Drug resistance outcomes of long-term ART with tenofovir disoproxil fumarate in the absence of virological monitoring

Objectives: The resistance profiles of patients receiving long-term ART in sub-Saharan Africa have been poorly described. This study obtained a sensitive assessment of the resistance patterns associated with long-term tenofovir-based ART in a programmatic setting where virological monitoring is yet to become part of routine care. Methods: We studied subjects who, after a median of 4.2 years of ART, replaced zidovudine or stavudine with tenofovir disoproxil fumarate while continuing lamivudine and an NNRTI. Using deep sequencing, resistance-associated mutations (RAMs) were detected in stored samples collected at tenofovir introduction (T0) and after a median of 4.0 years (T1). Results: At T0, 19/87 (21.8%) subjects showed a detectable viral load and 8/87 (9.2%) had one or more major NNRTI RAMs, whereas 82/87 (94.3%) retained full tenofovir susceptibility. At T1, 79/87 (90.8%) subjects remained on NNRTI-based ART, 5/87 (5.7%) had introduced lopinavir/ritonavir due to immunological failure, and 3/87 (3.4%) had interrupted ART. Whilst 68/87 (78.2%) subjects maintained or achieved virological suppression between T0 and T1, a detectable viral load with NNRTI RAMs at T0 predicted lack of virological suppression at T1. Each treatment interruption, usually reflecting unavailability of the dispensary, doubled the risk of T1 viraemia. Tenofovir, lamivudine and efavirenz selected for K65R, K70E/T, L74I/V and Y115F, alongside M184V and multiple NNRTI RAMs; this resistance profile was accompanied by high viral loads and low CD4 cell counts. Conclusions: Viraemia on tenofovir, lamivudine and efavirenz led to complex resistance patterns with implications for continued drug activity and risk of onward transmission

Navigating the Dual Demands: The Impact of Polychronicity, Work-School Facilitation, and Organisational Support on Academic Performance among Ghanaian Postgraduate Students.

This study investigated the impact of polychronicity, work-school facilitation, and organisational support on the academic performance of postgraduate distance students in Ghana. The quantitative approach and explanatory research design were employed. The researchers collected data  from 341 postgraduate students across three universities offering distance education programs via a structured questionnaire. The research utilised a three-wave survey approach and analysed the data using structural equation modelling. The results showed that polychronicity does not significantly affect  academic performance. The study found that work-school facilitation fully mediates  the relationship between polychronicity and academic performance of postgraduate students. Finally, organisational support significantly moderates  the relationship between polychronicity and both academic performance and work-school facilitation. The findings suggest that organisational support is crucial in mitigating the potential stress associated with multitasking and in  easing better academic outcomes. This study contributes to the existing literature by highlighting the importance of organisational support and work-school facilitation in enhancing academic performance. It provides practical implications for educational institutions and employers to create supportive environments that can improve student outcomes

COLLABORATIVE FRENEMIES: EXPLORING THE INTERPLAY BETWEEN INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY AND COMPETITION LAW IN GHANA

Intellectual property rights generally put right holders in a dominant position in the marketplace, and rightly so, as their rights grant them some time-limited monopolies. Competition policy, on the other hand, seeks to prevent the abuse of a dominant position by regulating competition to ensure a fair market. In view of the aforesaid, there appears to be a conflict between the two legal frameworks. There are, however, some attempts at responding to the concerns of competition policy in intellectual property laws. The paper recognizes the absence of a comprehensive competition regime in Ghana. Employing a doctrinal approach to data collection and analysis, the paper reviews the points of convergence and divergence between intellectual property laws and competition policy in Ghana. The paper briefly explores the successful and challenging resolution of IP and competition law conflicts in some African countries. The paper concludes that the attempts at addressing competition concerns by the use of intellectual property legal regimes are not enough. The paper calls for proactive steps to be taken toward the passage of a comprehensive competition legal regime to ensure a fairer market, thereby promoting free trade in Africa

Performance Improvement of Non-Governmental Organisations through Financial Management: A Case study of Young Men's Christian Association of Ghana

Non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in Ghana have a history of being short-lived. However, Young Men's Christian Association (YMCA) Ghana, on the other hand has achieved notable success by impacting millions of lives over 50 years of working in Ghana. Apparently, this research investigates into the key financial management practices of NGOs in Ghana using the case of YMCA Ghana. The study revealed that, the quality of Financial Management staff and their responsibility are the most effective financial management indicator in YMCA Ghana amongst all the other well-functioning indicators. Nevertheless, it is evident in the study that the challenge YMCA Ghana faces in its financial management practice is irregular external audit review of financial and accounting data. Therefore, it is recommended that frequent subscription for external audit services should be established in NGOs and also, cost effective monitoring, evaluation, accountability and learning (MEAL) programme management framework should be adopted by NGOs in Ghana

Precursors of Warehousing Efficiency: An Empirical Study and Evaluation within an Industrialized Hub of a Developing Economy, Ghana

Warehousing make up a significant proportion of companies logistics costs. As a result the study was carried out to determine the mediating role of transportation on the relationship between inventory management and warehousing efficiency. We present an elegant warehouse efficacy mediating model rooted in the theory of working capital management (WCM) and the value of added role of logistics using data from 216 firms who operate a warehouse at Tema - the industrial hub of developing economy, Ghana. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was run in LISREL 8.8. Hierarchical regression and Hayes (2013) process Macro for SPSS was used to estimate four hypothesized paths from a proposed theoretical framework. Findings from the study suggest that robust transportation and inventory management decisions independently drives firms to be efficient in their warehousing operations. The studys findings further suggest that achieving transport objectives is also reliant on inventory management. However, dwelling on a superior mediation model, a firms ability to manage inventory in achieving efficiency in their warehousing operations is driven through their transportation inititaives. We discuss several managerial and theoretical implications as well as provide directions for future research

Pre-Service Science Teachers\u27 Attitude towards Science and Science Teaching Efficacy Beliefs

Purpose: The purpose of this descriptive study was to explore pre-service science teachers\u27 attitude towards science, science teaching outcome expectancy and personal science teaching beliefs. Specifically, the study examined pre-service science teachers\u27 attitude towards science, science teaching outcome expectancy beliefs and personal science teaching efficacy beliefs in relation to gender. Also, this study sought to establish the relationship between pre-service science teachers\u27 attitude towards science and science teaching efficacy beliefs. Methods: Data was collected by administering three set of questionnaires to 145 pre-service science teachers. Mean scores, percentages, t-test, regression and ANOVA were used to analyse the data. Results: The results showed that, pre-service science teachers used for this study have positive attitude towards science, high science teaching outcome expectancy and personal science teaching efficacy beliefs. The results also showed that, science teaching outcome expectancy beliefs and personal science teaching efficacy beliefs were gender-related. The findings of the study also revealed that, there is significant relationship between pre-service science teachers\u27 attitude towards science, science teaching outcome expectancy beliefs and personal science teaching efficacy beliefs. Unique contribution to theory, practice and policy: It was recommended that, more emphasis should be placed on science teaching methods as part of Colleges of Education training programme to equip pre-service science teachers\u27 pedagogical skills in the areas where the results revealed some lack

Knowledge and Perception of ‘Pay-to-Play’ in Football among Sport Journalists in Ghana

Football (soccer) is a major sport among the Ghanaian population, followed by Boxing and other emerging sports like Handball, Indoor Volleyball, Swimming, Field Hockey, Basketball, Badminton, and Arm Wrestling, among others. To the Ghanaian community, ‘sports is football,’ and this has attracted much attention and interest among the youth in an attempt to develop their talent and skills. With such an interest and passion among the Ghanaian youth, it is an expectation and dire hope to be featured in football competitions. This often is not the case, as there is a perceived intention of ‘Pay-to-Play’ to participate in national football competitions in Ghana. This study explored the knowledge and perception of ‘Pay-to-Play’ in football among Sports Journalists in Accra, Kumasi, and Ho. The study adopted qualitative methods with a semi-structured open-ended question sent to the respondents via Email and WhatsApp. A purposive sampling technique was used to recruit the respondents, and the snowball technique aided the researchers in reaching other Sports Journalists. The study identified the existence of ‘Pay-to-Play’ in football in Ghana. This has resulted in the loss of interest in football consumption among the youth, particularly in the Ghana Premier League, and has led to less football development in Ghana

Prevalence of positive mental health and functioning among adults with sickle cell disease in Ghana

Objectives: With increasing survival rates of children with sickle cell disease (SCD) reaching adulthood, there has been a growing interest in the quality of life and mental health functioning of affected individuals. Positive mental health is recognised as a significant dimension of human health that plays an important role in advancing well-being. This study explored the prevalence of positive mental health and functioning among a sample of Ghanaian adults with SCD. Methods: A quantitative cross-sectional survey design was implemented for data-gathering. A random sample of 62 adult SCD patients (21 to 56 years; mean age of 29 years) receiving treatment at the Sickle Cell Clinic of the Ghana Institute of Clinical Genetics at the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital completed the Mental Health Continuum–Short Form (MHC-SF). Descriptive statistics and reliability indices were estimated for the MHC-SF. We implemented Keyes’s criteria for the assessment and categorisation of levels of mental health to determine the prevalence of positive mental health and functioning. Results: We found a high level of positive mental health (66% flourishing; 26% moderately mentally healthy; 8% languishing) and functioning, with no significant difference between the genders. A total of 34% of the participants were functioning at suboptimal levels and were at risk of psychopathology. Conclusion: This study gives the first overview of the prevalence of positive mental health and functioning in a clinical population in Ghana. Although the majority of participants were flourishing, contextually appropriate positive psychological interventions are needed to promote the mental health of SCD patients who are functioning at suboptimal levels, which would, inherently, also buffer against psychopathology