In sub-Saharan Africa, options for reconstruction of traumatic injuries are limited due to lack of access to microsurgery-trained surgeons. Recently, the Plastic Surgery Foundation-sponsored Surgeons in Humanitarian Alliance for Reconstruction, Research and Education group hosted a virtual microsurgery skills course for junior plastic surgeons in this region. In this report, we describe a case of complete brachial artery transection requiring microsurgical techniques and use of vein graft for repair at our provincial hospital in Mozambique. By highlighting this case, we aimed to describe a direct clinical application of the Surgeons in Humanitarian Alliance for Reconstruction, Research and Education virtual microsurgery skills course and to demonstrate the profound impact such courses can have on patient outcomes in low-and middle-income countries with limited or no access to microsurgery-trained surgeons. Further, through newly gained familiarity with standard microsurgery instruments used in reconstructive procedures, we were able to improvise and develop modified instruments to overcome lack of resources at our institution.

We assembled the first gridded burned area (BA) database of national wildfire data (ONFIRE), a comprehensive and integrated resource for researchers, non-government organisations, and government agencies analysing wildfires in various regions of the Earth. We extracted and harmonised records from different regions and sources using open and reproducible methods, providing data in a common framework for the whole period available (starting from 1950 in Australia, 1959 in Canada, 1985 in Chile, 1980 in Europe, and 1984 in the United States) up to 2021 on a common 1° × 1° grid. The data originate from national agencies (often, ground mapping), thus representing the best local expert knowledge. Key opportunities and limits in using this dataset are discussed as well as possible future expansions of this open-source approach that should be explored. This dataset complements existing gridded BA data based on remote sensing and offers a valuable opportunity to better understand and assess fire regime changes, and their drivers, in these regions. The ONFIRE database can be freely accessed at https://zenodo.org/record/8289245 .