Characteristics of interviewed patients (n = 1,319), Debre Eliyas and Dembecha <i>Woredas</i>, East and West Gojam Zones, northern Ethiopia.

*<p>Others: priest, begging, prostitute, shepherd, private business, retired and guard.</p

Features of acute lymphadenitis (ALA) in podoconiosis patients.

<p>Features of acute lymphadenitis (ALA) in podoconiosis patients.</p

Clinical stages of podoconiosis among female and male patients in Debre Eliyas and Dembecha <i>woredas</i>, northern Ethiopia.

<p>Clinical stages of podoconiosis among female and male patients in Debre Eliyas and Dembecha <i>woredas</i>, northern Ethiopia.</p

Shoe wearing and foot washing experience of patients.

<p>Shoe wearing and foot washing experience of patients.</p

Clinical stages of podoconiosis among the study subjects.

<p>Clinical stages of podoconiosis among the study subjects.</p

Duration of shoe wearing (up to the date of interview) among cases and controls who owned shoes.

<p>Duration of shoe wearing (up to the date of interview) among cases and controls who owned shoes.</p

Summary of the particle size data for the soil samples, presented for all soil samples together and by endemicity.

<p>Summary of the particle size data for the soil samples, presented for all soil samples together and by endemicity.</p

Summary of the characteristics of the pure-phase reference minerals used in this study, including specific surface area (SSA), particle size (in water and deflocculant), Zeta Potential (ζ) and the haemolytic potential (given as the slope of absorbance versus soil suspension concentration).

<p>Summary of the characteristics of the pure-phase reference minerals used in this study, including specific surface area (SSA), particle size (in water and deflocculant), Zeta Potential (ζ) and the haemolytic potential (given as the slope of absorbance versus soil suspension concentration).</p

Potential nanoparticle penetration routes through the skin.

<p>A) 1) via broken epidermis, 2) intercellular route, 3) transappendageal route via hair follicles (or sweat ducts) and 4) intracellular route (modified from [<a href="http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0177219#pone.0177219.ref010" target="_blank">10</a>]) B) magnified schematic of a silica nanoparticle in the capillary, showing example surface features that are thought to contribute to HA in vitro.</p

HA of the soil samples (shown in terms of their endemicity) and PPRMs, presented as the slope of the HA normalised to DQ12.

<p>9A) shows the haemolysis curve for two selected samples.</p