Itchy Feet Research Articles

S2279 Resolution of Itchy Feet With a Gluten-Free Diet: A Case of Celiac Disease Presenting as Dermatitis Herpetiformis

S2279 Resolution of Itchy Feet With a Gluten-Free Diet: A Case of Celiac Disease Presenting as Dermatitis Herpetiformis

Antimicrobial activity of Elytropappus rhinocerotis (Asteraceae) against micro-organisms associated with foot odour and skin ailments

Ethnopharmacological relevanceThe twigs of Elytropappus rhinocerotis are widely used in the Cape region of South Africa to treat foot odour, perspiration and also itchy, chilblained and burning feet. However, no antimicrobial studies have hitherto been published on this popular Cape herbal medicine, which is also used for a wide range of ailments. Aims of the studyTo determine the antimicrobial activity of the extracts, essential oil and two major labdane diterpenes isolated from E. rhinocerotis against micro-organisms associated with foot odour and other conditions associated with skin infections. Materials and methodsLeafy stems were harvested from three individual plants at three separate geographical localities, giving a total of nine plant samples. The samples were air-dried, powdered and extracted with a 1:1 mixture of methanol and dichloromethane, and also with sterile distilled water. A portion of each sample was also hydrodistilled to obtain nine samples of essential oil. Isolation of the major labdane diterpenes was performed using silica and ethyl acetate in hexane (3:7 v/v) as the mobile phase. Minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC) were determined for nine crude extracts, as well as three essential oil samples and two labdane diterpenes obtained from a bulk sample. The test organisms used in this study were from Deutsche Sammlung von Mikrooganismen (DSM) and American type culture collection (ATCC) strains and included five bacterial species (Brevibacterium agri ATCC 51663, B. epidermidis DSM 20660, B. linens DSM 20425, Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 25923, S. epidermidis ATCC 12228) and one fungal species (Trichophyton mentagrophytes ATCC 9533) associated with the skin. ResultsThe presence of essential oil is reported for the first time. Organic extracts and essential oil samples showed moderate to noteworthy activity against selected test organisms. For the Brevibacteria, the lowest MIC values for phenolic extracts were several times lower than the corresponding values for the positive control zinc (shown in brackets): 0.0031 mg/mL against Brevibacterium agri (0.33 mg/mL), 0.17 mg/mL against B. epidermidis (3.91 mg/mL) – both for sample 2 of Vanwyksdorp; 0.13 mg/mL against B. linens (2.28 mg/mL) – for sample 3 of Vanwyksdorp. Two isolated labdane diterpenoids (one of which is here first reported) were also antimicrobially tested and showed moderate activity but had high abundance in the extracts. Two major monoterpenes and four sesquiterpenes in the essential oil were identified as 1,8-cineole (4.6–12.3%), terpinen-4-ol (9.2–24.3%), germacrene A (3.9–15.6%), (−)-spathulenol (1.7–37.8%), viridiflorol (0.3–100%), and silphiperfol-6-en-5-one (4.5–26.8%). ConclusionThe antimicrobial results particularly for the essential oils and against the Brevibacteria support the traditional topical use of Elytropappus rhinocerotis twigs to treat foot perspiration, foot odour and other related skin conditions.

Trust proposes overseas exchange scheme to help retain staff with itchy feet

Trust proposes overseas exchange scheme to help retain staff with itchy feet

Itchy feet vs cool heads: Flow of funds in an agent-based financial market

Investors tend to move funds when they are unhappy with their current portfolio managers׳ performance. We study the effect of the size of this flow of funds in an agent-based model of the financial market. The model combines the discrete choice approach from agent-based modelling, where all capital is mobile, with the evolutionary finance framework where all growth is endogenous. Our results show that, if investors exhibit recency bias in evaluating portfolio managers׳ performance, even a small amount of freely flowing capital has a huge impact on the market dynamics and the survival of noise traders. We also find that investors׳ intensity of choice is a driving force for excess volatility and extreme price movements when the size of the flow of funds is large.

Itchy Feet vs Cool Heads: Flow of Funds in an Agent-Based Financial Market

Itchy Feet vs Cool Heads: Flow of Funds in an Agent-Based Financial Market

Management of Hypersensitivity Reactions to Carboplatin and Paclitaxel in an Outpatient Oncology Infusion Center: A 5-Year Review

A high incidence of hypersensitivity reactions (HSR) to carboplatin and Taxol is limiting the use of carboplatin and Taxol. We conducted a 5-year study of all patients with HSR to carboplatin or Taxol to better understand the nature of infusion HSR and success or failure of management plans after the initial HSR. We performed a retrospective chart review of all safety reports from the Massachusetts General Hospital outpatient chemotherapy infusion center between January 2006 and February 2011. All the patients with HSRs to carboplatin or Taxol were identified and included in the final analysis. We reviewed patient characteristics, clinical symptoms, timing, and treatment of the initial HSR, and determined if the patient was rechallenged despite an initial HSR. We identified 152 patients with HSR to carboplatin (n= 45) or Taxol (n= 107). Carboplatin HSR was less severe than Taxol HSR. When comparing the 2 groups, the patients with carboplatin HSRs more commonly described itchy palms and feet, generalized itch, and general urticaria and/or erythema, whereas patients with Taxol HSR more commonly described facial flushing, back pain, and chest or throat tightness (all P < .05). Among 40 patients with mild-to-moderate carboplatin HSRs, only 7 were rechallenged, and 100% tolerated rechallenge without desensitization. None of the patients with severe carboplatin HSRs (n= 5) were rechallenged. Most patients (75%) with Taxol HSRs were rechallenged, and 91% tolerated rechallenge without desensitization; the patients with a severe HSR to Taxol were less likely to be rechallenged. The clinical symptoms and timing of carboplatin HSR are distinct from Taxol HSR. Most patients with carboplatin HSR were not rechallenged, whereas most patients with Taxol HSR were successfully rechallenged.

Viewpoint

Being an expedition doctor is a challenging yet rewarding field of medicine, allowing medics to combine their interest in remote and rural medicine with itchy feet and an adventurous spirit. The photo below was taken while I was waiting for my next patient to arrive at Barafu Camp, Kilimanjaro at 4673 metres. I had arranged an ‘open access’ clinic after lunch on our acclimatisation day to see the participants who had medical concerns or …

Itching to know the diagnosis: Category: Lesson in Microbiology & Infection Control

A normally healthy 22 year old male presented to our hospital with a two day history of unbearably itchy hands and feet. Although this was his main complaint, he had also noticed the development of a widespread rash over the last 24 hours and had been feverish with rigors overnight. He additionally complained of a mild sore throat, and of a chronic

The formation of virtual organizations by means of electronic institutions in a 3D e-Tourism environment

In this article we showcase an agent-mediated B2C and B2B e-Marketplace. This e-Marketplace is part of the social and immersive 3D e-Tourism environment “Itchy Feet”. We give an overview of the framework that forms the basis of the e-Marketplace and show how it is used to create B2C-, B2B- and Virtual Organizations that are visualized in a 3D Virtual World. This interface provides users with an intuitive and easy way to interact with humans and software agents by means of a 3D Virtual World. The business logic is realized by autonomous software agents offering services to customers. The e-Marketplace is regulated by Electronic Institutions to ensure that all participants adhere to the rules of the market. The article is concluded with a detailed discussion on bridging the gaps between Multi-Agent Systems and 3D Virtual Worlds and the preliminary results of a conducted usability study of “Itchy Feet”.

The dangers of itchy feet: Parasitic infections imported by returning travellers

One of the patients seen recently at our tropical disease clinic complained of a lump in the groin. He had just returned from a fishing holiday in the Okavango delta of Botswana, where he had swum in the river and eaten self-made sushi from freshly caught bream. Over the next few days, the lump moved to his knee and ankle and then chest, leaving a red itchy track in its wake. After a dose of trial treatment, it appeared on his neck, moved on to his face and was felt inside his nose. A day later, a small, white larva popped out of the skin of his face. This was a larva of Gnathostoma spinigerum, a parasitic nematode, which he had probably consumed in the raw fish (Figure 1)1. Although his disease was relatively mild, this larva can also use its sharp hooked head to burrow through the viscera, including the eye or brain, leaving a haemorrhagic track which can be fatal.

Pay is cure for itchy feet

Pay is cure for itchy feet

Voices - Linda Thomas knows a great way to satisfy middle-age wanderlust

If you are over 40 with itchy feet and a deep-seated envy of all those kids whizzing off on gap-year escapades, welcome to Gaps for Grumpies. Founded in 2006, it owes its name to the Grumpy Old Men television series.

Opening new dimensions for e-Tourism

In this paper we describe an e-Tourism environment that takes a community-driven approach to foster a lively society of travelers who exchange travel experiences, recommend tourism destinations or just listen to catch some interesting gossip. Moreover, business transactions such as booking a trip or getting assistance from travel advisors or community members are constituent parts of this environment. All these happen in an integrated, game-like e-Business application where each e-Tourist is impersonated as an avatar. More precisely, we apply 3D Electronic Institutions, a framework developed and employed in the area of multi-agent systems, to the tourism domain. The system interface is realized by means of a 3D game engine that provides sophisticated 3D visualization and enables humans to interact with the environment. We present “itchy feet”, a prototype implementing this 3D e-Tourism environment to showcase first visual impressions. This new environment is a perfect research playground for examining heterogeneous societies comprising humans and software agents, and their relationship in e-Tourism.

Green fingers, green eyes and itchy feet — challenges for extension?

The article is based on a doctoral thesis that examines the conception of knowledge of horticultural entrepreneurs (Levander, 1998). A total of 32 Finnish glasshouse and nursery stock growers were interviewed. The purpose here was to provide a better understanding of their knowledge construction process. The starting point for the study was horticultural science and extension science; however, the domains of philosophical epistemology, cognitive and educational psychology and the social psychology of knowledge were explored to interpret the unfolding results. The study concerned the microsociology of everyday life, joining various methodological horizons as a multidisciplinary effort. The methodological frame of reference was hermeneutical and phenomenological. The principles of grounded theory and phenomenography were applied during analysis of the interviews. The research developed as several dialogues, each of which increased understanding of the various elements of conception of knowledge. The outcome of the study can be summarized as a range of alternative approaches. The conceptual definitions were firmly embedded in the respondents' own context. They described the activity of knowing rather than merely defining knowledge as a concept.

Itchy feet

Itchy feet

Investigating trends in nursing abroad.

Europe may be becoming the most attractive option for nurses with ‘itchy feet’, says James Buchan in his regular monthly column

Gallo gets itchy feet, looks to Academe.

Gallo gets itchy feet, looks to Academe.

2344. An explanation for itchy feet: Foussereau, J., Sengel, D., Tanahashi, Y., Limam-Mestiri, S. et Maleville, J. (1971). L'allergie au “Disperse Yellow 3” de colorants vestimentaires (bas et chaussettes). Recherche de ce colorant dans les produits commercialisés. Bull. Soc. fr. Derm. Syph.78, 70

2344. An explanation for itchy feet: Foussereau, J., Sengel, D., Tanahashi, Y., Limam-Mestiri, S. et Maleville, J. (1971). L'allergie au “Disperse Yellow 3” de colorants vestimentaires (bas et chaussettes). Recherche de ce colorant dans les produits commercialisés. Bull. Soc. fr. Derm. Syph.78, 70