Protein C, S, and Antithrombin-III among Therapy-naïve Ghanaian Adults; A Comparative Cross-Sectional Study
    (Journal of Immunoassay and Immunochemistry, 2020-12-30) Osei-Boakye, Felix; Addai-Mensah, Otchere; Owusu, Michael; Saasi, Abdul-Razak; Appiah, Samuel Kwasi; Nkansah, Charles; Wiafe, Yaw Amo; Debrah, Alexander Yaw; 0000-0001-5126-7424; 0000-0001-9225-5876; 0000-0001-5066-150X; 0000-0003-1855-5840; 0000-0001-6986-9976; 0000-0002-0944-0577; 0000-0001-5721-0891
    Background: Tuberculosis (TB) constitutes a global emergency as it affects one-third of the world’s inhabitants. Although pulmonary Tuberculosis (PTB) is curable, immunological responses to the infection induce several haematological derangements. This study evaluated the effect of PTB on Protein C, Protein S, Antithrombin-III, and blood count parameters. Methods. Ninety adults with ages ≥18 years were purposively recruited: 60 PTB patients and 30 non-TB controls. All patients were diagnosed with sputum GeneXpert MTB/Rif assay. Blood specimens were collected from each participant for Protein C, S, Antithrombin-III and complete blood count. Results: Pulmonary TB was associated with signifi cantly reduced Protein C activity (101.46 [87.61-128.3] vs 121.44 [99.50-149.8] IU/L, p=0.038), RBC (3.88±0.91 vs 4.80±0.55, p<0.0001), HgB (10.24±2.42 vs 11.78±1.42, p=0.0019), HCT (32.21±7.79 vs 42.05±4.97, p<0.0001), MCV (83.80 [79.33-90.08] vs 89.00 [83.75-92.00], p=0.0133) and PDW (12.95 [10.73-15.00] vs 15.30 [14.18-15.93], p<0.0001) compared to controls. Conversely, PTB patients were associated with signifi cantly increased MCH (26.83±4.33 vs 24.59±1.99, p=0.0086), TWBC (7.76 [6.06-9.78] vs 6.50 [4.85-7.50], p=0.0047), Abs. GRAN (5.27 [3.30-6.71] vs 3.75 [2.48-4.75], p=0.0226), RDW-CV (13.70 [13.20-15.43] vs 12.95 [12.50-13.65], p<0.0001), MCHC (32.10 [28.70-35.63] vs 27.85 [27.40-28.53], p<0.0001) and MPV (8.3 [6.7-9.7] vs 7.0 [6.4-7.5], p=0.0027) compared to controls. The PTB patients were disproportionately affected with anaemia (91.7%, p=0.001), erythrocytopenia (75.0%; p≤0.001) and reduced HCT (80.0%, p≤0.001). The frequency of thrombocytosis, leucocytosis, and granulocytosis (50.0%, p=0.013; 23.3%, p=0.013; 18.3%, p=0.025; respectively) in PTB patients were signifi cantly higher than in controls. Conclusion. Our findings suggest that PTB predisposes patients to hypercoagulability, with a significant reduction in Protein C activity but not Protein S and antithrombin-III. The condition causes derangements in erythrocytes, leucocytes, and thrombocytes, and disproportionately causes anaemia. Protein C activity and complete blood count are useful in the management of PTB and should be included in the routine workup for patients.