Osteometric indices have a direct relationship with sex, height, age and race of an individual. These factors play a pivotal role in the identification of an individual. There are very few reports in Ghana on the use of bones for personal identification as compared to the developed world. Therefore the present study sought to use the ulna and femur as models for height and sex determination. One hundred undergraduate students of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi made up of 55% males and 45% females between the ages of 18 -45 years were recruited for the study. The total standing height, ulnar and femoral lengths were measured. The data was analysed using excel and SPSS version 20.0. In the present study, males were taller than females (p < 0.05). Ulnar and femoral lengths were significantly higher in the male participants than in the females. Ulnar length was the better index for estimating height and the right femoral length was the better model for sex determination in the participants. Therefore the ulnar and right femoral lengths can serve as preliminary useful tools for height and sex determination. The results of this study serve as baseline data for future studies.
Facial indices are among the most important cephalometric parameters useful in inter-racial and intra-racial morphological classification and categorization. As such, facial parameters serve as prominent identification tools in combination with fingerprint patterns for biometric and forensic purposes in the developed world. However in Ghana, although emphasis is placed on the face in the photographic recognition systems used in the issuance of passports, very little information is available on metric facial data, facial types and their distribution patterns and their association with ethnicity, sex and age. Therefore the aim of this study is to generate baseline data on facial dimensions and their relationship with height, age and sex of the Sisaalas and Dagaabas of the Upper West Region of Ghana. A total of 387 healthy individuals (202 females and 185 males), between 18 -60 years of age were recruited for the study. The results of the study showed that male facial parameters had significantly higher dimensions than those of the female participants.
Background:Maternal sociodemographic characteristics affect birth weight, an important predictor of neonatal morbidity and mortality. Maternal lipid levels during pregnancy have been linked to abnormal birth weight. Notwithstanding, there is lack of data on the maternal sociodemographic characteristics and early maternal lipid levels on birth weight outcomes in Ghana. This study therefore sought to determine the relationship between maternal sociodemographic characteristics,early maternal lipid levels and birth weight outcome among Ghanaian women in the Kumasi Metropolis of Ghana.Methods: Maternal lipid levelswere assessed in the first trimester from 246 pregnant women attending AntenatalClinic in the Kumasi Metropolis, Ghana, between January 2014 and October 2016. Maternal sociodemographic informationwas collected through standard medical record forms at first antenatal visit. Pregnancy was tracked till delivery and birth weight measured.Results: The mean maternal age was 27.42±6.10 years and that of parity was 2.57±1.42. Mean gestational age was 36.60±2.46 weeks. The proportion of study participants decreased from those whose highest education was JHS, no formal education, SHS, primary and then university. The means of maternal pre-pregnancy systolic and diastolic blood pressures were 118.81±25.15mmHg and 75.04±14.02mmHg respectively. Both total cholesterol and triglycerides had their respective means and ranges of 4.02±0.09mmol/L and 1.47±0.05 mmol/L.
Conclusion:The birth weight of neonates of mothers with no formal education was significantly higher compared to mothers with formal education at <95 th percentile of pre-pregnancy maternal triglycerides. Mean neonatal birth weight of the Akan mothers was significantly lower than that of the Northernersbut higher than their Fante counterparts at <95 th percentile of pre-pregnancy maternal total cholesterol level.
Hand and footprints recovered from crime scenes are important for identification in criminal investigations. Unlike Ghana, developed countries have well-established data on population-specific hand and footprint dimensions for identification in anthropometric, biometric and forensic studies. This study therefore aimed at determining the relationship between hand and footprint dimensions, height, weight and sex in Ghana. A total of 118 participants aged 17 to 35 years participated in the study. Height, weight, hand and footprint dimensions were taken and analysed. Males were significantly taller, heavier and had generally greater anthropometric parameters than females. Generally, in both hand and footprint dimensions, bilateral asymmetry existed with the right parameters being greater than the left parameters. However, the left handprint length was longer than the right. The best parameters for height estimation were left handprint length and left pternion-toe 1 length. The best predictors of weight were right handprint length and breadth, right pternion-toe 2 length, right footprint breadth at heel and right heel-ball index. The most sexually dimorphic parameters among the hand and footprint dimensions were right hand breadth, left footprint breadth at ball and left pternion-toe 1 length. Overall, footprint dimensions were better estimators of height and weight while handprint breadth predicted sex best.
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