BACKGROUND: Diabetes mellitus is a complex disorder that requires continuous management to control blood sugar levels and prevent complications. Diabetic foot ulcers (DFU) are the most common complication in diabetic patients. A popular therapy modality with considerable advantages in the management of diabetic foot ulcers today is negative pressure wound therapy (NPWT).
OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to review related articles about the efficacy as well as the complications or adverse effects of using NPWT on the healing of DFUs.
METHODS: Searching English databases from PubMed, Ebscohost, Proquest and Science Direct was done to identify relevant citations published between January 2017 and January 2022. A combination of terms was used with the boolean formulation of \"negative pressure wound therapy OR NPWT\" OR \"vacuum-assisted closure or VAC\" AND \"diabetic foot ulcers OR diabetic foot wound\" AND \"wound healing\" AND \"Conventional dressings\" and map terms were also used for the subject heading. Some potentially relevant citations of articles from the bibliographies are also reviewed.
RESULTS: This study included 8 related articles consisting of 6 RCTs, 1 cohort study and 1 Quasy experimental study. There were various methodological techniques for using NPWT and outcome measures among studies. The results of this literature review showed that NPWT was more efficacious than the other conventional or advanced moist dressings. This therapy revealed a faster healing time with complete wound healing and formation of granulation tissue and reduction in wound size. The complications or adverse effects of NPWT, such as amputation rate, bleeding and pain, were not different from conventional or advanced moist dressings, though.
CONCLUSIONS: NPWT was more efficacious than other conventional or advanced moist dressings for the healing of DFUs. However, complications or adverse effects of using this therapy showed no significant difference with other conventional or advanced moist dressings.

Human antigen R (HuR) is a post-translational modifier of mRNAs rich in AU- and U-rich elements. These mRNAs typically code for proteins involved in cell growth and differentiation, signal transduction, transcriptional and translational control, apoptosis, nutrient transport and metabolism. Thus, HuR affects a variety of biological functions and processes. Via its effect on growth and cellular migration, HuR has been shown to enhance clinical progression of a number of cancers. Its role in wound healing remains unknown. In the present study, we evaluated HuR tissue expression in a cohort of chronic healed and non-healed leg ulcers. We also evaluated the effect of HuR knockdown on a number of cellular processes using the HaCaT human keratinocyte cell line. HuR was expressed in greater levels in the \'chronic healed\' cohort of ulcers, compared to the \'chronic non-healed\', although this failed to reach statistical significance (p=0.13). HuR knockdown resulted in greater cellular growth, faster progression through the cell cycle and reduced apoptosis. Furthermore, it reduced cellular adhesion rates without affecting migration. We, therefore, concluded that HuR promotes wound healing, primarily through its effect on cellular adhesion. It also slows cellular growth rate via its effect on both cell cycle progression and rates of apoptosis.