Background: In Ghana, information on the prevalence and pattern of Head and Neck Cancers (HNCA) is scarce. There are few publications based on specific sub-sites of the head and neck, however, literature on the prevalence and pattern of HNCA in general is lacking. The present study aimed to describe the pattern of HNCA among patients seen at the multidisciplinary HNCA clinic of Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital. Methods: This is a retrospective review of all consecutive patient records seen at the multidisciplinary clinic from 2004 to 2009. Results: There were 149 males and 103 females giving a male to female ratio of 1.45:1. The age range was 2-95 years with a mean of 48.1 years. The commonest type of HNCA in this review is cancers of the oral cavity (29.4%), followed by accessory sinuses (13.9%) and larynx (13.5%). Nasopharyngeal cancer affected young people, with 34.5% of affected patients aged between 10 and 19 years. The commonest histopathological type was squamous cell carcinoma (49.6%). Majority (47.6%) of patients presented at stage IV. Conclusion: The commonest HNCA is oral cancer. Majority of patients with HNCA are presenting late calling for public health education to raise awareness and promote early detection.

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The number of cleft surgeries was found to increase per year, and unilateral cleft lip was identified as the commonest type of cleft cases. Financial, logistic, and training support to cleft clinics in developing countries would play an essential role in the treatment of cleft patients.

PurposeDespite the amount of considerable investigations on business models, much studies have not been undertaken in the construction industry emphasising the adoption of green business models to drive sustainable construction. Construction activities continue to increase the carbon footprint and eject contaminated materials into the ecological environment with dire consequences for economic and social sustainability. As a result of the adverse impacts of construction activities, it is necessary for construction firms to rethink their approach to the use of conventional business models. The purpose of this study is to explore a framework for the adoption of green business models to drive sustainability in the construction industry of Ghana.Design/methodology/approachThis research is exploratory due to its focus on emerging economies in which there is a perceptible gap in the adoption of green business models. As a result of this, this paper is entrenched in the interpretivist philosophical stance, which led to the adoption of the qualitative approach. Semi-structured interviews were undertaken involving 13 senior managers of construction firms. A thematic analysis was used with the aid of qualitative data analysis computer software package to code the interview transcripts.FindingsThe results demonstrate the six definitions of green business models among the managers of construction firms. The study also shows the need for developing green business models to address the issues of circularity and sustainability goals to reduce carbon footprints in the construction industry. Similarly, the paper found various sources of information to drive the awareness, understanding and adoption of the components for green business models. These sources include international conferences and training workshops on green business models. Finally, the study presents a framework that integrates the building information modelling (BIM) and the Internet of things (IoT) into the components for green business models adoption in construction firms.Research limitations/implicationsThere is a need to use the quantitative approach to undertake further empirical studies, as this paper focuses mostly on the qualitative approach to ascertain the nature of the relationship between green business model and the various components of the circular economy in the construction industry.Originality/valueThe study contributes to the existing knowledge on green business models by demonstrating six key pillars of green business models by the inclusion of digital technologies such as BIM and IoT, which hitherto this investigation have not been considered in the adoption of green business models in the construction industry. This study extends the existing knowledge on green business models, which has the potential to increase the awareness and understanding of practitioners and managers of construction firms.

Background: Despite significant advances in cleft lip and palate (CLP) care, the often quoted "rule of 10 s" has not been objectively investigated concerning its practicality since its inception, especially, in low-resourced country like Ghana. Aim of the Study: This was to evaluate the unilateral cleft lip weight, haemoglobin and surgical repair outcome by considering the "Rule of 10's". Materials and Methods: A retrospective study of all consecutive patients who presented with unilateral cleft lip and were operated on during the period 2011 to 2015. The information retrieved from the patient's records included the following at the time of surgery: Age (weeks), weight (pounds), hemoglobin level (g/dl), type of cleft and surgical outcome. Results: A total of 120 patients were seen during the study period (2011 to 2015) that had unilateral cleft lip. Female to male ratio was 3:2. (74) 62% had in addition, cleft palate (UCLp) and (46) 38% were only unilateral cleft lip without a palate (UCLo). Unilateral cleft lip was also divided into complete(UCLc) and incomplete unilateral cleft lip(UCLi). Out of the total number 120 patients seen during the study period, (80) 67% had complete unilateral cleft lip while (40) 33% had incomplete unilateral cleft lip. At week 10, the average weight were 11.2, 8.5, 8.2, 11.8 pounds for the various types of cleft at the time of surgery of the lip (UCLo, UCLp, UCLc and UCLi respectively). ≥10 weeks, the level of Haemoglobin at the time of surgery were 10.5, 8.6, 8.6 and 10.8 gm/dl (UCLo, UCLp, UCLc and UCLi respectively. Most of the patients, 28.4% with an associated cleft palate had their unilateral cleft repairs done by week 15. Conclusion: Children with unilateral cleft lip with an associated palate and unilateral complete cleft lip turned to have lower haemoglobin and weight at week ten after birth compared to unilateral incomplete cleft lip without cleft palate patients. This means that, the rule of 10s is still applicable in our centre especially for those with incomplete unilateral cleft lip without an associated cleft palate. There were more post-operative wound infections in children who had unilateral cleft lip with an associated cleft palate.