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Solanum mauriatianum is a woody plant that grows naturally in the tropical and temperate regions. In most rural communities in Ghana and other parts of West Africa, it is widely used for treatment of ailments such as hemorrhoid, yaws, ulcers, and wounds. Despite the long-term usage of the plant in traditional medicine, there is no scientific report on its efficacy. Objective: This study investigates the wound healing properties of ethanolic extract of the plant. Method: The ethanolic leaf extract was formulated into aqueous cream (SME) at the concentrations of 2.5 %, 5.0 % and 7.5 % and the healing effect was tested using wound excision model in rats. The extract was qualitatively screened for the presence of phytochemicals. Results: We observed that the extract contains alkaloids, glycosides, saponins and flavonoids. The extract cream demonstrated significant wound healing by topical application. By day 18, a total wound closure (100 ± 0.00 %) was observed for 7.5 % Solanum mauriatianum leaf extract while the total wound closure for 1 % sulphadiazine at the same period was 92.00 ± 5.83 %. Microscopic examination of the tissues indicated a significant fibroblast proliferation, fibrosis, neovascularization, re-epithelization and scanty inflammatory cells in the wound tissues treated with the extracts compared with the untreated wound tissues. Conclusion: We conclude that ethanolic leaf extract of Solanum mauriatianum has greater potential for the treatment of open wounds.

Abstract Background The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic has been associated with several adverse health outcomes. However, few studies in sub-Saharan Africa have examined its deleterious consequences on mental health. Therefore, we investigated the prevalence and changes in boredom, anxiety and psychological well-being before and during the COVID-19 pandemic in Ghana. Methods Data for this study were drawn from an online survey of 811 participants that collected retrospective information on mental health measures including symptoms of generalized anxiety disorder, boredom, and well-being. Additional data were collected on COVID-19 related measures, biosocial (e.g. age and sex) and sociocultural factors (e.g., education, occupation, marital status). Following descriptive and psychometric evaluation of measures used, multiple linear regression was used to assess the relationships between predictor variables and boredom, anxiety and psychological well-being scores during the pandemic. Second, we assessed the effect of anxiety on psychological well-being. Next, we assessed predictors of the changes in boredom, anxiety, and well-being. Results Before the COVID-19 pandemic, 63.5% reported better well-being, 11.6% symptoms of anxiety, and 29.6% symptoms of boredom. Comparing experiences before and during the pandemic, there was an increase in boredom and anxiety symptomatology, and a decrease in well-being mean scores. The adjusted model shows participants with existing medical conditions had higher scores on boredom (ß = 1.76, p

BackgroundThe COVID-19 pandemic and control measures adopted by countries globally can lead to stress and anxiety. Investigating the coping strategies to this unprecedented crisis is essential to guide mental health intervention and public health policy. This study examined how people are coping with the COVID-19 crisis in Ghana and identify factors influencing it.MethodsThis study was part of a multinational online cross-sectional survey on Personal and Family Coping with COVID-19 in the Global South. The study population included adults, ≥18 years and residents in Ghana. Respondents were recruited through different platforms, including social media and phone calls. The questionnaire was composed of different psychometrically validated instruments with coping as the outcome variable measured on the ordinal scale with 3 levels, namely, Not well or worse, Neutral, and Well or better. An ordinal logistic regression model using proportional odds assumption was then applied.ResultsA total of 811 responses were included in the analysis with 45.2% describing their coping level as well/better, 42.4% as neither worse nor better and 12.4% as worse/not well. Many respondents (46.9%) were between 25-34 years, 50.1% were males while 79.2% lived in urban Ghana. Having pre-existing conditions increased the chances of not coping well (aOR = 1.86, 95%CI: 1.15-3.01). Not being concerned about supporting the family financially (aOR = 1.67, 95%CI: 1.06-2.68) or having the feeling that life is better during the pandemic (aOR = 2.37, 95%CI: 1.26-4.62) increased chances of coping well. Praying (aOR: 0.62, 95%CI: 0.43-0.90) or sleeping (aOR: 0.55, 95%CI: 0.34-0.89) more during the pandemic than before reduces coping.ConclusionIn Ghana, during the COVID-19 pandemic, financial security and optimism about the disease increase one's chances of coping well while having pre-existing medical conditions, praying and sleeping more during the pandemic than before reduces one's chances of coping well. These findings should be considered in planning mental health and public health intervention/policy.

Objective: The aim of this study was to assess the characteristics and care of patients with diabetes in countries with a sizable Muslim population and to study diabetes features during Ramadan and the effect of fasting.Research Design and Methods: This was a population-based, retrospective, transversal survey conducted in 13 countries. A total of 12,914 patients with diabetes were recruited using a stratified sampling method, and 12,243 were considered for the analysis.Results: Investigators recruited 1,070 (8.7%) patients with type 1 diabetes and 11,173 (91.3%) patients with type 2 diabetes. During Ramadan, 42.8% of patients with type 1 diabetes and 78.7% with type 2 diabetes fasted for at least 15 days. Less than 50% of the whole population changed their treatment dose (approximately one-fourth of patients treated with oral antidiabetic drugs [OADs] and one-third of patients using insulin). Severe hypoglycemic episodes were significantly more frequent during Ramadan compared with other months (type 1 diabetes, 0.14 vs. 0.03 episode/month, P = 0.0174; type 2 diabetes, 0.03 vs. 0.004 episode/month, P < 0.0001). Severe hypoglycemia was more frequent in subjects who changed their dose of OADs or insulin or modified their level of physical activity.Conclusions: The large proportion of both type 1 and type 2 diabetic subjects who fast during Ramadan represent a challenge to their physicians. There is a need to provide more intensive education before fasting, to disseminate guidelines, and to propose further studies assessing the impact of fasting on morbidity and mortality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Lassa virus is known to cause disease in different organ systems of the human body, with varying clinical manifestations. The features of severe clinical disease may include bleeding and/or central nervous system manifestations. Whereas Lassa fever encephalopathy and encephalitis are well described in the literature, there is paucity of data on Lassa virus meningitis. We present the clinical description, laboratory diagnosis, and management of 4 consecutive cases of aseptic meningitis associated with Lassa virus infection without bleeding seen in a region of Nigeria known to be endemic for both the reservoir rodent and Lassa fever. The 4 patients recovered fully following intravenous ribavirin treatment and suffered no neurologic complications.

The aviation's goal for the next decades is to drastically reduce emissions, but to achieve this goal a breakdown in aircraft design has to be considered. One of the most promising concepts is the Blended Wing- Body, which integrates aerodynamics, propulsion and structure, and has a better aerodynamics efficiency, thanks to the reduction of the wetted surfaces. In this work the feasibility of a short/medium range BWB with 150 passengers (A320 Neo type aircraft, Entry Into Service 2035) is studied, considering different disciplines into the sizing process. The design loop has been reviewed to consider the unconventional concept. Also certification aspects have been taken into account in an off-design analysis. To evaluate the advantages of the proposed concept, it has been compared with an aircraft of the same class, the A320 Neo, resized to match the EIS2035 hypothesis: results show that the BWB is a concept that demonstrates a gain in fuel consumption, especially on longer ranges.

Radish (Raphanus sativus L.) is an important worldwide root vegetable crop with high nutrient values and is adversely affected by non-essential heavy metals including chromium (Cr). Little is known about the molecular mechanism underlying Cr stress response in radish. In this study, RNA-Seq technique was employed to identify differentially expressed genes (DEGs) under Cr stress. Based on de novo transcriptome assembly, there were 30,676 unigenes representing 60,881 transcripts isolated from radish root under Cr stress. Differential gene analysis revealed that 2,985 uingenes were significantly differentially expressed between Cr-free (CK) and Cr-treated (Cr600) libraries, among which 1,424 were up-regulated and 1,561 down-regulated. Gene ontology (GO) analysis revealed that these DEGs were mainly involved in primary metabolic process, response to abiotic stimulus, cellular metabolic process and small molecule metabolic process. Kyoto encyclopedia of genes and genomes (KEGG) enrichment analysis showed that the DEGs were mainly involved in protein processing in endoplasmic reticulum, starch and sucrose metabolism, amino acid metabolism, glutathione metabolism, drug and xenobiotics by cytochrome P450 metabolism. RT-qPCR analysis showed that the expression patterns of 12 randomly selected DEGs were highly accordant with the results from RNA-seq. Furthermore, many candidate genes including signaling protein kinases, transcription factors and metal transporters, chelate compound biosynthesis and antioxidant system, were involved in defense and detoxification mechanisms of Cr stress response regulatory networks. These results would provide novel insight into molecular mechanism underlying plant responsiveness to Cr stress and facilitate further genetic manipulation on Cr uptake and accumulation in radish.

Background: The wide variations in reported incidence and mortality rates reflect gaps in the epidemiology of venous thromboembolic disease (VTD), a clinical entity with two different manifestations--deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism. We reviewed recent studies and data sources to find the most useful estimates of its epidemiologic indicators in France., Methods: We used international medical databases to conduct a systematic literature review. Our search focused on the incidence and mortality rates of VTD in France and examined epidemiologic studies, autopsy studies, clinical trials, and national morbidity and mortality databases., Results: The annual incidence of deep vein thrombosis is approximately 120 per 100,000 in France and 60-100 per 100,000 worldwide; the annual incidence of pulmonary embolism, the principal serious complication of deep vein thrombosis, is between 60 to 111 per 100,000 in France and between 23 and 107 per 100,000 internationally. The reported mortality rate for VTD in France is 7.2 per 100,000, but estimates from international autopsy series suggest a pulmonary embolism prevalence among hospital patients of 0.8 to 1%., Conclusion: This study demonstrates the limitations of current epidemiologic knowledge about VTD. Improved information about this disease requires better case reporting and large population-based longitudinal cohort studies.

Objective: In spite of increasing use of prophylactic treatments, venous thromboembolic disease (VTD) remains an important public health problem because of its high morbidity and mortality, in particular after major orthopedic surgery. The aim of this study is to provide an assessment of current medical management of VTD and post-thrombotic disease (PTD) in France., Method: A random sample of 210 investigators including hospital practitioners (orthopedic surgeons and anesthesiologists), general practitioners (GP), and angiologists working in the ambulatory setting completed a standardized questionnaire about their current medical practice., Results: VTD led to an additional 8.5 days of hospital stay needed for the management of deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and 15.8 days in the event of pulmonary embolism (PE). Doppler diagnosis of DVT was obtained in 97% to 100% of patients. When PE was suspected, a lung scan was performed in 62% of patients managed by hospital practitioners and in 43% of patients treated by GPs. Whereas the rate of hospitalization for distal DVT diagnosed in outpatients did not exceed 14% of patients, the rate of hospitalization for proximal DVT reached 40%-48%. Eighty-eight percent of the patients with PE were managed in a hospital setting. Two-thirds of the patients with PE were given low-molecular-weight heparin for an average duration of 9.3 days and one-third of patients were treated with non-fractioned heparin for an average duration of a 11 days. Doppler diagnosis of PTD was established in 98% of patients and 98% of the patients with PTD were treated with elastic contention stockings., Conclusion: Based on physicians' report of their current medical practice, this study provides useful data on diagnostic and therapeutic practices in the management of VTD and PTD.

The objective is to describe the evolution of therapeutic practices of prostate carcinoma in the departements of Tarn and Isère in France for the 1985-1995 period. This retrospective study is based on patient folders for whom a prostate carcinoma has been diagnosed between 1985 and 1995. A sample of 871 patients have been included after randomisation stratified on the year and the department of the diagnostic in the files of the cancer registries of Tarn and Isère. Therapeutic practices of the prostate cancer have significantly evolved between 1985 and 1989. The rate of radical prostatectomies increased from 1986 whereas the rate of radiotherapy remained stable. This evolution has been made to the detriment of non curative treatments with the decrease of the rate of hormonotherapies. This is due to the important development of diagnostic technics which led to an earlier diagnostic of these cancers; but, the evolution of therapeutic technics and particularly of the radical prostatectomy allowed the evolution of indications for the treatment of this cancer, with the increase of the rate of radical prostatectomies and the decrease of the rate of radiotherapies at the same stage of disease evolution. For 1990 to 1995, there was no major evolution. Some indications are discussed in this disease touching old man, with a slow evolution.