On diabetic foot, wound healing, amputation prevention, and the merger of consumer tech with medical devices
A novel inflammation-nutrition biomarker — the neutrophil percentage-to-albumin ratio (NPAR) — shows strong association with diabetic foot ulcer risk in a 1,002-patient study from Xi'an, China, reinforcing that what patients eat and how they inflame are inseparable in the diabetic foot.
A Stanford team demonstrates that a smartphone app measuring vibration perception thresholds can detect large-fiber sensory deficits in patients with diabetes — a potential advance for accessible, patient-operated neuropathy screening.
A scoping review from Kanazawa University maps 60 studies on AI-powered thermography for diabetic foot detection — and reveals a critical gap: nearly half of all studies were tested only in controlled environments, not the real world where feet actually live.
A cost-effectiveness analysis of the DIAFOS trial shows that in-shoe plantar pressure-guided custom footwear saves over €8,000 per ulcer prevented — and adherent patients push the probability of cost-effectiveness to 94%. The economic case for prevention just got stronger.
A new single-center study from the Netherlands quantifies the devastating outcomes of the diabetic foot attack: only 48.5% wound closure, 46% major amputation by 12 months, 26% one-year mortality, and 12-month amputation-free survival of just 39.7%. Time is tissue.
Honored to deliver the keynote at the inaugural meeting of ADFA in Paris.
Chronic wounds are biological computers stuck in a boot loop. Sharp debridement is Control-Alt-Delete — the histological reboot that converts a chronic wound back into an acute one. Only then can you run the apps.
GLP‑1 Receptor Agonists and Limb Outcomes: What a 645,000‑Patient Study Tells Us A nationwide retrospective cohort analysis published this week in Diabetes Care explores whether glucagon‑like peptide‑1 receptor agonists (GLP‑1 RAs) confer advantages over sodium–glucose cotransporter‑2 inhibitors (SGLT2i) for lower‑extremity events in type 2 diabetes. Led by Dr Tze‑Woei Tan, the investigation examined 645,121 individuals newly started on either drug class between... Continue Reading →
Screenshot Important work published in the Journal of Diabetes underscores the critical role of regular physical activity in preventing lower extremity amputations among individuals with diabetes. This population-based study tracked over 1.9 million diabetic patients in South Korea, examining the link between physical activity and the risk of amputation due to complications like diabetic foot... Continue Reading →
In an important study led by Tze-Woei Tan, MBBS, MPH, and his team, including Bryan Caldwell, DPM, MD; Yi Zhang, PhD; Onkar Kshirsagar, PhD; Dennis J. Cotter, MSE; and Thomas W. Brewer, PhD, MJur, CHC, the significance of podiatric care for patients with diabetes and kidney failure has been brought to light. Published in JAMA... Continue Reading →
