Background: Plasmodium falciparum can cause a diffuse encephalopathy known as cerebral malaria (CM), a major contributor to malaria associated mortality. Despite treatment, mortality due to CM can be as high as 30% while 10% of survivors of the disease may experience short-and long-term neurological complications. The pathogenesis of CM and other forms of severe malaria is multi-factorial and appear to involve cytokine and chemokine homeostasis, inflammation and vascular injury/repair. Identification of prognostic markers that can predict CM severity will enable development of better intervention.

In sub-Saharan Africa, invasive cervical cancer (ICC) incidence and mortality are among the highest in the world. This crosssectional epidemiological study assessed human papillomavirus (HPV) prevalence and type distribution in women with ICC in Ghana, Nigeria, and South Africa. Cervical biopsy specimens were obtained from women aged 21 years with lesions clinically suggestive of ICC. Histopathological diagnosis of ICC was determined by light microscopy examination of hematoxylin and eosin stained sections of paraffin-embedded cervical specimens; samples with a confirmed histopathological diagnosis underwent HPV DNA testing by polymerase chain reaction. HPV-positive specimens were typed by reverse hybridization line probe assay. Between October 2007 and March 2010, cervical specimens from 659 women were collected (167 in Ghana, 192 in Nigeria and 300 in South Africa); 570 cases were histologically confirmed as ICC. The tumor type was identified in 551=570 women with ICC; squamous cell carcinoma was observed in 476=570 (83.5%) cases. The HPV-positivity rate in ICC cases was Key words: human papillomavirus, invasive cervical cancer, sub-Saharan Africa Abbreviations: ADC: adenocarcinoma; CI: confidence interval; DEIA: DNA enzyme immune assay; FIGO: federation of gynecology and obstetrics; HPV: human papillomavirus; ICC: invasive cervical cancer; LiPA 25 : line probe assay using 25 type-specific hybridization probes; SCC: squamous cell carcinoma; PCR: polymerase chain reaction Conflicts of interest: LD declares to have received institutional grants from GlaxoSmithKline group of companies and also declares to have received institutional grants from another pharmaceutical company (there is also one pending grant). Further, LD declares to have received payment for lectures and also receives royalties for a book chapter. IA declares to have received payment from GlaxoSmithKline group of companies for travel, food and accommodation and also declares to have served as a member of IDMC for other clinical studies. IA also has received payment for participating at a workshop. RA declares to have received payment from GlaxoSmithKline group of companies towards administrative and laboratory fees and also declares to have received payment for public lectures on cervical cancer. GD declares that her institution (University of Pretoria) received payments (direct and indirect costs) for including patients into the current trial as well as payments for travel for the purpose of meetings. TS declares to have received institutional grants, travel support and honorarium for lectures and articles written for the GlaxoSmithKline group of companies and other pharmaceutical companies; TS is also part of the HPV advisory board. LS declares to have received institutional grant. EW declares to have received payment from GlaxoSmithKline group of companies towards administrative and laboratory fees and travel support for this study. He also declares to have received payments for a cervical cancer advocacy project and for conducting a training ...

Background: Cancer mortality pattern in Ghana has not been reviewed since 1953, and there are no population-based data available for cancer morbidity and mortality patterns in Ghana due to the absence of a population-based cancer registry anywhere in the country.