Health Sciences Investigations Journal

Welcome message from the Editor-in-Chief Volume 8 Issue 2 2026

Benjamin Arko-Boham — Mon, 30 Mar 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Welcome to the April 2026 issue of Health Sciences Investigations Journal (Volume 8, Issue 2). This edition follows the recent publication of our previous issue in March 2026 (Volume 8, Issue 1). The journal continues to receive a substantial volume of manuscript submissions, and we remain committed to publishing issues in succession to enable timely dissemination of research while reassuring our authors of our dedication to rapid publication. This issue opens with a perspective by Obeng-Nkrumah, Labi, and Opintan, who examine the role of municipal and
environmental water systems as potential reservoirs and conduits for the horizontal transmission of antimicrobial resistance—a critical public health concern warranting immediate academic and policy discourse. The edition further presents a collection of original investigations spanning clinical and diagnostic innovations, pharmacology and anthropometry, and the evaluation of evidence-based interventions addressing critical challenges in global health. In clinical diagnostics, Adankwah et al. evaluate the diagnostic utility of touch imprint cytology as an alternative to frozen section analysis. Their findings suggest that
this technique provides a high-accuracy, cost-effective diagnostic pathway for malignancy in resource-constrained surgical settings. Yangnemenga et al. provide a critical assessment of current typhoid diagnostic protocols, highlighting significant variations in test sensitivity and the subsequent implications for clinical management.

Citation in Honour of Professor Andrew Anthony Adjei

Benjamin Arko-Boham — Mon, 27 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000

A Tribute to Professor Andrew Anthony Adjei on his Retriement as Editor-in-Chief of the Health Sciences Investigations (HSI) Journal. A Tribute to Professor Andrew Anthony Adjei on His Retirement as Editor-in-Chief of the Health Sciences Investigations Journal.
It is with profound respect and heartfelt gratitude that we honor Professor Andrew Anthony Adjei upon his retirement as Editor-in-Chief of the Health Sciences Investigations (HSI) Journal. Since his appointment in 2017 as Chairman to establish this pioneering journal for the College of Health Sciences, Professor Adjei has demonstrated visionary leadership, steadfast commitment, and an unwavering dedication to academic excellence.
As the founding architect of the HSI Journal, he laid the foundation for a publication designed to amplify the voices of local and continental scholars, foster interdisciplinary dialogue, and advance the frontiers of health sciences research. His appointment as Editor-in-Chief in 2018 marked the beginning of a transformative era. With characteristic resolve, he assembled a distinguished editorial team, instituted rigorous peer-review standards, and championed the principles of open access and ethical publishing.
Under his stewardship, the HSI Journal achieved notable milestones: the successful launch of its inaugural issue in 2020; indexing in Scopus 2022 affirming the journal's quality and international relevance; and the publication of eight editions that have enriched the scholarly landscape. Each accomplishment reflects his discipline, diligence, and pursuit of excellence.

About the Cover Portrait “Unwavering

Koney-Kwaku Nii Koney — Mon, 30 Mar 2026 00:00:00 +0000

“Unwavering”
Artist's perspective Unwavering” presents itself as a study in collective resolve rather than individual portraiture. The three female figures are rendered at a monumental scale, towering above the settlement they inhabit. This elevation is symbolic, not heroic in the classical sense, but existential.
They are larger because they carry more than themselves. The composition is unified by forward motion. All three figures move in the same direction, creating a visual rhythm that suggests continuity and shared purpose. There is no hesitation here. The title finds its meaning in posture rather than expression. These women do not announce strength; they embody it. Motherhood appears without sentimentality. The child is integrated into the figure’s stride, an extension of responsibility rather than an interruption of agency. It is a portrayal of care that coexists with movement, asserting that nurture and progress are not opposing forces. Livelihood is addressed through the figure bearing a tray of fruit. The gesture is modest, almost understated, yet loaded with meaning. Work is presented as dignity, survival as order. The fruits are not decorative; they are currency, sustenance, proof of self reliance.

Potable water systems: an underexplored transmission pathway in antibiotic resistance

Noah Obeng-Nkrumah, Appiah-Korang Labi, Japheth A Opintan — Mon, 30 Mar 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) remains a critical global health threat despite advances in conventional control measures such as stewardship, surveillance, and infection prevention. Emerging evidence suggests that environmental pathways, particularly potable water systems, may represent significant conduits for AMR transmission, yet the contribution of these pathways to human infection and colonization remains underexplored. In low- and middle-income country settings, vulnerabilities and inequities in drinking water infrastructure may further amplify AMR transmission risk. Rigorous investigations integrating genomic, epidemiological, and infrastructure assessments are essential to determine the role of drinking water in human colonization and infection. Such evidence is urgently needed to inform targeted interventions, particularly for vulnerable urban populations and healthcare settings where water-mediated transmission may significantly contribute to the overall AMR burden.

Two and a half decades of impact: contributions of the Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research Laboratory Animal Facility to biomedical research in Ghana and the West African sub-region

Mon, 30 Mar 2026 10:33:48 +0000

Background: Laboratory animal facilities are essential enablers of biomedical research, supporting disease modelling, drug evaluation, and safety studies. The Laboratory Animal Facility (LAF) at the Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research (NMIMR), established in 2000 with Japanese support, has become a cornerstone of biomedical research in Ghana and West Africa.
Objective: This study documents the LAF’s operations and contributions over 25 years, highlighting its role in disease research, medicinal plant studies, training, and ethical compliance.
Methods: A retrospective review of LAF records, training logs, publications, and collaborations (2000 – 2025) was conducted. Data were summarised using descriptive statistics, with research models and training outputs organised thematically.
Results: The LAF produced over 20,000 Specific Pathogen Free (SPF) rodents, supporting >75 ethically approved projects in communicableand non-communicable disease research. It trained >170 researchers in animal science and contributed to >500 peer-reviewed publications.
Key disease models developed included Buruli ulcer, malaria, diabetes, epilepsy, benign prostate hyperplasia (BPH), and wound healing. The facility’s output is regionally significant, with 60% of supported projects involving international collaborations. Continuous upgrades have enhanced biosafety and welfare standards, as well as ISO/IEC 17025:2017-aligned operations.
Conclusion: The LAF has strengthened regional research capacity through good-quality animal models, training, and ethical oversight. Sustained investment in infrastructure, molecular characterisation of strains, and partnerships will expand its role in translational research and innovation.

Unsweetened Theobroma cacao powder mitigates oxidative stress and preserves hepatic function in ethanol-fed Sprague Dawley rats

Mon, 30 Mar 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Background: Morphological evidence suggests that unsweetened cocoa powder (UCP) prevents hepatic injury in experimental ethanol ingesting animal models, possibly due to its antioxidant and anti inflammatory potentials. However, the functional integrity of hepatocytes and the underlying mechanisms are underexplored.
Objective: This study investigated the protective effect of UCP on liver function in ethanol-ingesting male Sprague-Dawley rats.
Methods: Male rats (200-220 g) were fed daily for 8 weeks with either 30% ethanol, 300 mg/kg UCP p.o, or 30% ethanol and 300 mg/kg UCP p.o. 6 h later. Rats that were neither fed with UCP nor ethanol served as controls. At the experimental endpoint, cardiac blood was collected for liver function test, prothrombin time and C-reactive protein assay. The large lobe of the liver was processed and stained with periodic acid Schiff (PAS) and lipofuschin. PAS-stained livers were used for hepatocyte glycogen estimation. The remaining lobes were homogenised for total antioxidant capacity and catalase activity assays.
Results: Compared to the control, ethanol-only-fed rats showed lower serum total protein, albumin, and globulin, and lower hepatocyte glycogen, and higher prothrombin time. Also, ethanol-only-fed rats showed increased serum AST/ALT ratio, CRP, total bilirubin, and unconjugated bilirubin, but reduced conjugated bilirubin. Additionally, the livers of the ethanol-only-fed rats exhibited increased TAC, low catalase and increased lipofuscin accumulation. However, compared with ethanol-only-fed rats, UCP-treated ethanol-fed rats showed higher serum total protein, albumin, and globulin, and higher hepatocyte glycogen, and a lower prothrombin time. UCP-treated ethanol-fed rats also exhibited higher serum conjugated bilirubin, lower unconjugated bilirubin, less lipofuscin accumulation, and higher TAC and catalase levels compared to the ethanol-only-fed rats.
Conclusion: Ingestion of UCP alongside ethanol not only attenuates hepatocellular damage but also preserves hepatic function, possibly by mitigating inflammation and oxidative stress. Thus, UCP could protect against alcohol-induced liver damage.

Development and validation of a novel clinical instrument for wound management at a tertiary hospital in Ghana

Mon, 30 Mar 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Background: Wound management remains a challenge globally. Patients’ outcomes after wound care have not been satisfactory due to the lack of an appropriate clinical guideline instrument for wound management among nurses in health institutions in Ghana. Some of the desired outcomes include infection prevention, faster wound healing, fewer complications, fewer hospitalisations, and decreased mortality. However,
the currently available instrument in Ghana has not yielded the desired results, highlighting the need for a more appropriate, standardised instrument to improve wound care outcomes.
Objective: This study aimed to develop and evaluate the instrument for managing wounds.
Methods: This cross-sectional study involved 200 consenting nurses of various ranks recruited from four departments at Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital. The instrument used was self-administered. It involved 23 items on a 4-point Likert scale from three domains: before, during and after and two subdomains: assessment and technique. Mean scores were computed for each item. Values greater than or equal to 2 were classified as good knowledge and practice. Cronbach’s α was used to test reliability, and the content validity index (CVI) for validity of the tool.
Results: Cronbach’s α was 0.7, the CVI was 0.87, and the interclass correlation coefficient was 0.801. The mean scores of the domains were: before (3.3 ± 0.4); during (3.2 ± 0.4); after (3.8 ± 0.2), technique of wound care (3.5 ± 0.5); and wound assessment (3.2 ± 0.4). The maximum score was 4. These mean scores were all above 3, indicating positive responses to most items in the instrument.
Conclusion: The instrument had high reliability and a good CVI, with high positive mean scores on the items. The instrument is therefore reliable for use in wound care to improve quality, patient outcomes, and patient satisfaction.

Comprehensive Analysis of Pathogenic Variants in Tuberculosis Susceptibility Genes and Their Correlation with Incidence Rates Across Multiple Continents: A Comparative Study

Mon, 30 Mar 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Background: Tuberculosis (TB), caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis, remains one of the leading infectious diseases worldwide. Host genetic variation plays a crucial role in determining susceptibility to TB infection; however, the distribution and impact of genetic variants across global populations are not yet fully understood.
Objective: This study aimed to identify genetic variants associated with susceptibility to TB infection and to evaluate their allele frequencydistribution and correlation with TB incidence across different populations..
Methods: A bioinformatics approach was employed to analyze four key genetic variants: rs35296992 (LGSN), rs9272785 (HLA-DQA1), rs41553512 (HLA-DRB5), and rs2269497 (RGS12). Analyses included global allele frequency distribution, correlation testing with TB incidence, and gene expression profiling across multiple tissues.
Results: The findings revealed significant geographic variation in allele frequencies. American populations exhibited higher frequencies of rs41553512 and rs2269497, African populations showed the highest frequency of rs9272785, while European populations had the highest frequency of rs35296992. Correlation analysis demonstrated a positive association between all variants and TB incidence, with rs9272785
showing the strongest correlation, followed by rs35296992. Variants rs41553512 and rs2269497 also showed significant but weaker correlations. Additionally, these variants exhibited distinct expression patterns in lung, liver, and whole blood tissues, highlighting their potential role in immune response mechanisms.
Conclusion: The identified genetic variants significantly contribute to TB susceptibility and display population-specific distributions. These findings emphasize the importance of genomic approaches in understanding host–pathogen interactions and support the development of personalized therapeutic strategies. Such insights may enhance TB prevention and treatment outcomes across diverse populations.

Performance of Widal IgM/IgG rapid diagnostic tests, and stool culture in identifying asymptomatic typhoid infections

Edwin Yangnemenga, Yatik Konlaan, Darnell Moses-Tetteh, Victor Kwame Adjomah — Wed, 01 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Background: Introduction: Non-febrile asymptomatic persons present a unique case definition for typhoid since the only means of diagnosi is the detection of typhoidal antigens or antibodies or the growth of Salmonella bacteria in cultures. However, in recent times, the diagnostic capacities of commonly used testing regimes have been called into question.
Objective: The study examined the test characteristics of three testing regimes, Widal, IgM/IgG Rapid Diagnostic test, and stool culture tests in the diagnosis of typhoid fever among non-febrile asymptomatic persons.
Methods: The cross-sectional study sampled healthy persons in Atebubu Municipality. Blood and stool samples were collected from each participant after they consented to the study and completed a sociodemographic questionnaire. Participants’ sera were tested for antibodies against Salmonella “O” and “H” antigens, and the presence of IgM and IgG against Salmonella antigens. Stool samples were cultured on Salmonella-Shigella agar, and the characteristic colonies of Salmonella spp. identified. The degree of agreement between different tests and standard tests was analysed by calculating Cohen’s kappa statistic.
Results: Eighty-three (83) study participants were studied. The diagnostic tests evaluated in this study vary significantly in their performance metrics. While immunological tests such as IgM and IgG show promise in detecting typhoid fever, they also present challenges in specificity and agreement with culture methods. The Widal test, despite its high specificity, has low sensitivity, limiting its usefulness for accurate diagnosis of typhoid fever. The IgM test demonstrated high sensitivity (89.3%) but low specificity (32.7%), suggesting its effectiveness in detecting true cases while exhibiting a considerable rate of false positives. Conversely, the IgG test showed lower sensitivity (50.0%) but higher specificity (65.5%), indicating better utility in ruling out non-cases. Notably, extended culture incubation (48hrs) significantly increased test sensitivity rates compared to 24hr cultures.
Conclusion: Complementary testing regimens should be adapted to increase diagnostic accuracy in typhoid fever, especially among non febrile, asymptomatic patients.

Feasibility and accuracy of touch imprint cytology for rapid cancer diagnosis in resource-constrained environments

Wed, 01 Apr 2026 03:00:58 +0000

Background: Conventional cancer diagnosis is largely dependent on histology and frozen sections (FS)
and thus, presents challenges in resource-limited settings due to cost and technical demands. Conversely, Touch Imprint Cytology (TIC) is rapid, easy to perform, and requires less expertise and facilities. This study investigated TIC’s diagnostic performance in Ghana.
Objective: This study investigated TIC’s diagnostic performance in Ghana.
Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study of 28 participants with suspected tumour lesions was conducted. Four tumour imprints were prepared for each sample: two smears were immediately fixed with 95% ethanol and stained with Papanicolaou stain, and the remaining two smears were air-dried and Giemsa-stained. The tissues from surgery were fixed in 10% neutral buffered formalin, processed into paraffin wax blocks, sectioned and stained with Haematoxylin and Eosin for histopathological analysis.
Results: TIC diagnosed 32.1% (n = 9), 60.7% (n = 17) and 7.1% (n = 2) cases as malignant, benign and atypical, respectively. Histopathology diagnosed 35.7% (n = 10) cases as malignant and 18 (64.3%) as benign. There was an almost perfect agreement between TIC and histopathology (Cohen’s Kappa: 0.856). TIC showed high diagnostic performance, with a sensitivity of 90% (95% CI: 59.6% - 98.2%) and specificity of 100% (95% CI: 82.5% - 100.0%). The overall accuracy was 96.4% with 95%CI (82.3% - 99.4%)
Conclusion: TIC demonstrates high diagnostic accuracy for malignancies. Its ease of use and affordability support its potential as a viable substitute for FS and a valuable adjunct to histopathology in resource-limited countries.

Ulna length predicts height measured by stadiometer among adults attending the University of Cape Coast Hospital, Ghana

Mon, 27 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Background: The Malnutrition Universal Screening Tool (MUST) suggests the use of ulna length as an alternative method for determining patients’ height when measured standing height is not possible to obtain. Ulna length has been studied as a potential surrogate measure for height estimation in various populations.
Objective: This study evaluated the agreement between height predicted by ulna length using the Elia (2003) predictive equation and height measured by stadiometer among adults in the University of Cape Coast Hospital (UCC-H) Outpatient Department (OPD) in Ghana.
Methods: This cross-sectional study sampled 402 adults from the UCC-H OPD in Ghana. Data on anthropometric measurements, including height and ulna length, were collected. R version 4.3.2 was used for statistical computing and graphics. Measurement error, error range, limits of agreement, and the Bland-Altman plot were used to assess the agreement between standing height and the height predicted by ulna length.
Sex-stratified analyses and internal validation were also performed.
Results: The mean difference (bias) between predicted and measured height was an overestimation of +14.6 cm (95% CI: 13.6 cm,15.5 cm). The 95% Limits of Agreement (LOA) were wide, ranging from −4.9 cm to +34.1 cm. Linear regression showed a strong correlation (R2 =0.86), but a Bland-Altman analysis revealed the lack of clinical interchangeability. The analysis for proportional bias was non-significant (p= 0.18). Sex-specific equations materially reduced the bias and LOA, although the agreement remained clinically unacceptable.
Conclusion: The Elia (2003) equation significantly and systematically overestimates the height of this sampled adult OPD population. The wide LOA indicates that the predicted height is not clinically interchangeable with measured height, which could lead to substantial misclassification of Body Mass Index (BMI). We recommend the development and external validation of population-specific equations before any routine clinical use in this setting.