Platelet-Rich Plasma Intra-articular Knee Injections Show No Superiority Versus Viscosupplementation: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

Background: Osteoarthritis (OA) is a common disease that will affect almost half the population at some point in their lives through pain and decreased functional capacity. New nonoperative options are being proposed to treat earlier stages of joint degeneration to provide symptomatic relief and delay surgical intervention.

Purpose: To evaluate the benefit provided by platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injections to treat knee joint degeneration in comparison with hyaluronic acid (HA), the most common injective treatment currently adopted for this condition.

CD99 triggering in Ewing sarcoma delivers a lethal signal through p53 pathway reactivation and cooperates with doxorubicin.

Purpose: The paucity of new drugs for the treatment of Ewing sarcoma (EWS) limits the cure of these patients. CD99 has a strong membranous expression in EWS cells and, being also necessary for tumor survival, is a suitable target to aim at. In this article, we described a novel human monospecific bivalent single-chain fragment variable diabody (dAbd C7) directed against CD99 of potential clinical application.

Reconstruction with fascia lata after extensive chest wall resection: results.

Objectives: Following extensive chest wall resection, the reconstruction technique should fulfill two opposing functional requirements: adequate rigidity and flexibility of the chest wall during the breathing phases. Reconstruction with fascia lata enables a balance between these two parameters, thus favouring the patients' respiratory dynamics and producing low morbidity and good functional results.

Methods: Sixty patients underwent chest wall reconstruction using fascia lata alone or in combination with titanium plates between 2006 and 2011, due to primary tumours in 28 patients, metastases in 23 and local recurrences in 9.

Platelet-rich plasma vs hyaluronic acid to treat knee degenerative pathology: study design and preliminary results of a randomized controlled trial.

Background: Platelet rich plasma (PRP), a blood-derived product rich in growth factors, is a promising treatment for cartilage defects but there is still a lack of clinical evidence. The aim of this study is to show, through a randomized double blind prospective trial, the efficacy of this procedure, by comparing PRP to Hyaluronic Acid (HA) injections for the treatment of knee chondropathy or osteoarthritis (OA).

Methods: 109 patients (55 treated with HA and 54 with PRP) were treated and evaluated at 12 months of follow-up.

Human mesenchymal stem cells: a bank perspective on the isolation, characterization and potential of alternative sources for the regeneration of musculoskeletal tissues.

The continuous discovery of human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs) in different tissues is stirring up a tremendous interest as a cell source for regenerative medicine therapies. Historically, hMSCs have been always considered a sub-population of mononuclear cells present in the bone marrow (BM). Although BM-hMSCs are still nowadays considered as the most promising mesenchymal stem cell population to reach the clinics due to their capacity to differentiate into multiple tissues, hMSCs derived from other adult and fetal tissues have also demonstrated to possess similar differentiation capacities.

Platelet-rich plasma intra-articular injections for cartilage degeneration and osteoarthritis: single- versus double-spinning approach.

Purpose: To compare the safety and efficacy of two different approaches of platelet-rich plasma (PRP) production methods as intra-articular injection treatment for knee cartilage degenerative lesions and osteoarthritis (OA).

Methods: The study involved 144 symptomatic patients affected by cartilage degenerative lesions and OA. Seventy-two patients were treated with 3 injections of platelet concentrate prepared with a single-spinning procedure (PRGF), the other 72 with 3 injections of PRP obtained with a double-spinning approach.

Bipolar fresh osteochondral allograft for the treatment of glenohumeral post-traumatic arthritis.

Purpose: Surgical management of end-stage glenohumeral osteoarthritis represents a challenge in young patients. Bipolar fresh osteochondral allograft (BFOA) represents a fascinating option to prosthetic substitution. Aim of this report is to describe an original technique for BFOA implantation in the shoulder and to describe the clinical and histological results at 30-month follow-up.

Platelet-rich plasma intra-articular injection versus hyaluronic acid viscosupplementation as treatments for cartilage pathology: from early degeneration to osteoarthritis.

Purpose: The aim of our study is to compare the efficacy of platelet-rich plasma (PRP) and viscosupplementation (hyaluronic acid [HA]) intra-articular injections for the treatment of knee cartilage degenerative lesions and osteoarthritis (OA).

Methods: The study involved 150 patients affected by cartilage degenerative lesions and early and severe OA. Fifty symptomatic patients were treated with 3 autologous PRP intra-articular injections and were evaluated prospectively at enrollment and at 2- and 6-month follow-up.

Comparison of alternative mesenchymal stem cell sources for cell banking and musculoskeletal advanced therapies.

With the continuous discovery of new alternative sources containing mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), regenerative medicine therapies may find tailored applications in the clinics. Although these cells have been demonstrated to express specific mesenchymal markers and are able to differentiate into mesenchymal lineages in ad hoc culture conditions, it is still critical to determine the yield and differentiation potential of these cells in comparative studies under the same standardized culture environment. Moreover, the opportunity to use MSCs from bone marrow (BM) of multiorgan donors for cell banking is of relevant importance.

Platelet-rich plasma intra-articular knee injections for the treatment of degenerative cartilage lesions and osteoarthritis.

Purpose: Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) therapy is a simple, low-cost and minimally invasive method that provides a natural concentrate of autologous blood growth factors (GFs) that can be used to enhance tissue regeneration. In a previous analysis of a 12-month follow-up study, promising results were obtained when treating patients affected by knee degeneration with PRP intra-articular injections. The main purpose of this study was to investigate the persistence of the beneficial effects observed.

Platelet-rich plasma: intra-articular knee injections produced favorable results on degenerative cartilage lesions.

Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) is a natural concentrate of autologous blood growth factors experimented in different fields of medicine in order to test its potential to enhance tissue regeneration. The aim of our study is to explore this novel approach to treat degenerative lesions of articular cartilage of the knee. One hundred consecutive patients, affected by chronic degenerative condition of the knee, were treated with PRP intra-articular injections (115 knees treated).

Use of platelet-rich plasma for the treatment of refractory jumper's knee.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of multiple platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injections on the healing of chronic refractory patellar tendinopathy after previous classical treatments have failed. We treated 15 patients affected by chronic jumper's knee, who had failed previous nonsurgical or surgical treatments, with multiple PRP injections and physiotherapy. We also compared the clinical outcome with a homogeneous group of 16 patients primarily treated exclusively with the physiotherapy approach.

Platelet-rich plasma: new clinical application: a pilot study for treatment of jumper's knee.

This study describes a simple, low-cost, minimally invasive way to apply PRP growth factors to chronic patellar tendinosis; 20 male athletes with a mean history of 20.7 months of pain received treatment, and outcomes were prospectively evaluated at 6 months follow-up. No severe adverse events were observed, and statistically significant improvements in all scores were recorded.

In vitro evaluation of freeze-dried bone allografts combined with platelet rich plasma and human bone marrow stromal cells for tissue engineering.

Freeze-dried bone allograft (FDBA) might be more effective in combination with platelet rich plasma (PRP) and bone marrow stromal cells (BMSC) in accelerating bone healing. The isolation of BMSC through density gradient (pBMSC) is not extensively applicable in clinical practice, because it increases the risk of infection. Alternatively, BMSC can be concentrated by simple centrifugation (wBMSC) directly in the operating room.

Cell manipulation in autologous chondrocyte implantation: from research to cleanroom.

In the field of orthopaedics, autologous chondrocyte implantation is a technique currently used for the regeneration of damaged articular cartilage. There is evidence of the neo-formation of tissue displaying characteristics similar to hyaline cartilage. In vitro chondrocyte manipulation is a crucial phase of this therapeutic treatment consisting of different steps: cell isolation from a cartilage biopsy, expansion in monolayer culture and growth onto a three-dimensional biomaterial to implant in the damaged area.

Chelation therapy and bone metabolism markers in thalassemia major.

The aim of our study was to investigate the effects of subcutaneous desferrioxamine (DFX) and oral deferiprone (L1) therapy on bone metabolism markers in patients with thalassemia major. We studied 17 patients with thalassemia receiving long-term treatment with desferrioxamine, 20 patients receiving long-term treatment with deferiprone, and 15 healthy age-matched controls. The following investigations were performed: a) intact parathyroid hormone (PTH), 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D], 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D [1,25(OH)2D] as endocrine parameters; b) alkaline phosphatase (ALP), bone alkaline phosphatase (BALP), osteocalcin (OC); c) bone resorption biochemical markers in serum and urine pyridinium crosslinks: hydroxylysyl-pyridinoline (HP) and lysyl-pyridinoline (LP); d) serum levels of cytokines and growth factors: transforming growth factor-beta1 (TGFbeta1), insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I), interleukin-1beta (IL-1beta), interleukin-6 (IL-6), tumor necrosis factor-a (TNFalpha); e) serum levels of IGF binding protein-3 (IGFBP-3).

Radiological assessment of bone segments for transplantation: experience at Rizzoli Orthopedic Institute.

Aim: To analyse results obtained from radiological assessment of skeletal segments stored in the musculoskeletal tissue bank (MTB) at Rizzoli Orthopaedic Institute.

Materials And Methods: Between January 1997 and June 2003, 891 bone segments underwent radiographic examination in two views. Two hundred and thirteen of these segments were examined by a radiologist between July 2002 and June 2003.

Stromal stem cells and platelet-rich plasma improve bone allograft integration.

Early vascular invasion is a key factor in bone allograft incorporation. It may reduce the complications related to slow and incomplete bone integration. Bone-marrow-derived stromal stem cells associated with platelet-rich plasma are potent angiogenic inducers proven to release vascular endothelial growth factor.

Bone reconstruction of large defects using bone marrow derived autologous stem cells.

Bone is a tissue that has the ability to heal itself when fractured. Occasionally, a critical defect can be formed when part of the bone is lost or excised, in this case the bone fails to heal and requires bone reconstruction to prevent a non-union defect. Autogenous cancellous bone is the current gold standard treatment in bone loss.

Lymphocyte DNA damage precedes DNA repair or cell death after orthopaedic surgery under general anaesthesia.

Anaesthetics have gained a lot of attention for their potential mutagenic/carcinogenic effects. In the present study we have investigated the genotoxicity of the inhalation anaesthetic sevoflurane on DNA of lymphocytes isolated from 20 patients undergoing orthopaedic surgery. The genotoxicity of the anaesthetic was studied by assaying DNA damage, apoptosis, DNA repair enzyme activity and GSH content in peripheral lymphocytes before, 15 min after anaesthesia and 24 h after surgery.