Medicinal plants in Baskoure, Kourittenga Province, Burkina Faso: an ethnobotanical study

Aim of the study

The majority of people living in Kourittenga Province, Burkina Faso, are highly dependent on medicinal plants for their daily health care. Knowledge on the use of medicinal plants by traditional healers is being seriously threatened, due to the fact that it is commonly transferred from one generation to another only verbally. Moreover, recent environmental changes, deforestation, and unsustainable rates of exploitation, represent a serious risk for plant species diversity. Thus, there is a need to record and document indigenous knowledge on medicinal plants in this country. The aim of this study was to report on the use of medicinal plants by traditional healers to treat human diseases in a rural area located in the East-Centre Region of Burkina Faso (Baskoure Area), which has not yet been studied from an ethnobotanical point of view.

Materials and methods

The research was carried out over a period of 8 months, by means of open-ended and semi-structured interviews. A total of 41 traditional healers were interviewed, and group meetings were organised with family members and other local inhabitants having knowledge of traditional medicine.

Results

A total of 190 plant species were recorded. Most medicinal plants used to prepare concoctions were herbs, and leaves were the most frequently used parts. A high percentage of plants were used against gastrointestinal diseases and malaria, which are the prevalent diseases in the study area. The major source of remedies came from wild plants, indicating that cultivation of medicinal plants is not a common practice.

Conclusions

Our study represents an inventory on medicinal plants used in a rural area of Burkina Faso, and confirms that wild plants are widely utilised as health remedies in this area. The collected data may help to avoid the loss of traditional knowledge on the use of medicinal plants detained by traditional healers, and represent the preliminary information required in view of a future phytochemical investigation on the most used plants.     

AORN ergonomic tool 2: positioning and repositioning the supine patient on the OR bed

Positioning or repositioning a patient on the OR bed in preparation for a surgical procedure presents a high risk for musculoskeletal disorders, such as low-back and shoulder injuries, for perioperative personnel. Safe patient handling requires knowledge of current ergonomic safety concepts, scientific evidence, and equipment and devices to ensure that neither the patient nor the caregiver is at risk for injury. AORN Ergonomic Tool 2: Positioning and Repositioning the Supine Patient on the OR Bed provides guidelines that enable perioperative personnel to determine safe methods for positioning and repositioning a patient in the semi-Fowler, lateral, or lithotomy position in preparation for surgery.     

AORN ergonomic tool 1: Lateral transfer of a patient from a stretcher to an OR bed

Moving patients can result in injuries to patients and staff members. Lateral patient transfers from a stretcher to an OR bed pose a high risk for musculoskeletal disorders, including lower back, shoulder, and neck injuries for perioperative personnel. AORN Ergonomic Tool 1: Lateral Transfer of a Patient from a Stretcher to an OR Bed helps perioperative staff members determine best practices for safe lateral patient transfers. Safe moving of the patient is determined by the starting and ending position required and the patient's weight. Current ergonomic safety concepts and scientific evidence regarding weight limits help to determine how many caregivers are needed to safely move patients and whether mechanical assistance is needed during lateral transfers.     

Dual function of ERRα in breast cancer and bone metastasis formation: implication of VEGF and osteoprotegerin

Bone metastasis is a complication occurring in up to 70% of advanced breast cancer patients. The estrogen receptor-related receptor alpha (ERRα) has been implicated in breast cancer and bone development, prompting us to examine whether ERRα may function in promoting the osteolytic growth of breast cancer cells in bone. In a mouse xenograft model of metastatic human breast cancer, overexpression of wild-type ERRα reduced metastasis, whereas overexpression of a dominant negative mutant promoted metastasis. Osteoclasts were directly affected and ERRα upregulated the osteoclastogenesis inhibitor, osteoprotegerin (OPG), providing a direct mechanistic basis for understanding how ERRα reduced breast cancer cell growth in bone. In contrast, ERRα overexpression increased breast cancer cell growth in the mammary gland. ERRα-overexpressing primary tumors were highly vascularized, consistent with an observed upregulation of angiogenic growth factor, the VEGF. In support of these findings, we documented that elevated expression of ERRα mRNA in breast carcinomas was associated with high expression of OPG and VEGF and with disease progression. In conclusion, our results show that ERRα plays a dual role in breast cancer progression in promoting the local growth of tumor cells, but decreasing metastatic growth of osteolytic lesions in bone.     

Pyruvate dehydrogenase deficiency caused by a new mutation of PDHX gene in two Moroccan patients

Pyruvate dehydrogenase deficiency is one of the genetic defects of mitochondrial energy metabolism. Clinical features are heterogeneous, ranging from fatal lactic acidosis in the newborn period to chronic neurodegenerative abnormalities. Most cases have mutations in the gene for the E1alpha subunit of the pyruvate dehydrogenase complex. Primary defects of the E3 binding protein component of the pyruvate dehydrogenase complex are rarier. We describe two unrelated Moroccan patients with the same new mutation c.1182 + 2T > C in the E3 binding protein gene PDHX and different clinical forms.     

Chiropractic management of work-related upper limb disorder complicated by intraosseous ganglion cysts: a case report

Objective

Work-related upper limb disorder (WRULD) encompasses a broad array of occupational upper limb injuries, the most common being carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS). Carpal tunnel syndrome occasionally presents with concomitant ganglion cysts. The purpose of this case report is to describe the chiropractic management of a patient with bilateral WRULD complicated by ganglion cysts.

Clinical Features

The patient was diagnosed previously with bilateral CTS and presented with common CTS symptoms that were nonresponsive to several previous courses of care. Magnetic resonance imaging revealed bilateral ganglion cysts, and electrodiagnostic studies found left CTS and bilateral radial neuralgia. Right limb findings appeared more consistent with nonspecific arm pain.

Intervention and Outcome

Chiropractic manipulative therapy, soft-tissue approaches, and physiotherapy modalities were applied to the arms and wrists over a 3-month period. Home care included exercises using elastic tubing and a gyroscopic handheld device. Chiropractic manipulative therapy and other conservative approaches resulted in subjective improvements of decreased hand paresthesias and muscle weakness and objective improvements in range of motion and neurologic deficits. Although the patient's symptoms and function improved, she remained with a level of permanent impairment.

Conclusion

This case demonstrates successful chiropractic management of a patient with WRULD complicated by ganglion cysts. Further larger-scale studies are recommended to determine if chiropractic management demonstrates positive outcomes for this condition.     

A case of pseudo–angina pectoris from a pectoralis minor trigger point caused by cross-country skiing

Objective

The aim of this article is to illustrate the pectoralis minor muscle as a possible pain source in patients with anterior chest pain, especially those who are known to be beginner cross-country skiers.

Clinical Features

A 58-year-old man presented with anterior chest pain and normal cardiac examination findings. Upon history taking and physical examination, the chest pain was determined to be caused by active trigger points in the pectoralis minor muscle.

Intervention and Outcome

The patient was treated with Graston Technique and cross-country skiing technique advice. The subject's symptoms improved significantly after 2 treatments and completely resolved after 4 treatments.

Conclusion

This case demonstrates the importance of differential diagnosis and mechanism of injury in regard to chest pain and that chiropractic management can be successful when addressing patients with chest wall pain of musculoskeletal origin.     

CNS involvement and treatment with interferon-α are independent prognostic factors in Erdheim-Chester disease: a multicenter survival analysis of 53 patients

Erdheim-Chester disease (ECD) is a rare form of non-Langerhans histiocytosis, with noncodified therapeutic management and high mortality. No treatment has yet been shown to improve survival in these patients. We conducted a multicenter prospective observational cohort study to assess whether extraskeletal manifestations and interferon-α treatment would influence survival in a large cohort of ECD patients. To achieve this goal, we thoroughly analyzed the clinical presentation of 53 patients with biopsy-proven ECD, and we performed a survival analysis using Cox proportional hazard model. Fifty-three patients (39 men and 14 women) with biopsy-proven ECD were followed up between November 1981 and November 2010. Forty-six patients (87%) received interferon-α and/or PEGylated interferon-α. Multivariate survival analysis using Cox proportional hazard model revealed that central nervous system involvement was an independent predictor of death (hazard ratio = 2.51; 95% confidence interval, 1.28-5.52; P = .006) in our cohort. Conversely, treatment with interferon-α was identified as an independent predictor of survival (hazard ratio = 0.32; 95% confidence interval, 0.14-0.70; P = .006). Although definitive confirmation would require a randomized controlled trial, these results suggest that interferon-α improves survival in ECD patients. This may be seen as a significant advance, as it is the first time a treatment is shown to improve survival in this multisystemic disease with high mortality.