Diabetes-related Amputations: A Pandemic within a Pandemic.

This editorial accompanies "Diabetes-Related Major and Minor Amputation Risk Increased During the COVID-19 Pandemic," by Dominick J. Casciato, DPM, Sara Yancovitz, DPM, John Thompson, DPM, Steven Anderson, DPM, Alex Bischoff, DPM, Shauna Ayres, MPH, CHES, and Ian Barron, DPM, available at https://doi.org/10.7547/20-224.

Cytoprotective action of renalase in diabetic kidney disease: an update on its association with cardiovascular disease and COVID -19

Renalase is a mono amine oxidase enzyme that can metabolise the active catecholamines in the body. Renalase is typically expressed in the cardiovascular system, skeletal muscle, and renal system. Renalase gene is important in human diseases and is known to break down catecholamines in the blood. Gene for renalase as extreme frequency of congestive heart failure disease in people with long term renal disease and other disorders was shown to be explained by a protein that is released by the kidney. Recent advances have increased our understanding of its structure, enzymatic activity, mechanisms of action, relationships with human disease states, and potential therapeutic value. An enzyme description of renalase is provided in this review, along with COVID-19 infection. Copyright © 2022, Indian Association of Biomedical Scientists. All rights reserved.

Research priorities to prevent and treat diabetic foot ulcers-A digital James Lind Alliance Priority Setting Partnership.

AIM: To establish outcomes of a priority setting partnership between participants with diabetes mellitus and clinicians to identify the top 10 research priorities for preventing and treating diabetic foot ulcers (DFUs). METHODS: Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the James Lind Alliance Priority Setting Partnership process was adapted into a digital format which involved a pilot survey to identify understandable uncertainties with high relevance for participants tested by calculating the content validity index; a main survey answered by 53 participants living with diabetes and 49 clinicians; and a final digital workshop to process and prioritise the final top 10 research priorities. RESULTS: The content validity index was satisfactory for 20 out of 25 uncertainties followed by minor changes and one additional uncertainty. After we processed the 26 uncertainties from the main survey and seven current guidelines, a list of 28 research uncertainties remained for review and discussion in the digital workshop. The final top 10 research priorities included the organisation of diabetes care; screening of diabetes, impaired blood circulation, neuropathy, and skin properties; vascular surgical treatment; importance of self-care; help from significant others; pressure relief; and prevention of infection. CONCLUSION: The top 10 research priorities for preventing and treating DFUs represent consensus areas from persons living with diabetes and clinicians to guide future research. These research priorities can justify and inform strategic allocation of research funding. The digitalisation of James Lind Alliance methodology was feasible.

Holistic care of patients with diabetic foot ulcers during the COVID-19 era: integration of Henderson's Need Theory.

The COVID-19 pandemic has inhibited the practice of diabetic foot ulcer care, particularly in the community. Comprehensive theory-based nursing care is needed to prevent further complications. Unfortunately, a study combining theory with nursing care in diabetic foot ulcer care has not been explored. When caring for patients with diabetic foot ulcers, who are also at increased risk of severe complications from COVID-19, it is important to take a holistic view of the patient and consider all of their needs and the factors affecting them. Henderson's Need Theory and the 14 basic needs contained within it was chosen to be integrated in the care of patients with diabetic foot ulcers during the pandemic, with the hope that the findings will help nurses to optimise care in both hospital-based and community practice.

A multicenter clinical trial evaluating the durability of diabetic foot ulcer healing in ulcers treated with topical oxygen and standard of care versus standard of care alone 1 year post healing.

Multiple clinical trials and real-world studies have demonstrated accelerated healing in diabetic foot ulcers (DFU) treated with advanced modalities, such as topical oxygen therapy (TOT). In addition to healing, the durability of wound closure is a crucial long-term endpoint for DFU clinical trials: an advanced treatment that does not confer a reasonable ulcer-free period will have limited clinical benefit and modest economic value. Preclinical studies suggest that DFUs receiving topical oxygen therapy will experience improved quality of healing: increased collagen deposition and angiogenesis. It is postulated that these changes will translate into a more long-lasting closure for ulcers treated with TOT and SOC compared to ulcers treated with SOC alone. At the conclusion of a recently completed randomised controlled DFU clinical trial evaluating the efficacy of TOT and SOC compared to SOC alone, patients with healed ulcers were asked to enrol in a long-term follow-up study. Healed patients completed four questionnaires through text messages or phone calls within 1-year post completion of the trial. Twenty-nine patients consented to participate in the long-term follow-up trial (17 TOT/SOC and 12 SOC). Only seven subjects were lost to follow up (5 TOT and 2 SOC). This is a surprisingly low number when factoring in the disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic that continued throughout the entire follow-up period. In the remaining patients, 85% of the TOT patients and 60% of the SOC remained healed at 1 year. There was one major amputation, which occurred in an SOC-treated patient. The numbers in the long-term follow-up were too small to reach statistical significance; however, there is a strong trend toward more durable closure in ulcers treated with TOT.

Characteristics of Diabetic Foot Ulcer Patients Pre- and During COVID-19 Pandemic: Lessons Learnt From a National Referral Hospital in Indonesia.

BACKGROUND: Diabetic foot ulcer (DFU) is one of the most terrifying diabetic complications for patients, due to the high mortality rate and risk for amputation. During the COVID-19 pandemic, many diabetic patients limited their visits to the hospital, resulting in delays for treatment especially in emergency cases. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to compare the characteristics of patients with DFU pre- and during COVID-19 pandemic period. Methods: This study was a retrospective cohort study using foot registry data. We compared our patients' characteristics pre-COVID-19 pandemic period (1 March 2019-28 February 2020) and during COVID-19 pandemic period (1 March 2020-28 February 2021). RESULTS: Cohorts of 84 and 71 patients with DFU pre- and during COVID-19 pandemic period, respectively, were included in this study. High infection grade (66.7% vs 83.1%, P = .032), osteomyelitis event (72.6% vs 87.3%, P = .04), leukocyte count (15 565.0/µL vs 20 280.0/µL, P = .002), neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (7.7 vs 12.1, P = .008), waiting time-to-surgery (39.0 h vs 78.5 h, P = .034), and number of major amputation (20.2% vs 39.4%, P = .014) were significantly higher during the COVID-19 pandemic period. CONCLUSION: During the COVID-19 pandemic, patients with DFU had more severe infection, higher proportion of osteomyelitis, longer waiting time for getting surgical intervention, and higher incidence of major amputation.

Diabetic Foot Ulcer Infections and Pseudomonas aeruginosa Biofilm Production During the Covid-19 Pandemic

During the different waves of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, there has been an increased incidence of diabetes mellitus and diabetic foot infections. Among gram-negative bacteria, Pseudomonas aeruginosa is the predominant causative agent for diabetic foot ulcer infections in low-resource countries. P. aeruginosa possesses a variety of virulence factors, including biofilm formation. Biofilm formation is an important benchmark characteristic in the pathophysiology of diabetic foot ulceration. The main objective of the current study was to identify the most commonly isolated organisms and their antibiotic susceptibility patterns in diabetic foot patients during the COVID-19 pandemic. We also determined the genes associated with bacterial persistence and biofilm formation in the predominantly isolated organism. Accordingly, 100 wound swab samples were collected from diabetic foot patients from different hospitals in Alexandria, Egypt. Through phenotypic detection of biofilm formation, 93% (40) of the 43 P. aeruginosa isolates examined were categorized as biofilm producers. Molecular detection of the biofilm-encoding genes among the 43 P. aeruginosa isolates was as follows: algD (100%), pelF (88%) and pslD (49.7%), and this highlights a need for biofilm formation inhibitors to prevent the persistence of bacterial pathogens, and thus achieve better clinical outcomes in diabetic foot ulcer infections. [ FROM AUTHOR] Copyright of Journal of Pure & Applied Microbiology is the property of Dr. M. N. Khan and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full . (Copyright applies to all s.)

Health economics of diabetic foot ulcer and recent trends to accelerate treatment.

Diabetic foot ulcer is a preventable complication of diabetes that imposes a significant burden on the community. It leads to amputation and increased disability if left untreated and thus bears profound implications on the individual, the community and the health system at large. Diabetic foot (DF) is an area of research interest where interdisciplinary researchers are trying to elucidate the best strategy to halt the progression of chronic diabetic wounds. It is an area where tissue engineering research is making a strong impact through the use of scaffolds and skin substitutes for diabetic wound healing. This review aims at discussing the geographical health economics, its impact on healing and factors influencing financial costs of DFU. The upcoming economic and clinical impacts due to disease outbreak such as the 2020 COVID-19 has also been discussed. Finally, it will discuss novel therapy available with emphasis on skin tissue engineering scaffolds with a cost-benefit analysis. The review aims at promoting better management of people with diabetes with emphasis on emerging treatments and technologies.

Knowledge, Practice and Attitude towards Foot Ulcers and Foot Care among Adults Living with Diabetes in Tobago: A Qualitative Study.

Globally, the prevalence of diabetes has risen significantly by 62% over the last ten years. A complication of unmanaged diabetes is diabetic foot ulcer (DFU), which adversely affects the quality of life of individuals with diabetes and inflicts a huge economic burden on the family, government, and health care services. However, this complication is preventable with adequate patient knowledge and practice regarding DFU and foot care. The present study was aimed at assessing the knowledge, attitude, and practice of adults with diabetes on foot ulcers and foot care in Tobago using a qualitative exploratory design. Purposeful sampling technique was used to recruit 20 participants from the lifestyle and diabetes foot clinics of Scarborough Health Centre, Tobago. Telephone interviews were conducted with the use of a semi-structured interview guide. The data obtained from participants were analyzed using thematic content analysis. Four major themes, namely foot ulcer problems, participants' knowledge on DFU, knowledge on foot care, and practice and attitude of foot care, emerged from the study. The findings from the study revealed that the majority of participants had poor knowledge regarding DFU but exhibited awareness about foot care, especially on foot cleaning and inspection, preventing irritation after washing, appropriate footwear, and not walking barefooted. The participants had good attitudes and practices of foot care despite their poor knowledge of DFU. However, participants reported inadequate health education on DFU and foot care from healthcare personnel. There should be improved health education, information, and communication on DFU and foot care centred and tailored to the understanding of people living with diabetes. This will prevent DFU and reduce the mortality arising from this complication, which is a major target of the sustainable development goals (SDG) in mitigating the burden of non-communicable diseases (NCD) such as diabetes.

Antibiotic resistance in diabetic foot infection: how it changed with COVID-19 pandemic in a tertiary care center.

AIM: To investigate the rate of antibiotic resistance and its main risk factors in a population of patients with diabetic foot infection (DFI) during the COVID-19 pandemic, in comparison with the population of 2019. METHODS: Two hundred and twenty-five patients with DFI were admitted in a tertiary care center from January 2019 to December 2020. Antibiotic resistance was evaluated by microbiological examination of soft tissues' or bone's biopsy. RESULTS: Compared with 2019 group (n = 105), 2020 group (n = 120) had a significantly higher prevalence of antibiotic resistance [2019 vs 2020, 36% vs 63%, P <0.001] and more often was admitted with recent or current antibiotic therapy (18% vs 52%, P <0.001), which was frequently self-administered (5% vs 30%, P = 0.032). The risk of antibiotic resistance was also higher in 2020 group [OR 95% CI, 2.90 (1.68 to 4.99)]. Prior hospitalization, antibiotic self-administration and antibiotic prescription by general practitioners resulted as independent predictors of antibiotic resistance. CONCLUSIONS: In a population of people with DFI admitted in a tertiary care center during the COVID-19 pandemic the prevalence of antibiotic resistance was higher than 2019. Previous hospitalization, antibiotic self-administration /prescription by general practitioners were related to higher risk of antibiotic resistant infections.

Strategies to reduce severe diabetic foot infections and complications during epidemics (STRIDE).

AIMS: Patients with diabetes, including those with foot complications, are at highest risk for severe outcomes during the COVID-19 pandemic. Diabetic foot ulcers (DFU) present additional challenges given their superimposed risk for severe infections and amputations. The main objectives were to develop a triage algorithm to effectively risk-stratify all DFUs for potential complications, complying with social distancing regulations, preserving personal protective equipment, and to assess feasibility of virtual care for DFU. METHODS: Longitudinal study during the COVID-19 pandemic performed at a large tertiary institution evaluating the effectiveness of a targeted triage protocol developed using a combined approach of virtual care, electronic medical record data mining, and tracing for rapid risk stratification to derive optimal care delivery methods. 2868 patients with diabetes at risk for foot complications within last 12 months were included and rates of encounters, hospitalizations, and minor amputations were compared to one year prior. RESULTS: The STRIDE protocol was implemented in 1-week and eventually included 2600 patients (90.7%) demonstrating effective triage. During normal operations, 40% (938 of 2345) of all visits were due to DFUs and none were performed virtually. After implementation, 98% face-to-face visits were due to DFU, and virtual visits increased by 21,900%. This risk stratified approach led to similar low rates of DFU-related-hospitalization and minor amputation rates 20% versus 24% (p > 0.05) during and prior the pandemic, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Implementation of STRIDE protocol was effective to risk-stratify and triage all patients with diabetic foot complications preventing increase in hospitalization and amputations while promoting both social and physical distancing.

Surgical treatment of diabetic foot ulcers during the COVID-19 pandemic in China.

Diabetic foot ulcers are among the most serious complications of diabetes. If left untreated, these ulcers can lead to severe infection and gangrene; in some instances, they may result in death. Thus, timely treatment of diabetic foot ulcers is extremely important. However, timely patient treatment during the COVID-19 pandemic is particularly challenging, because of the higher volume of patients and the need to ensure safety of medical personnel. This article describes a proposed strategy for diagnosis and treatment of diabetic foot ulcers, based on experiences with infection and control strategies during the COVID-19 pandemic in China.