Validity and Reliability Diabetic Foot Check-up as a Simple Screening Test of Diabetic Foot Ulcers in a Community.

Early detection of PAD and neuropathy is essential to prevent diabetic foot ulcers (DFU). The study aimed to identify the inter reliability of diabetic foot check-up (Ipswich touch test [IpTT] and palpation of the dorsal pedis and posterior tibialis) between nurses and caregivers. An inter-operator observation study between nurses and caregivers was conducted to evaluate the reliability of diabetic foot check-up in eight public health centers in eastern Indonesia. Patients with diabetes mellitus (DM) with and without diabetic foot ulcer (DFU, n = 144) were included in this study. The nurse demonstrates IpTT and palpation of the dorsal pedis and posterior tibial artery, followed by the caregiver. The McNemar test confirmed no difference in IpTT between nurses and caregivers on the left foot at the first, third, and fifth finger (P > 0.05), similar to the right foot (P > 0.05). The sensitivity of palpation dorsal pedis was (47.3%-50%) and (50%-52%) for the left and right foot, respectively. The insights gained from this study may assist in implementing diabetic foot check-up as an early screening tool for risk DFU in the community setting.

Effect of interface pressure and skin surface temperature on pressure injury incidence: a turning schedule pilot study.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to evaluate the interface pressure and skin surface temperature in relation to the incidence of pressure injury (PI) using three different turning schedules. METHOD: This was a pilot study with a three-armed randomised clinical trial design. Participants at risk of PI and treated in the high dependency care unit in a regional hospital in Makassar, Indonesia participated in this study. Patients were repositioned at three different turning schedules (two-, three- and four-hourly intervals). Interface pressure measurement and skin surface temperature were measured between 14:00 and 18:00 every three days. The incidence of PI was assessed during the two-week observation period. RESULTS: A total of 44 participants took part in the study. A one-way ANOVA test revealed no difference in interface pressure among the three different turning schedule groups within two weeks of observations: day zero, p=0.56; day four, p=0.95; day seven, p=0.56; day 10, p=0.63; and day 14, p=0.92. Although the average periumbilical temperature and skin surface temperature were not significant (p>0.05), comparison between these observation sites was significant on all observation days (p<0.05). Regarding the incidence of PI, the proportional hazard test for the development of PI in the three groups was considered not different (hazard ratio: 1.46, 95% confidence interval: 0.43-4.87, p=0.54). CONCLUSION: No difference in interface pressure and incidence of PI on the three turning schedules was observed; however, there was a potential increase in skin surface temperature in comparison with periumbilical temperature for all three turning schedules.

The effect of Apis dorsata honey as complementary therapy on IL-37 levels and fatigue in breast cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study is to determine the effect of Apis dorsata Honey as a complementary therapy on IL-37 levels and fatigue in breast cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy. METHOD: The study used a quasi-experimental pretest-posttest design with a control group. A total of 30 subjects were recruited using a concurrent sampling technique. The intervention group consisted of 15 subjects who received oral honey at a dose of 13 ml (1 tablespoon × 3) for 15 days, and the control group consisted of 15 subjects. The groups' samples were chosen at random. The Fatigue Symptom Inventory (FSI) was used to assess the side effects of chemotherapy. RESULTS: Although the effect of Apis dorsata Honey on IL-37 levels was not statistically significant (p > 0.05), the group given honey experienced a clinically significant increase in IL-37 levels, with a mean before (632.37514.93) and post (632.37514.93). (1,003.021,248.88). Fatigue decreased statistically significantly in the group given mean honey values prior to 13.205.59 and after 11.805.07 (p = 0.004). CONCLUSION: Honey administration increases IL-37 levels clinically, though the increase is not statistically significant. Giving honey to patients with breast cancer can help alleviate fatigue caused by chemotherapy.

The effect of apis Dorsata honey as a complementary therapy to interleukin-6 (IL-6) levels and T lymphocytes of post-chemotherapy breast cancer patients.

BACKGROUND: The overproduction of interleukin-6 (IL-6) in breast cancer cases can aggravate metastases. In comparison, the production of T lymphocytes plays a role in suppressing the development of tumor cells. Honey as a complementary therapy is expected to reduce the overproduction of IL-6 and facilitate the production of T lymphocytes in breast cancer cases. OBJECTIVE: This study aims to determine the effect of Dorsata honey (DH) as a complementary therapy to IL-6 levels and T lymphocytes of post-chemotherapy in breast cancer. METHODS: This study was a quasi-experimental approach that employed a pretest-posttest group control design. As many as 30 post-chemotherapy breast cancer patients at the Central Hospital in Eastern Indonesia were randomly selected into a control group of 15 participants. Additionally, an intervention group of 15 participants was given DH orally three times a day at a dose of 15 ml. The blood sample was taken two times, day 0 of the chemotherapy and day 16 (post-chemotherapy). The level of IL-6 was measured by ELISA, while the data were analyzed by Wilcoxon, independent T-test, and Mann-Whitney test. RESULTS: The results showed that DH did not significantly affect IL-6 levels (p = 0.17). However, there was an increase in T lymphocyte levels with statistically significant differences (p = 0.01) in intervention groups. There was no difference in Il-6 and T lymphocyte levels between the intervention and control groups (p > 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Il-6 levels tend to be constant in the intervention group. However, there is a significant increase in the T lymphocyte levels which can indirectly increase the immune system and inhibit tumor cell growth in patients with breast cancer.

Ozone Therapy on Reduction of Bacterial Colonies and Acceleration of Diabetic Foot Ulcer Healing.

Diabetic foot ulcers (DFUs) are highly vulnerable to infection and pose risk for limb amputations. Studies have shown that ozone therapy reduces wound size and improves wound healing time better than standard treatments. We examined the effectiveness of combining standard wound care with ozone therapy to reduce bacterial colonization and accelerate healing of DFUs in the home care setting. The control group (n = 12) received standard wound care with antimicrobial dressings every 3 days for 21 days, and the intervention group (n = 15) received the same as control group plus ozone bagging therapy at 70 µg/mL for 10 minutes every 3 days for 21 days. Combining standard wound care with ozone therapy significantly decreased the number of bacterial colonies (p = 0.001). However, no significant difference in DFU assessment score was found between the intervention and control groups (p > 0.05). Combining standard wound care with ozone therapy reduced the number of bacteria in the DFUs but exerted no significant effect on wound healing. Future studies should examine the administration of ozone therapy with different concentrations and times of exposure to explore the right dose for healing DFUs.