Few studies have examined factors associated with diabetic foot ulcer (DFU) recurrence. Using data from patients enrolled in the prospective Eurodiale DFU study, we investigated the frequency of and ...risk factors for DFU recurrence after healing during a 3‐year follow‐up period. At our site, 93 Eurodiale‐enrolled patients had a healed DFU. Among these, 14 were not alive; of the remaining 79 patients we enrolled 73 in this study. On entry to the Eurodiale study, we assessed demographic factors (age, sex and distance from hospital); diabetes‐related factors duration, and glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c) levels; comorbidities (obesity, renal failure, smoking and alcohol abuse) and DFU‐related factors peripheral arterial disease, ulcer infection, C‐reactive protein (CRP) and; foot deformities. During the 3‐year follow‐up period, a DFU had recurred in 42 patients (57·5%). By stepwise logistic regression of findings at initial DFU presentation, the significant independent predictors for recurrence were plantar ulcer location odds ratio (OR) 8·62, 95% confidence interval (CI) 2·2–33·2; presence of osteomyelitis (OR 5·17, 95% CI 1·4–18·7); HbA1c > 7·5% (DCCT, OR 4·07, 95% CI 1·1–15·6) and CRP > 5 mg/l (OR 4·27, 95% CI 1·2–15·7). In these patients with a healed DFU, the majority had a recurrence of DFU during a 3‐year follow‐up period, despite intensive foot care. The findings at diagnosis of the initial DFU were independent risk factors associated with ulcer recurrence (plantar location, bone infection, poor diabetes control and elevated CRP) and define those at high risk for recurrence, but may be amenable to targeted interventions.
Delayed sleep-wake phase disorder (DSWPD) is a chronic condition with a multifactorial etiology that primarily affects adolescents, significantly influencing their quality of life. In clinical ...practice, the contribution of intrinsic and behavioral factors is difficult to determine. The aim of our study was to compare data from clinical interviews, sleep diaries, actigraphy, and nocturnal polysomnography (PSG) in a cohort of adolescents with DSWPD and to assess psychiatric/neurodevelopmental comorbidity.
Thirty-one patients (22 male; mean age 15.4 ± 2.2 years, range 12 to 19 years) with a diagnosis of DSWPD based on detailed history, sleep diary, and actigraphy underwent nocturnal polysomnography (PSG) and neurological, psychological, and psychiatric examination.
Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) was present in 14 cases (45%), specific learning difficulties in nine (29%), and mood disorder (anxiety/depression) in 16 patients (52%). PSG revealed sleep-onset delay in only 12 (38%) cases. No differences in clinical data or psychiatric comorbidity between the group with sleep delay and the group with normal sleep onset were detected. Decreased total sleep time, sleep efficiency, rapid eye movement (REM) sleep, and prolonged REM sleep latency were observed in patients with delayed sleep onset.
PSG showed delayed sleep timing in only 38% of patients with a diagnosis of DSWPD based on diagnostic criteria of the International Classification of Sleep Disorders. We suggest that PSG can provide useful information regarding the prevailing etiology (biological versus behavioral) if dim light melatonin onset testing is not available.
This study was a retrospective analysis of patients with CLI who underwent infrapopliteal percutaneous transluminal angioplasty (PTA). The main goal was to evaluate clinical and morphological factors ...that influence the clinical outcome of PTA in long-term follow-up. A total of 1,445 PTA procedures were performed in 1,268 patients. Main indications for PTA included gangrene, nonhealing ulcers, or rest pain. The mean number of treated arteries was 1.77 artery/limb, and the majority of lesions were type TASC D. The technical success rate of PTA was 89% of intended-to-treat arteries. The main criterion of clinical success was functional limb salvage (LS). One-year follow-up involved 1,069 limbs. Primary and secondary 1-year LS rates were 76.1 and 84.4%, respectively. The effect of clinical and morphological parameters on the 1-year LS was that the only associated disease with an adverse effect on LS rate was DM combined with dialysis. Regarding limb preprocedural status, gangrene was clearly a negative predictor. The most important factor affecting LS was the number of patent arteries post-PTA: patients with 0, 1, 2, and 3 patent arteries had 1-year primary LS rates of 56.4, 73.1, 80.4, and 83%, respectively. Long-term follow-up of LS rates demonstrated secondary LS rates of 84.4, 78.8, and 73.3% at 1, 5, and 10 years. Every effort should be made to perform PTA for as many arteries as possible, even if TASC D type, to improve clinical outcome. Our study shows that repeat PTA is capable of keeping the long-term LS rate close to 75%.
Autologous cell therapy (ACT) is a new treatment for patients with no-option critical limb ischemia (NO-CLI). We evaluated the factors involved in the nonresponse to ACT in patients with CLI and ...diabetic foot. Diabetic patients (n = 72) with NO-CLI treated using ACT in our foot clinic over a period of 8 years were divided into responders (n = 57) and nonresponders (n = 15). Nonresponder was defined as an insufficient increase in transcutaneous oxygen pressure by <5 mm Hg, 3 months after ACT. Patient demographics, diabetes duration and treatment, and comorbidities as well as a cellular response to ACT, limb-related factors, and the presence of inherited thrombotic disorders were compared between the 2 groups. The main independent predictors for an impaired response to ACT were heterozygote Leiden mutation (OR 10.5; 95% CI, 1.72-4) and homozygote methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR 677) mutation (OR 3.36; 95% CI, 1.0-14.3) in stepwise logistic regression. Univariate analysis showed that lower mean protein C levels (P = .041) were present in nonresponders compared with responders. In conclusion, the significant predictors of an impaired response to ACT in diabetic patients with NO-CLI were inherited thrombotic disorders.
The aim of our case-control study was to compare selected psychological and social characteristics between diabetic patients with and without the DF (controls). Methods. 104 patients with and 48 ...without DF were included into our study. Both study groups were compared in terms of selected psychosocial characteristics. Results. Compared to controls, patients with DF had a significantly worse quality of life in the area of health and standard of living as shown by lower physical health domain ( 12.7 ± 2.8 versus 14.7 ± 2.5 ; P < 0.001 ) and environment domain ( 14.1 ± 2.2 versus 15 ± 1.8 ; P < 0.01 ) that negatively correlated with diabetes duration ( r = - 0.061 ; P = 0.003 ). Patients with DF subjectively felt more depressed in contrast to controls (24.5 versus 7.3%; P < 0.05 ); however, the depressive tuning was objectively proven in higher percentage in both study groups (83.2 versus 89.6; NS). We observed a significantly lower level of achieved education ( P < 0 . 01 ), more patients with disability pensions ( P < 0 . 01 ), and low self-support ( P < 0 . 001 ) in patients with the DF compared to controls. In the subgroup of patients with a previous major amputation and DF ( n = 6 ), there were significantly worse outcomes as in the environment domain ( P < 0.01 ), employment status, and stress readaptation ( P < 0.01 ) in contrast to the main study groups. Conclusions. Patients with DF had a predominantly worse standard of living. In contrast to our expectations, patients with DF appeared to have good stress tolerability and mental health (with the exception of patients with previous major amputation) and did not reveal severe forms of depression or any associated consequences.
The objective of our study was to compare the cellular and extracellular matrix (ECM) structure and the biomechanical properties of human pericardium (HP) with the normal human aortic heart valve ...(NAV). HP tissues (from 12 patients) and NAV samples (from 5 patients) were harvested during heart surgery. The main cells in HP were pericardial interstitial cells, which are fibroblast-like cells of mesenchymal origin similar to the valvular interstitial cells in NAV tissue. The ECM of HP had a statistically significantly (p < 0.001) higher collagen I content, a lower collagen III and elastin content, and a similar glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) content, in comparison with the NAV, as measured by ECM integrated density. However, the relative thickness of the main load-bearing structures of the two tissues, the dense part of fibrous HP (49 ± 2%) and the lamina fibrosa of NAV (47 ± 4%), was similar. In both tissues, the secant elastic modulus (Es) was significantly lower in the transversal direction (p < 0.05) than in the longitudinal direction. This proved that both tissues were anisotropic. No statistically significant differences in UTS (ultimate tensile strength) values and in calculated bending stiffness values in the longitudinal or transversal direction were found between HP and NAV. Our study confirms that HP has an advantageous ECM biopolymeric structure and has the biomechanical properties required for a tissue from which an autologous heart valve replacement may be constructed.
OBJECTIVE: To assess the new quantitative bone scan parameters as markers of Charcot neuroosteoarthropathy (CNO) activity. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: Forty-two patients with acute (n = 21) and ...nonacute (n = 21) CNO underwent quantitative bone scanning. Patients with acute CNO were followed for 3-12 months and bone scans were repeated after treatment. New quantitative parameters were assessed and compared with markers of bone turnover and with skin temperature difference (STD). RESULTS: Significant correlations between quantitative bone scan parameters and bone turnover markers were observed (all P < 0.05). These parameters decreased after treatment of CNO, and its reduction to the baseline value correlated with differences of bone turnover markers and STD (all P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Our study suggests that bone scanning can be used not only for diagnosis of CNO but also for monitoring disease activity by quantitative bone scan parameters.
The aim of our study was to analyse immune abnormalities in patients with chronic infected diabetic foot ulcers (DFUs) especially those infected by resistant microorganisms. Methods. 68 patients ...treated in our foot clinic for infected chronic DFUs with 34 matched diabetic controls were studied. Patients with infected DFUs were subdivided into two subgroups according to the antibiotic sensitivity of causal pathogen: subgroup S infected by sensitive (n=50) and subgroup R by resistant pathogens (n=18). Selected immunological markers were compared between the study groups and subgroups. Results. Patients with infected chronic DFUs had, in comparison with diabetic controls, significantly reduced percentages (p<0.01) and total numbers of lymphocytes (p<0.001) involving B lymphocytes (p<0.01), CD4+ (p<0.01), and CD8+ T cells (p<0.01) and their naive and memory effector cells. Higher levels of IgG (p<0.05) including IgG1 (p<0.001) and IgG3 (p<0.05) were found in patients with DFUs compared to diabetic controls. Serum levels of immunoglobulin subclasses IgG2 and IgG3 correlated negatively with metabolic control (p<0.05). A trend towards an increased frequency of IgG2 deficiency was found in patients with DFUs compared to diabetic controls (22% versus 15%; NS). Subgroup R revealed lower levels of immunoglobulins, especially of IgG4 (p<0.01) in contrast to patients infected by sensitive bacteria. The innate immunity did not differ significantly between the study groups. Conclusion. Our study showed changes mainly in the adaptive immune system represented by low levels of lymphocyte subpopulations and their memory effector cells, and also changes in humoral immunity in patients with DFUs, even those infected by resistant pathogens, in comparison with diabetic controls.
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