ABCA7 deletion lowers age at onset of Alzheimer's disease and interacts with APOE ε4 synergistically in African-ancestry populations.

Introduction: Apolipoprotein E (APOE) and ABCA7 genes are among the strongest heritable risk factors for Alzheimer's disease (AD) in African-ancestry (AA) populations. APOE 𝜀4 affects both risk and age at onset (AAO), with lower risk in AA populations. This study evaluates the independent and interactive effects of the AA-specific ABCA7 frameshift deletion and APOE 𝜀4 allele on AAO.

Inflammatory Markers are Associated with Ischemic Stroke among Indigenous Africans: Evidence from the SIREN Study.

Background: Inflammation might predispose to worse outcomes after an ischemic stroke. This has not been characterized among indigenous Africans.

Purpose: We investigated the association between inflammatory biomarkers, stroke severity, and outcomes in Africans.

Experiences of Ghanaian frontline healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic and healthcare leadership recommendations.

Understanding the experiences of frontline healthcare workers across different national and resource contexts is important for learning how to best support these providers to optimize their services during extended health emergencies. Using qualitative methods, we conducted 20 semi-structured interviews with frontline nurses and community healthcare workers to understand their working conditions, challenges, and supports during the COVID-19 pandemic. Ghana was selected as a leader in healthcare reform among African nations.

Determinants of Cognitive Performance Among Ghanaian Hypertensive Patients: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Background: Cognitive decline is one of the most deleterious consequences of hypertension. Hypertension is rife in sub-Saharan Africa, where control of blood pressure is abysmally poor.

Objective: This study is aimed at assessing the determinants of cognitive performance among Ghanaian hypertensive patients.

Effectiveness of telerehabilitation for adults with neurological conditions in low and middle income countries: A systematic review.

Neurological conditions including stroke, multiple sclerosis, and Parkinson's significantly contribute to disability and mortality globally. A significant proportion of these cases are found in Low and Middle Income Countries (LMICs). Telerehabilitation has emerged as a promising approach to overcome the geographical, financial, and logistical barriers to rehabilitation in LMICs.

African stroke organization conference 2024: Strategies in reducing the burden of stroke.

The 4th annual African Stroke Organization Conference (ASOC) was held on November 4 and 5, 2024 at the University of Zambia School of Medicine in Lusaka, Zambia in a hybrid format. The location carried special significance as the University Teaching Hospital of Zambia had established its inaugural stroke unit in the country and showcased the early success in patient outcomes. This was the second hybrid format following the 2023 conference which was held in Ibadan, Nigeria after the first two conferences in 2021 and 2022 were held virtually because of the COVID19 pandemic.

Antecedent sedative use is independently associated with stroke occurrence among west Africans: Evidence from the SIREN case-control study.

Background: Several factors have been independently associated with stroke occurrence globally. However, the association between sedative use and stroke risk is yet to be established in West Africa.

Objective: To assess the association between sedatives and stroke among West Africans.

Epidemiological, clinical and immunological features of Schistosoma spp., Stronglyoides stercoralis and Taenia spp. infections in Ghanaian HIV patients.

Background: Interactions of helminth infections and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) remain incompletely understood. This study aimed to assess the clinical, epidemiological, and immunological characteristics of co-infections involving HIV and selected nematode, trematode and cestode species commonly detected in stool samples.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among people-living-with-HIV (PLWH) with and without anti-retroviral therapy and HIV-negative controls at a tertiary hospital in Kumasi, Ghana.

Communicating the ethical, legal, and social issues in neurobiobanking and stroke genomic research in Africa: Project intervention tools development and evaluation procedures.

Background And Aim: Issues concerning appropriate Community Engagement (CE) and communication of research outcomes with stakeholders have received the attention of scholars in different sub-fields of clinical research. However, given its novel nature, especially in Sub-Saharan Africa, CE addressing the ethical, legal, and social implications (ELSI) of neurobiobanking and stroke genomic research has not received much scholarly attention. Therefore, this study was designed as a pioneering effort to report the procedures for developing and evaluating intervention tools for the CE component of the African Neurobiobank for Precision Stroke Medicine ELSI Project.

Time delays in emergency stroke care in a low-resource referral hospital in Ghana.

Background: Patients in sub-Saharan Africa face significant delays in receiving appropriate stroke care, which negatively impacts outcomes. This study aimed to quantify the time delays in acute stroke care at the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH) and determine the effect on mortality.

Methods: This was a secondary analysis of prospectively collected data on patients ≥ 18 years with Computed Tomography (CT) scan-confirmed stroke treated at KATH's adult emergency department (ED) from November 2021 to March 2022.

Comparative epidemiology of Ghanaian individuals with molecular proof of Entamoeba histolytica with and without concomitant human immunodeficiency virus infection.

Introduction: Entamoeba histolytica is the causative agent of enteric amebiasis in human patients. Partly controversial hypotheses have been proposed regarding the potential impact of the immunological status of patients as well as HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) positivity on the prevalence and clinical course of amebiasis.

Methods: To investigate a potential interplay between the epidemiology of E.

Low vegetable consumption doubles the odds of stroke among people with hypertension: Findings from the SIREN Study in West Africa.

Background: While hypertension is a primary risk factor for higher stroke risk, adequate vegetable consumption has been linked with a lower odds of stroke. However, it is unclear whether low/inadequate vegetable consumption could aggravate the odds of stroke among people with hypertension. This study assessed the interaction of low vegetable consumption and hypertension with stroke among West Africans.

Low-density lipoprotein cholesterol and severity of intracerebral hemorrhage: Insights from the SIREN study.

Background: We investigated the link between LDL-C and markers of ICH severity among Indigenous West Africans in the Stroke Investigative Research and Education Network study.

Methods: ICH severity was evaluated using the Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS), Stroke Levity Scale (SLS), and the National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS). The serum LDL-c of the study population was dichotomized into <133 mg/dl and ≥ 133 mg/dl using the optimum threshold by the Youden Index after assessing the linear relationship between the serum LDL-c measured at admission and ICH severity markers.

Burden of perceived stress among stroke survivors in Ghana: Insights from a multicentre, cross-sectional study.

Introduction: Stroke incidence is rising rapidly in low- and middle-income countries, including Ghana. Stroke survivors face significant challenges in daily life, heightening their risk for stress. This study aims to examine the burden of perceived stress and its associated factors among stroke survivors in Ghana.

A scoping review of the utilization of mobile stroke units in low and lower middle-income countries: current evidence, implications and future direction.

Background: Low and Lower-Middle-Income Countries (LMICs) have the highest stroke incidence, prevalence, and case fatality rates globally. Current evidence suggests Mobile Stroke Units (MSUs) outperform traditional Emergency Medicine Services (EMS) in time metrics, cost-effectiveness, and long-term outcomes. MSUs could potentially improve stroke outcomes in resource-constrained settings by addressing critical challenges related to prehospital delays, health-seeking behavior, and access to expertise.

Sonographically measured optic nerve sheath diameter as a predictor of stroke severity and outcome among Ghanaian acute stroke patients.

Background: Elevated intracranial pressure (ICP) is a veritable and potentially modifiable predictor of adverse stroke outcome. Sonographically measured optic nerve sheath diameter (ONSD), a non-invasive proxy for ICP, could potentially be utilized as an objective measure of severity and outcome among acute stroke patients.

Objective: To evaluate the relationship between admission ONSD, stroke severity, and functional outcomes among patients with acute stroke.

Research participants' perception of ethical issues in stroke genomics and neurobiobanking research in Africa.

Background: There is a growing interest in stroke genomics and neurobiobanking research in Africa. These raise several ethical issues, such as consent, re-use, data sharing, storage, and incidental result of biological samples. Despite the availability of ethical guidelines developed for research in Africa, there is paucity of information on how the research participants' perspectives could guide the research community on ethical issues in stroke genomics and neurobiobanking research.

The Significance of the WHO/ISH Absolute Cardiovascular Risk Prediction Scores among Recent Stroke Survivors in Ghana-Insights from the PINGS2 multicenter study.

Background: The leading cause of stroke remains atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease. The World Health Organization/International Society of Hypertension risk score represents an effort to produce a risk assessment tool for atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease that is regionally specific. No previous work has described absolute cardiovascular risk scores among recent stroke survivors in West Africa via this tool.

Epidemiological, Clinical, and Immunological Features of Ghanaian People-Living-with-HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus) and Molecular Proof of in Their Stool Samples.

is a coccidian parasite commonly associated with enteric infections in immunocompromised individuals. The study was conducted to assess epidemiological, clinical, and immunological features of Ghanaian people living with HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) with and without antiretroviral therapy and molecular proof of -specific nucleic acid sequences in their stool samples. While was detected in 4.

Strengthening global partnerships for sustainable sickle cell disease care: insights from SickleInAfrica at the 77th United Nations General Assembly and the US-Africa Leaders' Summit.

Background: Addressing sickle cell disease (SCD) is crucial for achieving health-related Sustainable Development Goals, particularly in Africa. The region is significantly affected, with 78.7% of patients with SCD residing in sub-Saharan Africa and over 515 000 newborns diagnosed annually.

Association of Molecular Detections of Microsporidia in Stool Samples with Clinical and Immunological Parameters in Ghanaian HIV Patients.

Although the etiological relevance of the detection of microsporidia in human stool samples remains uncertain, the immunological status of patients has been posited as an important determinant of potential clinical impact of these parasites. To further assess the interplay between the epidemiology of microsporidia and immunological markers, we conducted a study utilizing real-time PCR targeting , , , and , combined in a single fluorescence channel. The study involved a cohort of 595 clinically and immunologically well-characterized Ghanaian HIV patients, alongside 82 HIV-negative control individuals from Ghana.

High Clinical Burden of spp. in Adult Patients with Acquired Immunodeficiency in Ghana.

There is a paucity of information on the prevalence, risk factors, and clinical correlates of people living with HIV (PLWH) who are co-infected with spp. in the post-combined antiretroviral therapy era in Ghana. To provide such data, in this observational study, stool samples of 640 HIV-positive and 83 HIV-negative individuals in Ghana were screened for spp.

Acceptability, barriers and facilitators of using dried blood spots-point-of-care testing for sickle cell disease in Africa: an implementation science protocol for a multinational qualitative study.

Background: Sickle cell disease (SCD) is a prevalent inherited blood disorder. Globally, approximately 515 000 babies are born with SCD annually, with 75% of these births occurring in Africa. Integrating newborn screening (NBS) for SCD into primary healthcare structures, such as immunisation programmes, holds significant promise, with dried blood spots (DBS)-point-of-care technologies (POCT) like HaemoTypeSC offering cost-effective screening solutions.