Elsie Effah Kaufmann

Obstetrics-based clinical immersion of a multinational team of biomedical engineering students in Ghana

a Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, USA b Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, USA c Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Ghana, Legon – Accra, Ghana d Department of Electrical Engineering, Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda e Design Science Program, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, USA f Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Korle Bu Teaching Hospital, Accra, Ghana

Women in Physics in Ghana: Improvement on the Horizon

In Ghana, the number of women involved in physics has been rather small compared with that of men. We report a gratifying increase in the number of women studying physics in Ghana during the past 5 years. This is the positive result of various intervention strategies that have been put in place in Ghana during the past 15 years. It is estimated that the developing countries of Africa need at least 2000 scientists per 1 million in population for effective industrial development. If this critical mass of scientific personnel is to be assembled, with the relevant supporting technical personnel, no country can afford to leave 50% of the population—the half that consists of women—out of scientific, technological, and mathematics education. It is imperative that many more women study physics if the country is to move forward and have the critical mass of scientists needed for economic growth. One of the basic problems that have put women on the sidelines in the pursuit of scientific studies and careers is gender stereotyping. Gender stereotyping of school courses and careers finds expression in the expectation that certain courses like physics, mathematics, engineering, and other technical work are “boys courses” or “men’s jobs” and girls will study languages, typing, cooking, and sewing, which will lead to jobs in catering and junior-level office work. These societal expectations are projected in the school into what has been described as “the hidden curriculum.” On paper, all subjects are open to all students, but in practice there is often gender bias toward certain subjects. The result has been a categorization of careers into “men’s jobs” and “women’s jobs.” In fact, some well-meaning people have, in the past, advised that the study of science and mathematics could harm the delicate feminine frame.

Characterization of Cassava Fibre for Potential Wound Dressing Application

Wound dressing is the application of a sterile pad to protect a wound from further harm and promote healing. Over the past decades, various materials including calcium alginate, hydrogel, hydrocolloid and gauze based wound dressing materials have been developed. Unfortunately, shortcomings such as potential allergic reaction, high cost, short shelf life and scarcity have been associated with their use. In developing countries such as Ghana, sterilized gauze is commonly used in wound dressing but it causes scar formation and traumatic pain during removal. In addressing the issues of cost and availability, there may be local materials like cassava (Manihot esculenta) with the ability to aid in wound healing. Cassava is a cheap staple crop grown in Africa which is rich in carbohydrate, fibre and minerals. This research characterized three genotypes of cassava (IITA-TMS-GAEC-160006 (IT6), IITA-TMS-GAEC-160004 (IT4) and Afisiafi (Afi)). These genotypes have been studied in terms of their fibre content, fluid absorption capacity, hemolytic ability and their ability to promote rapid blood coagulation (coagulation time). Fibre samples were soaked in deionized (DI) water and PBS (Phosphate buffered saline) and at different time intervals the swollen samples were weighed. Fibre samples were also brought into contact with human blood and toxicity of samples determined. The results reveal that the rate of absorption of fluid by fibres in both DI water and PBS ranges between 0.66-0.93 g/min and fibres are generally non-toxic to blood cells. The fibre properties were compared with gauze and from these, some genotypes of cassava fibre were recommended for further research towards the design of a wound dressing material.

A new route to sol-gel crystalline wollastonite bioceramic

ABSTRACT Artificial bone graft materials formed from wollastonite have been extensively used in bone repair because of their high degree of bioactivity and biocompatibility, thereby justifying the development of a protocol for large-scale production. This work reports a novel route for preparing wollastonite via the sol-gel process using bentonite clay as a cheap silica source. The obtained wollastonite was characterized for morphology, elemental composition, phase composition and bioactivity using scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive X-ray analysis, X-ray diffraction and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. Results obtained revealed that wollastonite phase was successfully formed in the material and it showed ability to induce formation of apatite within 0.5 day in biological fluid, an indicator for bone-bonding capability. Overall, the wollastonite prepared from the bentonite clay exhibited properties comparable to that synthesized from commercially obtained sodium metasilicate. Hence, our synthetic route may be useful for commercial-scale preparation of wollastonite.

Preparation and characterization of hydroxyapatite from Achatina achatina snail shells: effect of carbonate substitution and trace elements on defluoridation of water

ABSTRACT A novel hydroxyapatite [HAp: Ca10 (PO4)6(OH)2] material for defluoridation was prepared from Achatina achatina (AA) snail shells using a modified chemical precipitation method. X-ray diffractometry and atomic absorption spectrometry revealed carbonate substitution as a function of stirring conditions. Stirring time was varied to control crystallite size and trace element concentrations. In addition, Infrared spectra, cyclic voltammograms, and ion exchange profiles confirmed the functional groups, the surface mass concentration and the fluoride removal efficiency, respectively. It was observed that the samples prepared after 1 hr optimal stirring times reduced fluoride concentration from to without affecting the overall pH conditions of the water, whereas beyond this time frame, low uptake of the fluoride ions was obtained with increasing pH conditions. It was also observed that crystallite size did not affect the removal capacity of the samples. The results demonstrated herein the possibility of using locally prepared AA shells for water purification and other environmental remediation applications.

Uterine Tamponade Device to Control Atonic Primary Postpartum Haemorrhage in Resource-Poor Settings

This paper proposes and presents the proof of concept for an improvised device adapted from the condom tamponade used for controlling atonic primary postpartum haemorrhage in resource-poor settings. The device has been designed to address the setbacks of the conventional condom tamponade. The setbacks of the condom tamponade were assessed. Using the systematic engineering design process, a device was designed to address the setbacks of the condom tamponade. The device comprises an inflation/deflation system, blood drainage system and clamping system. Results from testing show that for an inexperienced user, the device has quicker inflation (3.36 ± 1.70 minutes/ 500 ml) and faster set-up time (3.60 ± 1.50 minutes), as compared to the conventional condom tamponade. The clamping system of the device also ensures effective control of fluid dynamics and prevents backflow. The device, however, was not tested on human subjects to prove its efficacy for actual treatment of patients. The device also can be easily and quickly set-up and operated by frontline healthcare providers with limited expertise, in resource-poor settings. It has further been designed for safety (use of biocompatible materials and elimination of sharp edges for the parts expected to have direct contact with the uterus).

Part II: U.S.—Sub-Saharan Africa Educational Partnerships for Medical Device Design

Three factors have driven the establishment of engineering design collaborations between U.S. and Sub-Saharan Africa universities that have also contributed to the developmentofbiomedical engineeringdesigncapacity for resource-limited settings. First is the need for low cost and robust health technology solutions in Sub-SaharanAfrica, which is unparalleledworldwide. Second, is the emergence of bachelor’s level degree granting biomedical engineering (BME) programs in Sub-Saharan Africa, which was the focus of Part I of this two part series. Third, is the recognition that co-creative design processes involving local stakeholders generate the most effective global health technology solutions. These three factors have created a collegial base for BME students and faculty in U.S. and Sub-Saharan institutions to engage cooperatively in the design of appropriate technical solutions for global health. Medical device design is an attractive avenue for establishing meaningful partnerships with Sub-Saharan BME because: the need is significant, the educational value of designing subject to constrained resources, and the provision of a good middle ground that emphasizes resourcefulness and creativity rather than technical sophistication. To highlight this trend the Education Track for the 2016 BMES annual meeting organized a session of invited speakers entitled Global Health Engineering 2.0: Building Educational Capacity in Africa that featured illustrative BME design programs from the U.S., Nigeria and South Africa that have embraced the importance of developing co-creative design partnerships (Figs. 1 and 2). In this installment the most significant facets of each educational partnership are described. The focus of Part II is summarizing the key characteristics of the illustrative global health design programs at Rice University, University of Michigan, Case Western Reserve University, Northwestern University/Cape Town University, and Duke University, and provides recommendations to U.S. institutions for entering sustainable BME design-focused partnerships.

DEVELOPMENT OF UTERINE CONTRACTION MONITORING SYSTEM FOR RESOURCE-LIMITED SETTINGS

A need assessment exercise at various resource-limited hospitals in Ghana revealed that a conventional method of monitoring uterine contractions is employed. This method is time consuming and ineffective with a likelihood of misrepresenting data on uterine contractions. There is therefore a need for a system that can potentially overcome the identified challenges. In this paper, the authors present the proof of concept for development of an automated uterine contraction monitoring system designed for use in resource-limited settings. Following the engineering design process, data were gathered to draft product specifications. Various concepts were evaluated and a mathematical model of chosen concept was built and simulated. A functional prototype was constructed to test the system’s ability to measure the frequency and average duration of muscle contractions over a specified interval. The results indicate the capability of the chosen concept to meet design specifications. The design can also be enhanced to provide the intensity of contractions.