Percent change in wound area of diabetic foot ulcers over a 4-week period is a robust predictor of complete healing in a 12-week prospective trial.

Objective: To assess the ability of the 4-week healing rate to predict complete healing over a 12-week period in a large prospective multicenter trial of diabetic patients with foot ulceration.

Research Design And Methods: We examined the change in ulcer area over a 4-week period as a predictor of wound healing within 12 weeks in patients who were seen weekly in a prospective, randomized controlled trial.

Results: Wound area measurements at baseline and after 4 weeks were performed in 203 patients.

Evidence-based protocol for diabetic foot ulcers.

Background: Diabetic foot ulcers are the single biggest risk factor for nontraumatic foot amputations in persons with diabetes. Foot ulcers occur in 12 to 25 percent of persons with diabetes and precede 84 percent of all nontraumatic amputations in this growing population. Because of the high incidence of foot ulcers, amputations remain a source of morbidity and mortality in persons with diabetes.

Direct writing of a conducting polymer with molecular-level control of physical dimensions and orientation.

Polymer nanostructures composed of poly(3-dodecylthiophene) (PDDT) have been directly written with control of polymer strand alignment and monolayer-by-monolayer thickness down to a single molecular monolayer (2.6 nm). The molecularly ordered nanostructures were written on silicon oxide surfaces using thermal dip-pen nanolithography, where an atomic force microscope cantilever with integrated tip heater was precoated with solid PDDT.

Quantifying the magnetic advantage in magnetotaxis.

Magnetotactic bacteria are characterized by the production of magnetosomes, nanoscale particles of lipid bilayer encapsulated magnetite, that act to orient the bacteria in magnetic fields. These magnetosomes allow magneto-aerotaxis, which is the motion of the bacteria along a magnetic field and toward preferred concentrations of oxygen. Magneto-aerotaxis has been shown to direct the motion of these bacteria downward toward sediments and microaerobic environments favorable for growth.

A possible role for progesterone metabolites in human parturition.

There has been a recent resurgence of interest in the role of progesterone in the maintenance of human pregnancy and the onset of labour, following recent reports of its use to prevent preterm labour in high-risk patients. One possible mechanism by which progesterone might contribute to uterine quiescence is through the actions of its metabolites. This article provides a brief overview of progesterone in human pregnancy and an outline of progesterone metabolism in the various reproductive tract tissues as well as the evidence for actions of progesterone metabolites in pregnancy.

Total-contact casting as an adjunct to promote healing of pressure ulcers in amputees.

Partial foot amputations have become increasingly prevalent among long-lived diabetic patients. These patients have lower extremity neuropathy and are prone to ulceration at their amputation site. These ulcers are difficult to heal, and they place a significant financial and resource burden on the healthcare system.

Minimally invasive revascularization strategies for chronic lower limb ischemia.

Lower extremity wounds resulting from ischemia are increasingly becoming a common indication for surgical revascularization. Techniques in minimally invasive vascular surgery for the treatment of lower extremity chronic ischemia have expanded rapidly in recent years. The current standard of care with which all new modalities should be compared is the restoration of arterial flow via direct arterial revascularization using the autogenous reversed saphenous vein that can yield limb salvage rates of approximately 95%.

Evaluating the risk to aquatic ecosystems posed by leachate from tire shred fill in roads using toxicity tests, toxicity identification evaluations, and groundwater modeling.

The risk to adjacent aquatic systems posed by leachates from scrap tires used in engineering applications has not been characterized adequately. Toxicity testing, toxicity identification evaluation (TIE), and groundwater modeling were used to determine the circumstances under which tire shreds could be used as roadbed fill with negligible risk to aquatic organisms in adjacent water bodies. Elevated levels of iron, manganese, and several other chemicals were found in tire shred leachates.

Re: Evaluation of the size and type of free particulates collected from unused asbestos-containing brake components as related to potential for respirability.

Background: In Atkinson et al. 2004 rinsates of unused brake components were analyzed by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) for the presence of asbestos fibers.

Results: We do not believe that the findings of Atkinson et al.

UK and Ireland experience of bone anchored hearing aids (BAHA) in individuals with Down syndrome.

Objective: To evaluate the indications, surgical techniques and post-operative problems seen in children with Down syndrome fitted with bone anchored hearing aids (BAHA).

Methods: A postal survey of all registered United Kingdom and Ireland BAHA centres.

Results: There was a 98% response rate to the survey.

5 Beta-dihydroprogesterone and steroid 5 beta-reductase decrease in association with human parturition at term.

The role of progesterone withdrawal in human parturition continues to provoke controversy. One possible mechanism by which functional progesterone withdrawal may be achieved is by a decrease in the circulating concentration of its bioactive metabolites. The progesterone metabolite 5beta-dihydroprogesterone (5betaDHP) has been shown to be a potent tocolytic in vitro.

Ear, nose, and throat manifestations of Sjögren's syndrome: retrospective review of a multidisciplinary clinic.

Objective: To assess the otolaryngologic manifestations of Sögren's syndrome (SS).

Design: A retrospective case study.

Setting: The Toronto Hospital.

Detection limits for nanoscale biosensors.

We examine through analytical calculations and finite element simulations how the detection efficiency of disk and wire-like biosensors in unmixed fluids varies with size from the micrometer to nanometer scales. Specifically, we determine the total flux of DNA-like analyte molecules on a sensor as a function of time and flow rate for a sensor incorporated into a microfluidic system. In all cases, sensor size and shape profoundly affect the total analyte flux.

Peripheral arterial disease: clinical assessment and indications for revascularization in the patient with diabetes.

Peripheral arterial disease (PAD) is an under-recognized complication of diabetes. Recently, prevalence estimates in patients with diabetes over 50 years of age have been placed at 25% to 30%. The main reason for under-reporting is the largely asymptomatic nature of PAD in diabetes.

An empirical test of Woody and Bowers's dissociated-control theory of hypnosis.

Woody and Bowers's dissociated-control theory predicts impaired performance on tasks indexing frontally mediated supervisory attentional functions during hypnosis, especially for high susceptibles. This prediction is tested using Stroop task behavioral performance to measure aspects of anterior-mediated supervisory attentional function. All measures of anterior-mediated attentional functions significantly declined during hypnosis.

Microbialite resurgence after the Late Ordovician extinction.

Microbialites, including biogenic stromatolites, thrombolites and dendrolites, were formed by various microbial mats that trapped and bound sediments or formed the locus of mineral precipitation. Microbialites were common and diverse during the Proterozoic, but declined in abundance and morphological diversity when multicellular life diversified during the Cambrian Radiation. A second decline occurred during the Ordovician Radiation of marine animals, and from then until the present microbialites have been confined largely to high-stress environments where multicellular organisms are rare.

The risk of MTBE relative to other VOCs in public drinking water in California.

Ongoing publicity about methyl tertiary butyl ether (MTBE) suggests that this chemical is of greater concern than other contaminants commonly found in drinking water. The purpose of this article is to evaluate the available MTBE data in context with other volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that are detected in public drinking water sources in California. We find that of the 28 VOCs with a primary maximum contaminant level (MCL) in California, 21 were found in 50 or more drinking water sources from 1985 to 2002.

Protocol for treatment of diabetic foot ulcers.

Each year, 82,000 limb amputations are performed in patients with diabetes mellitus. The majority of these amputations could be avoided by following strict protocols. The collective experience treating patients with neuropathic diabetic foot ulcers of 4 major diabetic foot programs in the United States and Europe were analyzed.

Cam Perry, Heraclitus, and hypnosis: an appreciative understanding.

The authors summarize personal, intellectual, and social influences on Campbell Perry's (1937-2003) life and research on hypnosis. His education in Australia reflected the influences of a public primary school, a prestigious private high school, and undergraduate and graduate work at Australia's oldest university. His approach to hypnosis was influenced initially by Gordon Hammer and Philip Sutcliffe, and his life generally was influenced by John Anderson, the leader of the Libertarian Society, the intellectual core of a broader group known as the Push.

Environmental and occupational health hazards associated with the presence of asbestos in brake linings and pads (1900 to present): a "state-of-the-art" review.

Throughout the history of automobile development, chrysotile asbestos has been an essential component of vehicle brake linings and pads. Acceptable alternatives were not fully developed until the 1980s, and these were installed in vehicles produced over the past decade. This article presents a "state-of-the-art" analysis of what was known over time about the potential environmental and occupational health hazards associated with the presence of chrysotile asbestos in brake linings and pads.

Data available for evaluating the risks and benefits of MTBE and ethanol as alternative fuel oxygenates.

The wide-scale use of methyl tertiary butyl ether (MTBE) in gasoline has resulted in substantial public controversy and action to ban or control its use due to perceived impacts on water quality. Because oxygenates are still required under federal law, considerable research has focused on ethanol as a substitute for MTBE. In this article, we summarize the currently available literature on the air and water quality risks and benefits of MTBE versus ethanol as alternative fuel oxygenates.

An evaluation of the historical exposures of mechanics to asbestos in brake dust.

This article presents a historical analysis of published data regarding the exposure of brake mechanics to asbestos as a result of doing brake work. Concerns about this possible hazard were first raised in the late 1960s. This analysis focuses on 30 years of data collected during the brake repair event (e.

A simple pen-spotting method for arraying biomolecules on solid substrates.

We describe a simple, relatively inexpensive method for depositing biomolecules on a solid substrate using Rapidograph drafting pens. The pens can be used without modification to accurately deposit spots between approximately 100 and 600 microm in diameter. When mounted on a suitable microtranslation stage, the pens can be used to easily deposit tens of spots aligned with underlying substrate features such as microfabricated sensors.