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Purpose To provide data for forensic use and provoke ideas to preserve shaft integrity, we studied microstructural alterations of female scalp hair subjected to Ghanaian cultural styling methods. Hence, topographical features of female hairs styled by braiding/weaving, and chemical relaxation sampled from five different scalp regions were assessed and compared with natural (Afro) hair. Subjects and methods Ninety-six indigenous Ghanaian females volunteered 480 hairs, which were analyzed by light microscopy. Hairs were plucked using a pair of cosmetologist's tweezers from frontal, left temporal, right temporal, vertex, and occipital regions of the scalp. Hairs were categorized by their grooming styles as Afro (natural-unstyled), natural-styled (weaved/braided), and chemically relaxed. These were studied according to shaft/medulla dimensions and conventional cuticular scale features, and comparisons were made between styling procedures and scalp regions. Results Chemically styled hair had the widest shaft diameter, but the lowest incidence of continuous medullation. Medullary diameter and index increased from chemically relaxed, natural-styled, to Afro hair. A positive but modest correlation between shaft and medullary diameters existed for Afro (r = 0.320, p = 0.011) and natural-styled hairs (r = 0.235, p = 0.022) but not chemically relaxed hair (r = 0.122, p = 0.2). Scale margins were predominantly smooth in Afro hair, crenate in natural-styled hair, and rippled in chemically relaxed hair. With respect to scalp regions, hair shaft diameter was widest in vertex hair and smallest in right temporal hair in all styling methods. Conclusion Medulla was thickest in Afro hair, which also exhibited a correlation with shaft diameter in conformity with the published data. Chemically relaxed hairs did not exhibit these characteristics, which affirm altered morphology. Research on how chemicals affect these changes should help find antidote. The dimensional variations of hairs from different scalp regions are instructive for both cosmetic and forensic examination of hairs.

Breast cancer is the most common malignancy in women, with alarming mortalities. Neoadjuvant treatments employ chemotherapy to shrink tumours to a well-defined size for a better surgical outcome. The current means of assessing effectiveness of chemotherapy management are imprecise. We previously showed that breast cancer patients have higher serum circulating cell-free DNA concentrations. cfDNA is degraded cellular DNA fragments released into the bloodstream. We further report on the utility of cfDNA in assessing the response to chemotherapy and its potential as a monitoring biomarker. A total of 32 newly diagnosed and treatment-naive female breast cancer patients and 32 healthy females as controls were included. Anthropometric, demographic and clinicopathological information of participants were recorded. Each participant donated 5 mL of venous blood from which sera were separated. Blood sampling was carried out before the commencement of chemotherapy (timepoint 1) and after the third cycle of chemotherapy (timepoint 2). qPCR was performed on the sera to quantify ALU 115 and 247 levels, and DNA integrity (ALU247/ALU115) was determined. ALU 115 and 247 levels were elevated in cancer patients but were significantly decreased after the third cycle of chemotherapy (T2) compared to T1. DNA integrity increased after the third cycle. Serum cfDNA may provide a relatively inexpensive and minimally invasive procedure to evaluate the response to chemotherapy in breast cancer.

Background Cancer incidence and its related mortality is rising and is currently the second leading cause of death globally. In Africa, breast and prostate cancer in females and males, respectively, are the worst globally. However, biomarkers for their early detection and prognosis are not well developed. This study sought to investigate circulating cell-free DNA (ccfDNA) integrity and its potential utility as diagnostic and/or prognostic biomarker. Circulating cell-free DNA (ccfDNA) is degraded DNA fragments released into the blood plasma. In healthy individuals, the source of ccfDNA is solely apoptosis, producing evenly sized shorter DNA fragments. In cancer patients, however, necrosis produces uneven longer cell-free DNA fragments in addition to the shorter fragments originating from apoptosis. DNA integrity, expressed as the ratio of longer fragments to total DNA, may be clinically useful for the detection of breast and prostate cancer progression. Methods Sixty-four (64) females, consisting of 32 breast cancer patients and 32 controls, and 61 males (31 prostate cancer patients and 30 controls) were included in the study. Each participant donated 5 ml peripheral blood from which sera were separated. Real-time qPCR was performed on the sera to quantify ALU 115 and 247 levels, and DNA integrity (ALU247/ALU115) determined. Results & Conclusion ALU species 115 and 247 levels in serum were elevated in breast and prostate cancer patients compared to their counterpart healthy controls. DNA integrity was higher in prostate cancer patients than in the control, but in breast cancer patients was lower compared to their controls. In prostate but not in breast cancers, DNA integrity increased with disease severity and higher staging.

Introduction. Male infertility is known to contribute about half of all infertility cases. In Ghana, the prevalence of male infertility is higher (15.8%) than in females (11.8%). Sperm quality is associated with the likelihood of pregnancy and known to be the cause of male fertility problems 90% of the time. Exposure to certain environmental factors reduces semen quality in men. The study examined the effects of environmental and lifestyle factors on semen quality in Ghanaian men. Materials and Methods. This was a cross-sectional study involving 80 apparent healthy adult males in their reproductive age. Participants were males referred to the laboratory (Immunology Unit of the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital) for semen analysis test and/or culture and sensitivity. Participants were made to fill out a questionnaire which entailed selected environmental factors (accidents or trauma, exposure to chemicals, radiation, and heat) and lifestyle habits (including alcohol consumption, smoking, and whether participants sat more or less than 4 hours per day). Semen samples were then collected by masturbation into sterile containers and analysed in accordance with WHO guidance for semen analysis within 60 minutes after ejaculation and collection. Results. About 69% of participants had semen pH within the normal range compared to 15% whose pH were lower than 7.2. There was a significantly high number of immotile sperm cells ( p value = 0.017) in participants who sat for more than 4 hours as compared to those that sat for less than 4 hours in a day. Active sperm motility and viability showed significant increase ( p value = 0.002 and 0.009, respectively) in participants who kept their cell phones in their side pockets. Smoking produced a twofold decrease in sperm count as smokers had a significantly lower sperm count ( 12.28 ± 10.95 × 10 6 /ml) compared to the smoke-free ( 23.85 ± 22.14 × 10 6 /ml). For exposure to STDs, no significant differences were recorded among study groups concerning semen quality. Conclusion. Sperm quality in Ghanaian men is associated with lifestyle habits. Smoking and sitting for long hours influenced sperm motility and count, respectively. Knowledge of the factors that influence sperm quality in this geographical region can contribute to informed decisions on effective management of infertility in Ghanaian men.

Background. Breast cancer is the commonest malignancy in women worldwide. It is estimated to affect approximately 1.5 million women annually and responsible for the greatest number of cancer-related mortalities among women. In 2018, breast cancer mortalities stood at 627,000 women representing approximately 15% of all cancer deaths among women. In Ghana, breast cancer is the second leading cause of cancer deaths, with an incidence of 2,900 cases annually; one of eight women with the disease die. This gives impetus to the fight for improved early detection, treatment, and/management. In this light, we investigated the potential of death-associated protein kinase 1 (DAPK1) as a biomarker for breast cancer. As a tumour suppressor, its expression is activated by several carcinogens to influence cellular pathways that result in apoptosis, autophagy, immune response, and proliferation. Aim. To investigate DAPK1 as a blood biomarker for breast cancer. Methods. Blood samples of participants diagnosed with breast cancer and healthy controls were collected and processed to obtain serum. Information on age, treatment, diagnosis, and pathology numbers was retrieved from folders. Pathology numbers were used to retrieve breast tissue blocks of patients at the Department of Pathology of the KBTH. Tissue blocks were sectioned and immunohistochemically stained with anti-DAPK1 and counterstained with hematoxylin to determine the DAPK1 expression levels. DAKP1 levels in blood sera were quantified using a commercial anti-DAPK1 ELISA kit. Case and control group means were compared using one-way ANOVA and Chi-square test. Statistical significance was set at p≤0.05. Results and Discussion. DAPK1 levels were higher in sera and breast tissues of breast cancer patients than controls. The augmented DAPK1 expression can be interpreted as a stress response survival mechanism to remediate ongoing deleterious events in the cells orchestrated by carcinogenesis. In the presence of abundant DAPK1, the proliferative power of cells (both cancerous and noncancerous) is increased. This may explain why high DAPK1 expression strongly associates with aggressive breast cancer phenotypes like the ER-negative breast cancers, especially the triple-negative breast cancers (TNBC) which are the most aggressive, fast-growing, and highly metastatic. Conclusion. DAPK1 is highly expressed in sera and breast tissues of breast cancer patients than nonbreast cancer participants. The elevated expression of DAKP1 in circulation rather than in breast tissues makes it a candidate for use as a blood biomarker and potential use as therapeutic target in drug development.

Background: Maternal nutrition affects fetal growth and development in humans and animals. Low birth weight can be caused by maternal hypercholesterolemia and is associated with increased risk of cardiovascular and other metabolic diseases later in adult life. Cocoa powder is rich in flavonoids and reduces plasma cholesterol levels. The study investigated the effect of hypercholesterolemia and natural cocoa intake during pregnancy on the birth weight and viability of rabbit pups. Methods: Hypercholesterolemic female New Zealand White rabbits were crossed with normocholesterolemic males and randomly grouped into 2 (n = 4 each). One group (HCC) received natural cocoa powder in their water in addition to high cholesterol diet during pregnancy, whereas the other (HC) received only water and high cholesterol diet. Litter size, birth weight and viability of pups were assessed and compared to a control group (NC) fed normal rabbit chow (n = 2). Results: Average litter sizes of hypercholesterolemic rabbits (HC and HCC groups) were 3, whereas that of control group, NC was 5. Mean birth weight of pups was significantly lower in offspring of HC (42.73 g, SD 8.47) and HCC (50.0 g, SD 3.54) as compared to NC (73.0 g, SD 5.37). Mortality of offspring was highest in HC group (58.3%) as compared to 50% in HCC. Conclusions: Maternal hypercholesterolemia during pregnancy reduces litter size, birth weight and viability of offspring in rabbits and these deleterious effects may be minimized by regular intake of natural cocoa. Although further studies in humans need to be conducted, the results of this study suggest the need to monitor maternal cholesterol levels during pregnancy and the effects on pregnancy outcomes and health of offspring later in life. Keywords: Maternal nutrition, Hypercholesterolemia, Birth weight, Natural cocoa, Fetal growth

Background Breast cancer, the most commonly diagnosed cancer among women and leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide, exhibits aggressive behavior in indigenous African women evidenced by high histologic grade tumours with low hormone receptor positivity. Aggressive breast cancers grow quickly, easily metastasize and recur and often have unfavourable outcomes. The current study investigated candidate genes that may regulate tumour aggression in Ghanaian women. We hypothesize that increased expression and function of certain genes other than the widely-held view attributing breast cancer aggression in African populations to their younger population age may be responsible for the aggressive nature of tumours. Methods Employing ELISA, we assayed for vimentin and death-associated protein kinase 1 (DAPK1) from thawed archived (stored at -80 °C) serum samples obtained from 40 clinically confirmed Ghanaian breast cancer patients and 40 apparently healthy controls. Patients’ clinical records and tumour parameters matching the samples were retrieved from the database of the hospital. ANOVA was used to compare means of serum protein concentration among groups while Chi-square analysis was used for the categorical data sets with p-value ≤0.05 considered significant. Multiple logistic regression analysis was conducted to determine the association between protein concentration and tumour parameters. Results Of the 80 samples, 27 (33.8%) and 53 (66.2%) were from young (

Context: Relatively scanty literature on autochthonic African Negroid hair morphology provokes research interest for anthropological, forensic, and cosmetic purposes. Aims: This study aimed to contribute basic morphological information on Ghanaian African hairs. Settings and Design: The study was done in selected second-cycle schools in Accra, Ghana, using convenient sampling. Subjects and Methods: Hairs were obtained by pluck method, from 30 males and 30 females aged 15–20 years. Ghanaian African autochthony was established if individuals had two generations of indigenous Ghanaian parentage. Scalp, eyebrow, axilla, and pubic hairs were image captured using a digital light microscope eyepiece connected to a computer. Diameters of hair strands were measured; types of the medulla and the form and shape of the hair roots were studied. Statistical Analysis Used: ANOVA test (SPSS Version 17.0) was used to compare the means of quantitative hair features among the sexes and the four regions of the body studied. Results: Pubic hair shaft was thickest (respective male and female diameters were 100.21 μm, 88.40 μm) and eyebrow hair was thinnest (53.97 and 46.69-μm diameters in males and females, respectively). Axillary and scalp hairs were the closest in diameters with 76.21 and 72.02 μm, respectively, in males and 73.07 and 71.15 μm, respectively, in females. Continuous type medulla was predominant in all hairs, with a trend of percentage occurrence in descending order from the pubic, axilla, eyebrow, and scalp in both sexes. Conclusions: Bodily regional differences in diameter of hair shaft and medullary presence were affirmed.