Predictors of sudomotor dysfunction in patients with type 1 diabetes without clinical evidence of peripheral neuropathy.

AIM: To investigate the frequency of foot sudomotor dysfunction determined by the electrochemical skin conductance test (ESC) and its independent predictors in individuals with type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1D) and no clinical evidence of diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN). METHODS: Adults with T1D for longer than 5 years and without DPN defined by the Michigan Neuropathy Screening Instrument and Neuropathy Disability Score were assessed for foot sudomotor dysfunction by ESC. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to examine the association between foot sudomotor dysfunction (ESC < 70 µS) and demographic, clinical, and biochemical variables. RESULTS: A total of 61 individuals with T1D were included. Their mean age was 29.5 ± 8.6 years, and mean diabetes duration was 17.8 ± 7.9 years. Foot sudomotor dysfunction was present in 16 (26.2%) participants, despite no clinical evidence of DPN. Retinopathy, hand sudomotor dysfunction and glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c) levels were identified as independent predictors of foot sudomotor dysfunction by multivariate logistic regression analysis. Retinopathy, hand sudomotor dysfunction, and every 1% increase of HbA1c increased the odds of foot sudomotor dysfunction by 2.48, 2.82, and 1.24-fold, respectively. CONCLUSION: Our findings indicate a high frequency of foot sudomotor dysfunction among individuals with T1D and no overt DPN. Factors associated with DPN, including retinopathy and higher HbA1c levels, independently predicted the occurrence of sudomotor dysfunction, suggesting that ESC assessment is a useful tool in the clinical setting to identify early small-fiber neuropathy.

Clinical and immunohistopathological aspects of venous ulcers treatment by Low-Intensity Pulsed Ultrasound (LIPUS).

The immunological mechanisms that are triggered by Low-Intensity Pulsed Ultrasound (LIPUS) in wound healing are unknown. In the present study, experimental groups were used to assess the treatment of chronic venous ulcers with 30mW/cm(2) SATA peripheral LIPUS three times per week compared to a daily treatment of 1% silver sulfadiazine (SDZ). The ulcers of the SDZ group (n=7) (G1) and LIPUS group (n=9) (G2) were photographed five times three months, and the images were analyzed using ImageJ software to quantify the total area (S), fibrin/sphacel area (yellow) and granulation area (red). The healing process was evaluated by the wound healing rate (WHR), granulation tissue rate (GTR) and fibrin/sphacel tissue rate (FTR). The ulcers were biopsied on days 1 and 45 and stained for collagen fiber quantification (picrosirius) and CD68(+) protein and VEGF (vascular endothelial growth factor) expression using HRP-streptavidin (horseradish peroxidase-streptavidin). On day 90, G2 had a mean 41% decrease in the ulcer area, while no decrease was observed in G1 (p<0.05). An increased tendency toward positive labeling of collagen fibers and VEGF (p>0.05) was observed in G2 compared to G1, and the number of CD68(+) cells was greater in G2 than in G1 (p<0.05). LIPUS presents superior activity compared to SDZ in stimulating the inflammatory and proliferative (angiogenesis and collagenesis, respectively) phases of chronic venous wound healing.