http://hdl.handle.net/123456789/1495 CHAS 2026-04-23T01:35:03Z http://hdl.handle.net/123456789/9207 Postpartum fertility behaviours and contraceptive use among women in rural Ghana Eliason, Sebastian Kofi; Bockarie, Ansumana Sandy; Eliason, Cecilia Background: Although most women would want to wait for more than two years before having another baby, their fertility behaviours during the first year following birth may decrease or increase the length of the birth interval. The objectives of this study were to: assess how protected postpartum women in the Mfantseman municipal were against pregnancy, based on their patterns of amenorrhoea and sexual abstinence; determine the timing of postpartum contraception in relation to amenorrhoea and sexual abstinence; and determine the predictors of postpartum contraceptive use. Methods: This was a prospective study carried out in the Mfantseman Municipality of the Central region of Ghana. Out of 1914 women attending antenatal clinic in the municipal within the study period, 1350 agreed to be part of the study to ascertain their postpartum fertility and contraceptive behaviours a year following delivery. These women were traced to their communities using telephone and house numbers provided and only 1003 of the women were finally traced and interviewed. The women were asked about their breastfeeding behaviour, postpartum sexual abstinence, duration of amenorrhoea and postpartum contraceptive use. Results: The mean age of the respondents was 29.9 ± 6.5 years; adolescents constituted the least proportion (3.3%) of the women. More than half (54.1%) of the women had Middle, Junior secondary school or Junior high school education. Most (43.3%) of the women were married by means of traditional rites and more than half (51.4%) of them were petty traders. The mean durations of breastfeeding, amenorrhoea and sexual abstinence were 6.6 ± 2. 8 months, 7.8 ± 3.8 months and 4.4 ± 3.1 months respectively, whilst mean time of first contraceptive uptake was 3. 5 ± 2.7 months postpartum. The time to first use of modern contraceptive method during the postpartum period indicates that about 50% of the women had started use of modern contraceptive methods by 2.7 months postpartum, and occured 0.6 and 3.6 months before sexual relations and resumption of menses respectively. Occupation (likelihood ratio p = 0.013), area of residence (likelihood ratio p = 0.004), mode of delivery (likelihood ratio p < 0.001), breastfeeding (p = 0.024), period since delivery (p < 0.001), preferred number of children (p < 0.001) and parity (p < 0.001) were found to be predictors of postpartum contraceptive use. Conclusion: Postpartum women in the Mfantseman municipal who did not use contraceptives or delayed in the use of contraceptives after birth were least likely to be protected against pregnancy in the post partum period, whilst those who adopted postpartum family planning were likely to be better protected because they were likely to adopt it within the first three months after birth and before the onset of sexual relations and first menses. The predictors of postpartum contraceptive use were breastfeeding pattern, occupation, parity, preferred number of children, period since delivery, place of residence and mode of delivery. 2018-01-01T00:00:00Z http://hdl.handle.net/123456789/8788 In Vivo Antiplasmodial, Anti-Inflammatory, and Analgesic Properties, and Safety Profile of Root Extracts of Haematostaphis barteri Hook F. (Anacardiaceae) Boampong, Johnson Nyarko Malaria is an endemic disease globally and the conundrum of drug resistance has led to the search for newer antimalarial agents. The root extract of H. barteri was evaluated for antimalarial, analgesic, and anti-inflammatory properties. The prophylactic effect of H. barteri on P. berghei was determined by pretreating mice with aqueous root extract of H. barteri (30–300 mg/kg), saline, and 1.2 mg/kg sulfadoxine/pyrimethamine for three days followed by 1 × 106 P. berghei inoculation. Parasite density was measured after 72 h. The curative antimalarial property of the extract was assessed by treating mice with extract, saline, and 1.14 : 6.9 mg/kg Artemether : Lumefantrine four days after 1 × 106 P. berghei inoculation. Selected organs were harvested for toxicity assessment. The anti-inflammatory and analgesic effect of the extract was determined in the carrageenan and thermal tail withdrawal tests, respectively. The extract significantly reduced the parasite density in the prophylactic but not the curative study. The anti- inflammatory and analgesic activities of the extract were significant (𝑃 < 0.05) only at the highest doses employed. Regeneration of hepatocytes was also evident in the extract treated groups. The extract has prophylactic but not curative activity on P. berghei- induced malaria. The anti-inflammatory and analgesic property of the extract occurred at the highest doses used. 2015-10-15T00:00:00Z http://hdl.handle.net/123456789/8787 In vivo antiplasmodial and in vitro antioxidant properties of stem bark extracts of Haematostaphis barteri Boampong, Johnson Nyarko; karikari, Akua Afryie; Ameyaw, Elvis Ofori Objective: To evaluate the antimalarial and antioxidant properties of stem bark extracts of Haematostaphis barteri (H. barteri). Methods: The prophylactic activity of the plant was performed by dosing mice with sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine (1.2 mg/kg), aqueous extract (30, 100, 300 mg/kg) and dichloromethane/methanol (D/M) (30, 100, 300 mg/kg) extracts of H. barteri for 3 days. On the 4th day, the mice were inoculated with Plasmodium berghei. The parasite density was estimated for each mouse 72 h post-parasite inoculation. The curative activity of the plant was also performed by inoculating mice with Plasmodium berghei. Three days later, they were treated with artemether-lumefantrine (4 mg/kg), aqueous and D/M extracts of H. barteri stem bark for 5 days. The in vitro antioxidant property of the aqueous extract was determined by using the reducing power, nitric oxide and total antioxidant capacity assays. Results: The aqueous extract exerted significant (P < 0.05) curative and prophylactic antimalarial activities. The D/M extract exhibited significant curative (P < 0.05) but not prophylactic antiplasmodial effect. The aqueous extract exhibited in vitro antioxidant property with IC50's of (0.930 ± 0.021) mg/mL, (0.800 ± 0.001) mg/mL and (0.22 ± 0.05) mg/mL in the total antioxidant capacity, reducing power and nitric oxide assays. Histo- logical assessment of the liver of aqueous and D/M treated animals did not reveal any sign of toxicity. Conclusions: H. barteri is not toxic which exerted significant curative antiplasmodial effects but the prophylactic property was however fraction dependent. The mechanism of the antiplasmodial activity of H. barteri may partly be mediated by its antioxidant property. 2015-02-03T00:00:00Z http://hdl.handle.net/123456789/8785 In vitro Cercaricidal Activity of Fractions and Isolated Compounds of Erythrophleum ivorense (Fabaceae) Root Bark against Schistosoma haematobium Armah, Francis A.; Amoani, Benjamin; Henneh, Isaac T.; Dickson, Rita A.; Adokoh, Christian K.; Amponsah, Isaac Kingsley; Adu-Gyamfi, Cecilia; Acheampong, Desmond Omane ntroduction: Schistosoma haematobium is one of the species of Schistosoma responsible for schistosomiasis in humans, a major public health problem worldwide. Praziquantel, the most effective drug against all adult stages of human schistosomiasis, faces the threat of resistance and also has sub-optimal efficacy against cercaria, an immature form of schistosomiasis. This underscores the need to search for an alternative anti-schistosomal drug with pronounced activity particularly against cercaria. Aim: This study investigated anti-cercarial activity of total crude (70% ethanolic extract), fractions (methanolic, ethyl acetate and petroleum ether) and isolated bioactive compounds from the root bark of Erythrophleum ivorense. Study Design: In vitro anti-cercarial activity was evaluated using 20 freshly shed cercariae from Schistosoma haematobium species transferred into 20 well plates. Cercaricidal effect of the various concentrations (15.6, 31.3, 62.5, 125.0, 250.0 and 500.0 µg/mL) of test extracts and compounds were observed for 3 hours using an inverted microscopy. The results showed that extracts and compounds of the plant decreased percentage viability of cercariae in a dose-dependent manner. Results: Within two hours of incubation, all cercariae died at the various concentrations of test compounds and extracts with the exception of methanol extract and the bioactive compound erythroivorensin at 15.6 ߤg/mL. The least potent extract, methanol, had an IC50 of 2.11±0.10 ߤg/mL. Eriodictyol, being the most active compound had an IC50 of 1.23 ± 0.05 ߤg/mL. Conclusion: It is evident from the results obtained that fractions and isolated bioactive compounds of Erythrophleum ivorense can be a potential cercaricidal agent and therefore should be investigated further. _____________________________________________________________________________________________________ 2019-02-15T00:00:00Z