Background: Aseptic tibial loosening is a leading cause of revision in total knee arthroplasty (TKA). Previous work has highlighted concerns over the 5-year survivorship of a specific non-augmentable NexGen Legacy Posterior Stabilised (LPS) tibial baseplate. This study compares the long-term outcomes of augmentable versus non-augmentable tibial implants with a minimum 10-year follow-up.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe diversity and composition of mammal communities are strongly influenced by human activities, though these relationships may vary across broad scales. Understanding this variation is key to conservation, as it provides a baseline for planning and evaluating management interventions. We assessed variation in the structure and composition of Afrotropical medium and large mammal communities within and outside protected areas, and under varying human impact.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFOngoing ecosystem change and biodiversity decline across the Afrotropics call for tools to monitor the state of biodiversity or ecosystem elements across extensive spatial and temporal scales. We assessed relationships in the co-occurrence patterns between great apes and other medium to large-bodied mammals to evaluate whether ape abundance serves as a proxy for mammal diversity across broad spatial scales. We used camera trap footage recorded at 22 research sites, each known to harbor a population of chimpanzees, and some additionally a population of gorillas, across 12 sub-Saharan African countries.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFStrontium isotope (Sr/Sr) analysis with reference to strontium isotope landscapes (Sr isoscapes) allows reconstructing mobility and migration in archaeology, ecology, and forensics. However, despite the vast potential of research involving Sr/Sr analysis particularly in Africa, Sr isoscapes remain unavailable for the largest parts of the continent. Here, we measure the Sr/Sr ratios in 778 environmental samples from 24 African countries and combine this data with published data to model a bioavailable Sr isoscape for sub-Saharan Africa using random forest regression.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFTransp Res Interdiscip Perspect
May 2024
Pollution is a major cause of ill health globally. Low emission zones (LEZ) have been identified as effective in reducing pollution and are increasing in popularity but remain divisive. Understanding what factors help or hinder implementation is important.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe paper examines the health system's response to COVID-19 in Sierra Leone. It aims to explore how the pandemic affected service delivery, health workers, patient access to services, leadership, and governance. It also examines to what extent the legacy of the 2013-16 Ebola outbreak influenced the COVID-19 response and public perception.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Metastasis of cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (cSCC) is uncommon. Current staging methods are reported to have sub-optimal performances in metastasis prediction. Accurate identification of patients with tumors at high risk of metastasis would have a significant impact on management.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Sleep disorders are common and disproportionately affect marginalized populations. Technology, such as wearable devices, holds the potential to improve sleep quality and reduce sleep disparities, but most devices have not been designed or tested with racially, ethnically, and socioeconomically diverse patients. Inclusion and engagement of diverse patients throughout digital health development and implementation are critical to achieving health equity.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjectives: To study the mortality of patients with COVID-19 in Sierra Leone, to explore the factors associated with mortality during the COVID-19 pandemic and to highlight the complexities of treating patients with a novel epidemic disease in a fragile health system.
Study Design: A prospective single-centre cohort study. Data were extracted from paper medical records and transferred onto an electronic database.
The prevalence and complexity of cardiovascular disease (CVD) in the West of Scotland are high with the aortic arch and abdominal aorta, particularly at increased risk of cardiovascular pathology. Stent deployment can be key in preventing further cardiovascular events, however, current stent design does not account for complex advanced CVD in these areas. This cadaveric study aimed to provide anatomical measurements requested by manufacturers to improve stent design and deployment in this target population.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Sphaerophoria rueppellii, a European species of hoverfly, is a highly effective beneficial predator of hemipteran crop pests including aphids, thrips and coleopteran/lepidopteran larvae in integrated pest management (IPM) programmes. It is also a key pollinator of a wide variety of important agricultural crops. No genomic information is currently available for S.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Orius laevigatus, a minute pirate bug, is a highly effective beneficial predator of crop pests including aphids, spider mites and thrips in integrated pest management (IPM) programmes. No genomic information is currently available for O. laevigatus, as is the case for the majority of beneficial predators which feed on crop pests.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Over the past 25 years Sierra Leone has made progress in reducing maternal and child mortality, but the burden of preventable paediatric deaths remains high. Further progress towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals will require greater strengthening of the health care system, including hospital care for perinatal and paediatric conditions. Emergency Triage Assessment and Treatment Plus (ETAT+) may offer a useful tool.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBMJ Glob Health
October 2021
Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic has adversely affected health systems in many countries, but little is known about effects on health systems in sub-Saharan Africa. This study examines the effects of COVID-19 on hospital utilisation in a sub-Saharan country, Sierra Leone.
Methods: Mixed-methods study using longitudinal nationwide hospital data (admissions, operations, deliveries and referrals) and qualitative interviews with healthcare workers and patients.
Paleoclimate reconstructions have enhanced our understanding of how past climates have shaped present-day biodiversity. We hypothesize that the geographic extent of Pleistocene forest refugia and suitable habitat fluctuated significantly in time during the late Quaternary for chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes). Using bioclimatic variables representing monthly temperature and precipitation estimates, past human population density data, and an extensive database of georeferenced presence points, we built a model of changing habitat suitability for chimpanzees at fine spatio-temporal scales dating back to the Last Interglacial (120,000 BP).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCommun Biol
March 2021
J Med Internet Res
September 2020
Background: Guided cognitive behavioral self-help is a recommended first-line treatment for eating disorders (EDs) such as bulimia nervosa (BN) or binge eating disorder (BED). Online versions of such self-help programs are increasingly being studied in randomized controlled trials (RCTs), with some evidence that they can reduce ED symptoms, although intervention dropout is variable across interventions. However, in-depth research into participants' experiences and views on the acceptability of web-based interventions is limited.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFLarge brains and behavioural innovation are positively correlated, species-specific traits, associated with the behavioural flexibility animals need for adapting to seasonal and unpredictable habitats. Similar ecological challenges would have been important drivers throughout human evolution. However, studies examining the influence of environmental variability on within-species behavioural diversity are lacking despite the critical assumption that population diversification precedes genetic divergence and speciation.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFA 12-year-old boy was admitted to the paediatric ward with a 4-month history of worsening pain and bruising to his legs, which had resulted in a progressive reduction in his mobility. He initially had had difficulty weight bearing, which had then progressed further making him wheelchair bound. On examination, there was extensive bruising (figure 1) to his oedematous legs, worse on his right leg compared with his left.
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