Pranic Healing as a Complementary Therapy in Diabetic Foot Ulcer Management: A Randomised, Controlled, Double-Blind Trial.

Background: Diabetic Foot Ulcers (DFUs), a serious complication of diabetes, have limited solutions in conventional therapies. The condition needs holistic management of blood glycemic levels; foot wounds; and possible regeneration of nerves in the soles of patients. Objective: To evaluate the efficacy of Pranic Healing as a complimentary therapy in managing Diabetic Foot Ulcers (DFUs). Methods: Thirty diabetic subjects already on standard therapy for Diabetes, co morbidities and wound care for Diabetic Foot Ulcers were assigned on a 1:1 basis to the trial and control groups. While both groups continued to receive standard therapy, the trial group additionally received Pranic Healing therapy. The Clinician, nursing staff, assessors and patients were blinded. Pranic Healers carried out healing on the trial group remotely, every day for 50 to 60 minute for stress, diabetes, local wound healing, blood cleansing and regeneration of nerves in the soles. The efficacy variables were the mean change from baseline in wound parameters and grade of DFU, overall well-being and HbAlc levels. Results: At the end of the trial, about 83.33% participants in the trial group demonstrated lowering of size and severity of the ulceration and improved to a lower grade of DFU compared to 44.4% in control group. The trial group reported a significant reduction in wound area and HbA1c levels. The trial group showed better readings for improved sensory perception in the soles through changes in the large fibre dysfunction and damaged nerves as compared to the control group. Approximately 76.9% of participants in the trial group reported lower stress levels compared to 22.22% in the control group. Conclusions: Pranic Healing intervention can be a safe and effective adjunct in managing Diabetic Foot Ulcers.

Cholesterol Levels and Monocyte Phenotype Are Predictors of Nonhealing in Individuals with Low-Grade Diabetic Foot Ulcers: A Prospective Cohort Study.

Objective: Inflammation has been linked to progression of diabetic foot ulcers (DFU); however, specific predictive markers of nonhealing are scarce. The goal of this study was to identify biochemical and immunological parameters from the blood as predictors of nonhealing in grade 1 and grade 2 DFU. Approach: Individuals with low-grade foot ulcers were enrolled in the study to determine if histopathological, biochemical, and immunological parameters could be used to predict individuals whose ulcers would not heal. Data analysis was performed using traditional univariate analyses as well as univariate and multivariable logistic regression, and STROBE guidelines were used for reporting data. Results: Among the 52 individuals who completed the study, we observe that no single histopathological and biochemical parameter was predictive. Conventional univariate analysis and univariate logistic regression analysis showed that the expression of the cell surface proteins CD63, HLA-DR, and CD11b on monocytes was significantly lower in nonhealed individuals, but with moderate discriminative ability. In comparison, a multivariable logistic regression model identified four of the 31 parameters to be salient predictors with low density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol (odds ratio [OR] 18.83, confidence interval [CI] 18.83-342) and cell-surface expression of CD63 on monocytes (OR 0.12, CI 0.12-0.45) showing significance and demonstrating high discrimination ability. Innovation: The approach of using a combination of biochemical and immunological parameters to predict ulcer healing is new. Conclusion: Through this study we conclude that LDL cholesterol and cell-surface expression of CD63 on monocytes strongly correlate with nonhealing in individuals with grade 1 and grade 2 DFU.

Immunomodulatory Bandage for Accelerated Healing of Diabetic Wounds.

Diabetic foot ulcers are challenging to treat. Current strategies to treat these wounds focus on preventing infection and promoting tissue regrowth but are ineffective in many individuals. Low-grade chronic inflammation is present in individuals with diabetes, and altering the inflammatory responses at the wound site could be an alternate approach to promote healing. We hypothesized that immunomodulation of the wound microenvironment would result in accelerated healing. To test this hypothesis, we began by characterizing the changes in the myeloid cell phenotype in a mouse model [leptin receptor knockout (KO) mouse] that closely mimics the type 2 diabetes condition observed in humans. We observed increased numbers of monocytes and neutrophils in the circulation of the KO mice compared to that in wild-type control mice. We also observed several phenotypic changes in neutrophils from the KO diabetic mice, suggesting low-grade systemic inflammation. Hence, we developed a rapamycin-loaded chitosan scaffold that may be used to modulate immune responses. The use of these immunomodulatory scaffolds at a wound site resulted in accelerated healing compared to the healing using blank scaffolds. In summary, our data suggest that immunomodulation may be a viable strategy to promote the healing of wounds in individuals with diabetes.