Browsing by Author "Salifu, Samson Pandam"
Now showing 1 - 3 of 3
Results Per Page
Sort Options
- ItemGenotypic characterisation of human papillomavirus infections among persons living with HIV infection; a case–control study in Kumasi, Ghana(Tropical Medicine and International Health, 2015) Yar, Dekugmen Denis; Salifu, Samson Pandam; Owusu-Dabo, Ellis; Darko, Nkansah Samuel; Annan, Angelina Augustina....et alThe objective of this study is to describe the burden of human papillomavirus (HPV) infection among women living with HIV and non-infected women in Ghana. methods A case–control study was conducted involving 107 women living with HIV aged between 18 and 59 years (cases) and 100 non-HIV-infected apparently healthy women (controls) who were recruited from the Kumasi South Hospital, from July to December, 2014. Cervicovaginal swabs were taken from study participants to characterise 28 high- and low-risk HPV genotypes using a multiplex real-time PCR. results The overall mean age for the participants was 40.10 9.76 years. The prevalence of high risk (hr)-HPV genotypes was significantly higher among the cases than the controls (77.4% vs. 41.6%, P < 0.0001). Overall, HPV 58 and 54 were the most predominant high-risk (18.8%) and low-risk (15.0%) genotypes detected. The two most common hr-HPV genotype isolates were 58 (18.8%) and 35 (15.9%) with 58 being the most prevalent among age group 35–44 years compared with hr-HPV 16, 18, 35 and 45, found predominantly among 18–34 age group. conclusions Significant variations exist in HPV genotypes among HIV-infected and uninfected women.
- ItemModelling the Transmission Dynamics of Meningitis among High and Low-Risk People in Ghana with Cost-Effectiveness Analysis(Hindawi, 2022-11-21) Reindorf, Nartey Borkor; Opoku, Nicholas Kwasi-Do Ohene; Adu, Andrews Frimpong; Nyarko, Hannah Nyarkoah; Doughan, Albert; Appiah, Edwin Moses; Yakubu, Biigba; Mensah, Isabel; Salifu, Samson Pandam; 0000-0002-5721-4638Meningitis is an inflammation of the meninges, which covers the brain and spinal cord. Every year, most individuals within sub- Saharan Africa suffer from meningococcal meningitis. Moreover, tens of thousands of these cases result in death, especially during major epidemics. The transmission dynamics of the disease keep changing, according to health practitioners. The goal of this study is to exploit robust mechanisms to manage and prevent the disease at a minimal cost due to its public health implications. A significant concern found to aid in the transmission of meningitis disease is the movement and interaction of individuals from low-risk to high-risk zones during the outbreak season. Thus, this article develops a mathematical model that ascertains the dynamics involved in meningitis transmissions by partitioning individuals into low- and high-risk susceptible groups. After computing the basic reproduction number, the model is shown to exhibit a unique local asymptotically stability at the meningitisfree equilibrium E†, when the effective reproduction number R0 < 1, and the existence of two endemic equilibria for which R†0 < R0 < 1 and exhibits the phenomenon of backward bifurcation, which shows the difficulty of relying only on the reproduction number to control the disease. The effective reproductive number estimated in real time using the exponential growth method affirmed that the number of secondary meningitis infections will continue to increase without any intervention or policies. To find the best strategy for minimizing the number of carriers and infected individuals, we reformulated the model into an optimal control model using Pontryagin’s maximum principles with intervention measures such as vaccination, treatment, and personal protection. Although Ghana’s most preferred meningitis intervention method is via treatment, the model’s simulations demonstrated that the best strategy to control meningitis is to combine vaccination with treatment. But the cost-effectiveness analysis results show that vaccination and treatment are among the most expensive measures to implement. For that reason, personal protection which is the most cost-effective measure needs to be encouraged, especially among individuals migrating from low- to high-risk meningitis belts.
- ItemRadiation Therapy for Breast Cancer in Africa(Elsevier, 2024) Oppong, Rita; Yeboah, David; Owusu-Ansah, Mohammed; Salifu, Samson Pandam; 0000-0003-2092-6452Purpose: Although radiation therapy is an effective treatment for breast cancer, it has a low rate of use in African countries. A systematic review was undertaken to investigate studies that used radiation therapy as a treatment modality for patients with breast cancer in Africa, focusing on survival outcomes, adverse effects, radiation therapy techniques, fractionation schedules, and effectiveness of radiation therapy. Methods and Materials: We conducted a comprehensive literature search for studies that treated breast cancer with radiation therapy, using different electronic databases (PubMed, Scopus, and EBSCOhost) up to February 2023. The output was exported to a reference management system for analyses. Results: The literature search primarily identified 3804 records from Scopus (2427), PubMed (982), and EBSCOhost (395). Based on the inclusion and exclusion criteria, 19 articles were finally included in this systematic review. Most of the studies published were conducted in North Africa (63%), followed by West Africa (21%) and Southeast Africa (16%). Most centers employed external beam radiation therapy to deliver radiation therapy to patients with breast cancer with the standard fractionation size of 50 Gy in 25 fractions. The long-term outcomes with regards to adverse effect suggests that radiation therapy was fairly tolerated among patients with breast cancer. Conclusions: The reports provide substantial evidence that there are limited number of published studies on the use of radiation therapy for breast cancer treatment in Africa, as well as lower overall survival rate compared with developed countries. To improve breast cancer survivorship, it is necessary for government and other health care planners to provide more radiation therapy resources and implement training programs for personnels.