International Research and Academic scholar society

IRASS Journal of Multidisciplinary Studies

Issue-12(December), Volume-2 2025

1. Association between Parasite Density and Thrombocytopenia in Plasmodiu...
6

Aquel Rene Lopez*, Priscilla Amoakwoa, Akwasi Afriyie Achampong, Julia Kwakoa Karikari
School of Allied health Science, Baldwin University College Accra
1-10
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.17846302

Background: Thrombocytopenia is a common hematological abnormality associated with Plasmodium falciparum malaria, yet its prevalence and relationship with parasite density vary across endemic regions. This study assessed the prevalence and severity of thrombocytopenia among confirmed malaria patients and examined its association with malaria parasite density at the Seventh-day Adventist (SDA) Hospital, North Gbawe. Accra Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted using secondary laboratory data from January to June 2025. A total of 138 confirmed P. falciparum cases were selected through systematic random sampling. Data on age, sex, platelet count, and parasite density were extracted. Descriptive statistics, chi-square tests, and Pearson correlation analysis were performed using SPSS version 26. Statistical significance was set at p < 0.05. Results: Of the 138 malaria-positive patients (50% male; mean age 31.9 ± 18.0 years), thrombocytopenia was present in 72%, while 27% had normal platelet counts and 1% had thrombocytosis. Mild, moderate, severe, and critical thrombocytopenia constituted 43%, 39%, 14%, and 4% of cases, respectively. Malaria severity grades included low (48%), moderate (14%), high (16%), and very high (22%) parasite densities. A significant association was found between malaria grade and thrombocytopenia severity (χ² = 28.774, p = 0.001). Additionally, a significant negative correlation was observed between parasite count and platelet count (r = – 0.268, p = 0.001), indicating a proportional decline in platelet levels with increasing parasitemia. Conclusion: Thrombocytopenia is highly prevalent among P. falciparum malaria patients, and its severity correlates strongly with parasite density. These findings support the use of platelet count as a valuable adjunct marker for assessing malaria severity, particularly in resource-limited settings. Further research is needed to explore the immunopathological mechanisms and prognostic implications of thrombocytopenia in malaria.

2. Phishing Website Detection through Machine Learning Algorithms: A Comp...
9

Ochuko Piserchia*
Independent Researcher
11-29
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.17855512

Phishing is the attempt to acquire sensitive information, often for malicious reasons, by masking as a trustworthy entity in an electronic communication. Once victims access a phishing website, the attacker attempts to convince them to send their private information such as usernames, passwords and credit card resulting in information theft. Despite the growing awareness of phishing and its prevention through traditional methods such as DNS filtering, blacklisting, and user awareness trainings regarding the problem and its associated risks, it remains as growing concern, costing millions of dollars each year. The only effective defense against these threats is accurate detection of phishing attempts. However, machine learning methods have shown reasonable performance rates. Machine learning techniques which are a subset of artificial learning (AI) have shown significant success in detecting phishing websites in comparison to traditional methods, although effectiveness can vary depending on the approach deployed. This research aimed to solve this problem by analyzing a phishing website dataset with six supervised algorithms. This was achieved using a feature selection investigation on the most promising of the 6 algorithms using primarily the filter method and compared with outcome of wrapper method. In addition to Accuracy and ROC (Receiver Operating Characteristic) Curve performance metrics, we also considered MCC (Matthews Correlation Coefficient). The experiment showed that Random Forest is the best performing algorithm at 0.989 MCC score (97% accuracy). We also realized 5 of the 30 features are enough for the classification with little or no reduction in performance.

3. The Product Manager's Role in AI Security: Preventing Data Leaks and M...
4

Obianuju Gift Nwashili*, Kehinde Daniel Abiodun, Olamide Amosu, Sonia Oghoghorie
Independent researcher
30-35
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.17881370

With the rapid adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) in consumer products, Product Managers (PMs) face an unprecedented responsibility: AI security. This article explores the critical role of PMs in identifying and mitigating two primary risks in AI systems: data leaks (such as potential exposure of sensitive training data through crafted prompts) and model manipulation (such as adversarial attacks that cause unintended system behaviors). We present a pragmatic, PM-centric framework for managing AI security risk that can be woven into existing product development workflows. First, PMs should facilitate threat modeling as part of the discovery process to identify potential misuse cases and inform the risk management strategy. Second, PMs can define security-oriented user stories and architectural guardrails during the design phase. Third, PMs should coordinate with security teams to perform red-teaming exercises before launch. Continuous prevention requires PMs to establish data governance as a top priority and promote consistent robustness testing practices. Success in this endeavor requires the PM to be the connective hub in the organization—translating technical risk to business risk and collaborating closely with cross-functional teams including Security, Legal, and Engineering to implement an effective security strategy. By building these elements into the fabric of how they work, PMs can position themselves as the first line of defense in upholding user trust and product integrity.

4. PREVALENCE AND FACTORS ASSOCIATED WITH HEPATORENAL SYNDROME AMONG PATI...
5

Aquel Rene Lopez*, Priscilla Oforiwaa, Akwesi Afriyie Achiampong, Prince Adoba, Robert Acquah
Department of Medical Laboratory Science, School of Health and Allied Sciences, Baldwin University College, Accra
36-50
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.18068663

Background: Hepatorenal syndrome (HRS) is a life-threatening complication of advanced liver disease, characterized by functional renal failure and poor prognosis. Evidence on its burden and associated factors in Ghana remains scarce. Methods: A hospital-based cross-sectional study was conducted between February and May 2025 among 80 adult patients with liver disease. Sociodemographic and clinical data were obtained using structured questionnaires. Venous blood samples were analyzed for liver and renal function parameters using a fully automated chemistry analyzer. Data were analyzed with SPSS version 26.0. Associations were evaluated using Spearman’s correlation and binary logistic regression, with statistical significance set at p < 0.05. Results: Liver disease was diagnosed in 68.8% of participants, among whom 58.2% had hepatorenal syndrome. The prevalence of HRS was higher in females (68.0%) than males (50.0%), though this difference was not statistically significant (p = 0.178). Renal dysfunction was widespread: 93.8% of participants had reduced estimated glomerular filtration rate, and 98.8% had elevated blood urea nitrogen levels. Alkaline phosphatase was elevated in all participants, while gamma-glutamyl transferase was elevated in 80%. Logistic regression showed increased odds of HRS among patients not on medication (OR = 3.49) and those with prior hospitalization (OR = 2.30), although these associations did not reach statistical significance. Conclusion: Hepatorenal syndrome is highly prevalent among liver-diseased patients at Medylife Healthcare Hospital, indicating a substantial burden of renal dysfunction. Early renal monitoring, medication adherence, and integrated multidisciplinary care are essential to reduce morbidity and improve outcomes in this population.

5. Effects of Zingiber officinale Ethanol Extracts on Some Inflammatory M...
20

Sowunmi, Kehinde Olukemi, Okoh, Emmanuel Chidera, Edoga, Cyril Onyekachi*
Department of Applied Biology and Biotechnology, Enugu State University of Science and Technology (ESUT), Enugu Nigeria
51-56
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.18070042

The anti-inflammatory effects of Zingiber officinale ethanol extract on albumininduced inflammation in male Wistar albino rats were examined in this study. Rats were given low (100 mg/kg) and high (200 mg/kg) doses of Zingiber officinale extract after bovine serum albumin was used to promote inflammation. Serum levels of important pro-inflammatory cytokines, such as interleukin-1β (IL-1β), interleukin-6 (IL-6), tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), and interleukin-8 (IL-8), were used to measure the effects. Thirty rats were split up into five groups: two groups treated with Zingiber officinale, a blank control, a negative control, and a conventional control (treated with ibuprofen). When compared to the blank control (35.8 ± 0.024 pg/mL), high-dose Zingiber officinale extract dramatically decreased IL-1β levels (37.8 ± 0.000 pg/mL), demonstrating strong anti-inflammatory efficacy. Both the low-dose (2.71 ± 0.051 pg/mL) and high-dose (4.11 ± 0.0216 pg/mL) groups had lower levels of IL-6 than the control group (6.37 ± 0.004 pg/mL). TNF-α levels were significantly lower in the low-dose group (33.90 ± 0.017 pg/mL) than in the blank control group (44.90 ± 0.003 pg/mL). Nevertheless, IL-8 levels rose to 7.83 ± 0.027 pg/mL in all treated groups. These findings imply that Zingiber officinale has significant anti-inflammatory potential by downregulating TNF-α, IL-1β, and IL-6, especially at higher doses. The results demonstrated Zingiber officinale's potential as an affordable substitute for synthetic anti-inflammatory drugs and supported its therapeutic application in the management of inflammation.

6. Effect of Zingiber officinale Ethanol Extract on Neurological Indices...
17

Edoga, Cyril Onyekachi*, Okoh, Emmanuel Chidera, Nebechi, Sylvia Chiamaka
Department of Applied Biology and Biotechnology, Enugu State University of Science and Technology
57-62
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.18073196

This study investigated the effect of Zingiber officinale ethanol extract on neurological indices in male Wistar albino rats induced with inflammation. The study was laid out in a Complete Randomized Experimental Design (CRED). A total of five groups were assessed: Group A (Blank Control), Group B (Negative Control), Group C (Standard Control), Group D (Low-Dose Treated Group), and Group E (High-Dose Treated Group). Inflammatory induction led to significant reductions (p < 0.05) in the concentrations of key neurohormones including dopamine, serotonin, acetylcholine, and epinephrine in the negative control group. Specifically, dopamine and serotonin levels were markedly decreased in Group B (449  ± 0.001 pg/ml and 1.60 ± 0.001 μg/L, respectively) compared to Group A (653 ±  0.001 pg/ml and 5.21 ±  0.001 μg/L, respectively). Acetylcholine and epinephrine levels also declined significantly in the negative control group (5.16 ± 0.031 mm and 3.12 ± 0.004 pg/ml, respectively) relative to the blank control. Treatment with Z. officinale ethanol extract, particularly at the high dose (Group E), significantly restored neurohormonal levels. The highdose group showed values statistically similar (p > 0.05) to the blank control in dopamine (638 ± 0.000 pg/ml), serotonin (5.12 ± 0.003 μg/L), and acetylcholine (11.08 ± 0.013 mm), while moderate improvements were observed in epinephrine levels (7.91 ± 0.023 pg/ml). The findings suggest that Z. officinale ethanol extract exerts neuroprotective effects by enhancing neurotransmitter levels suppressed during inflammation, with the high dose showing the most significant efficacy.





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