Triglyceride-glucose index is strongly associated with all-cause mortality in elderly females with diabetic foot ulcers: A 9-year follow-up study.

This study aims to explore the association between the triglyceride-glucose (TyG) index and all-cause mortality in patients with diabetic foot ulcers (DFUs) through an ambispective cohort study. A total of 555 inpatients with DFUs were qualified to participate in the trial study from 2013 to 2022. Throughout a median 63-month period, all subjects were followed up every 6 months. According to the three quantiles of the TyG index, participants were divided into three groups: low-level (≤8.75, n = 185), moderate-level (8.76-9.33, n = 185) and high-level (≥9.34, n = 185). The association between the TyG index and all-cause mortality in patients with DFUs was then assessed. During the follow-up period, out of 555 patients with DFUs, 116 died (20.9%). After adjusting for confounding factors, the TyG index was positively associated with all-cause mortality in patients with DFUs (HR = 1.733; 95% CI = 1.341-2.241; p < 0.001). Compared with the low-level TyG index, the moderate-level TyG index (HR = 1.685; 95% CI = 1.011-2.810; p = 0.045) and the high-level TyG index (HR = 2.769; 95% CI = 1.678-4.568; p < 0.001) were positively correlated with all-cause mortality in patients with DFUs. Additionally, in subgroup analysis, both females (HR = 1.905; 95% CI = 1.250-2.904; p = 0.003), males (HR = 1.729; 95% CI = 1.240-2.409; p = 0.001), younger (<65 years old) (HR = 1.467; 95% CI = 1.008-2.135; p = 0.046) and elderly (≥ 65) (HR = 1.933; 95% CI = 1.339-2.791; p < 0.001) showed a positive correlation between TyG index and all-cause mortality rate in patients with DFUs. Furthermore, in the high-level TyG index group compared, males (HR = 2.699; 95% CI = 1.457-4.998) and participants aged <65 years (HR = 2.031; 95% CI = 0.972-4.242), with the TyG index level increase by 1.0, the risk for all-cause mortality increased 3.277-fold in females (HR = 4.277; 95% CI = 1.645-11.124) and 1.909-fold in elderly aged ≥65 years (HR = 2.909; 95% CI = 1.486-5.695), respectively. Kaplan-Meier survival curve analysis showed that the higher the TyG index level, the higher risk of all-cause mortality in patients with DFUs (log-rank, all p < 0.001). Briefly, this study implies a strong positive correlation between the TyG index and all-cause mortality in patients with DFUs, especially in older women. Therefore, special attention should be paid to elderly females with DFUs because they have a higher TyG index level and risk of all-cause mortality than other populations in daily clinical practice.

Autologous wound margin point columnar full-thickness skin grafting combined with negative pressure wound therapy improves wound healing in refractory diabetic foot ulcers.

Diabetic lower extremity ulcers (DLEUs) are a severe complication of diabetes mellitus (DM) and are difficult to heal. This study aimed to explore the efficacy of autologous point columnar full-thickness skin graft taken from the ulcer wound margin combined with negative pressure wound therapy (NPWT) in refractory DLEUs. This is a prospective cohort study. A total of 40 inpatients with refractory DLEUs were recruited in the Diabetes Foot Center of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region People's Hospital from October 2019 to November 2021. According to the doctors' professional suggestions and the patients' personal wishes, these enrolled patients were divided into two groups based on different topical wound management: the graft group (n = 18) and the conventional wound therapeutic (CWT) group (n = 22). The efficacy evaluations included the time to complete re-epithelialization of the wound and healing speed within 14 days of graft treatment or after 14 days of graft treatment in the two groups. Before the treatment, the graft group had a significantly larger ulcer area than the CWT group [27.22 (15.28, 46.59) versus 10.92 (7.00, 24.93) cm2 , P < .01]. However, the time to complete wound re-epithelialization in the graft group was shorter than in the CWT group [58.22 ± 30.60 versus 86.09 ± 49.54 d, P < .05]. Meanwhile, the healing speed in graft group was markedly faster than in CWT group, whether within 14 days [0.60 (0.40, 0.92) versus 0.16 (0.07, 0.34) cm2 /d, P < .01] or after 14 days of graft treatment [0.57 (0.45, 0.91) versus 0.13 (0.08, 0.27) cm2 /d, P < .01]. However, the total treatment cost in the graft group was lower than in the CWT group [419.59 ± 137.20 versus 663.97 ± 497.02 $, P < .05]. The novel treatment modality of autologous full-thickness skin graft taken from the ulcer wound margin combined with NPWT has hereby proposed for the first time, and is a safe, effective, and reliable method with a good performance-to-cost ratio to promote wound healing and shorten the healing time for DLEUs.

Risk factors for foot ulcer recurrence in patients with comorbid diabetic foot osteomyelitis and diabetic nephropathy: A 3-year follow-up study.

This study aimed to explore the risk factors for foot ulcer recurrence in patients with comorbid diabetic foot osteomyelitis (DFO) and diabetic nephropathy (DN). This is a prospective cohort study. Between May 2018 and May 2021, we selected 120 inpatients with comorbid severe diabetic foot infection (PEDIS Grade 3 or above) and DN for inclusion in our study. All cases were followed up for 36 months. The study outcomes were whether foot ulcer recurred and the time to recurrence. The risk factors of ulcer recurrence were analysed by comparing the data of the three groups. According to the recurrence of foot ulcer, the participants were divided into three groups: Group A (no foot ulcer recurrence, n = 89), Group B (foot ulcer recurrence within 12-36 months, n = 19) and Group C (foot ulcer recurrence within 6-12 months, n = 12). The multivariate Cox regression analysis showed that urine albumin-creatinine ratio (UACR) (HR: 1.008, 95% CI: 1.005-1.011, P < .001) and vibration perception threshold (VPT) (HR: 1.064, 95% CI: 1.032-1.096, P < .001) were identified as independent risk factors. Kaplan-Meier curves showed a significant positive association between UACR or VPT and the risk of foot ulcer recurrence (log rank, all P < .05). Areas under the ROC curves for UACR, VPT and the combination of UACR and VPT were 0.802, 0.799 and 0.842, respectively. The best cut-off values of UACR and VPT were 281.51 mg/g and 25.12 V, respectively. In summary, elevated UACR and VPT were independent risk factors. The best clinical cut-off values of UACR and VPT for prediction of foot ulcer recurrence were 281.51 mg/g and 25.12 V, respectively. Besides, our results suggested that microcirculation disorders rather than macrovascular complications play a major role in the recurrence of foot ulcer in patients with comorbid DFO and DN.

Knowledge level and health information-seeking behavior of people with diabetes in rural areas: a multicenter cross-sectional study.

Introduction: There is a lack of research on the current level of diabetes knowledge and health information-seeking behaviors among patients with diabetes in rural areas of China's economically underdeveloped regions during COVID-19, as well as a lack of up-to-date evidence on glycemic control and the incidence of complications among rural patients with diabetes. Objectives: To investigate the prevalence of glycemic control and complications among patients with diabetes in rural areas, to explore the current status and correlation of diabetes knowledge level and health information-seeking behavior, and to analyze the factors affecting diabetes knowledge level. Methods: From January 2022 to July 2022, we conducted a screening on diabetic complications and a questionnaire survey among 2,178 patients with diabetes in 15 county hospitals in rural areas of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. The patients' knowledge level and health information-seeking behavior were investigated. Spearman correlation analysis was used to assess the correlation between diabetes knowledge and health information-seeking behavior. Multiple linear regression analysis was used to test how demographic information and health information-seeking behavior influenced the level of diabetes knowledge. Results: Of 2,178 patients with diabetes in rural areas, 1,684 (77.32%) had poor glycemic control, and the prevalence of diabetic complications was estimated to be 72.13%. Patients with diabetes had poor diabetes knowledge and health information-seeking behavior, and there is a strong positive correlation between them. Diabetes knowledge level was influenced by per capita household disposable income, occupational status, gender, age, ethnicity, family history of diabetes, insulin use, glycated hemoglobin, education level, number of complications and health information-seeking behavior. Conclusion: Patients with diabetes in rural areas have poor glycemic control and a high incidence of diabetic complications. Patients with diabetes in rural areas have poor knowledge and inadequate health information-seeking behavior. Systematic and standardized education should be provided to improve patients' diabetes knowledge and thus improve their self-management ability.

Systematic evaluation of the prevalence of cognitive impairment in elderly patients with diabetes in China.

OBJECTIVE: To systematically evaluate the prevalence of cognitive impairment in elderly patients with diabetes in China. METHODS: Computerized searches of the Chinese Biomedical, WanFang, Vip, Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure, PubMed, Embase, and the Cochrane Library databases were used to collect research literature on cognitive impairment in older Chinese patients with diabetes from the time of database creation to May 5, 2021. A meta-analysis was performed using the Stata v14.0 software after two investigators independently screened the literature, extracted the information, and evaluated the bias risk of the included studies. RESULTS: A total of 17 studies containing the records of 4380 elderly patients with diabetes were included. The meta-analysis results showed that the incidence of cognitive impairment in elderly patients with diabetes was 48% (95% confidence interval [0.40-0.55]). The results of the subgroup analysis showed that the incidence of cognitive impairment was higher in the elderly population with diabetes who were female, older, with a lower education level, no spouse, living alone, and with a monthly income of less than 2000 yuan. CONCLUSION: Current evidence showed that the incidence of cognitive impairment in elderly patients with diabetes in China was 48%, with a higher incidence in the elderly population who were female, older, with a lower education level, a low income, no spouse, and living alone.

Diabetes knowledge and training needs among non-endocrinology nurses.

Background: It is necessary to determine the diabetes knowledge level among non-endocrinology nurses in primary care hospitals to develop continuing education strategies. Method: A questionnaire survey was conducted among 6819 non-endocrinology nurses in 70 primary hospitals in the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region to assess their diabetes knowledge level and training needs. Factors affecting knowledge level were analyzed using multiple linear regression models. Results: Diabetes knowledge was low, particularly for diabetes monitoring. Knowledge was higher in nurses who had in-service education and training in diabetes; most believed that training was necessary and hoped to improve their ability to care for diabetic patients. The most suitable training method was considered to be each nurse was taught by an assigned person after centralized specialized education and training. Conclusion: Non-endocrinology nurses in primary care hospitals lack knowledge of diabetes and have a strong need for training. Systematic training is required to ensure that patients receive high-quality and comprehensive care.