BackgroundThe influx of substandard and falsified medicines is a global public health challenge and its rapid detection is a key solution to the menace. This study used three screening methods and one confirmatory method for the quality assessment of 25 batches of artemether/lumefantrine dosage forms from the Ghanaian market to test that combined screening methods only can rapidly detect substandard and/or falsified medicines in areas where confirmatory methods may not be available.MethodsThe quality of artemether/lumefantrine tablet products obtained from pharmacies and licensed chemical seller shops within the Accra metropolis in Ghana were analysed using three screening methods (GPHF Minilab, Colorimetry and Counterfeit Drug Indicator) and one confirmatory method (high-performance liquid chromatography).ResultsThe results showed that 18/25 batches of the artemether/lumefantrine samples passed using the combined screening and confirmatory methods and 5/25 batches of the artemether/lumefantrine samples failed using the combined screening and confirmatory methods. However, 1/25 batch of the artemether/lumefantrine samples failed using the combined screening methods but passed using the confirmatory method. Also, 1/25 batch of the artemether/lumefantrine samples passed using the combined screening methods but failed using the confirmatory method. This notwithstanding, the combined screening methods and the confirmatory method provided equivalent quality assessment profiles for 23/25 (92%) batches of the artemether/lumefantrine tablet products. Out of the 6 samples that failed the confirmatory test, 1/6, 2/6, and 3/6 failed on the high (> 110%), low (< 90%), and no active ingredient (0%), respectively. The sensitivity of Minilab, colorimetric, CoDI, and the combined screening methods at 95% confidence level were 0.5 ± 0.57, 0.83 ± 0.33, 0.75 ± 0.49, and 0.83 ± 0.33, respectively. Also, the specificity of Minilab, colorimetric, CoDI, and the combined screening methods at 95% confidence level were 1.00, 0.95 ± 0.10, 1.00, and 0.95 ± 0.10, respectively.ConclusionThe combined screening methods may be used for rapid detection of falsified and/or substandard medicines without using a confirmatory method. However, additional research on the best combinations of screening devices/methods to rapidly detect the quality of medicines is recommended.

Souvenirs represent a vast collection of items that are geographically embedded with variations across the regions of the world. The purpose of this study is to assess the choice of souvenirs by international tourists in Accra, Ghana. The research adopted the descriptive design and the data were sourced from 196 inbound international tourists who were systematically sampled in Accra between March and April 2016 using self-administered questionnaires. The result shows that souvenirs purchased by tourists were jewelry, cloth, clothing, wood carvings, and pictorial images. However, tourists were concerned about the aggressiveness of vendors, discriminatory pricing system, authenticity of souvenirs, and similarity in souvenirs with little differentiation.

Eating outside the home has become more common these days, however customers are selective in their choice of food. The purpose of this paper is to assess the food preference of customers of food service establishments in Ho. The study was descriptive and systematic sampling method was used to gather data from 384 customers of selected food service establishment in Ho using questionnaire. A chi-square test revealed significant relationships between customers’ socio-demographic characteristics such as educational level, marital status, ethnicity, occupation, monthly income and their preference of food. The study revealed that Banku with okro soup, Banku with grilled tilapia, Fufu with soup, French fries with grilled chicken were the most the preferred foods purchased in food service establishment in Ho. The study found that people prefer to purchase foods (banku wth okro soup, banku with grilled tilapia and fufu with light soup) which demand strength, effort and more time to prepare in order to avoid the stress associated with preparing those meals. Keywords: Food; Preferences; Customers; Food Service Establishment; Ho