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The goal of this study is to determine how logistics management affects the organizational performance of ten Ghanaian roofing sheet manufacturing companies. To analyze the influence of logistics management on organizational outcome, the researchers employed multiple linear regression. The findings showed that the aspects of logistics management that have a beneficial impact on organizational performance include inventory management, physical distribution, and warehouse management. Logistics plays an important role in supporting organizations as they strive for more efficient management systems. Better implementation of inventory management, transportation management, physical distribution, and warehousing management procedures in logistics management will help manufacturing firms to improve their performance.

Helminths in recent times are said to be highly resistant to anthelmintic therapeutics. The level of attention paid to this area is quite low, therefore causing a serious threat to humans and livestock. Helminth’s infection is rampant in developing countries contributing significantly to economic losses and food security in general. This study aims to determine the Anthelmintic properties of methanol extract of Bridelia micrantha (Hochst) Baill leaves. Methods: The anthelmintic activity of helminths was determined by exposure to various concentrations of reference anthelminthic (albendazole, praziquantel and mebendazole) drugs and plant extract. Measurements were taken based on times for death and paralysis. Results: The extract exhibited a concentration-dependent anthelmintic activity against Lumbricus terrestris with significant (p < 0.0001) paralysis and death times when the extract concentrations were 4, 8, 16 and 32 mg/mL respectively. In the presence of 0.125 mg/mL of the extract the reference anthelmintic (albendazole), showed a potentiated activity against the test organism. In the presence of 0.25 mg/mL of the extract the reference anthelmintic (mebendazole), also showed a potentiated activity against the test organism. In the presence of 0.125 and 0.25 mg/ml of the extract, the reference anthelmintic (praziquantel) showed similar results. Conclusion: The extract had anthelmintic activity against L. terrestris and modified the resistance of the organism to albendazole, mebendazole and praziquantel.

The death of many people in tropical countries can be attributed to microbial infection, probably, because synthetic antibiotics are failing in the treatment of these microbial infections, attributed to the ability of the microorganisms to mutate and adapt to harsh conditions. This study evaluated, in vitro, the antimicrobial activities, antioxidant potentials, and the total phenolic contents of aqueous and ethanol extracts of the root of Cryptolepis sanguinolenta (Lindl.) and the crude sap of Pycnanthus angolensis (Welw) using selected standard bacteria strains (S. aureus (ATCC 25923), S. saprophyticus (ATCC 15305), E. coli (ATCC 25922), S. typhi (ATCC 19430), P. aeruginosa (ATCC 27853), and P. mirabilis (ATCC 49565). The modified agar well diffusion method was used to evaluate the antimicrobial activities of the plant extracts. Chloramphenicol and tetracycline were used as positive controls. The extracts were also screened for specific phytochemicals and using the Folin Ciocalteu reagent test, their total phenolic contents were determined. The phytochemical screening revealed the presence of alkaloids, cardiac glycosides, and saponins in both Cryptolepis sanguinolenta and Pycnanthus angolensis. For the antimicrobial activities, all the test bacteria were susceptible to the crude sap of Pycnanthus angolensis except P. mirabilis. In the case of the Cryptolepis sanguinolenta, only S. aureus was susceptible to both aqueous and ethanol extracts. The total phenolic content, expressed in g/100g GAE, recorded values of 55.427 ± 4.248 for the crude sap of Pycnanthus angolensis, and 11.642 ± 4.248 and 26.888 ± 4.248 for the aqueous and ethanol extracts of Cryptolepis sanguinolenta, respectively. It was concluded that Cryptolepis sanguinolenta and Pycnanthus angolensis are excellent candidates for further development of antimicrobial agents in the fight against microbial infections given the pressing need for novel efficacious agents.

Well injectivity and storage capacity defines the storage potential of a CO2 capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS) facility. Formation temperature has high impact on the phase behavior and flow properties of CO2 such as density and viscosity. The effect of temperature on CO2 injectivity, especially in the wellbore injection inlet, is not well understood. We investigated the thermal behavior of CO2 from the wellhead to the reservoir using simple theoretical models that capture the major heat transfer mechanisms. The effect of CO2 injection flow rate and injection time on the temperature of CO2 were studied. We found that for the same initial CO2 injection temperature and formation intake temperature, the injected CO2 in the well is cooler than the surrounding formation from the wellhead to the bottomhole. The temperature difference increased with increasing injection flow rate and injection time. The results show that although CO2 may attain supercritical state at bottomhole, the temperature difference between CO2 in the wellbore and the reservoir could be significant. The results also suggest that CO2 could attain thermal equilibrium with the reservoir at a flow distance of about 600 ft into the formation depending on the injection flow rate and reservoir temperature. The thermal disequilibrium of CO2 in the wellbore vicinity where fluxes are also high could affect CO2 injectivity and the mobility of CO2 during CCUS and enhanced oil recovery (EOR) operations. The present findings provide vital understanding of the effect of thermal instability on CO2 injectivity especially in the wellbore injection inlet. © 2020 Society of Chemical Industry and John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Background: Many oral bacterial species forming the normal flora present as a biofilm in the oral cavity. Dental caries results when there is an imbalance of pathogenic bacteria within these biofilms. Aim: This study sought to isolate and identify the bacterial species associated with extracted carious teeth and their susceptibility pattern towards commonly employed antimicrobial agents used at the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH). Methodology: A descriptive cross-sectional study carried out on thirty-three extracted carious teeth samples collected by convenient sampling from patients attending the Oral Health Directorate-KATH. All samples were collected from the 11th of March 2019 to the 6th of April 2019. Data was collected using 5 ml peptone water and a case study form. Analysis was done using SPSS version 25 and Microsoft Excel version 10. Results: Twenty (61%) samples were obtained from female patients and thirteen samples (39%) from male patients. Streptococcus spp had the highest occurrence (32.25%) with the least isolated being Pseudomonas and E. coli spp (6.45%). Antibiotic susceptibility test revealed Pseudomonas spp was resistant to all the eight antibiotics used in this study. All bacterial isolates were resistant to Cefuroxime and penicillin except Staphylococcus and Streptococcus spp. Conclusion: The commonest isolates associated with dental caries in KATH were Streptococcus, Bacillus and Staphylococcus spp. In this study most of the isolated species were resistant to common antibiotics employed in the Oral Health Directorate in KATH (amoxicillin/clavulanic, ampicillin and penicillin). From the current study the most effective antibiotic observed was meropenem (23%) with penicillin (3%) being least effective in treating infections of caries.

Introduction: Nursing process serve as a guide for nurses to efficiently care for patients through scientific process. Aim: To find out some of the challenges associated with the learning and implementation of nursing process among student nurses. Methods: This study was quantitative with descriptive research design. Participants were nursing students between the ages 18-32 in level 100, 200 & 300. Multi stage sampling technique was used to sample 215 respondents. Questionnaire was used to collect the data. Analyses of data were done using descriptive statistics. Results: The respondents had good basic knowledge about the nursing process. It was found out that, the time consumption involved in its use, difficulty with diagnosis and its complicated nature were some difficulties in the learning and implementation of the nursing process. Conclusion: The nursing process should be taught as a course on its own other than a topic.

Nancy Fraser’s theoretical critique of feminism’s unintended facilitation of neoliberal capitalism discusses the reproduction of poverty at the grassroots among Indigenous women. This article situates the discussion in gendered colonialism to show the ways that microfinance is actually a form of structured colonization and gender oppression. The authors argue that neither the emerging literature on microfinance nor Nancy Fraser’s theory provides Indigenous women a practical way out of the existing oppressive structures of microfinance practice. Rather, they suggest that these ideas are better understood through talking circle conversations with local Indigenous women food producers in Ghana. Through conversations, the authors learned about how these women are actively decolonizing and indigenizing microfinance and what Corntassel has described as everyday acts of resurgence and renewal within native communities. The authors reason that racialized, capitalist, gender oppression can be overcome by decolonial feminism.

Trypanosomosis and helminthosis, considered as part of neglected tropical diseases, are parasitic infections of public health importance, especially in Africa. Medicinal plants have been used in most parts of Africa, to treat these parasitic infections. The study aims to determine the anti-trypanosomal and anthelminthic properties of Tetrapleura tetraptera (fruit and stembark). The aqueous extracts of T. tetraptera fruit (TTFaq) and stembark (TTSaq), as well as ethanol extracts of T. tetraptera fruit (TTFe) and stembark (TTSe), were screened for their in vitro anti-trypanosomal and anthelminthic activities against T. b. brucei and Pheretima posthuma worms, respectively. Preliminary phytochemical screening of all extracts and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis of most active extracts were conducted. TTFaq exhibited anti-trypanosomal activity with IC50 of 18.18 μg/mL. TTSe and TTFe had moderate anti-trypanosomal activity with IC50 of 34.76 and 34.84 μg/mL, respectively. TTSaq had relatively low activity against the parasite with IC50 of 55.03 μg/mL. The SI of T. tetraptera extracts was between the range of 0.14-2.09. TTFaq showed dose-dependent activity causing paralysis and death of the adult worms at all concentrations. At the least concentration of 0.625 mg/mL, TTFaq induced paralysis and death after 101.88 ± 0.8 and 242.64 ± 0.38 min of exposure, respectively compared with the negative control (p < 0.0001). TTFe, TTSe and TTSaq caused paralysis of worms after 318.32 ± 0.74, 422.5 ± 0.72, 422.20 ± 0.55 min of exposure at minimum concentrations of 2.5, 10 and 5 mg/mL, respectively (p < 0.0001). However, no death was observed in worms treated with TTFe, TTSe and TTSaq at all test concentrations. In the presence of sub-minimal inhibitory concentration of the extracts, TTFaq potentiated the anthelminthic activity of albendazole whiles TTFe, TTSaq and TTSe inhibited the activity of albendazole. Phytochemical screening revealed the presence of saponins, triterpenoids, reducing sugars, flavonoids (absent in TTFe), steroids (absent in TTFaq) and tannins (absent in TTSe and TTFe) in the extracts. GC-MS revealed the presence of 9-octadecenamide and betulic acid in TTFaq. Hence, there was evidence provided here that Tetrapleura tetraptera may be effective. This gives credence to their folkloric use. However, further study might be necessary to ascertain safety use in both humans and animals.

Bacterial resistance to antibiotics is a serious challenge to human and animal health and all efforts are being put together to resolve the menace. In this study the antibiotic resistance modifying activity of ten plants was established by determination of the minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) of the plant extracts, the MICs of the antibiotics alone (amoxicillin, ciprofloxacin, erythromycin and tetracycline) and the MICs of the antibiotics in the presence of sub-inhibitory concentrations of the methanol extracts of some selected medicinal plants including Clerodendron splendens, Cyperus esculentus, Duranta plumieri, Kigelia africana, Kyllinga brevifolia, Momordica charantia, Phyllanthus amarus, Pycnanthus angolensis, Secamone afzelii and Thuja occidentalis against two Gram-positive bacteria (Staphylococcus aureus and Bacillus subtilis) and two Gram-negative bacteria (Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa). The extracts were found to possess varying degree of antimicrobial activity with MICs between 4 and 50 mg/mL. It was observed that 26.9% of the plant extract-antibiotic combinations/interactions resulted in the reduction of activity of antibiotics. Almost 17% of the extract-antibiotic interactions led to the complete loss of activity of the antibiotics and 30.0% of the extract-antibiotic combinations resulted in resistance modulation. Three per cent of the extract-antibiotic combinations/interactions had antibiotics that were not active when used alone but became active in the presence of the extracts and 23.1% extract-antibiotic combinations/interactions had no modifying effect on the individual in vitro activities of the antibiotics. There is need to isolate the bioactive agents from the extracts especially those that potentiated the activity of the antibiotics. Key words: Bacterial infections, antibiotic resistance, resistance modifying agents; medicinal plants

Background: The idea of establishing a Dental school at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) was borne out of a need. There was a shortfall in the supply of dental surgeons, especially in the northern half of the country. Aim/Objective: To seek for feedback from KNUST Dental school graduates over the past six about their overall assessment of the BDS courses taught during their clinical training and challenges faced in the course of their training. Methodology: A cross-sectional retrospective study of all KNUST Dental school graduates from 2012 to 2017. A structured goggle form questionnaire was developed. The Google form link was emailed to the representatives who in turn forwarded the link to their year mates. The questionnaire was filled online and submitted as requested. Results: This represented 63.0% of the entire graduates from KNUST Dental School. The male to female ratio was 1.3:1.0. The age range of our graduate was from 24 yrs (3.8%) to 32 years (1.9%). The average age was 26.3 years. 48.10% of respondents said their training was very good. The major challenges were inadequate clinical space (25.2%) and lack of materials and dental chairs for students’ clinic (27.3%). Conclusion: On the whole, the quality of the training was rated as very good even though some of the courses taught during the clinical training were rated as poor. Inadequate dental chairs, laboratory and clinic materials, supervision of student’s clinic were some of the major challenges expressed by the graduates.

Antibiotic resistance has become an increasingly global health problem. This has resulted in a limited number of antibiotics being effective in the treatment of various infections. Antibiotic resistant organisms have been isolated from fish ponds in various studies in different parts of the world. This study was carried out to assess some fish farming practices among catfish and tilapia farmers which may contribute to antibiotic resistance and also to determine the susceptibilities of Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Shigella species, Salmonella typhi and Pseudomonas aeruginosa isolated from fish pond water, catfish gut and tilapia gut from 11 farms and two hatcheries to selected reference antibiotics including penicillin, ampicillin, flucloxacillin, erythromycin, tetracycline, sulphamethoxazole/trimethoprim, cefuroxime, gentamicin, ciprofloxacin and chloramphenicol using the disc diffusion method. With the exception of gentamicin and ciprofloxacin, there was varying resistance of more than 60% to the other antibiotics. Most of the bacterial isolates exhibited high resistance (≥70%) to penicillin, ampicillin, flucloxacillin and tetracycline whilst low resistance was observed in all isolates to gentamicin (1.7 to 5.6%) except in P. aeruginosa. 44 to 92.9% of isolates of organisms showed resistance to more than three antibiotics. The bacterial isolates from the sampled fishes exhibited multidrug resistance although there was no recent history of use of antibiotics in most of the farms studied. Key words: Bacterial isolates, antibiotics, antibiotic resistance, fish farms.

The use of antibiotics in animal production has been associated with the development and spread of antibiotic-resistant organisms including commensals. Coagulase-negative Staphylococcus (CoNS) species, which were until recently considered non-pathogenic, have been associated with opportunistic infections and high resistance to several antibiotics. This study sought to determine the prevalence, identity, and phenotypic resistance of coagulase-negative Staphylococcus spp. isolated from some selected poultry farms and farm workers in the Ashanti, Brong Ahafo, and Greater Accra regions of Ghana. Poultry litter samples and oral swabs of poultry farm workers were collected, from which bacterial species were isolated, identified, and analyzed. Various selective media were used for the presumptive identification of the different species. Confirmation of bacterial identity was done using matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time of flight (MALDI-TOF) mass spectrometry. Antibiotic susceptibility testing of the isolates was performed using the Kirby-Bauer disk diffusion method. Zones of growth inhibition were interpreted based on the European Committee on Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing (EUCAST) guidelines. Two hundred and fifty-six coagulase-negative Staphylococcus spp., comprising S. sciuri (42.97%), S. lentus (35.94%), S. gallinarum (6.64%), S. xylosus (4.30%), S. haemolyticus (3.91%), S. saprophyticus (1.95%), and S. cohnii (0.39%) were confirmed by MALDI-TOF. CoNS were isolated from samples from the Brong Ahafo (48.83%), Ashanti (33.59%), and Greater Accra (17.78%) regions. Isolates from poultry litter constituted 55.47%, and farm workers 44.53%. All the isolates were susceptible to amoxicillin/clavulanic acid and amikacin. The isolates exhibited high resistance toward tetracycline (57.03%), doxycycline (43.75%), and oxacillin (43.36%). Multi-drug resistance (MDR) was observed in 19.14% of the isolates. MDR was higher in isolates obtained from poultry farm workers (61.22%) than isolates from poultry litter (38.78%). The above findings call for stricter monitoring of antibiotic usage in both animal production and in humans.

BackgroundMost antimicrobial agents used today are isolated and extracted from microbial source. The emergence of antimicrobial resistance and need for better, broad spectrum antimicrobial agent is always in high demand. In this study, a total of 112 aquatic microbial isolates from 14 sample sites of water bodies in Ghana were screened by agar-well diffusion method for the ability of antimicrobial metabolites.ResultsOut of these antibacterial activities, 10 inhibited the growth of at least one test microorganism with zones of growth inhibitions ranged between 2.5±0.5 - 35.5±0.5 mm againstStaphylococcus aureus(ATCC25923),Streptococcus pyogenes(clinical isolates), Escherichia coli(NCTC9002),Pseudomonas aeruginosa(ATCC27853),Neisseria gonorrhoeae(clinical isolate),Klebsiella pneumoniae (Clinical isolate),Bacillus subtilis(NCTC10073) andSalmonella typhi(NCTC 6017). The extracts of the isolates showed minimum inhibitory concentrations of which extract NKSEW3againstEscherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniaeandPseudomonas aeruginosawere 25.00, 12.50 and 25.00 mg/mL respectively while that of NKLS6were 12.50, 6.25 and 25.00 mg/mL. The isolates NKSEW3and NKLS6were identified to bePseudomonas speciesusing chromagar and biochemical tests. The GC-MS result for NKLS62 (a fraction obtained from NKLS6) revealed five compounds including; Tridecanal, 17-octadecanal, ethanol, 2-(9-octadecenyloxy)-, (Z), 2-pentadecanone, 6, 10, 14-trimethyl diisooctyl phthalate and 17-octadecanal (C18H34O) as good pharmacological agents.ConclusionMicroorganisms isolated from water bodies in Ghana have the potential of producing antimicrobial agents.Author SummaryIn this study we use the agar well-diffusion to screen the isolates of water and soil samples collected within Greater Accra and Eastern Regions in Ghana against the test organisms.

Background: Career choice is a critical decision that has an obvious impact on the future life pattern of an individual. Understanding the priorities and socio-demographic background of students choosing dentistry is essential because economic factors may influence an individual's level of commitment to the profession. Aim/Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate factors that influenced the current group of dental students to accept to pursue Dentistry as an undergraduate programme from Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) dental school. Materials and Methods: This is a cross-sectional study of KNUST dental students carried out from January to March 2017. The complete student population was 215 which included 25 foreign students and thus there was no sampling. A structured Google form questionnaire was designed and submitted to students through their respective class representatives. The data collected included reasons for their choice of the program of Dentistry and the factors that influenced their decision. Results: A total of 160 responded out of the total student's population of 215. This represented 74.4% of the total student population. The average age was 23.4 years. And the male to female ratio was 1:1.3. 75% of the respondents had been to a dental clinic before. 51 (31.9%) chose dentistry as their first choice. About 23% of the students reported they ended up in dentistry due to their non-acceptance into the medical school. 20% of the students said that they had no prior knowledge of dentistry and 50% of the students indicated that Dentistry was not their first option because there was no government financial sponsorship for students opting for dentistry at the KNUST dental school as compared to the Medical program. Conclusion: Dentistry was not the preferred program choice among dental students from KNUST. Majority of them ended up in Dentistry because of their non-admission into Medical school. Only 31.9% chose dentistry as their first preference. The majority who chose it as their first choice had had previous positive encounters with dental surgeons. Other students made the decision based on advice from relatives or due to their belief that the profession was lucrative or had flexible working hours.

Fruit juice extracts of Citrus sinensis var. late Valencia at different stages of development (3, 6, 10 and 12 months and fallen senescent fruits) were investigated for antimicrobial and antioxidant activities. Antimicrobial activity was determined using a modified Kirby-Bauer agar diffusion method and minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC) were determined by the micro broth dilution method against strains of Bacillus subtilis NCTC 10073, Candida albicans ATCC 10231, Escherichia coli ATCC 25922, Proteus vulgaris NCTC 4175, Pseudomonas aeruginosa ATCC 27853 and Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 25923. Antioxidant activity was evaluated by the 2,2-diphenyl-1-picryl-hydrazyl (DPPH) free radical scavenging method using N-propyl gallate as standard antioxidant. IC50 values were then determined. Results revealed that the fruit juice extracts demonstrated broad spectrum antibacterial as well as antifungal activity with MIC values ranging from 8.00 to 20.00%, 16.00 to 28.00% , 24.00 to 32.00%, 28.00 to 40.00% and 32.00 to 44.00% v/v for 3, 6, 10, 12 months fruits as well as fallen fruits senescence, respectively. The antimicrobial activity was observed to decrease with increasing age of the fruits. The fruit juice extracts also demonstrated antioxidant activity with IC50 values of 0.4424, 0.6841, 7.357, 12.65 and 41.65% v/v for 3, 6, 10, 12 months and fallen fruits senescence, respectively. The antioxidant activity was also observed to decrease with increasing fruit age. Key words: Citrus sinensis, free radical, antimicrobial, antioxidant, various stages of development.

Background: The maintenance of standards in dental post-graduate education requires adequate and equal distribution of specialists in all aspects of dentistry. Aim/objective: The primary aim of this study was to determine the factors that influence the choice of field of specialization in dentistry and to identify current trends of specialization in Dentistry. Methods and materials: A well-structured Google form questionnaire was designed and submitted to Residents (current trainees and Members) through their emails. The data collected included area of specialty, training Centre and the factors that influenced the choice of specialty. Results: Since the inception of the GCPS, which had its first Membership graduation in 2007, 902 Members and 76 Fellows had been trained as of October 2017. In Dental surgery, a total of 40 Members and 7 Fellows had been trained which represented 4.43% and 9.21% respectively of the total trained by GCPS. The majority reason for the choice of a particular specialty in dentistry was “Interest/Passion”31(22.14%) followed closely by the “Availability of trainers”27 (19.29%). The least recorded reason was for “Academia” 8(5.71%). Conclusion: Majority of these specialist/Members were in the Oral and Maxillofacial and Restorative Dentistry and then followed by orthodontics. The major reasons for choosing a particular specialty in Dentistry were “Passion/Interest” followed closely by “Availability of trainers” and “financial gains”. There was not a single trained Specialist in Community Dentistry, Oral Medicine and Paediatric Dentistry. Majority of our Residents were sponsored by GHS followed by the Teaching Hospital. The least sponsors of Resident training were the two Dental schools and the CHAG.

Introduction. Salmonella typhimurium is associated with outbreaks of food-borne nontyphoidal salmonellosis (NTS) worldwide with marked multidrug resistance. Objectives. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of antibiotic resistant Salmonella typhimurium in pigs in Ashanti Region, Ghana. Methods. Faeces from 10 pigs per pig farm were collected and mixed to obtain 108 multiply-composite faecal samples. Standard microbiology and biochemical procedures were used to isolate and identify an S. typhimurium isolate from the composite faecal sample of each farm. Antibiotic sensitivity test was carried out to determine the sensitivity of the isolates. Discussion. From the 108 multiply-composite faecal samples, 72 S. typhimurium isolates were obtained from 72 separate composite samples representing 72 different pig farms. Of the 72 faecal isolates, 32 (52.8%) were resistant to at least one antibiotic. Twenty-seven isolates (71.1%) were resistant to amoxicillin and streptomycin. Resistance to tetracycline, doxycycline, and ciprofloxacin was found in 17 (44.7%), 15 (39.5%), and 8 (21.1%) isolates, respectively. Resistance to norfloxacin, sulphamethoxazole-trimethoprim, and gentamicin were expressed in 3 (7.9%), 3 (7.9%), and 0 (0.0%) isolates, respectively. Conclusion. Multiple drug resistance is common in S. typhimurium isolates, many of which could belong to the same clone, from pigs in Ashanti Region, Ghana.

The use of antibiotics in animal production has been associated with the development and spread of antibiotic-resistant organisms including commensals. Coagulase-negative Staphylococcus (CoNS) species, which were until recently considered non-pathogenic, have been associated with opportunistic infections and high resistance to several antibiotics. This study sought to determine the prevalence, identity, and phenotypic resistance of coagulase-negative Staphylococcus spp. isolated from some selected poultry farms and farm workers in the Ashanti, Brong Ahafo, and Greater Accra regions of Ghana. Poultry litter samples and oral swabs of poultry farm workers were collected, from which bacterial species were isolated, identified, and analyzed. Various selective media were used for the presumptive identification of the different species. Confirmation of bacterial identity was done using matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time of flight (MALDI-TOF) mass spectrometry. Antibiotic susceptibility testing of the isolates was performed using the Kirby-Bauer disk diffusion method. Zones of growth inhibition were interpreted based on the European Committee on Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing (EUCAST) guidelines. Two hundred and fifty-six coagulase-negative Staphylococcus spp., comprising S. sciuri (42.97%), S. lentus (35.94%), S. gallinarum (6.64%), S. xylosus (4.30%), S. haemolyticus (3.91%), S. saprophyticus (1.95%), and S. cohnii (0.39%) were confirmed by MALDI-TOF. CoNS were isolated from samples from the Brong Ahafo (48.83%), Ashanti (33.59%), and Greater Accra (17.78%) regions. Isolates from poultry litter constituted 55.47%, and farm workers 44.53%. All the isolates were susceptible to amoxicillin/clavulanic acid and amikacin. The isolates exhibited high resistance toward tetracycline (57.03%), doxycycline (43.75%), and oxacillin (43.36%). Multi-drug resistance (MDR) was observed in 19.14% of the isolates. MDR was higher in isolates obtained from poultry farm workers (61.22%) than isolates from poultry litter (38.78%). The above findings call for stricter monitoring of antibiotic usage in both animal production and in humans.

Ethnopharmacological relevance Majority of people living in Ghana and many other developing countries rely on traditional medicinal plants for their primary healthcare. These plants are used either alone or in combination to manage a wide range of ailments. However, most of these plants have not been investigated for their mutagenic effects. Aim of the study This study, therefore aimed at evaluating the mutagenic activity of the most frequently used medicinal plants amongst Ghanaians living within the Accra metropolis, Ghana. Materials and methods Validated questionnaires were administered to 53 herbalists and herbal medicines dealers in the Makola, Madina and Nima communities. Plants that were identified as being frequently used were investigated for their mutagenicity using the Ames test. Results A total of 110 medicinal plants belonging to 53 families were identified as most frequently used plants in the study sites. These are used to treat various ailments including gastric ulcer, fever, malaria, male impotence, diabetes, typhoid, high blood pressure and candidiasis. Thirteen samples (52%) showed moderate to high mutagenicity in the TA 100 bacterial strain before and after metabolism with rat liver enzyme. Conclusions The study showed that over half of the frequently used medicinal plants showed moderate to high mutagenicity before and after metabolism at the concentration of a 100 μg/mL. This may have implications for the safety of those who use them to manage diseases. These findings will suggest the need for an in-depth study of the mutagenic potentials of plants commonly used by indigenous people and more especially for those exhibiting high mutagenicity in this study.

The emergence of bacterial resistance to antibiotics is a serious draw back in the management of infections. In this study, the antibacterial activity of the methanol fruit and leaf extracts of Myrisctica fragrans Houtt. (Myristicaceae) against typed strains of Staphylococcu saureus, Bacillus suibtilis, Enterococcus faecalis, Proteus vulgaris, Escherichia coli, Salmonella typhi and Pseudomonas aeruginosa were determined using a modified Kirby-Bauer agar well diffusion method. Their influence on the minimum inhibitory concentration of ciprofloxacin, tetracycline, erythromycin and amoxicillin against the test organisms were also determined using themicro-dilution method. The extracts exhibited antibacterial activity against all the test organisms. In the presence of sub-inhibitory concentrations of the leaf and fruit extracts (1.0 and 2.0 mg/mL respectively), the antibacterial activity of amoxicillin against all the organisms was nullified. The antibacterial activity of ciprofloxacin against all the organisms was also cancelled by the fruit extract while the leaf extract acted similarly against all the test organisms except E. faecalis and S. typhiboth of which saw four-fold reduction in susceptibility. The antibacterial activity of erythromycin against all the test organisms were nullified by both extracts except S. aureus and B. subtilis where the leaf extract caused an 8-fold reduction in activity. In the presence of the leaf extract, tetracycline lost activity against S. aureus, P. aeruginosa and P. vulgaris, its activity was reduced 16-fold against B. subtilis and E. faecalis and 32-fold against E. coli. The fruit extract caused a complete loss of activity of tetracycline against S. aureus, P. aeruginosa, B. subtilis and E. faecalis; there was 16-fold, 8-fold and 32-fold reduction in activity against P. vulgaris, S. typhi and E. coli respectively. The extracts of M. fragrans enhanced the resistance of these organisms to all the antibiotics used. Key words: Antibiotic resistance, antibacterial, resistance enhancing, minimum inhibitory concentration, Myristica fragrans.

The dearth of dental faculty members is a widely known problem that is exacerbated in countries that are attempting to begin dental education programs. This collaboration between Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology and the University of Michigan investigated if dental students who have just started their clinical dental education can learn the knowledge and skills required for identifying and restoring cavitated caries lesions through compact course delivery. There were three instructional blocks: 1) didactic seminar; 2) seminar, simulated hands-on skills instruction, and clinical observation/assisting with treatment of schoolchildren; and 3) seminar, simulated skills training, and application to schoolchildren. Each dental student completed a questionnaire measuring knowledge and perceptions of knowledge, experience, and confidence at five points in time. The dental students’ knowledge increased significantly as well as their perceived knowledge, experience, and confidence (p

Entandrophragma angolense (Welw.) C.DC. (Meliaceae) is a deciduous plant commonly found on in west Africa and it is used for treatment microbial infections, wounds, rheumatic and arthritic pains. The methanol stem bark extract was investigated for its antimicrobial activity using the agar well diffusion method and macro-dilution technique and time kill kinetics. The antimicrobial activity of the methanol extract and its fractions were evaluated against five bacteria species and a fungus including Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 25923, Enterococcus faecalis ATCC 29212, Bacillus subtilis NCTC 10073, Escherichia coli ATCC 25922, Pseudomonas aeruginosa ATCC 4853 and clinical strains of Candida albicans and some of the test bacteria. Phytochemical screening of the crude extract revealed the presence of tannins, flavonoids, alkaloids, terpenoids, saponins and cardiac glycosides. The MICs of the methanol extract against the test organisms were: S. aureus (11.0 mg/mL), E. faecalis (9.0 mg/mL), B. subtilis (13.0 mg/mL) E. coli (17.0 mg/mL), P. aeruginosa (19 mg/mL) and C. albicans (15.0 mg/mL). The fractions of the methanol extract (pet ether, ethyl acetate and aqueous fractions) exhibited varying antimicrobial activities, with the highest activity exhibited by the aqueous fraction. The extract exhibited bacteriostatic and fungistatic activity against all test organisms. Time kill studies showed that the extract exhibited an inhibition of bacterial and fungal growth. The results indicate that the methanol stem bark of E. angolense has antibacterial and antifungal activities and may justify the medicinal uses of the plant in the management of bacterial and fungal infections.