Traditional bone setters (TBS)-lay practitioners who manage fractures without formal medical qualification-treat an estimated 10%-85% of fracture patients in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Children are disproportionately vulnerable due to physeal immaturity and lower diastolic blood pressure thresholds that increase susceptibility to compartment syndrome at lower absolute intracompartmental pressures than in adults. No prior systematic review has restricted analysis exclusively to the paediatric population or generated pooled meta-analytic estimates of complication rates. This protocol describes a systematic review and meta-analysis to determine the pooled incidence of paediatric TBS-related complications across LMICs.

Conventional strategies for obtaining planarian tissue for genomic DNA extraction rely on diet-based rearing or amputation-induced regeneration. These approaches are inapplicable to soil-dwelling flatworms that predominantly reproduce by egg-laying and lack regenerative capacity, such as the recently discovered nematode predator Luticola nematophagus. Here, we developed a protocol for the sequential isolation, purification, and collection of L. nematophagus eggs, comprising three steps: (1) physical sieving through sintered meshes of graded pore sizes under recirculating water flow to exclude nontarget eggs; (2) chemical digestion with 8% (w/w, weight/weight) urea or 5% (w/w) hydroxylamine hydrochloride under continuous aeration for 18 h to eliminate contaminating microinvertebrates; and (3) manual sorting under a stereomicroscope. Genomic DNA extracted from purified eggs exhibited A260/A280 ratios of 1.93-2.00 and A260/A230 ratios exceeding 2.0, meeting the quality thresholds for whole-genome sequencing. Successful PCR amplification of 18S and 28S ribosomal DNA (rDNA) fragments confirmed the suitability of the DNA for downstream molecular analyses. Compared with untreated controls, urea treatment (8% urea and manual sorting) reduced the final hatching rate by 5.2% and delayed the half-hatching time by 5.1 days, whereas hydroxylamine hydrochloride treatment (5% hydroxylamine hydrochloride and manual sorting) reduced the final hatching rate by 11.6% and delayed the half-hatching time by 7.9 days. However, the majority of the eggs remained viable. The quality of the extracted DNA was further confirmed by successful whole-genome sequencing, which yielded a chromosome-level genome assembly, indicating its suitability for the most demanding downstream applications.

Lower-limb amputation is associated with substantial functional impairment, chronic pain, and reduced quality of life, posing significant challenges for long-term rehabilitation and community reintegration. Despite advances in surgical techniques and prosthetic technologies, many individuals continue to experience limitations in mobility and persistent pain after amputation. This narrative review synthesizes current evidence on the functional consequences of limb loss and the most effective strategies for restoring mobility and managing pain following lower-limb amputation. Key approaches to rehabilitation include structured physical therapy, prosthetic optimization, and multidisciplinary care models that address biomechanical and psychosocial factors, including recovery. Pharmacologic regimens, neuromodulation, mirror therapy, and emerging surgical interventions, such as targeted muscle reinnervation, have demonstrated promising outcomes in reducing phantom limb pain and improving functional control. In addition, innovations in neuroprosthetics, wearable sensors, and data-driven rehabilitation are expanding opportunities for personalized treatments and improved prosthetic integration. However, disparities in access to rehabilitation services and advanced prosthetic technologies remain significant barriers to many patients. Continued research emphasizing standardized outcome measures, long-term clinical trials, and multidisciplinary care frameworks will be essential to improving functional outcomes and quality of life for individuals living with limb loss.

Many microRNAs (miRNAs) regulate tissue remodeling, cellular plasticity, and repair across evolutionarily distant vertebrate lineages that are capable of regenerating appendages such as amputated limbs, fins, and antlers, as well as in human articular cartilage responding to injury. These miRNAs often belong to the same families and exert conserved, though occasionally inverted, regulatory effects. This strong cross-species overlap motivates the present literature-derived analysis. Osteoarthritis (OA), the most prevalent joint disease, still lacks disease-modifying therapies, in part because of the longstanding assumption that adult mammalian cartilage demonstrates no intrinsic reparative capacity. Yet human cartilage retains a latent repair program activated by mechanical and inflammatory stress. Some injured or degenerating joints may never be clinically recognized as osteoarthritic because their intrinsic repair capacity is sufficient to restore tissue integrity; in others, where repair capacity is diminished or damage exceeds it, the repair program is insufficient and OA becomes clinically manifest. MiRNAs are established post-transcriptional regulators of cartilage homeostasis, degeneration, and appendage regeneration, yet because the OA and regeneration research fields have advanced largely independently, the insights available at their intersection have gone unrecognized. To close this gap, we systematically mined both literatures to construct an auto-updating, cross-referenced atlas of OA- and appendage regeneration-associated miRNAs. Integrating these datasets identified a core set of shared miRNA families, delineated miRNAs unique to each field, and mapped convergent families onto common pathways governing matrix remodeling, dedifferentiation, senescence, and inflammation. We propose that regeneration-competent species can inform the identification of therapeutic miRNAs, such as miR-133, miR-21, and let-7, capable of activating endogenous cartilage repair. Collectively, this synthesis and its accompanying web-based miRNA atlas (https://mirnaatlas.shinyapps.io/mirnaatlas/) establish a comparative framework for regenerative miRNA biology and provide a continually updated resource to accelerate discovery of disease-modifying, RNA-based therapies for OA.

The morbidity and mortality associated with landmines and explosive remnants of war remain a significant problem worldwide. Deminers exposed to these hazards repeatedly in their line of duty have not had their injury patterns adequately synthesized in over two decades and mine contamination continues to expand in modern conflicts.A systematic review was conducted in accordance with PRISMA 2020 guidelines. Inclusion criteria were studies that documented injury patterns, injury mechanisms, personal protective equipment (PPE), and outcomes in deminers.Eight studies published between 1990 and 2025 met the inclusion criteria. Demining activities were associated with high injury and fatality rates across all studies. Most injuries involved handling anti-personnel mines; upper limb trauma (62%) and amputations, which were commonly reported, distinguished deminers from other civilian and military populations exposed to explosive devices. Despite improvements in personal protective equipment, facial and ocular injuries remain prevalent. Deminers had better survival rates than civilians, often due to rapid evacuation and on-site medical support; however, only 20% returned to clearance work post-injury. Contributing risk factors included procedural lapses, inadequate training, and poor supervision.Although advancements have improved safety, current evidence remains limited and outdated. Systematic injury reporting and updated analysis of injury data are urgently needed.

In vivo fluorescence signals provide physiological and pathological insights for the interpretation of biological states associated with anatomical abnormalities or disease. Conventional methods for measuring fluorescence signals rely on bulky, costly instrumentation for imaging or for localized sensing. Here, we report a compact, wireless fluorimeter system for continuous, real-time measurements of the dynamics of fluorescence signals at locations of interest across the body. The approach represents a type of wearable that enables quantitative, interpretable fluorescence readouts and automatic data streaming to standard smart devices. The platform is compatible with injectable fluorescent species of medical relevance, such as indocyanine green, fluorescein, and methylene blue. Measurements from ischemic rodent and healthy porcine models, as well as those associated with limb amputation/replantation studies in rodents, demonstrate physiologically meaningful fluorescence profiles, with validation against ex situ blood analysis. These conceptual and technical advances offer the potential for convenient, continuous monitoring of fluorescence signals to support disease management and long-term patient care.