Background Renal failure is one of the most serious vascular effects of hypertension. For better therapy and prevention of complications, early kidney disease identification in these patients is absolutely essential. However, current studies have proposed plasma Neutrophil Gelatinase Associated Lipocalin (pNGAL) to be a better biomarker comparative to serum creatinine (SCr). This study assessed the diagnostic utility of plasma neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (pNGAL) as a biomarker for early nephropathy diagnosis in hypertensive individuals. Methods This hospital-based case–control study comprised 140 hypertensives and 70 healthy participants. A well-structured questionnaire and patient case notes were used to document relevant demographic and clinical information. 5 ml of venous blood sample was taken to measure fasting blood sugar levels, creatinine, and plasma NGAL levels. All data were analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS release 20.0, copyrite©SPSS Inc.) and a p-value < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results In this study the plasma neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL) levels were significantly higher in cases compared to controls. Hypertensive cases also had significantly higher waist-circumference compared to the control group. The median fasting blood sugar level was significantly higher in cases compared to controls. This study established the use of Modification of Diet in Renal Disease (MDRD), Chronic Kidney Disease Epidemiology Collaboration (CKD-EPI), and Cockcroft and Gault formula (CG) as the most accurate predictive equations for assessing renal dysfunction. The threshold for NGAL above which renal impairment can be assessed was found to be 109.4 ng/ml (sen-91%, spec. – 68%), 120 ng/ml (sen- 100%, spec- 72%) and 118.6 ng/ml (sen- 83%, spec- 72%) for MDRD, CKD-EPI and CG equations respectively. The prevalence of CKD was 16.4%, 13.6% and 20.7% respectively using the MDRD, CKD-EPI and CG. Conclusion From this study, pNGAL is a better indicator of kidney impairment in the early stages of CKD as compared with sCr in general hypertensive population.

Candida overgrowth causes vulvovaginal candidiasis. Most women of reproductive age become infected once, but some get re-infected, leading to issues such as pre-term labour, infertility, and neo-natal illnesses. This study determined the prevalence and associated factors to Vulvovaginal candidiasis among women of reproductive age at a municipality in Ghana. The study recruited 326 reproductive-aged women using a descriptive cross-sectional design and a simple random sampling method. After an aseptic vaginal swab, participants were asked to fill out a standardized research questionnaire. The variables were analyzed using descriptive statistics and binary logistic regression to assess the link between vulvovaginal candidiasis and its associated factors. The study found 38.7% vulvovaginal candidiasis prevalence among reproductive-aged women. Younger age <20 years, urban settlement and secondary education were associated with vaginal candidiasis. Tight fitting clothes is also a risk factor for vaginal candidiasis. Regular health education should be rendered to women on wearing tight-fitting underwear to reduce their risk of Vulvovaginal Candidiasis, Women should be encouraged to visit health facilities to screen for vulvovaginal Candidiasis as it will aid in the early detection and management of vulvovaginal candidiasis problems among reproductive-age women.

Background: Diabetes mellitus is a metabolic chronic disease affecting a majority of adults with associated complications. The non-compliance to the anti-diabetic medication has become a global challenge to achieving optimal glucose control among Diabetes Type 2 patients. This study, therefore, sought to determine the self-care practices and drivers of anti-diabetic type 2 medication non-compliance among patients accessing health care at Volta River Authority Hospital in Akosombo of Ghana. Methods: A quantitative study and descriptive cross-sectional design employed a simple random sampling technique to recruit 220 diabetes type 2 patients by administering a structured questionnaire face to face to gather data. Data were analysed with the help of Stata 16. A descriptive and inferential statistic was conducted to determine the relationship between the dependent and independent variables at a 95% confidence interval and a p-value of less than 0.05 was considered statically significant. Results: The study found that non-adherence to anti-diabetic medication was 45.5%. Most of the participants had inadequate (52.3%) self-care practices. Age of participants (40-49) years [p=0.0001], Female [p=0.004] significantly influenced non-compliance. Being Single [p=0.001] and presence of comorbidity [p=0.001] also associated with medication non-compliance. Conclusion: The study concluded that a significant proportion of diabetes type 2 patients do not comply with anti-diabetic medication and this was influenced by inadequate self-care practices, age, female, comorbidity and being single. The study recommended the intensification of awareness creation on complications of non-complying to anti-diabetic medication and education on self-care practices through mass media. Further studies are required to identify the possible predictors of inadequate self-care practices that influence anti-diabetic medication non-compliance.