Pyoderma gangrenosum (PG) is a rare and painful skin condition of uncertain aetiology characterised by one or more areas of chronic ulceration with well demarcated and undermined borders. The exact pathogenesis of PG is poorly understood but an abnormality in the regulation of the immune system or its effectors is ...

Limited data are available regarding the predictors of periprocedural creatine kinase-MB (CK-MB) isoenzyme increase after elective percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) in the stenting era. We explored the predictors of periprocedural CK-MB increase in 882 consecutive patients with normal preprocedural CK-MB who underwent 919 angiographically successful elective PCIs with (n = ...

Exposure to hyperbaric oxygen leads to increased amount of reactive oxygen species (ROS) that are derived from various sources. After the discovery that ROS can function as signaling molecules, the idea of ROS being hazardous to biological tissues has been challenged. The aim of this study was to examine the ...

Most serious foot problems can be prevented by the patient&#x2032;s knowledge and awareness of risk factors. This study was initiated to know more about the peripheral neurovascular status among the diabetic population and its correlation with early diagnosis and control. <b> Aims and Objectives:</b> To obtain an initial and representative ...

Diabetic foot ulcers (DFUs) consist of an interaction of neuropathy, ischemia and infection. Neuropathy affects sensory, motor and autonomic pathways. Pathogenic factors for neuropathy include hyperglycemia, nonenzymatic glycosylation, oxidative stress, ischemic and hypoxic factors, nerve growth factor anomalies, activation of polyol pathway and immunologic abnormalities. All these factors are stated ...

Previous studies in our laboratory have demonstrated that barrier creams, comprising perfluorinated polymers, are effective against the chemical warfare agent sulphur mustard (SM) when evaluated using human skin in vitro. The purpose of this follow-up study was to further evaluate three candidate (perfluorinated) barrier creams against SM (vapour) using the ...

A single-blind, randomized controlled trial was conducted to evaluate vacuum-compression therapy (VCT) for the healing of diabetic foot ulcers. Eighteen diabetic patients with foot ulcers were recruited through simple nonprobability sampling. Subjects were randomly assigned to either an experimental or a control group. Before and after intervention, the foot ulcer ...

INTRODUCTION: A state of hypercoagulation and fibrinolytic dysfunction is present in individuals with diabetes, which may contribute to disturbed skin microcirculation and impaired ulcer healing. We have previously reported an improved outcome of chronic diabetic foot ulcers during treatment with dalteparin. In the present study we investigated the effects of ...

BACKGROUND: Ulcerative colitis (UC) patients often report symptom flares after colonoscopy. However, this has not been documented in the literature. OBJECTIVES: 1. Determine whether colonoscopy is associated with increased UC symptoms. 2. Determine whether there is a need for escalation of UC medications after colonoscopy. 3. Identify baseline variables associated ...

Patients with diabetes mellitus (DM) are prone to infection, in part due to phagocyte dysfunction and impaired polymorphonuclear (PMN) leucocyte superoxide generation. Another frequently mentioned factor in the pathogenesis of infection in DM patients is altered zinc status. This study aims to evaluate the association between serum zinc level and ...

Diabetic foot lesions remain a major cause of morbidity in patients with renal failure, especially those on dialysis. Foot complications are encountered at a more than twofold frequency in diabetic patients with end-stage renal disease, and the rate of amputations is 6.5-10 times higher in comparison to the general diabetic ...

The restoration of motor functions of patients with spinal cord injury (SCI) is one of important subjects for study. For this purpose, methods of functional neuromuscular stimulation (FNS) have been investigated in medical science and practice during these three decades. However, we have not achieved complete restoration of motor functions ...

Delayed sural flap based on the vascular axis of the sural nerve has been advocated for coverage of diabetic foot ulcers. In this study we compared the survival of neurovenous and standard inferior epigastric island flaps in diabetic and non-diabetic rats. VEGF concentrations and electrolyte balance of the flaps were ...

BACKGROUND: Although epidemiological studies have persistently shown a high prevalence of diabetes in Arabs, the control of diabetes is still poor and complications of diabetes are common. We examined the prevalence of diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DN), neuropathic foot ulceration (FU) and peripheral vascular disease (PVD), and potential risk factors for ...

OBJECTIVE: To compare speech outcome and velopharyngeal (VP) status of subjects with repaired cleft palate who underwent either conventional Le Fort I osteotomy or maxillary distraction osteogenesis to correct maxillary hypoplasia. DESIGN: Prospective randomized study with blind assessment of speech outcome and VP status. SUBJECTS: Twenty-two subjects were randomized into ...

The Clinical Signs and Symptoms Checklist is a tool designed to measure 12 clinical signs and symptoms of localized chronic wound infection. Since its initial development, this Checklist has been revised to include sanguineous drainage. To examine the inter-rater reliability of the revised Clinical Signs and Symptoms Checklist in diabetic ...

BACKGROUND: Talactoferrin alfa, a recombinant form of human lactoferrin, is a novel immunomodulatory protein with demonstrated ulcer healing properties in animal models. METHODS: A phase 1/2 clinical study was conducted at 7 clinical sites to determine if talactoferrin can improve wound healing in diabetic patients with foot ulceration. Fifty-five patients ...

In patients with diabetes mellitus, Charcot's neuroarthropathy mainly affects major weight-bearing joints, especially the foot and ankle. Remarkably, we report a case of Charcot's joint of the wrist - an unusually rare localization in type 2 diabetic patient. A review of medical literature identified only three such cases so far.

Thrombin and thrombin peptides play a role in initiating tissue repair. The potential safety and efficacy of TP508 (Chrysalin) treatment of diabetic foot ulcers was evaluated in a 60-subject, prospective, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled phase I/II clinical trial. Chrysalin in saline or saline alone was applied topically, twice weekly, to diabetic ...

It is not clearly established whether reticulocyte deformability is lower than that of the mature erythrocytes, as most of studies published on this matter have evaluated this rheological parameter by means of micropipette techniques, which are unsuitable for routine measurements. Information is scarce as regards the evaluation of reticulocyte deformability ...

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of a temperature monitoring instrument to reduce the incidence of foot ulcers in individuals with diabetes who have a high risk for lower extremity complications. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: In this physician-blinded, randomized, 15-month, multicenter trial, 173 subjects with ...

BACKGROUND: A triad of metabolic abnormalities are known that render the peripheral nerve in diabetes mellitus susceptible to chronic compression: conversion of glucose to sorbitol increases the intraneural water content, slowing of axoplasmic transport of proteins hinders structural repair, glycosylation of endoneurial collagen reduces perineurial gliding. In the early 1990s, ...

Porphyrias are an uncommon, heterogeneous group of metabolic diseases caused by inherited or acquired deficiency of specific enzymes in the heme biosynthetic pathway resulting in an excess of porphyrins (red-brown pigments) and their precursors. Accumulation of heme precursors, such as porphyrinogens that are spontaneously oxidized to porphyrins, is responsible for ...

Cases of vitiligo following radiotherapy have been reported in patients with a history of vitiligo, possibly resulting from the Koebner phenomenon. As vitiligo in general is caused by melanocyte depletion, there is an increased radiosensitivity of this cell type in this disorder. However, vitiligo at sites of irradiation may be ...

In a randomised, controlled, double-blind, multicentre trial in 338 patients, we assessed the incidence of residual paralysis following administration of cisatracurium or rocuronium. The incidence at the end of surgery was significantly lower in patients treated with rocuronium (62 of 142 patients, 44%) than in those given cisatracurium (99 of ...

BACKGROUND: Diabetes Mellitus constitutes one of the most important public health problems due to its high prevalence and enormous social and economic consequences. Diabetic foot ulcers are one of the chronic complications of diabetes mellitus and constitute the most important cause of non-traumatic amputation of inferior limbs. It is estimated ...

The effect of SLN incorporation on transdermal delivery and in vitro antiherpetic activity of Artemisia arborescens essential oil was investigated. Two different SLN formulations were prepared using the hot-pressure homogenization technique, Compritol 888 ATO as lipid, and Poloxamer 188 and Miranol Ultra C32 as surfactants. Formulations were examined for their ...

BACKGROUND: Foot complications are common in diabetic patients and are considered one of the most expensive diabetes (DM) complications to treat. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence and risk factors for foot complications among diabetic patients in Al-Ain district, United Arab Emirates (UAE). METHODS: The study ...

Apligraf (Organogenesis, Canton, MA) is a bi-layered bioengineered skin substitute and was the first engineered skin US Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved to promote the healing of ulcers that have failed standard wound care. Constructed by culturing human foreskin-derived neonatal fibroblasts in a bovine type I collagen matrix over which ...

Lower extremity complications in persons with diabetes have become an increasingly significant public health concern in both the developed and developing world. These complications, beginning with neuropathy and subsequent diabetic foot wounds frequently lead to infection and lower extremity amputation even in the absence of critical limb ischemia. In order ...

OBJECTIVE: There is growing interest in neuropsychiatry for repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) as a neuromodulatory treatment. However, there are limitations in interpreting rTMS effects as a real consequence of physiological brain changes or as placebo-mediated unspecific effects, which may be particularly strong in psychiatric patients. This is due to ...

The aim of our study was to evaluate the feasibility of laser Doppler flowmetry (LDF) coupled with iontophoresis in exploring the skin vasodilator activity of exogenous calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) in healthy subjects and to investigate the mechanisms involved in the skin vasodilator activity of this peptide. Forearm skin blood ...

In many anurans, the pelvic patch of the ventral skin and the urinary bladder are important osmoregulatory organs. Since the discovery of water channel protein, aquaporin (AQP), in mammalian erythrocytes, 17 distinct full sequences of AQP mRNAs have been identified in anurans. Phylogenetic tree of AQP proteins from amphibians and ...

INTRODUCTION: Neovascularisation of atherosclerotic plaques correlates with increased plaque instability and subsequent risk of vascular complications. Diabetics have widespread atherosclerotic involvement of the arterial tree and a more aggressive form of the disease culminating in increased plaque instability. This results in a greater incidence of ischaemic sequelae than in non-diabetics. ...

INTRODUCTION: The aim of this systematic review was to quantify the amount of true molar intrusion attainable during orthodontic treatment. METHODS: A literature search was conducted to identify clinical trials that assessed true molar intrusion through superimposition of lateral cephalogram tracings. Craniofacial growth had to be factored out when appropriate. ...

Ecological risk assessment of environmental pollutants requires effective laboratory assays and extrapolation of the resultant data to wild species. Because avian reproductive disorder and accumulation of persistent compounds in wild birds and their eggs have long been observed in polluted regions, we have developed an assay for investigating whether pollutants ...

BACKGROUND: Limited access to basic foot care and protective footwear may contribute to diabetic foot complications. The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence of foot complications, ongoing foot care, and footwear use in diabetic subjects in a remote northern Canadian Aboriginal community. METHODS: This was a cross-sectional ...

Aksoy and coworkers [39] found that a multidisciplinary diabetic foot care team can help decrease the rate of major amputations and improve tha patients' quality of life. Multidisciplinary care also includes proper patient education, which can help patients with diabetes mellitus control factors that can lead to complications, such as ...

We have outlined an approach to the nonsurgical treatment of diabetic foot ulcers based on an understanding of their etiology. We have emphasized the importance of off-loading as the crucial element to success in healing foot ulcers and preventing their recurrence in those with diabetes. Computerized design of custom insoles ...

The long-term survival of 21,520 amputations with a 20-year observation period has been calculated. The material includes 5823 amputees with diabetes and 15 697 dysvascular cases without diabetes. The mean age of the amputees with diabetes is 70.6 years and that of the group without diabetes is 75 years. Kaplan-Meier ...

The purpose of this study was to compare insulin's ability to stimulate glucose uptake in the arm and leg in a group of older hypertensive individuals (n = 13, 66 +/- 2 yr old). We also examined the effect of a 4-mo whole body resistance-training (RT) program on arm and ...

Recurrent foot ulceration is a major cause of morbidity in diabetic patients. Discrepancy between the stiffness of the plantar skin and underlying soft tissues may influence the likelihood of ulceration. Tissue properties change with diabetes primarily due to high blood glucose which promotes intermolecular cross-linking of structural proteins thus leading ...

Concentrations of dioxins and related compounds (DRCs), such as polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDDs), polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDFs), and coplanar polychlorinated biphenyls (Co-PCBs), were determined in eggs, nestlings, and adults of black-footed albatross (BfA; Diomedea nigripes) and short-tailed albatross (StA; Diomedea albatrus) collected from the Torishima Island in Japan during 2002, which is ...

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to describe health-related quality-of-life (HRQL) in patients with diabetic foot ulcers by comparing their HRQL with that of a sample from the general population without diabetes (general population) and a subgroup with diabetes (diabetes population), and to examine the differences between groups by ...

Diabetic foot disease is a major health problem, which concerns 15% of the 200 million patients with diabetes worldwide. Major amputation, above or below the knee, is a feared complication of diabetes. More than 60% of non-traumatic amputations in the western world are performed in the diabetic population. Many patients ...

Diabetic foot ulceration results from factors extrinsic to the foot such as repeated trauma, ischaemia and infection, as well as intrinsic factors that lead to impairment of wound healing. Intrinsic factors are less well understood, but include deficiency of growth factors, changes in extracellular matrix components with excess proteases, reduced ...

The purpose of this study was to propose and evaluate a high to low (Hi-Lo) amputation ratio as a potential additional quality measure giving further insight into high-risk foot surveillance beyond foot screening examinations. As part of the Dartmouth Atlas of Health Care project, a secondary analysis was performed on ...

In order to define the impact of needle type on post-lumbar puncture headache (PLPH), we performed a prospective, randomized trial comparing the incidence of PLPH in patients undergoing lumbar punctures (LPs) with traumatic vs atraumatic 22-gauge needles. Fifty-eight patients underwent 85 LPs. The incidence of PLPH was 36% in the ...

The rate and regional differences for the penetration of fentanyl through equine skin was investigated in vitro using a commercial transdermal therapeutic system (TTS) or 'patch'. Skin collected from the thorax, groin and leg (dorsal metacarpal) regions of five horses was placed in diffusion cells and a fentanyl TTS applied ...

BACKGROUND: Foot ulceration occurs frequently on the plantar aspect of the metatarsal head region, in which the altered foot biomechanics has been mentioned as a contributor. This study attempted to compare the energy dissipation in the plantar soft tissue under the metatarsal head between type 2 diabetic patients and age-matched ...