Current scenario of traditional medicines in management of diabetic foot ulcers:A review

Diabetic foot infections and diabetic foot ulcers(DFU)cause significant suffering and are often recurring.DFU have three important pathogenic factors,namely,microangiopathy causing local tissue anoxia,neuropathy making the foot prone to injuries from trivial trauma,and local tissue hyperglycaemia favouring infection and delaying the wound healing.DFU have been the leading cause for non-traumatic amputations of part or whole of the limb.Western medicines focus mainly on euglycaemia,antimicrobials,debridement and wound cover with grafts,and off-loading techniques.Advances in euglycaemic control,foot care and footwear,systemic antimicrobial therapy,and overall health care access and delivery,have resulted in an overall decrease in amputations.However,the process of wound care after adequate debridement remains a major cost burden globally,especially in developing nations.This process revolves around two basic concerns regarding control/eradication of local infection and promotion of faster healing in a chronic DFU without recurrence.Wound modulation with various dressings and techniques are often a costly affair.Some aspects of the topical therapy with modern/Western medicines are frequently not addressed.Cost of and compliance to these therapies are important as both the wounds and their treatment are“chronic.”Naturally occurring agents/medications from traditional medicine systems have been used frequently in different cultures and nations,though without adequate clinical base/relevance.Traditional Chinese medicine involves restoring yin-yang balance,regulating the‘chi’,and promoting local blood circulation.Traditional medicines from India have been emphasizing on‘naturally’available products to control wound infection and promote all the aspects of wound healing.There is one more group of chemicals which are not pharmaceutical agents but can create acidic milieu in the wound to satisfy the above-mentioned basic concerns.Various natural and plant derived products(e.g.,honey,aloe vera,oils,and calendula)and maggots are also used for wound healing purposes.We believe that patients with a chronic wound are so tired physically,emotionally,and financially that they usually accept native traditional medicine which has the same cultural base,belief,and faith.Many of these products have never been tested in accordance to“evidence-based medicine.”There are usually case reports and experience-based reports about these products.Recently,there have been some trials(in vitro and in vivo)to verify the claims of usage of traditional medicines in management of DFU.Such studies show that these natural products enhance the healing process by controlling infection,stimulating granulation tissue,antimicrobial action,promoting fibroblastic activity and collagen deposition,etc.In this review,we attempt to study and analyse the available literature on results of topical traditional medicines,which are usually advocated in the management of DFU.An integrated and‘holistic’approach of both modern and traditional medicine may be more acceptable to the patient,cost effective,and easy to administer and monitor.This may also nevertheless lead to further improvement in quality of life and decrease in the rates of amputations for DFU.

COVID-19 associated diabetes mellitus: A review

A significantly higher rate of new-onset diabetes in many coronavirus disease 2019(COVID-19)patients is a frequently observed phenomenon.The resultant hyperglycemia is known to influence the clinical outcome,thereby increasing the cost of treatment and stay in hospital.This will also affect the post-hospitalization recuperation.It has been observed that new-onset diabetes in COVID-19 patients is associated with considerable increase in morbidity and may be associated with increased mortality in some cases.This mini-review focuses on the possible causes to understand how COVID-19-related diabetes develops,various associated risk factors,and possible mechanism to understand the natural history of the disease process,clinical outcome,associated morbidities and various treatment options in the mana-gement of post COVID-19 diabetes.A literature search was performed in PubMed and other online database using appropriate keywords.A total of 80 articles were found,among which,53 of the most relevant were evaluated/analyzed and relevant data were included.The studies show that patients who have had severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 infection leading to development of COVID-19 may manifest not only with new-onset diabetes but also worsening of pre-existing diabetes.Cytopathic effect and autoimmune destruction of insulin-secreting pancreatic beta cells,cytokine storm during the active phase of infection causing impaired insulin secretion and resistance,druginduced hyperglycemia,undetected pre-existing hyperglycemia/diabetic condition,and stress-induced impairment of glucose metabolism are some of the possible potential mechanisms of COVID-19-associated new-onset diabetes mellitus.Many studies published in recent times have found a significantly higher rate of new-onset diabetes mellitus in many COVID-19 patients.Whether it is an inflammatory or immune-mediated response,direct effect of virus or combination of these is unclear.The resultant hyperglycemia is known to influence the clinical outcome and has been associated with considerable increase in morbidity and increased mortality in some cases.