[Evaluation of the risk factors of diabetic foot ulcer and its treatment in diabetic patients, Babol, North of Iran]

Diabetic foot ulcer is one of the major complications of diabetes mellitus patients occurring in 15% of these individuals. The aim of this study is to evaluate the risk factors of diabetic foot ulcer and determine its treatment in diabetic patients. This cross-sectional study was performed on 100 diabetic patients with foot ulcer, hospitalized in the Shahid Beheshti and Yahayanejad hospitals in Babol from 2003 to 2004. Information was collected with two questionnaires, one for demographic characteristics and the other covering the risk factors of diabetic foot ulcer and its treatment. Data was analyzed by SPSS software, P values <0.05 were considered significant. There was no significant difference between gender and smoking, or alcohol consumption and obesity [p>0. 05]. Foot ulcer occurred incidentally in 66% of patients and in 18%, foreign bodies were the cause. Seventy-three percent of patients [27 males and 46 females] had abnormal foot structure, revealing a significant difference between sex and abnormal foot structure [P=0. 001]. Although diabetic foot ulcer cannot be prevented, but controlling the risk factors and educating people, can significantly decrease the incidence rate and morbidity

Can previous thyroid scan induce cytogenetic radioadaptive response in patients treated by radioiodine for hyperthyroidism?

Background: Induction of radioadaptive responses in cells pretreated with a low dose radiation before exposure to a high dose is well documented by many investigators. The aim of this study is to determine the frequency of chromosomal aberration in peripheral blood lymphocytes of patients treated by radioiodine [[131]I] for hyperthyroidism, with or without previous thyroid scan with [99m]Tc

Materials and Methods: Venous blood samples were obtained from 35 patients one month after radioiodine therapy and cytogenetically evaluated using analysis of metaphase in two groups. The first group [n = 15, 13 females and 2 males, mean age= 44.7 +/-11.5 years and mean weight 74.4+/-7.9 Kg] received 5 mCi [99m]Tc for thyroid scanning 38.6+/-19.9 days before radioiodine therapy with 10.4 +/- 3.4 mCi [131]I. The second group [n = 20, 14 females and 6 males, mean age = 41.0 +/-10.8 years and mean weight = 68.1+/-9.2 Kg] didn't have history of thyroid scanning. We also studied a control group [n = 29, 11 Females and 8 males, mean age = 33.7+/-7.4 and mean weight = 70.0+/-8.8 Kg] who didn't have any history of diagnostic or therapeutic and also occupational exposure

Results: The mean frequency of total chromosomal aberrations in the first and second groups and controls were 1.46 +/-1.55, 1.65 +/- 1.62 and 0.93 +/- 0.92 respectively. Results also showed that the mean frequency of total chromosome aberration in two groups were higher than controls and significantly higher in patients who had not received [99m]Tc compared those who had undertaken thyroid scan before radioiodine therapy [p=0.03]

Conclusion: These findings may indicate the fact that the radiation dose received from [99m]Tc could induce resistance to subsequent higher radiation dose of [131]I in peripheral blood lymphocytes and it might be due to cytogenetic radioadaptive response