Browsing by Author "Sakyi, Samuel Asamoah"
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- ItemDemographic, Clinical Profile of Rheumatoid Arthritis Patients and Their Association with Disease Severity in Ghana(Hindawi, 2024) Buckman, Tonnies Abeku; Sakyi, Samuel Asamoah; Yeboah-Mensah, Kwame; Antwi, Maxwell Hubert; Darban, Isaac; Owusu-Brenya, Lawrence; Yorke, Joseph; 0000-0002-5229-0340Background. Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is one of the frequent chronic, systemic, inflammatory autoimmune disorders with an estimated global prevalence of 1%. RA leads to joint destruction and disability if left untreated. Ghana has seen very few studies on RA, and little is known about the disease’s severity and related variables. This study sought to characterize the clinical presentation and determine disease severity and associated risk factors with disease severity among RA patients in a tertiary hospital in Ghana. Methods. This cross-sectional study was conducted between September 2020 and August 2021. This study included 56 consecutively consenting RA patients from the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital orthopaedic unit. Diagnosis of RA was based on the updated American College of Rheumatology/European League Against Rheumatism (ACR/EULAR) 2022 rheumatoid arthritis classification criteria by a rheumatologist. A study questionnaire was used to gather participant demographics and clinical features, and results from the laboratory were taken from the patients’ charts and medical records. The patients’ disease severity was evaluated based on the rheumatoid arthritis disease activity score, which is based on a 28-joint count (DAS28), and their functioning was evaluated using the modified health assessment questionnaire. Results. The participants’ mean age was 51 25 ± 13 22 years. Out of the total participants, 46 were females, and 10 were males (female-to-male ratio 4.6 : 1). Moreover, 37.50% had arthritis of the hand; 5.30% had severe disease, and 94.60% were not severe. A majority (76.80%) were on methotrexate medication. The most frequently involved joints were the knee (42.90%), wrist (32.10%), and elbow (12.50%). There was no statistically significant association with disease severity and a functional status score of >0.5 (cOR: 10.60, 95% CI (0.52-217.30); p = 0 124). In addition, marital status (p = 0 04), disease duration (p = 0 04), family complaints (p = 0 02), and ESR (p = 0 03) were significantly associated with disease severity. Conclusion. RA is predominant among elder populations and females. Disease duration, family complaints, and ESR are associated with disease severity. The findings of this study call for interventions towards ensuring early diagnosis of RA among high-risk populations to enhance good management practices.
- ItemInvestigation of serum level relationship of pro-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory cytokines with vitamin D among healthy Ghanaian population(BMC Publisher, 2024) Antwi, Maxwell Hubert; Sakyi, Samuel Asamoah; Appiah, Seth Christopher Yaw; Buckman, Tonnies Abeku; 0000-0002-5229-0340Background The interplay between vitamin D status and inflammatory cytokines in a supposedly sufficient sunshine environment has not well been evaluated. The study sought to determine their association. Methods This cross-sectional study involved 500 healthy adult blood donors from some selected hospitals in Ghana enrolled from June to November 2016. Venous blood samples were obtained from participants, 25(OH)D, TNF-alpha, IFN-gamma, and IL 10 were measured using enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) technique. Serum levels of 25(OH)D<20ng/ml were classified as being deficient or low. Results The average age of the participants was 27.97 years. No statistically significant association was established between 25(OH) D status, mean age (p=0.1693), and gender (p=0.5461) of study participants. Similarly, the median 25(OH) D (p=0.8392), IL-10 (p=0.5355), TNF-alpha (p=0.9740), and IFN-gamma (p=0.6908) were not significantly different across gender. There was a significantly increased levels of TNF-alpha (p<0.0001) and IFN-gamma (p<0.0001) among participants with 25(OH) D deficiency compared to those without deficiency. Concurrently, participants with 25(OH)D deficiency had a significantly reduced levels of IL-10 (p<0.0001) compared to those without 25 (OH) D deficiency. The most accurate biochemical markers for identifying 25 (OH) D deficiency were IFN gamma (AUC=0.879; p<0.0001) followed by TNF-gamma (AUC=0.849; p<0.0001) and IL-10 (AUC=0.707; p<0.0001). Conclusion There was a significant association between vitamin D levels and pro-inflammatory cytokines (TNF alpha, IFN-gamma) and anti-inflammatory cytokine (IL 10) among healthy Ghanaian populace.
- ItemMolecular characterization of interactions between the D614G variant of SARS-CoV-2 S-protein and neutralizing antibodies: A computational approach(Infection, Genetics and Evolution, 2021) Kwarteng, Alexander; Asiedu, Ebenezer; Sylverken, Augustina Angelina; Larbi, Amma; Sakyi, Samuel Asamoah; Asiedu, Samuel Opoku; 0000-0002-0893-2908; 0000-0003-2867-1984; 0000-0002-7691-914X; 0000-0002-3814-6924; 0000-0001-5168-4762; 0000-0002-0352-3195The D614G variant of SARS-CoV-2 S-protein emerged in early 2020 and quickly became the dominant circulating strain in Europe and its environs. The variant was characterized by the higher viral load, which is not associated with disease severity, higher incorporation into the virion, and high cell entry via ACE-2 and TMPRSS2. Previous strains of the coronavirus and the current SARS-CoV-2 have demonstrated the selection of mutations as a mechanism of escaping immune responses. In this study, we used molecular dynamics simulation and MM-PBSA binding energy analysis to provide insights into the behaviour of the D614G S-protein at the molecular level and describe the neutralization mechanism of this variant. Our results show that the D614G S-protein adopts distinct conformational dynamics which is skewed towards the open-state conformation more than the closed-state conformation of the wild-type S-protein. Residue-specific variation of amino acid flexibility and domain specific RMSD suggest that the mutation causes an allosteric conformational change in the RBD. Evaluation of the interaction energies between the S-protein and neutralizing antibodies show that the mutation may enhance, reduce or not affect the neutralizing interactions depending on the neutralizing antibody, especially if it targets the RBD. The results of this study have shed insights into the behaviour of the D614G S-protein at the molecular level and provided a glimpse of the neutralization mechanism of this variant.