Foot structure, pain and functional ability in people with gout in primary care: cross-sectional findings from the Clinical Assessment Study of the Foot

Background Gout frequently affects the foot yet relatively little is known about the effects of gout on foot structure, pain and functional ability. This study aimed to describe the impact of gout in a UK primary care population. Methods A cross-sectional study was nested within an observational cohort study of adults aged 50years with foot pain. Participants with gout were identified through their primary care medical records and each matched on age (2years) and gender to four participants without gout. Differences in person-level variables (SF-12 Physical Component Score, Manchester Foot Pain and Disability Index and Short Physical Performance Battery) between gout and non-gout participants were determined using regression models. Differences in foot-level variables (pain regions, skin lesions, deformities, foot posture, and non-weightbearing range of motion) were determined using multi-level regression models. All models were adjusted for body mass index. Means and probabilities with 95% confidence intervals were calculated. Results Twenty-six participants with gout were compared to 102 participants without gout (77% male; mean age 66years, standard deviation 11). Subtalar joint inversion and eversion and 1st metatarsophalangeal joint (MTPJ) dorsiflexion range of motion were significantly lower in the gout participants compared to the non-gout participants. Gout participants were more likely to have mallet toes and less likely to have claw toes compared to non-gout participants. There were no statistically significant differences in person-level variables, foot posture, ankle dorsiflexion range of motion, hallux valgus, pain regions, or skin lesions. Conclusions Non-weightbearing range of motion at the subtalar joint and 1st MTPJ was reduced in people with gout. Patients with gout who present with chronic foot problems should therefore undergo appropriate clinical assessment of foot structure

Reactive oxygen species in phagocytic leukocytes

Phagocytic leukocytes consume oxygen and generate reactive oxygen species in response to appropriate stimuli. The phagocyte NADPH oxidase, a multiprotein complex, existing in the dissociated state in resting cells becomes assembled into the functional oxidase complex upon stimulation and then generates superoxide anions. Biochemical aspects of the NADPH oxidase are briefly discussed in this review; however, the major focus relates to the contributions of various modes of microscopy to our understanding of the NADPH oxidase and the cell biology of phagocytic leukocytes

A comprehensive overview of radioguided surgery using gamma detection probe technology

The concept of radioguided surgery, which was first developed some 60 years ago, involves the use of a radiation detection probe system for the intraoperative detection of radionuclides. The use of gamma detection probe technology in radioguided surgery has tremendously expanded and has evolved into what is now considered an established discipline within the practice of surgery, revolutionizing the surgical management of many malignancies, including breast cancer, melanoma, and colorectal cancer, as well as the surgical management of parathyroid disease. The impact of radioguided surgery on the surgical management of cancer patients includes providing vital and real-time information to the surgeon regarding the location and extent of disease, as well as regarding the assessment of surgical resection margins. Additionally, it has allowed the surgeon to minimize the surgical invasiveness of many diagnostic and therapeutic procedures, while still maintaining maximum benefit to the cancer patient. In the current review, we have attempted to comprehensively evaluate the history, technical aspects, and clinical applications of radioguided surgery using gamma detection probe technology

Population dynamics of a salmonella lytic phage and its host : implications of the host bacterial growth rate in modelling

The prevalence and impact of bacteriophages in the ecology of bacterial communities coupled with their ability to control pathogens turn essential to understand and predict the dynamics between phage and bacteria populations. To achieve this knowledge it is essential to develop mathematical models able to explain and simulate the population dynamics of phage and bacteria. We have developed an unstructured mathematical model using delay-differential equations to predict the interactions between a broad-host-range Salmonella phage and its pathogenic host. The model takes into consideration the main biological parameters that rule phage-bacteria interactions likewise the adsorption rate, latent period, burst size, bacterial growth rate, and substrate uptake rate, among others. The experimental validation of the model was performed with data from phage-interaction studies in a 5 L bioreactor. The key and innovative aspect of the model was the introduction of variations in the latent period and adsorption rate values that are considered as constants in previous developed models. By modelling the latent period as a normal distribution of values and the adsorption rate as a function of the bacterial growth rate it was possible to accurately predict the behaviour of the phage-bacteria population. The model was shown to predict simulated data with a good agreement with the experimental observations and explains how a lytic phage and its host bacteria are able to coexist.Financial support was received through the Strategic Project PEst-OE/EQB/LA0023/2013 from the FCT-Fundacao para a Ciencia e Tecnologia (http://www.fct.pt) and the projects "BioHealth - Biotechnology and Bioengineering approaches to improve health quality'', Ref. NORTE-07-0124 FEDER-000027, co-funded by the Programa Operacional Regional do Norte (ON.2 - O Novo Norte), QREN, FEDER and "Consolidating Research Expertise and Resources on Cellular and Molecular Biotechnology at CEB/IBB'', Ref. FCOMP-01-0124-FEDER-027462. Silvio B. Santos was supported by the grant SFRH/BPD/75311/2010 and Carla Carvalho was supported by the grant SFRH/BPD/79365/2011 both from the FCT-Fundacao para a Ciencia e Tecnologia (http://www.fct.pt). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript