Foot care practices of diabetic patients in Saudi Arabia

Diabetic foot is a serious complication that causes lower extremity amputations. The aim of this study was to identify the patient’s awareness about risk factors for diabetic foot disease and to explore the knowledge and foot care practices among diabetic patients in a Saudi population. This cross-sectional study was conducted in King Khalid University Hospital (KKUH), King Abdulaziz University Hospital (KAUH), King Fahad Medical City, National Guard Hospital, Military Hospital, and Prince Salman Hospital capital city of Saudi Arabia. Patients were eligible if they had diabetes foot disease, signed the consent form, and completed the questionnaire. We selected 350 patients from different hospitals between November-2011 and April-2012. The majority of patients (68%) were selected from King Saud University hospitals. The mean age of patients was 50.87 ± 15.9 years with a range of 20–90 years. The majority of patients were male (64.3%) and had a family history of hypertension (55.4%), high total cholesterol (58.6%), and other diabetes (58.9%). A family history of smoking, a major risk factor for diabetic foot, was found in 20.3% of cases. Sixty percent of the patients were using oral medications, 27.1% were using insulin therapy, 10% were using both oral and insulin therapies, and 10% were on diet. In our study, 19.4% of participants were illiterate while 80.6% had a high school or university level education. Our findings also revealed that some patients had a lack of knowledge concerning diabetic foot disease and future complications. Patients are unaware of the risk factors for diabetes foot and practice poor foot care. Awareness programs should be mandatory in all hospitals and diabetes clinics to help compensate for the lack of awareness and lack of podiatric educational services. Such programs may decrease the risk of diabetes foot disease.     

Pathophysiologic alterations in Biomphalaria glabrata infected with Angiostrongylus costaricensis

Hemolymph glucose, alkaline phosphatase, lactic dehydrogenase, and creatine phosphokinase in Biomphalaria glabrata infected with Angiostrongylus costaricensis were significantly higher on day 27 postinfection (PI) than in uninfected snails. Hemolymph total calcium from infected snails was less on days 6, 12, and 27 PI than that from controls. Total hemolymph protein was similar for controls and infected animals during the entire study. Throughout the study the mean number of amoebocytes/mm³ hemolymph from infected snails was significantly less than that for controls. Mean total wet weights of digestive gland and foot muscle from infected and uninfected snails was similar throughout the study. Mean μg glycogen/mg wet weight of digestive gland from infected snails was significantly greater on days 24, 27, and 28 PI than that from controls. Mean μg glycogen/mg wet weight of foot muscle from infected snails was significantly reduced between days 12 and 28 PI from that of uninfected snails. It is suggested that hemolymph glucose and digestive gland glycogen in infected snails are augmented by glycogen breakdown in the foot muscle of parasitized animals. Elevations in hemolymph enzymes are due to tissue destruction by larvae emerging from the foot muscle of infected snails. Parasite-induced derangements in shell metabolism underlie observed changes in hemolymph calcium in infected snails.     

足籽骨的放射片研究

本文对山东枣庄市916人足放射片进行了足籽骨的观察与测量。发现每足有1-7个籽骨,其中二个者占77.8％,三个者占16.9％;籽骨位于跖骨头下方者占94.5％,位于趾间关节下方者占5.5％;各跖骨头籽骨出现率:Ⅰ占99.9％、Ⅱ占 2.2％、Ⅲ占0.3％、Ⅳ占0.5％、Ⅴ占6.4％;(足母)趾趾间关节籽骨占12.6％;二分及三分籽骨出现率占3.9％,明显低于欧美人。此外,本文认为籽骨是在先天籽骨原基基础上,加以后天运动的影响而形成。     

The sporophyte-gametophyte junction in the moss Acaulon muticum (Pottiaceae): EARLY STAGES OF DEVELOPMENT

The sporophyte-gametophyte junction in Acaulon muticum is composed of the sporophyte foot, the surrounding gametophyte vaginula, and an intervening placental space. At an early stage of development the foot has a large basal cell, characterized by extensive wall ingrowths beginning at the lowermost tip of the basal cell and extending along its tangential walls. Sporophyte cells in contact with the basal cell develop ingrowths on their outer tangential walls and on radial walls in contact with the basal cell. All sporophyte cells at this stage are characterized by numerous mitochondria, strands of endoplasmic reticulum, and dictyosomes, particularly in the cytoplasm adjacent to areas of extensive wall development. Plastids typically contain abundant starch reserves. As development proceeds, wall ingrowths become more extensive on all walls in the sporophyte foot but are never found on the upper wall of the basal cell in contact with the remainder of the sporophyte. Plastids in the foot contain fewer starch reserves later in development. Wall ingrowths are not visible in the cells of the gametophyte vaginula until well after extensive development has occurred in the sporophyte foot. Stacks or layers of endoplasmic reticulum are characteristic of the cells of the gametophyte vaginula, along with numerous mitochondria, dictyosomes, and well-developed plastids. Starch reserves typically are less abundant in cells of the gametophyte. The early development of extensive wall elaborations in the cells of the sporophyte foot, and particularly in the basal cell, may favor the rapid movement of water and nutrients from the gametophyte into the sporophyte at a time when rapid development in this minute, ephemeral moss is critical.     

玉肤解毒膏治疗结直肠癌患者卡培他滨化疗所致手足综合征的疗效观察

摘要 目的：观察玉肤解毒膏治疗结直肠癌患者卡培他滨化疗所致手足综合征的临床疗效,为临床提供合理治疗方案。方法：选择2021年月-2022年5月湖南省肿瘤医院门诊或住院部确诊为结直肠癌行含卡培他滨方案化疗所致手足综合征患者60例。所有患者采用抛掷硬币法分为玉肤解毒膏组和尿素软膏组,各30例。玉肤解毒膏组采用玉肤解毒膏治疗;尿素软膏组采用尿素软膏治疗,2组均连续治疗21 d。观察2组手足综合征分级改善情况、临床疗效、中医证候积分、疼痛视觉模拟评分（VAS）、手足皮肤反应生活质量量（HF-QoL）评分及焦虑自评量表（SAS）评分。结果：玉肤解毒膏组在降低手足综合征分级及提高治疗总有效率上均优于尿素软膏组（P＜0.05）;治疗后2组中医证候积分、VAS评分、HF-QoL评分及SAS评分较治疗前降低（P＜0.05）,且玉肤解毒膏组均低于尿素软膏组（P＜0.05）。结论：玉肤解毒膏治疗结直肠癌患者卡培他滨化疗所致手足综合征的临床疗效确切,可有效降低患者临床分级,降低中医证候积分、缓解疼痛症状,改善患者生活质量及焦虑状况,具有一定的临床应用价值。     

利巴韦林喷雾剂联合小儿豉翘清热颗粒对手足口病患儿外周血T淋巴细胞亚群、血清免疫球蛋白指标和炎性因子的影响

摘要 目的：探讨利巴韦林喷雾剂联合小儿豉翘清热颗粒对手足口病（HFMD）患儿外周血T淋巴细胞亚群、血清免疫球蛋白指标和炎性因子的影响。方法：选择2019年8月至2022年6月期间我院收治的HFMD患儿90例作为考察对象。按照双色球法将患儿分为对照组和研究组,各为45例。在常规治疗的基础上,对照组接受利巴韦林喷雾剂治疗,研究组接受利巴韦林喷雾剂联合小儿豉翘清热颗粒治疗。观察两组疗效、临床症状、血清免疫球蛋白指标、外周血T淋巴细胞亚群指标和炎性因子的变化,比较两组不良反应发生率。结果：与对照组的临床总有效率相比,研究组的明显更高（P<0.05）。研究组的退热时间、皮疹消失时间、口腔溃疡消退时间均短于对照组（P<0.05）。治疗后,两组CD3⁺、CD4⁺、CD4⁺/CD8⁺升高,CD8⁺下降（P<0.05）。治疗后,研究组CD3⁺、CD4⁺、CD4⁺/CD8⁺高于对照组,CD8⁺低于对照组（P<0.05）。治疗后,两组血清免疫球蛋白（Ig）指标：IgA、IgM、IgG升高（P<0.05）。治疗后,研究组IgA、IgM、IgG高于对照组（P<0.05）。治疗后,两组白介素-6（IL-6）、肿瘤坏死因子-α（TNF-α）、白介素-1β（IL-1β）下降（P<0.05）。治疗后,研究组TNF-α、IL-6、IL-1β低于对照组（P<0.05）。两组不良反应发生率组间对比差异不显著（P>0.05）。结论：利巴韦林喷雾剂联合小儿豉翘清热颗粒治疗HFMD患儿,可有效调节炎性因子水平和免疫功能,促进临床症状改善。     

Photodynamic herbicides: 1. Concept and phenomenology

A new approach to the design of conceptually and phenomenologically new herbicides is described. It involves the joint utilization of tetrapyrrole precursors, such as δ-aminolaevulinic acid (a biodegradable amino acid) and activators of the chlorophyll biosynthetic pathway, such as 2,2′-dipyridyl, in order to induce treated plants to biosynthesize and accumulate massive amounts of tetrapyrrole intermediates of the chlorophyll biosynthetic pathway in the dark (i.e. at night). During the subsequent light period (daylight) the accumulated tetrapyrroles act as potent photodynamic sensitiziers, which in turn result in the death of susceptible plants in a matter of hours. We have therefore proposed to name herbicides that act via this mechanism as photodynamic herbicides, or more pictorially as laser herbicides. From a limited survey of agricultural plant and weed species it appears that photodynamic herbicides exhibit a very pronounced organ, age and species-dependent selectivity. For example, dicotyledonous weeds such as mustard, red-root pigweed, common purslane and lambsquarter are very susceptible while monocotyledonous plants such as corn, wheat, barley and oats are not. The biochemical basis of this selectivity seems to lie, among other things, in the rates of tetrapyrrole turnover and in a differential enhancement by the applied chemicals of the monovinyl and divinyl tetrapyrrole biosynthetic pathways in the various species. A survey of various groups of chemicals (herbicides and other selected biochemicals) that are likely to exhibit photodynamic herbicidal properties is currently under investigation.     

Mapping of the calpain proteolysis products of the junctional foot protein of the skeletal muscle triad junction

Summary The Ca²⁺ activated neutral protease calpain II in a concentration-dependent manner sequentially degrades the Junctional foot protein (JFP) of rabbit skeletal muscle triad junctions in either the triad membrane or as the pure protein. This progression is inhibited by calmodulin. Calpain initially cleaves the 565 kDa JFP monomer into peptides of 160 and 410 kDa, which is subsequently cleaved to 70 and 340 kDa. The 340 kDa peptide is finally cleaved to 140 and 200 kDa or its further products. When the JFP was labeled in the triad membrane with the hydrophobic probe 3-(trifuoromethyl) 3-(m) [¹²⁵I]iodophenyl diazirine and then isolated and proteolysed with calpain II, the [¹²⁵I] was traced from the 565 kDa parent to M _r, 410 kDa and then to 340 kDa, implying that these large fragments contain the majority of the transmembrane segments. A 70-kDa frament was also labeled with the hydrophobic probe, although weakly suggesting an additional transmembrane segment in the middle of the molecule. These transmembrane segments have been predicted to be in the C-terminal region of the JFP. Using an ALOM program, we also predict that transmembrane segments may exist in the 70 kDa fragment. The JFP has eight PEDST sequences; this finding together with the calmodulin inhibition of calpain imply that the JFP is a PEDST-type calpain substrate. Calpain usually cleaves such substrates at or near calmodulin binding sites. Assuming such sites for proteolysis, we propose that the fragments of the JFP correspond to the monomer sequence in the following order from the N-terminus: 160, 70, 140 and 200 kDa. For this model, new calmodulin sequences are predicted to exist near 160 and 225 kDa from the N-terminus. When the intact JFP was labeled with azidoATP, label appeared in the 160 and 140 kDa fragments, which according to the above model contain the GXGXXG sequences postulated as ATP binding sites. This transmembrane segment was predicted by the ALOM program. In addition, calpain and calpastatin activities remained associated with triad component organelles throughout their isolation. These findings and the existence of PEDST sequences suggest that the JFP is normally degraded by calpain in vivo and that degradation is regulated by calpastatin and calmodulin