Pharmacology, Toxicology and Environmental Health Commons^™

Agricultural Development In The Northern Savannah Of Ghana, Tara N. Wood

Doctor of Plant Health Program: Dissertations and Student Research

Since declaring independence in 1957, the Republic of Ghana has become a stable constitutional democracy. Ghana’s economy has grown substantially over the past decade, yet remains primarily agrarian, accounting for 50% of the total employment and 25% of the country’s Gross Domestic Product. Smallholder rain-fed farming using rudimentary technologies dominates the agricultural sector accounting for 80% of total agricultural production. Approximately 90% of smallholder farms are less than two hectares in size, and produce a diversity of crops. The major crops cultivated in Ghana include numerous cereal, root and tuber, leguminous, fruit, vegetable and industrial crops. Maize is the most …

Evaluation Of A Novel Rapid Diagnostic Test For Schistosoma Haematobium Based On The Detection Of Human Immunoglobulins Bound To Filtered Schistosoma Haematobium Eggs, Johnathan M. Sheele, Jimmy H. Kihara, Sarah Baddorf, Jonathan Byrne, Bhaskara Ravi

Mathematics & Statistics Faculty Publications

Objectives To determine whether the detection of human IgG bound to Schistosoma haematobium eggs from filtered urine could be used as a rapid diagnostic test (RDT-Sh).

Methods We filtered 160 urine samples from children in the Kwale District of Kenya to isolate S.haematobium eggs and used anti-human IgG antibody conjugated to horseradish peroxidase to bind to the human IgG attached to the eggs. We then added 3,35,5-tetramethylbenzidine base (TMB), which turns blue in the presence of horseradish peroxidase to detect the S.haematobium eggs. The RDT-Sh was compared in a blinded manner to urine microscopy.

Results The RDT-Sh was positive in …

Calcium Montmorillonite Clay Reduces Urinary Biomarkers Of Fumonisin B₁ Exposure In Rats And Humans, Abraham Robinson, Natalie M. Johnson, A. Strey, John F. Taylor, Alicia Marroquin-Cardona, N. J. Mitchell, Evans Afriyie-Gyawu, Nii-Ayi Ankrah, Jonathan H. Williams, Jia-Sheng Wang, Pauline E. Jolly, R. J. Nachman, Timothy D. Phillips

Environmental Health Sciences Faculty Publications

Fumonisin B1 (FB1) is often a co-contaminant with aflatoxin (AF) in grains and may enhance AF’s carcinogenicity by acting as a cancer promoter. Calcium montmorillonite (i.e. NovaSil, NS) is a possible dietary intervention to help decrease chronic aflatoxin exposure where populations are at risk. Previous studies show that an oral dose of NS clay was able to reduce AF exposure in a Ghanaian population. In vitro analyses from our laboratory indicated that FB1 (like aflatoxin) could also be sorbed onto the surfaces of NS. Hence, our objectives were to evaluate the efficacy of NS clay to reduce urinary FB1 in …

Aflatoxin B1 Albumin Adducts In Plasma And Aflatoxin M1 In Urine Are Associated With Plasma Concentrations Of Vitamins A And E, Francis A. Obuseh, Pauline E. Jolly, Yi Jiang, Faisal M. B. Shuaib, John Waterbor, William O. Ellis, Chandrika J. Piyathilake, Renee A. Desmond, Evans Afriyie-Gyawu, Timothy D. Phillips

Evans Afriyie-Gyawu

Background: Although aflatoxin exposure has been shown to be associated with micronutrient deficiency in animals, there are few investigations on the effects of aflatoxin exposure on micronutrient metabolism in humans.
Objective: To examine the relationship between aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) albumin adducts (AF-ALB) in plasma and the aflatoxin M1 (AFM1) metabolite in urine and plasma concentrations of retinol (vitamin A) and α-tocopherol (vitamin E) in Ghanaians.
Methods: A cross-sectional study of 147 adult participants was conducted. Blood and urine samples were tested for aflatoxin and vitamins A and E levels.
Results: Multivariable analysis showed that participants with high AF-ALB (≥ 0.80 …