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The coexistence of traditional healing practices deeply rooted in cultural and historical contexts and the evolving landscape of modern healthcare approaches in West African societies creates a dynamic interplay between tradition and modernity in healthcare. This study aims to comprehensively map the landscape of traditional medicine use for health in West Africa. A scoping review was conducted following the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) methodology and reported according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses Extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR) guidelines. Research questions focused on the links between traditional medicine practices and health in West Africa. The systematic literature search covered PubMed, Web of Science, and CINAHL from database inception to September 2023. A descriptive analysis was conducted highlighting the years of publication, countries of publication, study designs of plant families and plant parts used for making traditional medicines, and the diseases the traditional remedies are for. The search identified 3484 records, with 46 articles meeting the inclusion criteria. Publications spanned from 1979 to 2023, with no observed trend in the number of publications over successive decades. Nigeria had the highest number of publications (54.3%), followed by Ghana (19.6%). The studies employed various designs, including clinical trials, ethnobotanical, ethnopharmacological, and experimental designs. Plant families frequently studied included Combretaceae, Euphorbiaceae, and Rubiaceae. Traditional remedies address various health issues, highlighting their versatility, from general symptoms to specific diseases. This scoping review offers an extensive overview of traditional healing practices in West Africa. The studies highlighted in this review stress the necessity for culturally sensitive healthcare interventions. The widespread use of traditional medicine and the variety of practices underscore the importance of encouraging collaboration between traditional healers and modern healthcare professionals. This review also identifies knowledge gaps and areas needing further research, setting the stage for future exploration into West Africa's intricate healthcare landscape.

Surgical care is increasingly recognised as an important part of global health yet data for the burden of surgical disease are scarce. The Surgeons OverSeas Assessment of Surgical Need (SOSAS) was developed to measure the prevalence of surgical conditions and surgically treatable deaths in low-income and middle-income countries. We administered this survey countrywide in Sierra Leone, which ranks 180 of the 187 nations on the UN Development Index. The study was done between Jan 9 and Feb 3, 2012. 75 of 9671 enumeration areas, the smallest administrative units in Sierra Leone, were randomly selected for the study clusters, with a probability proportional to the population size. In each cluster 25 households were randomly selected to take part in the survey. Data were collected via handheld tablets by trained local medical and nursing students. A household representative was interviewed to establish the number of household members (defined as those who ate from the same pot and slept in the same structure the night before the interview), identify deaths in the household during the previous year, and establish whether any of the deceased household members had a condition needing surgery in the week before death. Two randomly selected household members underwent a head-to-toe verbal examination and need for surgical care was recorded on the basis of the response to whether they had a condition that they believed needed surgical assessment or care. Of the 1875 targeted households, data were analysed for 1843 (98%). 896 of 3645 (25%; 95% CI 22·9–26·2) respondents reported a surgical condition needing attention and 179 of 709 (25%; 95% CI 22·5–27·9) deaths of household members in the previous year might have been averted by timely surgical care. Our results show a large unmet need for surgical consultations in Sierra Leone and provide a baseline against which future surgical programmes can be measured. Additional surveys in other low-income and middle-income countries are needed to document and confirm what seems to be a neglected component of global health. Surgeons OverSeas, Thompson Family Foundation.

The Touch And Go Camera System (TAGCAMS) is a three-camera-head instrument onboard NASA’s OSIRIS-REx asteroid sample return mission spacecraft. The purpose of TAGCAMS is to facilitate navigation to the target asteroid, (101955) Bennu; confirm acquisition of the asteroid sample; document asteroid sample stowage; and provide supplementary imaging for OSIRIS-REx science investigations. During the almost two-year OSIRIS-REx outbound cruise phase we pursued nine TAGCAMS imaging campaigns to check, calibrate and characterize the camera system’s performance before asteroid arrival and proximity operations began in late 2018. The TAGCAMS in-flight calibration dataset provides the relevant information to enable the three cameras to complete their primary observation goals during asteroid operations. The key performance parameters that we investigated in flight included: linearity, responsivity (both point source and extended body), dark current, hot pixels, pointing, image geometry transformation, image quality and stray light. Analyses of the in-flight performance either confirmed the continued applicability of the TAGCAMS ground test results or substantially improved upon the ground test knowledge. In addition, the TAGCAMS calibration observations identified the source of a spacecraft outgassing feature that guided successful remediation efforts prior to asteroid arrival.

The Terminal Tracking Camera (TTCam) imaging system on the NASA Lucy Discovery mission consists of a pair of cameras that are being used mainly as a navigation and target acquisition system for the mission's asteroid encounters. However, a secondary science‐focused function of the TTCam system is to provide wide‐angle broadband images over a large range of phase angles around close approach during each asteroid flyby. The scientific data acquired by TTCam can be used for shape modeling and topographic and geologic analyses. This paper describes the pre‐flight and initial in‐flight calibration and characterization of the TTCams, including the development of a radiometric calibration pipeline to convert raw TTCam images into radiance and radiance factor (I/F) images, along with their uncertainties. Details are also provided here on the specific calibration algorithms, the origin and archived location of the required ancillary calibration files, and the archived sources of the raw calibration and flight data used in this analysis. Key Points We detail the pre‐flight and initial in‐flight characterization and calibration of the NASA Lucy mission's Terminal Tracking Camera system Pre‐flight results primarily include sensor and system characterization (gain, dark current, linearity, flat field, bad pixels, and radiometry estimates) We describe the calibration pipeline as well as initial in‐flight optical assessment and refined radiometry results from Earth, Moon and star field imaging

Studies of mouse models of anemia have long provided fundamental insights into red blood cell formation and function. Here we show that the semidominant mouse mutation Nan (\"neonatal anemia\") carries a single amino acid change (E339D) within the second zinc finger of the erythroid Krüppel-like factor (EKLF), a critical erythroid regulatory transcription factor. The mutation alters the DNA-binding specificity of EKLF so that it no longer binds promoters of a subset of its DNA targets. Remarkably, even when mutant Nan and wild-type EKLF alleles are expressed at equivalent levels, the mutant form selectively interferes with expression of EKLF target genes whose promoter elements it no longer binds. This interference yields a distorted genetic output and selective protein deficiencies that differ from those seen in EKLF-heterozygous and EKLF-null red blood cells and presents a unique and unexpected mechanism of inherited disease.

Background The prevalence of surgical diseases in low income countries is thought to be very large, but to date no population-based survey has documented the need. The Surgeons OverSeas Assessment of Surgical Need (SOSAS) is a survey tool programmed for use with iPads to measure the prevalence of surgical conditions. Methods To assess the appropriateness and utility of SOSAS, a pilot test was undertaken in Sierra Leone. Local medical students were trained in sampling, interviewing, and SOSAS specifics. Five clusters of 10 households were randomly selected and 100 individuals were interviewed. Problems with the tool, iPad use, and respondent answers were collected. Daily debriefings with the enumerators aimed to identify problems and ways for improvement. Results Administering SOSAS via iPads was found to be easy and facilitated data entry. Quick analysis of the data allowed for rapid feedback. Although the survey has 450 possible data entry points, by using conditional formatting, the enumerators were able to collect household demographics and interview two randomly selected household members in an average of 25 min. The survey methodology was acceptable, with a response rate of 96%. Five major sections were amended after the pilot. Discussion Pilot testing of SOSAS showed that a population-based survey measuring the prevalence of surgical disease could be undertaken in a low income country. It is recommended that SOSAS be used with a larger sample size to calculate the prevalence of surgical disease in low income countries.

ObjectiveIn this technical report, we describe our protocol for the dynamic sonographic evaluation of the hip and assess reliability of the ultrasound assessment of hip microinstability.Materials and methodsOur clinical experience with a standardized dynamic ultrasound of the hip performed in a series of 27 patients with imaging performed by an experienced musculoskeletal radiologist during physical examination by an orthopedic surgeon specializing in hip preservation is illustrated with clinical photographs and ultrasound images from volunteers and selected patients. Interrater reliability for the diagnosis of microinstability was calculated.ResultsDynamic ultrasound technique and findings of hip instability, femoroacetabular impingement, and ischiofemoral impingement with corresponding clinical photos showing the necessary physical examination maneuvers are described. Interrater agreement for the diagnosis of microinstability was substantial (κ 0.606 [0.221–0.991]).ConclusionAt our institution, dynamic ultrasound of the hip during physical examination complements information gathered from static imaging by providing real-time correlation of symptoms with what is occurring anatomically.

Background There is limited evidence to characterize the burden of unmet need of surgical diseases in low- and middle-income countries. The purpose of this study was to determine rate of deaths attributable to a surgical condition and reasons for not seeking surgical care in Sierra Leone. Methods The Surgeons OverSeas Assessment of Surgical Need (SOSAS) is a survey tool developed collaboratively to be used for cross-sectional data collection of the prevalence of surgical conditions in any country. A population-weighted cluster-sample household survey was conducted throughout Sierra Leone in 2012 using the SOSAS survey tool. Results Total of 1,840 households (11,870 individuals) were sampled, yielding a 98.3 % response rate. Overall, there were 709 total deaths reported (6.0 %). The mean age at death was 36.4 ± 30.1 years: 330 (46.6 %) were female. Most deaths occurred at home (58.1 % vs. 34.1 % in hospitals). Of the 709 deaths, 237 (33.4 %) were associated with conditions included in our predefined surgical disease category. Abdominal distension/pain was the most commonly associated surgical condition (13.9 %) followed by perinatal bleeding/illness (6.0 %). Among the 237 with surgical conditions, 51 (21.9 %) did not seek medical care, most commonly because of a lack of money (35.3 %) or inability to provide timely care (37.3 %). Conclusions A large proportion of deaths in Sierra Leone was associated with surgical conditions, the majority of which did not undergo surgical intervention. Our results indicate that to remove barriers to effective surgical care in Sierra Leone policymakers should first focus on relieving financial burdens and increasing access to timely surgical care.

The shapes of asteroids reflect interplay between their interior properties and the processes responsible for their formation and evolution as they journey through the Solar System. Prior to the OSIRIS-REx (Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, and Security–Regolith Explorer) mission, Earth-based radar imaging gave an overview of (101955) Bennu’s shape. Here we construct a high-resolution shape model from OSIRIS-REx images. We find that Bennu’s top-like shape, considerable macroporosity and prominent surface boulders suggest that it is a rubble pile. High-standing, north–south ridges that extend from pole to pole, many long grooves and surface mass wasting indicate some low levels of internal friction and/or cohesion. Our shape model indicates that, similar to other top-shaped asteroids, Bennu formed by reaccumulation and underwent past periods of fast spin, which led to its current shape. Today, Bennu might follow a different evolutionary pathway, with an interior stiffness that permits surface cracking and mass wasting.Near-Earth asteroid Bennu has a top-like shape with longitudinal ridges, macroporosity, prominent boulders and surface mass wasting, suggesting that it is a stiff rubble pile, according to early observations by the OSIRIS-REx mission.

Small, kilometre-sized near-Earth asteroids are expected to have young and frequently refreshed surfaces for two reasons: collisional disruptions are frequent in the main asteroid belt where they originate, and thermal or tidal processes act on them once they become near-Earth asteroids. Here we present early measurements of numerous large candidate impact craters on near-Earth asteroid (101955) Bennu by the OSIRIS-REx (Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, and Security-Regolith Explorer) mission, which indicate a surface that is between 100 million and 1 billion years old, predating Bennu’s expected duration as a near-Earth asteroid. We also observe many fractured boulders, the morphology of which suggests an influence of impact or thermal processes over a considerable amount of time since the boulders were exposed at the surface. However, the surface also shows signs of more recent mass movement: clusters of boulders at topographic lows, a deficiency of small craters and infill of large craters. The oldest features likely record events from Bennu’s time in the main asteroid belt.Near-Earth rubble-pile asteroid Bennu has an unexpectedly old surface, with numerous candidate impact craters and morphologically diverse boulders, according to early observations by the OSIRIS-REx mission.