Did Ghana Do Enough? A Scientometric Analysis of COVID-19 Research Output from Ghana within the African Context.

The COVID-19 pandemic has generated worldwide research efforts to provide knowledge about the disease. Yet little is known about how Ghana contributed to this critical knowledge production. This scientometric analysis was conducted to ascertain Ghana's COVID-19 research output within the African context to gain understanding and identify potential future directions. The study retrieved relevant research, spanning 2019 to 2022, from the Scopus database in December 2022. The retrieved data were assessed using various established indices, including collaboration patterns, productive institutions, citation patterns, and major research sponsors, among others. Ghana came seventh in Africa with a total of 1112 publications. For international collaborations, the United States and the United Kingdom were the major partners, while South Africa was the main African collaborator with Ghana. Out of the top 21 most productive authors, 85.7% were males and 14.3% were females, demonstrating a great gender gap in research output in Ghana. Although Ghana has made some contributions to the global COVID-19 research output, there are few intra-continental research collaborations, which limits Africa's overall research output. Our study demonstrates a critical need for the Ghanaian government to prioritize research and funding and address barriers to women's research productivity.

A Systematic Review on Suitability of Molecular Techniques for Diagnosis and Research into Infectious Diseases of Concern in Resource-Limited Settings.

Infectious diseases significantly impact the health status of developing countries. Historically, infectious diseases of the tropics especially have received insufficient attention in worldwide public health initiatives, resulting in poor preventive and treatment options. Many molecular tests for human infections have been established since the 1980s, when polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing was introduced. In spite of the substantial innovative advancements in PCR technology, which currently has found wide application in most viral pathogens of global concern, the development and application of molecular diagnostics, particularly in resource-limited settings, poses potential constraints. This review accessed data from sources including PubMed, Google Scholar, the Web of Knowledge, as well as reports from the World Health Organization's Annual Meeting on infectious diseases and examined these for current molecular approaches used to identify, monitor, or investigate some neglected tropical infectious diseases. This review noted some growth efforts in the development of molecular techniques for diagnosis of pathogens that appear to be common in resource limited settings and identified gaps in the availability and applicability of most of these molecular diagnostics, which need to be addressed if the One Health goal is to be achieved.

Non-life-threatening adverse reactions from COVID-19 vaccine; a cross-sectional study with self-reported symptoms among Ghanaian healthcare workers.

Health-care professionals in Ghana were among the prioritized high-risk groups to be administered with the initial supply of Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine procured by the Government of Ghana. This study sought to assess and identify the determinants of COVID-19 vaccine short-term side effects among health-care workers. A cross-sectional study was conducted on 654 Ghanaian healthcare workers between 16th March and 5th May 2021. The study included health-care workers in registered health settings, who had been vaccinated against COVID-19 and consented to participate in the survey. Descriptive statistics, binary and multivariable logistic regression analyses were executed using SPSS version 22 at p < .05. The findings revealed that, 528 (80.7%) of the participants experienced adverse reactions, which lasted between 0 and 2 days among, 347 (53.1%) of the study participants. The most reported adverse reactions were general body weakness, 434 (32.0%), headache 371 (27.3%), and fever, 257 (19.1%). Health workers aged 35-39 and 40-44 years had lower odds of adverse reactions compared with those aged 25-29 years (aOR: 0.34, 95% C.I. 0.186,0.621, p < .001) and (aOR: 0.42, 95% C.I. 0.201,0.890, p = .023). Taking analgesics before vaccination decreased the likelihood of adverse reactions (aOR: 0.28, 95% C.I. 0.185,0.427, p < .001). High prevalence of adverse reactions was found among the healthcare workers, however short-lived. The most reported systemic adverse reactions were general body weakness, headache, and fever. We recommend intensification of campaigns on COVID-19 vaccines and their associated adverse effects to avoid the negative implication on uptake among the healthcare workers and the general population.

Reproductive toxicity potentials of methanolic extract of Portulaca oleracea in male rats: An experimental study.

BACKGROUND: Purslane is an edible widely distributed shrub and one of the herbs used in decoctions for the treatment of different ailments including infertility. However, there is a shortage of evidence to validate its reproductive effects. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effect of methanolic extract of Portulaca oleracea (MEPO) on the reproductive system of male rats. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Fifteen 10-wk old male Wistar rats with an average weight of 183 gr were randomly divided into three groups (n = 5/each). Group A (the control group) received distilled water only; group B received 400 mg/kg MEPO; and group C received 800 mg/kg MEPO for 14 days. The animals fasted overnight after the 14 th day of administration and euthanized by cervical dislocation. Blood samples, sperm, testes, and epididymis were collected for serum hormones, sperm, and histological analyses. RESULTS: There was no significant change in the serum luteinizing hormone and testosterone levels across all groups when compared to the control. However, group C showed a significant increase (p = 0.020) in follicle-stimulating hormone levels when compared to the control. There was a significant reduction (p = 0.006) in the sperm count in group C when compared with the control group. There was also a significantly reduced (p = 0.003) sperm motility in MEPO-treated groups compared to the control. While the testis showed no abnormalities in its histoarchitecture across groups, the epididymis showed some blood congestion in MEPO-treated groups. CONCLUSION: Portulaca oleracea showed the ability to reduce sperm count and motility at higher doses.