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Abstract Background Diabetic foot ulcers complications are the major cause of non-traumatic major limb amputation. We aimed at assessing the clinical profiles of diabetic foot ulcer patients undergoing major limb amputation in the Surgical Department at Kilimanjaro Christian Medical Centre (KCMC), a tertiary care hospital in North-eastern Tanzania. Methods A cross—sectional hospital-based study was conducted from September 2018 through March 2019. Demographic data were obtained from structured questionnaires. Diabetic foot ulcers were graded according to the Meggitt-Wagner classification system. Hemoglobin and random blood glucose levels data were retrieved from patients’ files. Results A total of 60 patients were recruited in the study. More than half (31/60; 51.67%) were amputated. Thirty-five (58.33%) were males. Fifty-nine (98.33%) had type II diabetes. Nearly two-thirds (34/60; 56.67%) had duration of diabetes for more than 5 years. The mean age was 60.06 ± 11.33 years (range 30–87). The mean haemoglobin level was 10.20 ± 2.73 g/dl and 9.84 ± 2.69 g/dl among amputees. Nearly two thirds (42/60; 70.00%) had a haemoglobin level below 12 g/dl, with more than a half (23/42; 54.76%) undergoing major limb amputation. Two thirds (23/31; 74.19%) of all patients who underwent major limb amputation had mean hemoglobin level below 12 g/dl. The mean Random Blood Glucose (MRBG) was 13.18 ± 6.17 mmol/L and 14.16 ± 6.10 mmol/L for amputees. Almost two thirds of the study population i.e., 42/60(70.00%) had poor glycemic control with random blood glucose level above 10.0 mmol/L. More than half 23/42 (54.76%) of the patients with poor glycemic control underwent some form of major limb amputation; which is nearly two thirds (23/31; 74.19%) of the total amputees. Twenty-eight (46.67%) had Meggitt-Wagner classification grade 3, of which nearly two thirds (17:60.71%) underwent major limb amputation. Conclusion In this study, the cohort of patients suffering from diabetic foot ulcers treated in a tertiary care center in north-eastern Tanzania, the likelihood of amputation significantly correlated with the initial grade of the Meggit-Wagner ulcer classification. High blood glucose levels and anaemia seem to be also important risk factors but correlation did not reveal statistical significance.

Background: The relationship between body iron levels and malaria presents a complex interaction that provide variable and contradicting results. We designed a study to investigate associations between concentrations of biomarkers of body iron and malaria recurrence among children. Methods: We conducted a longitudinal descriptive community based study in a malaria endemic area in north- eastern Tanzania. The study involved 428 children of ≤5 years of age who were positive for malaria. Over a period of 6 months, sick children visited the study clinic for screening of malaria and measurement of iron storage biomarkers by serological assays. Correlations between levels of biomarkers and malaria was determined by Spearman correlations and Mann-Whitney U-Test. Associations between malaria recurrence and serum levels of iron biomarkers were determined by odds ratio (OR) with significance cutoff points of <0.15 in univariate and <0.05 in multivariate logistic regression analyses. Results: Only serum Transferrin Receptor (sTfR) levels had a positive correlation with malaria recurrence. When Mann-Whitney U test was used higher Hepcidin, sTfR and Leptin levels were significantly associated with malaria recurrence when malaria incidence was grouped into 'once' versus 'more than once'. When malaria incidence was recategorised to 'up to twice' versus 'more than twice', only higher level of sTfR was associated with recurrence of malaria. With univariate regression analysis, only sTfR was found to be significantly associated with malaria recurrence, although this associated was not observed in Multivariate analyses. Conclusion: Despite the absence of association in multivariate analyses, univariate analyses suggest elevated levels of sTFR as a likely predictor of Plasmodium falciparum re-infection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]