Pattern of diabetic foot - presentation and complications in rural Indian population

Background: Foot ulcer is one of the most common and deadest complications of diabetes mellitus. This is also a frequent cause of hospitalization and disability. Most of the patients with diabetic foot ulcers living in developing countries present to healthcare facilities fairly late with advanced foot ulcers because of poor economic status, inadequate knowledge of self-care, sociocultural reasons and poor and inadequate diabetes healthcare.Methods: A prospective study was conducted in the department of Surgery, JNMC Sawangi (Meghe), Wardha of DMIMS (DU) with the aim to evaluate the pattern of distribution of foot ulcers in diabetic foot patients and related complications. We enrolled 30 diabetic patients in the study, of these 21 (70%) were males and 9 (30%) were females with male to female ratio 2.33.  Results: The mean age of presentation was 52.93 ± 14.10 and the mean duration of diabetes was 8.20 ± 10.06. The maximum numbers of lesion was present in the region of second to fifth metatarsal (53.33%), followed by heel (26.66%) and great toe (10%). Maximum patients 9 (30%) had grade II lesions as per Wagner’s classification and 12 (40%) had II B as per University of Texas diabetic wound classification. Associated deformity was present in 36.66%, insensitivity to the 5.07 S-W monofilaments in 56.66%, impaired vibration in 43.33%, and abnor­mal Achilles tendon reflex in 40%. Ankle–brachial index <0.8 was present in 33.33%. Only 13.33% patients were using customized footwear whereas 46.66% were walking barefoot, the difference was statistically significant P = 0.0027.Conclusion: The health education to promote Knowledge, Attitude, Behavior and Practice (KABP) is essential to prevent diabetes associated foot complications.

Update on hypertrophic cardiomyopathy and a guide to the guidelines

Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) is the most common inherited cardiovascular disorder, affecting 1 in 500 individuals worldwide. Existing epidemiological studies might have underestimated the prevalence of HCM, however, owing to limited inclusion of individuals with early, incomplete phenotypic expression. Clinical manifestations of HCM include diastolic dysfunction, left ventricular outflow tract obstruction, ischaemia, atrial fibrillation, abnormal vascular responses and, in 5% of patients, progression to a 'burnt-out' phase characterized by systolic impairment. Disease-related mortality is most often attributable to sudden cardiac death, heart failure, and embolic stroke. The majority of individuals with HCM, however, have normal or near-normal life expectancy, owing in part to contemporary management strategies including family screening, risk stratification, thromboembolic prophylaxis, and implantation of cardioverter-defibrillators. The clinical guidelines for HCM issued by the ACC Foundation/AHA and the ESC facilitate evaluation and management of the disease. In this Review, we aim to assist clinicians in navigating the guidelines by highlighting important updates, current gaps in knowledge, differences in the recommendations, and challenges in implementing them, including aids and pitfalls in clinical and pathological evaluation. We also discuss the advances in genetics, imaging, and molecular research that will underpin future developments in diagnosis and therapy for HCM

Forum: Mao, Khrushchev, and China’s Split with the USSR: perspectives on the Sino-Soviet Split

Commentary on Lorenz M. Lüthi's book: The Sino-Soviet Split: Cold War in the Communist World, published by Princeton University Press in 2008; Commentaries by Priscilla Roberts, Steven I. Levine, Péter Vámos, Deborah Kaple, Jeremy Friedman, and Douglas A. Stiffler; Reply by Lorenz Lüth

Adjunctive Antithrombotic Therapy for Patients With Aortic Stenosis Undergoing Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement.

Importance: Transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) is an established alternative to surgery for patients with severe symptomatic aortic stenosis. Adjunctive antithrombotic therapy used to mitigate thrombotic risks in patients undergoing TAVR must be balanced against bleeding complications, since both are associated with increased mortality. Observation: Stroke risk associated with TAVR is lower than that associated with surgical aortic valve replacement in recent trials including patients at intermediate or low risk, but it is constant beginning at the time of implant and accrues over time based on patient risk factors. Patients with aortic stenosis undergoing TAVR also have a sizable risk of life-threatening or major bleeding. Although dual antiplatelet therapy for 3 to 6 months after TAVR is the guideline-recommended regimen, this practice is not well supported by current evidence. In patients with no indication for oral anticoagulation, current registry-based evidence suggests that single antiplatelet therapy may be safer than dual antiplatelet therapy. Similarly, oral anticoagulation monotherapy appears superior to anticoagulation plus antiplatelet therapy in those where oral anticoagulant use is indicated. To date, no risk prediction models have been established to guide antithrombotic therapy. Conclusions and Relevance: Despite the growing volume of TAVR procedures to treat patients with severe aortic stenosis, evidence for adjunctive antithrombotic therapy remains rather scarce. Ongoing clinical trials will provide better understanding to guide antithrombotic therapy