PRP Injections for the Treatment of Knee Osteoarthritis: The Improvement Is Clinically Significant and Influenced by Platelet Concentration: A Meta-analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials.

Background: Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) has emerged as a promising therapeutic intervention for knee osteoarthritis (OA), attracting substantial clinical and research attention. However, the clinical relevance of the treatment benefit remains controversial.

Purpose: To evaluate the effectiveness of PRP compared with placebo in patients with knee OA in terms of minimal clinically important difference (MCID) and to investigate the possible influence of platelet concentration on the clinical outcome.

Adipose tissue-derived injectable products combined with platelet-rich plasma for the treatment of osteoarthritis: the promising preclinical results are not confirmed by the clinical evidence.

Purpose: The association of adipose tissue-derived injectable products with platelet-rich plasma (PRP) has been promoted for osteoarthritis (OA) treatment. The aim of this study was to investigate the preclinical and clinical evidence supporting the potential of this combined approach to treat OA.

Methods: A systematic review was performed in January 2024 on five databases (PubMed, Embase, Scopus, Cochrane, and Web-of-Science) to identify preclinical in vivo and clinical studies.

Osteochondral regeneration with a tri-layered biomimetic resorbable scaffold: In vivo study in a sheep model up to 12 months of follow-up.

The treatment of osteochondral joint lesions requires the regeneration of both articular cartilage and subchondral bone tissue. Scaffold-based strategies aimed at mimicking the native osteochondral structure have been explored with mixed results. The aim of this study was to evaluate the regenerative potential of a tri-layered osteochondral cell-free scaffold in a large animal model at both 6 and 12 months of follow-up.

Corticosteroid injections for knee osteoarthritis offer clinical benefits similar to hyaluronic acid and lower than platelet-rich plasma: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Purpose: Intra-articular corticosteroid (CS) injections for knee osteoarthritis (OA) management are endorsed by several scientific societies, while the use of hyaluronic acid (HA) and platelet-rich plasma (PRP) is more controversial. Aim of the study was to quantify and compare the clinical effectiveness of CS injections with respect to HA and PRP in patients with knee OA.

Methods: The search was conducted on PubMed, Cochrane, and Web of Science following the PRISMA guidelines.

Intra-articular corticosteroids for the treatment of osteoarthritis: A systematic review and meta-analysis on the comparison of different molecules and doses.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to quantify and compare the clinical relevance of the different intra-articular corticosteroids (CS) effects in vivo for osteoarthritis (OA) treatment.

Methods: The search was conducted on PubMed, Cochrane, and Web of Science in October 2023. The PRISMA guidelines were used.

A call for standardization for secretome and extracellular vesicles in osteoarthritis: results show disease-modifying potential, but protocols are too heterogeneous-a systematic review.

The currently available osteoarthritis (OA) treatments offer symptoms' relief without disease-modifying effects. Increasing evidence supports the role of human mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) to drive beneficial effects provided by their secretome and extracellular vesicles (EVs), which includes trophic and biologically active factors. Aim of this study was to evaluate the in vitro literature to understand the potential of human secretome and EVs for OA treatment and identify trends, gaps, and potential translational challenges.

Corticosteroid injections for the treatment of osteoarthritis present a wide spectrum of effects ranging from detrimental to disease-modifying: A systematic review of preclinical evidence by the ESSKA Orthobiologic Initiative.

Purpose: Aim of this systematic review of preclinical evidence was to determine the effects of intra-articular corticosteroid (CS) injections in joints affected by osteoarthritis (OA).

Methods: A systematic review was performed on animal studies evaluating intra-articular CS injections for OA joints. The search was performed on PubMed, Cochrane, and Web of Science databases.

Total knee arthroplasty survival rates are lower in younger men, as well as rheumatoid patients and after previous high-tibial osteotomy: A registry study.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate if patient's gender significantly affected the long-term outcome of patients undergoing total knee arthroplasty (TKA) and to provide a cross-gender comparison of a large patient sample from a single regional register.

Methods: The Registry of Prosthetic Orthopedic Implant of Emilia Romagna (RIPO) investigated all primary TKAs performed from July 2000 to December 2020 by collecting data of men and women separately. Primary bicompartmental and tricompartmental TKAs were included.

The influence of sex is a neglected focus in rotator cuff repair: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Purpose: Rotator cuff (RC) disorders are the most common cause of shoulder disability. The aim of this study was to quantify the evidence on the sex-related differences in RC repair.

Methods: A systematic review of the literature was performed in January 2023 in PubMed, Wiley Cochrane Library and Web of Science on research articles on humans with RC tears treated surgically.

Meniscal allograft transplantation: A matched-pair analysis reveals worse sport activity level but similar clinical improvement and survival in women compared to men.

Purpose: The aim of this study was to assess how gender might affect the clinical outcome and survival of meniscal allograft transplantation (MAT).

Methods: A total of 358 patients (23.2% women, 76.

Higher Eccentric Hamstring Muscle Fatigue After Participation in a Soccer Match in Young Female Athletes.

Background: Hamstring (HS) strength deficits and imbalances have been identified as risk factors for sustaining anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries and muscular strains, with HS injuries being the most prevalent muscle injuries in soccer athletes. The aim of this study was to investigate HS eccentric strength before and after a soccer match in both male and female soccer athletes.

Hypothesis: Soccer athletes have changes in eccentric HS strength after a soccer game.

Incorporating strontium enriched amorphous calcium phosphate granules in collagen/collagen-magnesium-hydroxyapatite osteochondral scaffolds improves subchondral bone repair.

Osteochondral defect repair with a collagen/collagen-magnesium-hydroxyapatite (Col/Col-Mg-HAp) scaffold has demonstrated good clinical results. However, subchondral bone repair remained suboptimal, potentially leading to damage to the regenerated overlying neocartilage. This study aimed to improve the bone repair potential of this scaffold by incorporating newly developed strontium (Sr) ion enriched amorphous calcium phosphate (Sr-ACP) granules (100-150 μm).

Adipose Tissue-Derived Minimally Manipulated Products versus Platelet-Rich Plasma for the Treatment of Knee Osteoarthritis: A Systematic Review of Clinical Evidence and Meta-Analysis.

The use of minimally manipulated adipose tissue (MM-AT) products is gaining increasing interest for the treatment of knee osteoarthritis (OA). MM-AT represents an easy way to exploit adipose tissue properties, although clinical evidence is still limited, as well as their benefits with respect to more documented orthobiologics like platelet-rich plasma (PRP). A systematic review and meta-analysis were performed to evaluate the safety and efficacy of MM-AT products for knee OA management.

Human Osteoblasts' Response to Biomaterials for Subchondral Bone Regeneration in Standard and Aggressive Environments.

Osteochondral lesions, when not properly treated, may evolve into osteoarthritis (OA), especially in the elderly population, where altered joint function and quality are usual. To date, a collagen/collagen-magnesium-hydroxyapatite (Col/Col-Mg-HAp) scaffold (OC) has demonstrated good clinical results, although suboptimal subchondral bone regeneration still limits its efficacy. This study was aimed at evaluating the in vitro osteogenic potential of this scaffold, functionalized with two different strategies: the addition of Bone Morphogenetic Protein-2 (BMP-2) and the incorporation of strontium (Sr)-ion-enriched amorphous calcium phosphate (Sr-ACP) granules.

Adipose Tissue-Derived Products May Present Inflammatory Properties That Affect Chondrocytes and Synoviocytes from Patients with Knee Osteoarthritis.

Adipose tissue-derived cell-based injectable therapies have been demonstrated to have disease-modifying effects on joint tissues in preclinical studies on animal osteoarthritis (OA) models, but clinical results are heterogeneous and not always satisfactory. The aim of this study was to investigate the influence of adipose tissue properties on the therapeutic effects of the adipose-derived product in an in vitro OA setting. Micro-fragmented adipose tissue (MF-AT) samples were obtained from 21 OA patients (mean age 51.

Total Knee Arthroplasty (TKA): When Do the Risks of TKA Overcome the Benefits? Double Risk of Failure in Patients up to 65 Years Old.

Objective: The aim of this study was to document the survival rate in the middle-aged patient group up to 65 years old and to compare it with other age groups of patients undergoing total knee arthroplasty (TKA) for knee osteoarthritis (OA).

Design: The Register of Orthopaedic Prosthetic Implants (RIPO) regional registry was used to analyze the results of patients <80 years old affected by primary OA and treated with TKA from 2000 to 2019. The database was investigated according to the age group: younger than 50 years, 50-65 years, or 66-79 years, with the aim to estimate revision surgeries and implant survivorship.

Tendinopathy: sex bias starts from the preclinical development of tendon treatments. A systematic review.

Tendinopathies are common overuse disorders that arise both in athletes and the general population. Available tendon treatments are used both for women and men without distinction. However, the existence of a sex-based difference in tendon biology is widely demonstrated.

Platelet-rich plasma injections induce disease-modifying effects in the treatment of osteoarthritis in animal models.

Purpose: The mechanisms of action and disease-modifying potential of platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injection for osteoarthritis (OA) treatment are still not fully established. The aim of this systematic review of preclinical evidence was to determine if PRP injections can induce disease-modifying effects in OA joints.

Methods: A systematic review was performed on animal studies evaluating intra-articular PRP injections as treatment for OA joints.

Identification and Validation of Housekeeping Genes for Gene Expression Analysis of Cancer Stem Cells.

The characterization of cancer stem cell (CSC) subpopulation, through the comparison of the gene expression signature in respect to the native cancer cells, is particularly important for the identification of novel and more effective anticancer strategies. However, CSC have peculiar characteristics in terms of adhesion, growth, and metabolism that possibly implies a different modulation of the expression of the most commonly used housekeeping genes (HKG), like b-actin (ACTB). Although it is crucial to identify which are the most stable HKG genes to normalize the data derived from quantitative Real-Time PCR analysis to obtain robust and consistent results, an exhaustive validation of reference genes in CSC is still missing.

Impairment of lysosomal activity as a therapeutic modality targeting cancer stem cells of embryonal rhabdomyosarcoma cell line RD.

Rhabdomyosarcoma is the most frequent soft tissue sarcoma in children and adolescents, with a high rate of relapse that dramatically affects the clinical outcome. Multiagent chemotherapy, in combination with surgery and/or radiation therapy, is the treatment of choice. However, the relapse rate is disappointingly high and identification of new therapeutic tools is urgently needed.

Role of mesenchymal stem cells in osteosarcoma and metabolic reprogramming of tumor cells.

The tumor microenvironment plays an important role in cancer progression. Here, we focused on the role of reactive mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) in osteosarcoma (OS), and used human adipose MSC and a panel of OS cell lines (Saos-2, HOS, and 143B) to investigate the mutual effect of normal-cancer cell metabolic programming. Our results showed that MSC are driven by oxidative stress induced by OS cells to undergo Warburg metabolism, with increased lactate production.

V-ATPase as an effective therapeutic target for sarcomas.

Malignant tumors show intense glycolysis and, as a consequence, high lactate production and proton efflux activity. We investigated proton dynamics in osteosarcoma, rhabdomyosarcoma, and chondrosarcoma, and evaluated the effects of esomeprazole as a therapeutic agent interfering with tumor acidic microenvironment. All sarcomas were able to survive in an acidic microenvironment (up to 5.

Sphere-forming cell subsets with cancer stem cell properties in human musculoskeletal sarcomas.

Musculoskeletal sarcomas are aggressive malignancies often characterized by an adverse prognosis despite the use of intense multiagent chemotherapy or molecular targeted therapy in combination to surgery and radiotherapy. Stem-like cells identified within solid tumors have been recently implicated in drug resistance, metastasis and local relapse. Here, we report the identification of putative cancer stem cells (CSCs) in sarcomas using a sphere culture system.