New shoe insole could treat diabetic foot ulcers

Researchers have developed a shoe insole that could help make the healing process more portable for people who develop ulcers as a result of diabetes. Diabetic ulcers commonly result from high blood sugar damaging nerves, which takes away feeling from the toes or feet.
 
"One of the ways to heal these wounds is by giving them oxygen," said a Professor. "We've created a system that gradually releases oxygen throughout the day so that a patient can have more mobility." Without the ability to feel pain, hits and bumps tend to go unnoticed and skin tissue breaks down, forming ulcers.

A lot of sugar in the bloodstream, along with dried skin as a result of diabetes, further slow the ulcer healing process. The researchers used lasers to shape silicone-based rubber into insoles, and then create reservoirs that release oxygen only at the part of the foot where the ulcer is located.

"Silicone is flexible and has good oxygen permeability," said a post-doctoral researcher. "Laser machining helps us to tune that permeability and target just the wound site, which is hypoxic, rather than poison the rest of the foot with too much oxygen," he added.
In a paper published, the team said the insole can deliver oxygen at least eight hours a day under the pressure of someone weighing about 53-81 kg. It can also be customised to take on any weight, the study said.

The team envisions a manufacturer sending a patient a pack of pre-filled insoles customised to his or her wound site, based on a "wound profile" obtained from a doctor's prescription and a picture of the foot. "This is mass-customisation at low cost," said a research associate. A patent is pending on the insole technology. The team is currently seeking corporate partners.

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Ultrasound speeds up healing among diabetics

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FOR CROCHET DESIGNS- http://My Crochet Creations.blogspot.com/Healing times for skin ulcers and bedsores particularly among diabetics and the elderly can be reduced by a third with the use of low-intensity ultrasound, a study says.

The low-intensity ultrasound that transmits vibration through the skin and wakes up cells in wounds, helps to stimulate and accelerate the healing process.

The ultrasound treatment also reduces the chance of wounds getting infected, and is particularly effective when treating diabetics and the elderly.

"Using ultrasound wakes up the cells and stimulates a normal healing process because it is just speeding up the normal processes, and the treatment does not carry the risk of side effects often associated with drug treatments," said lead author Mark Bass of the Centre for Membrane Interactions and Dynamics (CMIAD), University of Sheffield.

A quarter of diabetics suffer from skin ulcers, particularly foot ulcers, due to the loss of sensation and circulation in the legs.

"Skin ulcers are excruciatingly painful for patients and in many cases can only be resolved by amputation of the limb," Bass said.

The study appeared in the Journal of Investigative Dermatology.

"Now that we have proven the effectiveness of ultrasound we need to explore the signal further," Bass said adding, "the ultrasound signal we currently use is effective, but it is possible that by refining the treatment we could improve the effects even further."

"Because ultrasound is relatively risk free we could expect to see it in broad clinical use within three or four years," Bass said.