Stingray Envenomation of the Foot: A case report
Podiatry Internet Journal
ORIGINAL ARTICLE: Stingrays are docile marine animals that only strike their victim when provoked or startled. Lower extremity and foot envenomation is common when fishing in shallow waters off the beach. The stingray tail has a sharp, serrated barb along the proximal third of the tail that is usually hidden and encased in an integumentary sheath and can deliver painful enzymes causing tissue necrosis. Immediate treatment including rapid cleansing and heat submersion of the foot is recommended after injury. If treatment is delayed, infection from marine bacteria often requires hospitalization including intravenous antibiotics and surgical treatment.
Thermography and Thermometry in the Assessment of Diabetic Neuropathic Foot: A Case for Furthering the Role of Thermal Techniques
The International Journal of Lower Extremity Wounds 
ORIGINAL ARTICLE:There are currently 3 established techniques employed routinely to determine the risk of foot ulceration in the patient with diabetes mellitus. These are the assessment of circulation, neuropathy, and foot pressure. These assessments are widely used clinically as well as in the research domain with an aim to prevent the onset of foot ulceration. Routine neuropathic evaluation includes the assessment of sensory loss in the plantar skin of the foot using both the Semmes Weinstein monofilament and the biothesiometer. Thermological measurements of the foot to assess responses to thermal stimuli and cutaneous thermal discrimination threshold are relatively uncommon. Indeed, there remains uncertainty regarding the importance of thermal changes in the development of foot ulcers. Applications of thermography and thermometry in lower extremity wounds, vascular complications, and neuropathic complications have progressed as a result of improved imaging software and transducer technology. However, the uncertainty associated with the specific thermal modality, the costs, and processing times render its adaptation to the clinic. Therefore, wider adoption of thermological measurements has been limited. This article reviews thermal measurement techniques specific to diabetic foot such as electrical contact thermometry, cutaneous thermal discrimination thresholds, infrared thermography, and liquid crystal thermography.
Treatment of fissure soles with occlusion using micropore tapes
Indian Journal of Dermatology 
ORIGINAL ARTICLE: Fissure feet are a common condition; however, no effective therapy is available to date. This study was undertaken to study the effect of occlusion using 2 inch micropore tapes in the management of fissure soles. The study was an open- paired, controlled study and included 26 volunteers with fissure feet. Fissures were graded separately over the right and left soles. All the volunteers were advised to wash their feet in tap water, air dry for 5 min before going to bed. To increase the tackiness of the tape, tincture benzoin was first applied and allowed to dry. The volunteers were educated to apply a 2 inch micropore tape over the fissures at night on the right sole. The left sole was not taped and served as a control. The tape was removed the next morning and the fresh tape was again reapplied at night. The volunteers were advised to immerse the feet in water at room temperature and then remove the tape. Results were assessed after 15 days. Mc Nemarfs X2 test was performed to determine the statistical significance. P value < 0.05 was considered to be statistically significant. The right sole (study) and the left sole (control) constituted a pair. Out of the 26 matched pairs, in 16 pairs, the study site showed improvement and the control site did not show improvement. Seven pairs did not show improvement over both study and control sites. Three pairs showed improvement in both study and control sites. Mc Nemar X2 value was 14.06 ( P < 0.001). Occlusion therapy is effective in the treatment of fissure soles.
Acquired crateriform hyperkeratotic papules of the feet: An unusual variant of focal acral hyperkeratosis
IJDVL 
ORIGINAL ARTICLE:Focal acral hyperkeratosis is a rare clinical entity that presents with hyperkeratotic lesions on the margins of the hands and feet. Focal acral hyperkeratosis and acrokeratoelastoidosis (AK) of Costa share similar clinical features and identical histologic epidermal alterations. [1] These disorders are distinguished solely on the basis of the absence of elastorrhexis in the former. Multiple therapies have been attempted for focal acral hyperkeratosis, but they have been found to be unsuccessful. We report a case of crateriform hyperkeratotic papules of the feet, which is an unusual variant of focal acral hyperkeratosis, responding to calcipotriol.
Seasonal variations in non-traumatic major lower limb amputation in Hong Kong Chinese diabetic patients
Hong Kong Medical Journal 
Original article: A retrospective study of 770 diabetic patients hospitalized for lower extremity infection during the period 1995 to 2004. The study focused on monthly incidence of admissions for diabetic foot sepsis and non-traumatic non-neoplastic major lower limb amputations correlated with the monthly average humidity and temperature. 1285 episodes of hospitalization and ensued 208 corresponding major lower limb amputations showed that warm and humid weather of Hong Kong exerts a seasonal variation on the diabetic foot infection presentations. Warm temperature aggravates the severity of infection and precipitates amputation. More intensive patient education and clustering of medical services in late winter and spring might reduce the incidence of diabetic foot amputation, which is a preventable complication.
Read original article [PDF] . . .
Podiatry Today ENews & HMP Diabetes Watch
Podiatry Today-October 2007
Key Insights On Nerve Testing
By Alexander Reyzelman, DPM, Joseph Fiorito, Cody Hoover and Michael Brewer
Are peripheral nerve pathologies the root cause of a patient’s lower extremity pain? These authors discuss entrapment neuropathies, large fiber neuropathy and lumbosacral radiculopathy, among other conditions, and share their insights on helpful diagnostic tools.
Do Trauma Patients With Diabetes Face Higher Complication Rates?
By Brian McCurdy, Senior Editor Patients with diabetes face a higher risk of complications in a number of areas. A large study recently published in the Archives of Surgery notes that those with diabetes also face more complications from trauma surgery.
Diabetes Watch: Negative Pressure Wound Therapy on Diabetic Foot Ulcers
By Abdullah Etoz, MD and Ramazan Kahveci, MD
The effects of negative pressure wound therapy ([NPWT], V.A.C.® Therapy, KCI, San Antonio, Tex) were compared with standard dressings in 45 patients with diabetic foot ulcers who were admitted to the Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Medical Park Hospital, Bursa, Turkey.
Diabetes Watch: Can Daptomycin Have An Impact With Skin And Skin Structure Infections?
By Gerard Guerin, DPM, CWS
Podiatrists commonly encounter and treat skin and skin-structure infections (SSSIs), ranging from cellulitis to more complicated surgical site infections and infected diabetic foot ulcers. Aerobic gram- positive cocci, such as Staphylococcus aureus and streptococci, are the most common causative agents of skin infections.
The Foot Blog News
Issue 25 
October 2007:
- Amputation in Military Trauma Surgery
- You Can’t Judge a Running Shoe by Its Price Tag
- Grow new arteries to banish leg pains
- Tips to Avoid Foot Pain From High Heels
- Health Tip: Even babies can have foot problems
- Study: diabetic neuropathy costs billions per year in lost work time
- Hot Chili Peppers May Relieve Pain: Animal Study Shows Pain Relief Benefits From Anesthetic Using Chili Pepper Ingredient
- Ouch! Young Soccer Players Sidelined By Painful Toes
- Diabetic Limb Slavage: Special Teams Fight Diabetic Amputations
- Saving Limbs May Help Save Function & Dollars
Podiatry Related Abstracts
Entrez Pub Med, Wiley Interscience, Ingenta Connect, Blackwell Synergy and more . . .
Reconstructive options for failed flatfoot surgery Clin Podiatr Med Surg
Five-year functional outcome analysis of ankle fracture fixation. Injury
Plantar to dorsalis pedis artery subintimal angioplasty in a patient with critical foot ischemia: a novel technique in the armamentarium of the peripheral interventionist J Cardio Med
Quantifying the Spring-Like Properties of Ankle-Foot Orthoses (AFOs) JPO
Why chronic wounds will not heal: a novel hypothesis Woung Repair and Regeneration
A Case Report of the Treatment of Diabetic Foot Ulcers Using a Sodium Hyaluronate and Iodine Complex Int J LE Wounds
Constriction Rings and Congenital Amputations of the Fingers and Toes in a Mild Case of Amniotic Band SyndromeJ Diag Med Sonography
Functional bracing of the adult acquired flatfootClin Podiatr Med Surg
© Podiatry Internet Communications (PICOMM)
