Gene therapy for diabetic foot ulcers: Interim analysis of a randomised, placebo-controlled phase 3 study of VM202 (ENGENSIS), a plasmid DNA expressing two isoforms of human hepatocyte growth factor.

To evaluate the status of a 7-month phase 3 study conducted to test the effect of intramuscular injections of VM202 (ENGENSIS), a plasmid DNA encoding human hepatocyte growth factor, into the calf muscles of chronic nonhealing diabetic foot ulcers with concomitant peripheral artery disease. The phase 3 study, originally aimed to recruit 300 subjects, was discontinued because of slow patient recruitment. An unprespecified interim analysis was performed for the 44 subjects enrolled to assess the status and determine the future direction.

Mental Health Nursing Education: An Instructor's View.

If you knew no one with a mental illness, what would mold your perceptions of someone with a mental illness? A movie character, a television actor, a description from a friend? Each of these explanations has been given to me by nursing students beginning their mental health nursing clinical rotation. Reconsideration of the limited amount of mental health education in nursing school is urgent. As we become more engrossed as a society in television and movies, the result appears to be a deceptive idea of what true mental illness entails.

Plantar verrucae in patients with human immunodeficiency virus. Clinical presentation and treatment response.

Several previous studies have yielded data showing that plantar and other cutaneous verrucae follow a more aggressive course in patients infected with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) than in uninfected individuals. A pilot study was undertaken to identify trends in a sample population that would support this characterization of plantar verrucae in HIV+ patients and to determine whether there are differences in treatment response between HIV+ and HIV- patients. The results show that the HIV+ patients in the study presented with a significantly greater number and total area of lesions than did the HIV- patients.

Characterization of plantar verrucae among individuals with human immunodeficiency virus.

Plantar verrucae, caused by human papillomavirus (HPV), are commonly found in patients who have tested positive for the antibodies to human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). A better understanding of the characteristics of plantar verrucae in HIV+ patients in needed. A pilot study was conducted concentrating on three characteristics--the size, the number, and the clinical type--of verrucae present in this population.

Onychomycosis in HIV-positive patients.

Onychomycosis is a common podiatric condition that has become an increasing problem as the number of patients with HIV infection has grown. Although it is not among the most severe infections that affect HIV-positive patients, it tends to be more extensive, refractory to treatment, and has a unique clinical presentation in this patient population. It is important for the podiatric physician to be aware of the epidemiology, clinical presentation, diagnosis, and treatment of onychomycosis in HIV-positive patients.