Diabetic foot ulcers (DFUs) pose a significant threat to people with diabetes, particularly in regions with limited healthcare resources, such as India. This case report focuses on a cost-effective offloading strategy for managing a chronic non-healing heel ulcer in a 55-year-old female with uncontrolled type 2 diabetes mellitus. While the gold standard for DFU management often involves total contact casts, this method may not be practical for all patients. Our approach involved repurposing used gloves and surgical paper tape for offloading, resulting in quick healing of the ulcer within six weeks. Achieving euglycemic status and sufficient wound debridement were key components of the treatment. This case highlights the importance of resource-efficient strategies in DFU management, especially in settings where traditional methods face practical limitations. Future research is needed to validate the efficacy of such approaches and pave the way for more accessible and effective treatments for DFUs.

People with a history of diabetic foot ulcers (DFUs) experience diminished health-related quality of life and are at a 40% annual risk of DFU recurrence. Due to a fear of DFU recurrence, people in DFU remission participate less in physical activity and moderate-intensity exercise when compared to people with diabetes who have not had wounds. There is novel evidence to suggest that too little activity during DFU remission contributes to only low magnitudes of repetitive tissue loading creating a higher susceptibility to skin trauma during inadvertent high-activity bouts. Conversely, a hasty return to too much activity could lead to rapid recurrence. There is now high-level evidence from multiple meta-analyses to indicate that home-based foot temperature monitoring, coupled with activity modification and daily inspection of the feet for impending signs of ulceration, could reduce the risk of ulcer recurrence by 50%. There is little evidence, however, to guide the decision-making regarding the appropriate quantity and frequency of physical activity during DFU remission and the acceptability from the patient perspective. This has resulted in limited uptake of this novel intervention in clinical practice. Earlier, we proposed that activity can be dosed for people in foot ulcer remission, just like insulin or medication is dosed. Here, we describe a patient-centered approach to implementing home foot temperature monitoring coupled with daily foot checks and dosage-based return to physical activity in a patient in DFU remission, including his perspective. We believe using such an approach could maximize ulcer-free days in remission, thereby improving quality of life.

Gesturing has been shown to relay benefits to speakers and listeners alike. Speakers, for instance, may be able to reduce their working memory load through gesture. Studies with children and adults have demonstrated that gesturing while describing how to solve a problem can help to save cognitive resources related to that explanation, allowing them to be allocated to a secondary task. The majority of research in this area focuses on procedural mathematical problem solving; however, the present study examines how gesture interacts with working memory load during a verbal reasoning task: verbal analogies. Unlike previous findings which report improved performance on secondary tasks while gesturing during a primary task, our results show that participants showed better performance in a secondary memory task when being prohibited from gesturing during their explanation of verbal analogies compared to being allowed to gesture. These results suggest that the relationship between gesture and working memory may be more nuanced, with the type of task and gestures produced influencing how gestures interact with working memory load.

OBJECTIVE: The gold standard for offloading neuropathic forefoot and midfoot wounds is the total contact cast (TCC). However, in practice TCC is rarely used and is contraindicated in patients with fluctuating oedema, poor perfusion, lack of adequate tissue oxygenation and morbid obesity. It can also be too restrictive for patients, inevitably resulting in treatment rejection and delayed healing. This paper examines the role of shoe-based offloading devices as an alternative in reducing plantar pressure and optimising the healing of neuropathic ulcers.
METHODS: Healthy subjects were recruited and fitted for two types of pixelated insoles: PegAssist (PA) insole system (Darco International, US) and FORS-15 (FORS) offloading insole (Saluber, Italy). An area of discreet, elevated high pressure was created by adding a 1/4-inch-thick felt pad to the plantar skin under the first metatarsal head. Subjects walked barefoot in surgical shoes with standard insoles (Condition 1), barefoot in pixelated insoles (Condition 2), barefoot with pixels removed (Condition 3). Dynamic plantar pressures were measured using F-Scan and the results were analysed to determine plantar pressure changes in each condition.
RESULTS: Using PA, the percentage reduction of plantar pressure (kPa) under the first metatarsal between Condition 1 and Condition 2 was 10.54±15.81% (p=0.022), between Condition 2 and Condition 3 was 40.13±11.11% (p<0.001), and between Condition 1 and Condition 3 was 46.67±12.95 % (p<0.001). Using FORS, the percentage reduction between Condition 1 and Condition 2 was 24.25±23.33% (p=0.0029), between Condition 2 and Condition 3 was 23.61±19.45% (p<0.001), and between Condition 1 and Condition 3 was 43.39±18.70% (p<0.001). A notable difference in the findings between the two insoles was the presence of a significant edge effect associated with PA, indicating that the offloading was not entirely successful. No edge effect was detected with FORS.
CONCLUSIONS: Our current analysis shows that pixelated insoles exhibit potential for supplemental offloading in surgical shoes. These devices could provide an alternative way for physicians to offload plantar wounds and expedite closure for patients that cannot tolerate a TCC or other restrictive devices.

OBJECTIVE: Published guidelines for effective management of diabetic foot ulcers (DFU) include total contact casting (TCC). The purpose of this case study is to describe the application of best practice guidelines for the treatment of a diabetic foot ulcer (DFU) in a complex patient where TCC offloading could not be utilized.
METHODS: The patient was a 47 year-old female with a five-plus year history of a full-thickness DFU on the left plantar mid-foot. Treatment included sharp and ultrasound debridement, the use of a silver hydrofiber dressing, edema management via compression therapy, negative pressure wound therapy, offloading via customized 1/4 inch adhesive-backed felt applied to the plantar foot in addition to an offloading boot and use of a wheelchair, patient education regarding diabetes management, and the application of a bilayered living skin-equivalent biologic dressing.
RESULTS: At 15 weeks the wound was closed and the patient was transitioned into diabetic footwear.
CONCLUSIONS: The felt offloading was a beneficial alternative to TCC. The patient\'s longer than average healing rate may have been complicated by the duration of her wound, her 41 year history of diabetes, and the fact that gold standard offloading (TCC) was not able to be used. Further research is needed regarding the use of felt for offloading, such as application technique for wounds on different areas of the foot, comparison of different types of felt, and the use of felt in conjunction with various offloading devices.

BACKGROUND: Foot ulcers and infections are the major sources of morbidity in individuals with diabetes mellitus. This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of topical Royal Jelly (a worker honey bee product) on healing diabetic foot ulcers.
METHODS: Diabetic patients with foot ulcers that were referred to our clinic at Khorshid Hospital, Isfahan, Iran; were evaluated three times a week and treated according to standard treatments consisted of offloading, infection control, vascular improvement and debridement if required. In addition, all ulcers were measured and then topical sterile 5% Royal Jelly was applied on the total surface area of the wounds. Eventually, they were covered with sterile dressings. Each patient was followed for a period of three months or until the complete healing.
RESULTS: A total of eight patients were enrolled in this study. Of these, two had two ulcers and, therefore, ten ulcers were evaluated. Two ulcers were excluded. Seven of the remained eight ulcers healed. Mean duration of complete healing was 41 days. One ulcer did not completely heal but improved to 40% smaller in length, 32% in width and 28% in depth. The mean length, width and depth reduction rates were 0.35 mm/day, 0.28 mm/day and 0.11 mm/day, respectively.
CONCLUSIONS: Royal Jelly dressing may be an effective method for treating diabetic foot ulcers besides standard treatments.