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Background: Child footwear, both in pathologies and in normal situations, can affect the foot in various ways depending on its characteristics. Below, some features of child footwear are described, and how they can influence the foot, including suitable size, shape and design, flexibility, and transpirable material; inadequate footwear includes situations with flat foot, equine foot, and hammer toes. It is important to highlight that each child is unique and may have different footwear needs. In case of specific pathologies or concerns, it is recommended to consult a specialist in podology or foot medicine for personalized assessment and recommendations., Methods: The present systematic review was conducted in accordance with the guidelines outlined in the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) statement., Results: Children's footwear must adapt to all stages of children's growth, starting from when they begin to walk, to promote the correct evolution of their musculoskeletal system. For up to six months, they do not need to wear shoes; socks and similar clothing are enough to warm your feet like a second skin. The flexibility of respectful footwear is essential between six months and three or four years. From that age onwards, the soles can be somewhat thicker, and the buttress can have a certain firmness, but the shoes should remain flexible., Conclusions: Eco-friendly footwear, which typically comes from small businesses and factories, is sometimes described as "ergonomic footwear". However, there is some reluctance towards this term. When choosing this type of footwear for children, it is important to not just look at the label; rather, one should verify that it meets all the necessary characteristics to be considered respectful.

Introduction: The choice of materials for covering plantar orthoses or wearable insoles is often based on their hardness, breathability, and moisture absorption capacity, although more due to professional preference than clear scientific criteria. An analysis of the thermal response to the use of these materials would provide information about their behavior; hence, the objective of this study was to assess the temperature of three lining materials with different characteristics., Materials and Methods: The temperature of three materials for covering plantar orthoses was analyzed in a sample of 36 subjects (15 men and 21 women, aged 24.6 ± 8.2 years, mass 67.1 ± 13.6 kg, and height 1.7 ± 0.09 m). Temperature was measured before and after 3 h of use in clinical activities, using a polyethylene foam copolymer (PE), ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA), and PE-EVA copolymer foam insole with the use of a FLIR E60BX thermal camera., Results: In the PE copolymer (material 1), temperature increases between 1.07 and 1.85 °C were found after activity, with these differences being statistically significant in all regions of interest ( p < 0.001), except for the first toe (0.36 °C, p = 0.170). In the EVA foam (material 2) and the expansive foam of the PE-EVA copolymer (material 3), the temperatures were also significantly higher in all analyzed areas ( p < 0.001), ranging between 1.49 and 2.73 °C for EVA and 0.58 and 2.16 °C for PE-EVA. The PE copolymer experienced lower overall overheating, and the area of the fifth metatarsal head underwent the greatest temperature increase, regardless of the material analyzed., Conclusions: PE foam lining materials, with lower density or an open-cell structure, would be preferred for controlling temperature rise in the lining/footbed interface and providing better thermal comfort for users. The area of the first toe was found to be the least overheated, while the fifth metatarsal head increased the most in temperature. This should be considered in the design of new wearables to avoid excessive temperatures due to the lining materials.

Climate change is real and we are witnessing its consequences, such as rising temperatures, water scarcity, and sea-level rise, among other significant impacts. As healthcare professionals, podiatrists should be concerned about climate change; however, they still contribute to the damage caused. Therefore, the aim of this study was to assess the level of awareness among podiatrists regarding this issue and determine their attitudes toward the climate change process. The study involved conducting a survey comprising a series of questions, including personal information, Likert-scale questions, and short questions to evaluate attitudes toward environmental sustainability in their workplace and how they contribute to the climate change process. The questions addressed their commuting habits to determine sustainability, the number of hours of physical exercise per week, and their clinical attitudes, such as prescribing unnecessary treatments or emphasizing sports as the primary treatment. The results revealed that nearly 89% of the respondents were unaware of ecological podiatry or shoe recycling. Regarding clinical attitudes, 31.1% of the respondents stated that they prescribe sports as the primary treatment for all their patients, while 37.9% do so in most cases. They also tend to avoid prescribing unnecessary treatments, with 44.9% stating that they never prescribe them unless absolutely necessary. In conclusion, based on this survey, Spanish podiatrists do not undertake favorable actions for climate change and lack knowledge of the concept of "ecological podiatry". To improve the situation, efforts should focus on waste reduction, eliminating unnecessary treatments, and promoting and practicing ecological podiatry.

Background: Hyperkeratoses are thickenings of the stratum corneum, provoked by deviation of the ray and excessive plantar pressures. They are very common under the first metatarsal head (MTH) and on the big toe when there exists hallux valgus. The objective of this study was to assess plantar pressures pre- and post-surgery to try to define the threshold values that could determine the appearance of keratopathies., Materials and Methods: Seventy-nine patients (100 feet) who had undergone percutaneous distal soft-tissue release and the Akin procedure were evaluated prospectively. The BioFoot/IBV ® in-shoe system was used for objective baropodometric functional evaluations of the heel, midfoot, first through fifth MTHs, hallux, and lesser toes. The presence or absence of a hyperkeratosis (HK) or plantar callus under the first MTH or hallux was recorded. The average follow-up time at which the measurements were repeated was 28.1 months., Results: Pre-surgery, 62 feet presented a painful HK on the big toe, while post-surgery, only 9 of the feet presented the same lesion. Patients who presented a prior HK at the first metatarsophalangeal (MTP) joint had a mean pressure of 417.2 ± 254.5 kPa as against a value of 359.6 ± 185.1 kPa for the rest. Post-surgery, these values dropped to 409.8 and 346.3 kPa, respectively., Conclusion: Patients with HK presented an 11% greater mean pressure than those without. The values obtained with the BioFoot/IBV ® system in the present study can therefore be considered predictive of the appearance of HK under the first MTH and on the side of the big toe., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2023 Martínez-Nova, Gascó-López de Lacalle, Morán-Cortés, Pedrera-Zamorano and Sánchez-Rodríguez.)

Onychomycosis is usually diagnosed symptomatically due to the very clear signs caused by the fungus on the nail surface and structure, although the growth of the infecting agent must also be verified by culture in an enriched medium. This procedure is normally lengthy (four weeks), and samples can be contaminated, delaying the prescription of appropriate and effective treatment. Only one previous study has addressed the possibility of using thermography as a diagnostic method for onychomycosis in older people (31-70 years). The present study confirms this use but in individuals aged 18-31 years with incipient mycosis and no pathological signs. Using an FLIR E60 BX camera in a study with 214 samples, we found that men had more onychomycosis than women. We observed a relation between the presence of infection and nail temperature, with a higher temperature in yeast infections (+1 °C) and a lower temperature in dermatophyte infections (-2 °C). A higher temperature by almost 1 °C was also observed in older participants. Thermography can be viewed as a new diagnostic method in asymptomatic or incipient onychomycosis, providing the thermographic camera is sufficiently sensitive and the appropriate procedure is followed, although fungal culture is always necessary to confirm recovery after treatment.

Purpose: The objective of this study is examine Quality of Life in subjects with chronic kidney disease utilizing Foot Health Status Questionnaire (FHSQ)., Material and Methods: 101 subjects with chronic kidney disease (CKD) was studied in specialized clinics, in Extremadura (Spain). An observational descriptive study. The FHSQ was utilized to assess specific foot health (first section) and overall health (second division). The differences between clumps they were assessed using a t-test to independent samples., Results: 59.40% (n = 60) were men and 40.59% (n = 41) women. The mean age was 68.77 ± 14.07. In first division of the FHSQ, a less score was registered in footwear domain (39.25) and in general foot health domain (46.37). In second division, less scores were resulted in general health domain (72) and vigour domain (60.43). CKD women got less scores in every domain. Women with CKD obtained significantly less scores in dimensions of foot pain, foot function, footwear, general foot health, general health and physical activity and there was no difference contrasted with men in the dimensions of social capacity and vigour., Conclusions: The studied CKD population has problems their feet. Quality of life of CKD subjects is negatively impacted by health of their feet, difficulties with footwear, their overall health, and lack of vitality. Women with CKD show lower values of quality of life contrasted to male patients, associated with inability to perform physical activity, lack of energy and tiredness., (Copyright © 2021 Tissue Viability Society. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Competing Interests: The authors declare that there is no conflict of interest.

Objective: because they are health professionals, nursing and medical students' hands during internships can function as a transmission vehicle for hospital-acquired infections., Method: a descriptive study with nursing and medical degree students on the quality of the hand hygiene technique, which was assessed via a visual test using a hydroalcoholic solution marked with fluorescence and an ultraviolet lamp., Results: 546 students were assessed, 73.8% from medicine and 26.2% from nursing. The area of the hand with a proper antiseptic distribution was the palm (92.9%); areas not properly scrubbed were the thumbs (55.1%). 24.7% was very good in both hands, 29.8% was good, 25.1% was fair, and 20.3% was poor. The worst assessed were the male, nursing and first year students. There were no significant differences in the age groups., Conclusions: hand hygiene technique is not applied efficiently. Education plays a key role in setting a good practice base in hand hygiene, theoretical knowledge, and in skill development, as well as good practice reinforcement.