Regenerative medicine

Pain Physician. 2023 Oct;26(6):E725-E736. The aim of our study was to assess the efficacy of intradiscal and epidural injections of plasma rich in growth factors (PRGF) in patients with chronic clinical symptoms due to intervertebral disc (IVD) degeneration.

Knee Surg Sports Traumatol Arthrosc. 2023 Oct;31(10):4246-4256. To evaluate the efficacy of applying a combination of intrameniscal and intraarticular infiltrations of Platelet-Rich Plasma (PRP) in patients with meniscal tears, analyzing its failure rate and clinical evolution, as well as factors that may influence the positive response to this treatment.

Bioessays. 2023 Dec;45(12):e2300077 In the context of macroevolutionary transitions, environmental changes prompted vertebrates already bearing genetic variations to undergo gradual adaptations resulting in profound anatomical, physiological, and behavioral adaptations. The emergence of new genes led to the genetic variation essential in metazoan evolution, just as was gene loss, both sources of genetic variation resulting in adaptive phenotypic diversity.

Clin Pract. 2023 Sep 6;13(5):1090-1099. The infrapatellar branch of the saphenous nerve (SN) is a widely described anatomic and functional structure; however, its relevance in daily clinical practice is underestimated. All surgical procedures performed on the anteromedial aspect of the knee are associated with a risk of iatrogenic injury to this nerve, including knee arthroscopy, knee arthroplasty, tibial nailing, etc. We present the case of a saphenous nerve neuroma after treatment with radiofrequency thermal ablation due to a knee pain problem. After conducting an anaesthetic suppression test, we decided to perform a denervation of the medial saphenous nerve in Hunter's canal.

Int J Mol Sci. 2023 Aug 22;24(17):13043. The use of platelet-rich plasma (PRP) has gained increasing interest in recent decades. The platelet secretome contains a multitude of growth factors, cytokines, chemokines, and other biological biomolecules. In recent years, developments in the field of platelets have led to new insights, and attention has been focused on the platelets' released extracellular vesicles (EVs) and their role in intercellular communication. In this context, the aim of this review was to compile the current evidence on PRP-derived extracellular vesicles to identify the advantages and limitations fortheir use in the upcoming clinical applications.

Int J Mol Sci. 2023 Jul 18;24(14):11581. The treatment of chondral and osteochondral defects is challenging. These types of lesions are painful and progress to osteoarthritis over time. Tissue engineering offers tools to address this unmet medical need. The use of an autologous cartilage construct consisting of hyaline cartilage chips embedded in plasma rich in growth factors (PRGF) has been proposed as a therapeutic alternative. The purpose of this study was to dig into the potential mechanisms behind the in vitro remodelling process that might explain the clinical success of this technique and facilitate its optimisation.

Int J Mol Sci. 2023 Jul 7;24(13):11195. The present study evaluates the ability of a novel plasma rich in growth factors (PRGF) membrane with improved optical properties to reduce oxidative stress in retinal pigment epithelial cells (ARPE-19 cells) exposed to blue light. PRGF was obtained from three healthy donors and divided into four main groups: (i) PRGF membrane (M-PRGF), (ii) PRGF supernatant (S-PRGF), (iii) platelet-poor plasma (PPP) membrane diluted 50% with S-PRGF (M-PPP 50%), and (iv) M-PPP 50% supernatant (S-PPP 50%). ARPE-19 cells were exposed to blue light and then incubated with the different PRGF-derived formulations or control for 24 and 48 h under blue light exposure. Mitochondrial and cell viability, reactive oxygen species (ROS) production, and heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) and ZO-1 expression were evaluated.

J Clin Med. 2023 Jul 6;12(13):4512. The aim of this study was to explore and assess office-based ultrasound-guided intraosseous and intra-articular infiltrations of plasma rich in growth factors (PRGF) in patients with moderate and severe knee osteoarthritis (KOA). Seventy-nine patients (30 women and 49 men) with grade 3-4 KOA according to the Kellgren-Lawrence classification participated in the study. All patients were treated with a minimally invasive technique using local anesthesia WALANT (wide-awake local anesthesia no tourniquet) in the ambulatory setting. A PRGF intra-articular infiltration and two intraosseous infiltrations in the tibial plateau and femoral condyle were performed weekly for a total of three sessions. The evaluation of the results was carried out using knee injury and osteoarthritis outcome score (KOOS) at baseline and post-treatment.

J Cutan Med Surg. 2023 Jul-Aug;27(4):340-349. Frontal fibrosing alopecia (FFA) is a scarring alopecia in which the exact etiopathogenesis has not been completely elucidated and the available treatments are not very effective. Plasma rich in growth factors (PRGF) has shown to induce folliculogenesis in hair loss related disorders. However, the scientific evidence when facing FFA is scarce.

Ann Anat. 2023 Jun;248:152071. The aim of the present work was to develop a fibrin membrane using plasma rich in growth factors (PRGF) technology with improved optical properties to be used for the treatment of ocular surface diseases.