Lateralisation of nasal cycle is not reflected in the olfactory bulb volumes and cerebral activations.

Nasal cycle (NC) is a rhythmic change of lateralised nasal airflow mediated by the autonomous nervous system. Previous studies reported the dependence of NC dominance or more patent side on handedness and hemispheric cerebral activity. We aimed to investigate firstly the possible lateralised effect of NC on olfactory bulb volume and secondly the association of NC with the lateralised cerebral dominance in terms of olfactory processing. Thirty-five subjects (22 women and 13 men, mean age 26 ± 3 years) participated in the study. NC was ascertained using a portable rhino-flowmeter. Structural and functional brain measurements were assessed using a 3T MR scanner. Vanillin odorant was presented during functional scans using a computer-controlled olfactometer. NC was found to be independent of the olfactory bulb volumes. Also, cerebral activations were found independent of the NC during odorant perception. NC potency is not associated with lateralised structural or functional differences in the cerebral olfactory system.

Resolving spatial response heterogeneity in glioblastoma.

PURPOSE: Spatial intratumoral heterogeneity poses a significant challenge for accurate response assessment in glioblastoma. Multimodal imaging coupled with advanced image analysis has the potential to unravel this response heterogeneity. METHODS: Based on automated tumor segmentation and longitudinal registration with follow-up imaging, we categorized contrast-enhancing voxels of 61 patients with suspected recurrence of glioblastoma into either true tumor progression (TP) or pseudoprogression (PsP). To allow the unbiased analysis of semantically related image regions, adjacent voxels with similar values of cerebral blood volume (CBV), FET-PET, and contrast-enhanced T1w were automatically grouped into supervoxels. We then extracted first-order statistics as well as texture features from each supervoxel. With these features, a Random Forest classifier was trained and validated employing a 10-fold cross-validation scheme. For model evaluation, the area under the receiver operating curve, as well as classification performance metrics were calculated. RESULTS: Our image analysis pipeline enabled reliable spatial assessment of tumor response. The predictive model reached an accuracy of 80.0% and a macro-weighted AUC of 0.875, which takes class imbalance into account, in the hold-out samples from cross-validation on supervoxel level. Analysis of feature importances confirmed the significant role of FET-PET-derived features. Accordingly, TP- and PsP-labeled supervoxels differed significantly in their 10th and 90th percentile, as well as the median of tumor-to-background normalized FET-PET. However, CBV- and T1c-related features also relevantly contributed to the model's performance. CONCLUSION: Disentangling the intratumoral heterogeneity in glioblastoma holds immense promise for advancing precise local response evaluation and thereby also informing more personalized and localized treatment strategies in the future.

Portrait of autosomal recessive diseases in the French-Canadian founder population of Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean.

The population of the Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean (SLSJ) region, located in the province of Quebec, Canada, is recognized as a founder population, where some rare autosomal recessive diseases show a high prevalence. Through the clinical and molecular study of 82 affected individuals from 60 families, this study outlines 12 diseases identified as recurrent in SLSJ. Their carrier frequency was estimated with the contribution of 1059 healthy individuals, increasing the number of autosomal recessive diseases with known carrier frequency in this region from 14 to 25. We review the main clinical and molecular features previously reported for these disorders. Five of the studied diseases have a potential lethal effect and three are associated with intellectual deficiency. Therefore, we believe that the provincial program for carrier screening should be extended to include these eight disorders. The high-carrier frequency, together with the absence of consanguinity in most of these unrelated families, suggest a founder effect and genetic drift for the 12 recurrent variants. We recommend further studies to validate this hypothesis, as well as to extend the present study to other regions in the province of Quebec, since some of these disorders could also be present in other French-Canadian families.

First glance at the molecular etiology of hearing loss in French-Canadian families from Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean's founder population.

The French-Canadian population of Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean is known for its homogenous genetic background. The hereditary causes of hearing loss were previously unexplored in this population. Individuals with hearing loss were referred from the otorhinolaryngology, pediatrics and family physicians' clinics to the medical genetics service at the Centre intégré universitaire de santé et de services sociaux du Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean between June 2015 and March 2021. A regional clinical evaluation strategy was developed. Samples from 63 individuals belonging to 41 families were sent independently to different molecular clinical laboratories and index cases were analyzed through comprehensive multigene panels, with a diagnostic rate of 54%. Sixteen hearing loss causal variants were identified in 12 genes, with eight of these variants not been previously reported in the literature. Recurrent variants were present in four genes, suggesting a possible founder effect, while GJB2 gene variants were scarce. A comprehensive multigene panel approach as part of the proposed clinical evaluation strategy offers a high diagnostic yield for this population.

Differential effects of age at illness onset on verbal memory functions in antipsychotic-naïve schizophrenia patients aged 12-43 years.

BACKGROUND: The typical onset of schizophrenia coincides with the maturational peak in cognition; however, for a significant proportion of patients the onset is before age 18 and after age 30 years. While cognitive deficits are considered core features of schizophrenia, few studies have directly examined the impact of age of illness onset on cognition. METHODS: The aim of the study was to examine if the effects of age on cognition differ between healthy controls (HCs) and patients with schizophrenia at illness onset. We examined 156 first-episode antipsychotic-naïve patients across a wide age span (12-43 years), and 161 age- and sex-matched HCs. Diagnoses were made according to ICD-10 criteria. Cognition was assessed using the Brief Assessment of Cognition in Schizophrenia (BACS), and IQ was estimated using subtests from the Wechsler adult- or child-intelligence scales. Multivariate analysis of covariance (MANCOVA) was used to examine linear and quadratic effects of age on cognitive scores and interactions by group, including sex and parental socioeconomic status as covariates. RESULTS: There was a significant overall effect of age on BACS and IQ (p < 0.001). Significant group-by-age interactions for verbal memory (for age-squared, p = 0.009), and digit sequencing (for age, p = 0.01; age-squared, p < 0.001), indicated differential age-related trajectories between patients and HCs. CONCLUSIONS: Cognitive functions showing protracted maturation into adulthood, such as verbal memory and verbal working memory, may be particularly impaired in both early- and late-schizophrenia onset. Our findings indicate a potential interaction between the timing of neurodevelopmental maturation and a possible premature age effect in late-onset schizophrenia.

Standardized Weaning from Temporary Extracorporeal Life Support in Cardiovascular Patients.

OBJECTIVES: Separation from extracorporeal life support (ECLS) is often based on individual decisions rather than evaluated standard operating procedures (SOPs). Therefore, we strived to evaluate a SOP, summarizing specific treatment paths for this group of patients. METHODS: A total of 107 cardiovascular patients were supported with ECLS within a 4-year period. Fifty-three patients were treated before the SOP was introduced (group A) and 54 patients were treated afterward (group B). Patient characteristics and outcomes were analyzed and compared between the two time periods regarding baseline characteristics, compliance with SOP criteria, and the end points successful weaning and 30-day survival. RESULTS: Successful weaning rose significantly from 56.6 to 74.1% (p = 0.045) and 30-day survival rate increased from 34.0 to 50.0% (p = 0.069) after implementation of the SOP. Successful weaning was significantly associated with daily echocardiography (p = 0.012) and circulatory support with dobutamine (p = 0.026). The investigated other criteria used in the weaning process did not show a significant correlation with better outcome. CONCLUSION: The SOP for ECLS weaning showed higher weaning rates compared with a weaning based on individual decisions. Although only parts of the SOP were associated with higher weaning and survival rates, the SOP was experienced as a useful guideline for standardized ECLS management.

Interprofessional collaboration and smartphone use as promising strategies to improve prenatal oral health care utilization among US underserved women: results from a qualitative study.

BACKGROUND: Data on barriers and facilitators to prenatal oral health care among low-income US women are lacking. The objective of this study was to understand barriers/facilitators and patient-centered mitigation strategies related to the use of prenatal oral health care among underserved US women. METHODS: We used community-based participatory research to conduct two focus groups with eight pregnant/parenting women; ten individual in-depth interviews with medical providers, dental providers and community/social workers; and one community engagement studio with five representative community stakeholders in 2018-2019. Using an interpretive description research design, we conducted semi-structured interviews and focus groups which were audio-recorded, transcribed, and analyzed for thematic content. RESULTS: We identified individual and systemic barriers/facilitators to the utilization of prenatal oral health care by underserved US women. Strategies reported to improve utilization included healthcare system-wide changes to promote inter-professional collaborations, innovative educational programs to improve dissemination and implementation of prenatal oral health care guidelines, and specialized dental facilities providing prenatal oral health care to underserved women. Moreover, smartphones have the potential to be an innovative entry point to promote utilization of prenatal oral care at the individual level. CONCLUSIONS: Low-income women face multiple, addressable barriers to obtaining oral health care during pregnancy. Inter-professional collaboration holds strong promise for improving prenatal oral health care utilization.

"Get Ready and Empowered About Treatment" (GREAT) Study: a Pragmatic Randomized Controlled Trial of Activation in Persons Living with HIV.

BACKGROUND: Little is known about strategies to improve patient activation, particularly among persons living with HIV (PLWH). OBJECTIVE: To assess the impact of a group intervention and individual coaching on patient activation for PLWH. DESIGN: Pragmatic randomized controlled trial. SITES: Eight practices in New York and two in New Jersey serving PLWH. PARTICIPANTS: Three hundred sixty PLWH who received care at participating practices and had at least limited English proficiency and basic literacy. INTERVENTION: Six 90-min group training sessions covering use of an ePersonal Health Record loaded onto a handheld mobile device and a single 20-30 min individual pre-visit coaching session. MAIN MEASURES: The primary outcome was change in Patient Activation Measure (PAM). Secondary outcomes were changes in eHealth literacy (eHEALS), Decision Self-efficacy (DSES), Perceived Involvement in Care Scale (PICS), health (SF-12), receipt of HIV-related care, and change in HIV viral load (VL). KEY RESULTS: The intervention group showed significantly greater improvement than the control group in the primary outcome, the PAM (difference 2.82: 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.32-5.32). Effects were largest among participants with lowest quartile PAM at baseline (p < 0.05). The intervention doubled the odds of improving one level on the PAM (odds ratio 1.96; 95% CI 1.16-3.31). The intervention group also had significantly greater improvement in eHEALS (difference 2.67: 95% CI 1.38-3.9) and PICS (1.27: 95% CI 0.41-2.13) than the control group. Intervention effects were similar by race/ethnicity and low education with the exception of eHealth literacy where effects were stronger for minority participants. No statistically significant effects were observed for decision self-efficacy, health status, adherence, receipt of HIV relevant care, or HIV viral load. CONCLUSIONS: The patient activation intervention modestly improved several domains related to patient empowerment; effects on patient activation were largest among those with the lowest levels of baseline patient activation. TRIAL REGISTRATION: This study is registered at Clinical Trials.Gov (NCT02165735).

Oral health and Candida carriage in socioeconomically disadvantaged US pregnant women.

BACKGROUND: Despite the well-documented associations between poor maternal oral health and increased risk for adverse birth outcomes and dental caries in children after birth, prenatal oral health care is under-utilized, especially among the underserved population. In addition, oral Candida has recently been suggested as a potential culprit for children's dental caries, with evident maternal contributions. Therefore, this study aimed to obtain epidemiological data on the oral health and oral Candida carriage in a cohort of underserved US pregnant women, and reveal factors associated with their oral Candida carriage. METHODS: Demographic-medical-oral hygiene practice data were collected. Comprehensive oral examination was conducted. Caries status and plaque index were recorded. Oral samples (saliva, plaque and swab) were processed to identify Candida species and Streptococcus mutans by culturing-dependent and -independent methods. Multiple logistic regression analyses were used to identify factors associated with oral Candida carriage and caries severity. RESULTS: Eighty-two socioeconomically disadvantaged women (48 pregnant and 34 non-pregnant) were enrolled. More pregnant women (79.1%) had > = 1 untreated decayed tooth when compared to their non-pregnant counterparts (47.1%) (p = 0.01). The average number of decayed teeth in pregnant and non-pregnant women was 3.9 and 3.1 (p > 0.05). Caries severity was positively associated with race (African American vs. white), plaque index and salivary Candida albicans level. C. albicans was the most predominant/abundant Candida strain, with cheek and tonsil as the most common colonized sites. The detection of C. albicans was 56%/56% in saliva and 40%/47% in plaque of the pregnant and non-pregnant groups, respectively. Study women's oral Candida carriage is positively associated with hypertension [p = 0.03, odds ratio = 14.47(1.28, 163.51)], decayed teeth number [p = 0.04, odds ratio = 1.31 (1.01,1.69)] and salivary S. mutans level [p = 0.03, odds ratio = 4.80 (1.18-19.43)]. CONCLUSIONS: Socioeconomically disadvantaged US women are in need of improved prenatal oral health, a large proportion of them have untreated decayed teeth and high carriage of oral Candida. Due to the observed significant association between the decayed teeth number and oral Candida carriage, providing oral health care during pregnancy (including limiting decayed teeth) will not only improve women's oral health, but also present as a promising approach to reduce oral Candida carriage in women.

Promoting MedlinePlus utilization in a federally qualified health center using a multimodal approach.

BACKGROUND: Most patients want more health information than their clinicians provide during office visits. Written information can complement information that is provided verbally, yet most primary care practices, including federally qualified health centers, have not implemented systematic programs to ensure that patients receive understandable, relevant, and accurate health information at the point of care. MedlinePlus in particular is underutilized. CASE PRESENTATION: The authors conducted a multimodal intervention to promote the use of MedlinePlus at a federally qualified health center. We provided MedlinePlus training to clinicians and patients through group and one-on-one trainings and multimedia promotion. We administered pre- and post-intervention surveys to patients, clinicians, and nurses to assess changes in the use and recognition of MedlinePlus at the point of care. We used quantitative and qualitative data to understand the impact of the intervention. A National Library of Medicine grant provided resources that supported equipment and staff. Group training improved use of MedlinePlus by clinicians and staff. One-on-one training was most effective for patients, particularly when it was integrated into the work-flow. CONCLUSIONS: A multimodal approach can promote use of MedlinePlus among community health center patients. However, the process is labor- and resource-intensive and requires careful attention to work flow and leveraging of brief opportunities.

Benign childhood epilepsy with centrotemporal spikes (BECTS) and developmental co-ordination disorder.

BACKGROUND: Benign epilepsy with centro-temporal spikes (BECTS) is a common childhood epilepsy syndrome also known as Rolandic Epilepsy (RE). Neurocognitive phenotypes have been described with greater focus on attention, reading and language domains but there have been far fewer studies focusing on motor functioning. This study included measures of motor, language and cognition in order to investigate the range, degree and pattern of difficulties associated with BECTS in a case series of children, but with a particular emphasis on motor skills. METHOD: Twenty-one children aged between 8 and 16years with a diagnosis of BECTS were asked to complete standardized assessments for language, cognition, motor functioning and handwriting. RESULTS: When measuring across language, cognitive and motor domains, 19 (90.48%) of the twenty-one children with a diagnosis of BECTS showed some difficulties on at least one area of functioning using standardized assessment tests. Of particular note nearly half (47.62%) of the children had some difficulties in one or more areas of motor functioning. DISCUSSION: Children with BECTS have a heterogeneous pattern of neurocognitive impairments. The presence of motor difficulties (DCD) should be considered in all children routinely seen in clinical settings with BECTS and included in any screening processes.

Resting-state oscillatory dynamics in sensorimotor cortex in benign epilepsy with centro-temporal spikes and typical brain development.

Benign Epilepsy with Centro-Temporal Spikes (BECTS) is a common childhood epilepsy associated with deficits in several neurocognitive domains. Neurophysiological studies in BECTS often focus on centro-temporal spikes, but these correlate poorly with morphology and cognitive impairments. To better understand the neural profile of BECTS, we studied background brain oscillations, thought to be integrally involved in neural network communication, in sensorimotor areas. We used independent component analysis of temporally correlated sources on magnetoencephalography recordings to assess sensorimotor resting-state network activity in BECTS patients and typically developing controls. We also investigated the variability of oscillatory characteristics within focal primary motor cortex (M1), localized with a separate finger abduction task. We hypothesized that background oscillations would differ between patients and controls in the sensorimotor network but not elsewhere, especially in the beta band (13-30 Hz) because of its role in network communication and motor processing. The results support our hypothesis: in the sensorimotor network, patients had a greater variability in oscillatory amplitude compared to controls, whereas there was no difference in the visual network. Network measures did not correlate with age. The coefficient of variation of resting M1 peak frequency correlated negatively with age in the beta band only, and was greater than average for a number of patients. Our results point toward a "disorganized" functional sensorimotor network in BECTS, supporting a neurodevelopmental delay in sensorimotor cortex. Our findings further suggest that investigating the variability of oscillatory peak frequency may be a useful tool to investigate deficits of disorganization in neurodevelopmental disorders.

Design of, and enrollment in, the palliative care communication research initiative: a direct-observation cohort study.

BACKGROUND: Understanding the characteristics of communication that foster patient-centered outcomes amid serious illness are essential for the science of palliative care. However, epidemiological cohort studies that directly observe clinical conversations can be challenging to conduct in the natural setting. We describe the successful enrollment, observation and data collection methods of the ongoing Palliative Care Communication Research Initiative (PCCRI). METHODS: The PCCRI is a multi-site cohort study of naturally occurring inpatient palliative care consultations. The 6-month cohort data includes directly observed and audio-recorded palliative care consultations (up to first 3 visits); patient/proxy/clinician self-report questionnaires both before and the day after consultation; post-consultation in-depth interviews; and medical/administrative records. RESULTS: One hundred fourteen patients or their proxies enrolled in PCCRI during Enrollment Year One (of Three). Seventy percent of eligible patients/proxies were invited to hear about a communication research study (188/269); 60% of them ultimately enrolled in the PCCRI (114/188), resulting in a 42% sampling proportion (114/269 eligible). All PC clinicians at study sites were invited to participate; all 45 participated. CONCLUSIONS: Epidemiologic study of patient-family-clinician communication in palliative care settings is feasible and acceptable to patients, proxies and clinicians. We detail the successful PCCRI methods for enrollment, direct observation and data collection for this complex "field" environment.

Exploring molecular glioblastoma: Insights from advanced imaging for a nuanced understanding of the molecularly defined malignant biology.

Background: Molecular glioblastoma (molGB) does not exhibit the histologic hallmarks of a grade 4 glioma but is nevertheless diagnosed as glioblastoma when harboring specific molecular markers. MolGB can easily be mistaken for similar-appearing lower-grade astrocytomas. Here, we investigated how advanced imaging could reflect the underlying tumor biology. Methods: Clinical and imaging data were collected for 7 molGB grade 4, 9 astrocytomas grade 2, and 12 astrocytomas grade 3. Four neuroradiologists performed VASARI-scoring of conventional imaging, and their inter-reader agreement was assessed using Fleiss κ coefficient. To evaluate the potential of advanced imaging, 2-sample t test, 1-way ANOVA, Mann-Whitney U, and Kruskal-Wallis test were performed to test for significant differences between apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) and relative cerebral blood volume (rCBV) that were extracted fully automatically from the whole tumor volume. Results: While conventional VASARI imaging features did not allow for reliable differentiation between glioma entities, rCBV was significantly higher in molGB compared to astrocytomas for the 5th and 95th percentile, mean, and median values (P < .05). ADC values were significantly lower in molGB than in astrocytomas for mean, median, and the 95th percentile (P < .05). Although no molGB showed contrast enhancement initially, we observed enhancement in the short-term follow-up of 1 patient. Discussion: Quantitative analysis of diffusion and perfusion parameters shows potential in reflecting the malignant tumor biology of molGB. It may increase awareness of molGB in a nonenhancing, "benign" appearing tumor. Our results support the emerging hypothesis that molGB might present glioblastoma captured at an early stage of gliomagenesis.

Thermal and Radiation Stability in Nanocrystalline Cu.

Nanocrystalline metals have presented intriguing possibilities for use in radiation environments due to their high grain boundary volume, serving as enhanced irradiation-induced defect sinks. Their promise has been lessened due to the propensity for nanocrystalline metals to suffer deleterious grain growth from combinations of irradiation and/or elevated homologous temperature. While approaches for stabilizing such materials against grain growth are the subject of current research, there is still a lack of central knowledge on the irradiation-grain boundary interactions in pure metals despite many studies on the same. Due to the breadth of available reports, we have critically reviewed studies on irradiation and thermal stability in pure, nanocrystalline copper (Cu) as a model FCC material, and on a few dilute Cu-based alloys. Our study has shown that, viewed collectively, there are large differences in interpretation of irradiation-grain boundary interactions, primarily due to a wide range of irradiation environments and variability in materials processing. We discuss the sources of these differences and analyses herein. Then, with the goal of gaining a more overarching mechanistic understanding of grain size stability in pure materials under irradiation, we provide several key recommendations for making meaningful evaluations across materials with different processing and under variable irradiation conditions.

Physical and psychosocial impact on peers with HIV co-leading an HIV intervention: A pilot theory-guided case-study.

Objective: To examine longitudinal changes in activation, HIV health outcomes, and social and psychological determinants of adherence to antiretroviral therapy (ART) among peer trainers with HIV. Methods: A multi-method case study. The study population included peers (n = 4) from a randomized controlled trial about peers training patients with HIV (n = 359) to better manage their health. Each peer completed a semi-structured interview that we analyzed using Social Learning Theory (SLT) as a guiding framework. The peers also completed longitudinal surveys about their health after each training cohort (n = 5) over 3-years. Results: Peers reported personal benefits from training others with HIV in self-management. Their self-reported activation, self-efficacy and some health outcomes increased overtime. The peers mentioned SLT principles during their interviews. Generally, the peers enjoyed and benefited from training others with HIV in a group-based learning environment. Conclusion: Our findings suggest peer leadership can serve as a means for empowerment that is effective at both supporting improvements in health outcomes for patients and for themselves, which may be both scalable and sustainable. Innovation: To our knowledge, this is the first mixed-methods study to show reciprocal long-term improvement in health behaviors in a diverse group of peers training others with HIV to self-manage their care.

Protecting the invisible: Establishing guideline values for copper toxicity to marine microbiomes.

Understanding the rapid responses of marine microbiomes to environmental disturbances is paramount for supporting early assessments of harm to high-value ecosystems, such as coral reefs. Yet, management guidelines aimed at protecting aquatic life from environmental pollution remain exclusively defined for organisms at higher trophic levels. In this study, 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing was applied in conjunction with propidium monoazide for cell-viability assessment as a sensitive tool to determine taxon- and community-level changes in a seawater microbial community under copper (Cu) exposure. Bayesian model averaging was used to establish concentration-response relationships to evaluate the effects of copper on microbial composition, diversity, and richness for the purpose of estimating microbiome Hazard Concentration (mHCx) values. Predicted mHC5 values at which a 5 % change in microbial composition, diversity, and richness occurred were 1.05, 0.72, and 0.38 µg Cu L-1, respectively. Threshold indicator taxa analysis was applied across the copper concentrations to identify taxon-specific change points for decreasing taxa. These change points were then used to generate a Prokaryotic Sensitivity Distribution (PSD), from which mHCxdec values were derived for copper, suitable for the protection of 99, 95, 90, and 80 % of the marine microbiome. The mHC5dec guideline value of 0.61 µg Cu L-1, protective of 95 % of the marine microbial community, was lower than the equivalent Australian water quality guideline value based on eukaryotic organisms at higher trophic levels. This suggests that marine microbial communities might be more vulnerable, highlighting potential insufficiencies in their protection against copper pollution. The mHCx values proposed here provide approaches to quantitatively assess the effects of contaminants on microbial communities towards the inclusion of prokaryotes in future water quality guidelines.

SAS-PRP Study: A Real-Life Satisfaction Assessment in Patients with Cartilage Lesions of the Knee Treated by Platelet-Rich Plasma.

Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) is a rising therapy treating locomotor system lesions such as knee osteoarthritis. The objective of this study was to evaluate patients' satisfaction 6 to 12 months after a PRP injection for cartilage lesions of their knee under real-life conditions. Patients' satisfaction was assessed by a specific questionnaire named SATMED-Q©, which explores six different dimensions of a given treatment. In addition, pain and function were assessed thanks to VAS pain, WOMAC, and IKDC scores. Responders were identified through the OMERACT-OARSI criteria. We observed excellent satisfaction after a PRP injection with a SATMED-Q© score of 80.81% 6 to 12 months after the procedure. Even when there was no significant improvement in pain and function scores, 52% of the evaluated population fulfilled the OMERACT-OARSI criteria and were considered responders. According to the sub-group analysis, patients with less osteoarthritis damage (i.e., Kellgren-Lawrence grades 1-2) and older study subjects (i.e., >40 years old) with focal chondropathy had benefited most from their PRP injection. Thus, platelet-rich plasma seems to be a well-tolerated and efficient therapy for cartilage lesions of the knee.