Welcome message from the Editor-in-chief 2025

Abstract

It is with much pleasure that I welcome you to Volume 7 Issue 1 of the Health Sciences Investigations Journal (HSI Journal). The Journal remains committed to reaching the global community with open-access publications from basic and clinical health sciences. HSI Journal therefore places a high premium on the quality of research articles published and the impact of outcomes on health (complete physical, mental and social well-being) and thus consistently provides an avenue for communication of research findings in health, the science of well-being. During the 2023-2024 calendar year, HSI Journal experienced a substantial increase in manuscripts submitted for consideration in publishing and a corresponding rise in requests for indexing from Medical and Health-related Websites. As I reflect on the HSI Journal’s accomplishments in 2024, I am encouraged by the fortitude, passion, dedication and commitment of our Editors, Editorial and Administrative Teams who persevered through economic times for the University of Ghana and The College of Health Sciences.
The current issue of the HSI Journal we have featured 22 manuscripts, comprising 20 original articles, and two case control studies. The substantial increase in the number of articles published in this issue indicates the level of visibility attained and acceptance of the HSI Journal by the scientific and clinical communities. The current issue of the Journal contains a case study on the atypical intestinal serosal granulomatous lesions of Schistosoma haematobium and Schistosoma mansoni coinfection presenting in a surgical unit in an obstructed hernia.

The intraoperative findings pose a clinical dilemma and difficult management decision. This presentation of extensive serosal and omental granulomatous lesions is uncommon. This is a rare condition that surgeons must know in cases of parasitic infestations with schistosomiasis. In this issue, we also present a case of unilateral fused kidney (inferior ectopia). The incidence is said to be 1 in 2000 births and more common in males compared to females. A left-to-right positioning is about three times more common compared to right-to-left. This case of a right-to-left is therefore rarer, and clinically most cases present in the paediatric age group. There is also an interesting article on lessons for future pandemics following the recent COVID-19 episode. The COVID-19 pandemic had overwhelming effects on global health, with a complex interaction between socioeconomic factors and mental health outcomes.