High Risk Foot Among Type-2 Diabetes Mellitus Patients in a Tertiary Care Hospital

Background: Feet of diabetic persons are at a high risk of developing complications and their prevalence is very high. Uncontrolled diabetes i.e. hyperglycemia particularly chronic hyperglycemia plays the most critical role in developing all forms of macro and microvascular complications in foot. The 揾igh risk foot� can be identified by simple clinical examination. A structured screening program for 揌igh Risk Foot� integrated with all diabetic care units is essential. Objectives: The study was initiated to determine the frequency of 揾igh-risk foot� among Type 2 diabetic patients.Methods:It was a cross-sectional observational study, conducted among 324 Type 2 diabetic patients attending BIRDEM General Hospital, Dhaka, Bangladesh. All participants were interviewed by an administered questionnaire, underwent clinical examination and review of medical records from the diabetic guide book of the patients and hospital records.Results:Among a total of 324 patients, 198(61%) patients were having high-risk feet. Of the diabetics with high risk foot- loss of protective sensation 73.2%; absent pedal pulse 23.2%; history foot ulcer 25.3%; limited joint mobility 15.2%; foot deformity 11.1% and previous foot amputation 3.5%. The study population had poor glycemic status (HbA1c 10.81+5.23%). Other variables age 55.43 (� 11.062) years; BMI: 25.33+5.7 kg/m� duration of diabetes 14.24+7.25 years; sex ratio (M: F) 1.3:1; family history of DM 71.9%; hypertensive 53.1%; smoker 73.5%; dislipidemia 52.8%, albuminuria 58.6%, and retinopathy 53.7%. Males are significantly higher in the high-risk foot.Conclusion:This study documented a very high frequency of high risks foot in our diabetic population. Peripheral Neuropathy (PN) and PVD are two common forms of high risk foot and these are influenced by a longer duration of diabetes, the presence of albuminuria for PN, and retinopathy. Male sex, longer duration of diabetes, presence of hypertension and smoking for PVD. Regular foot examination and treatment to target patients will modify the modifiable risk factors and thereby prevent foot ulcers and amputation.

Aggressive fibromatosis - impact of prognostic variables on management : general surgery

Objective. To determine the impact of prognostic variables on local control in patients with aggressive fibromatosis treated with or without radiation. Materials and methods. Forty-two patients presenting to the combined sarcoma clinic at Johannesburg Hospital with aggressive fibromatosis from 1990 to 2003 were analysed retrospectively. There were 14 males and 28 females. The lesions involved the head and neck in 6 cases(14); the thorax in 6 (14); the extremities in 19 (45) and the abdomen in 11 (26). Thirty-seven patients (88) presented to the clinic for the first time; whereas 5 (12) had recurrent disease at presentation. Fifteen patients (36) underwent excision only; 15 (36) had excision followed by postoperative radiation; 8 (19) had biopsy only; and 4 (9) had radiation only. The median dose of radiation was 60 Gy (range 9 - 70 Gy). Results. One patient had local failure following excision and postoperative radiation therapy. The local control was 100for surgery alone and 86for surgery followed by postoperative radiation at 24 months. On univariate analysis; age; sex; positive margins; primary or recurrent presentation; site of involvement and initial treatment did not affect local control significantly. Eight of 19 patients (42) receiving radiation developed severe moist desquamation following treatment; and all these patients had doses of 60 Gy or more. Conclusion. Surgery with or without radiation therapy gave excellent local control. The addition of radiation therapy to surgery as well as other known prognostic parameters did not impact on local control. The morbidity of radiation treatment is considerable; as noted in this series; and adjuvant radiation therapy should therefore be considered only in situations where the risk of recurrence and the morbidity of re-excision are high

Is immuno-protection against toxoplasma strain specific?

Two different strains of Toxoplasma gondil were isolated from feline faecal deposits in two villages Rommana [Northern Sinai] and El-Ekhewa [Sharkyia Governorate] as evidenced by their entirely different pathogenic effect and immune response in laboratory Swiss Webster mice. A man holding both villages as mutual residences, who was already proved to get acute toxoplasmosis twice made us avid to search for the presence of different strains in the two localities. The present study throws a suggestion that repeated Taxoplasma infection could be due to difference in strains