The Role of Platelet Rich Plasma in Vertebrogenic and Discogenic Pain: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: The present investigation evaluates clinical uses and roles of platelet rich plasma in the management of vetrebrogenic and discogenic mediated pain states. RECENT FINDINGS: Back pain is a common and significant condition that affects millions of people around the world. The cause of back pain is often complex and multifactorial, with discogenic and vertebrogenic pain being two subtypes of back pain. Currently, there are numerous methods and modalities in which back pain is managed and treated such as physical therapy, electrical nerve stimulation, pharmacotherapies, and platelet-rich plasma. To conduct this systematic review, the authors used the keywords "platelet-rich plasma", "vertebrogenic pain", and "discogenic pain", on PubMed, EuroPMC, Who ICTRP, and clinicaltrials.gov to better elucidate the role of this treatment method for combating vertebrogenic and discogenic back pain. In recent decades, there has been a rise in popularity of the use of platelet-rich plasma for the treatment of numerous musculoskeletal conditions. Related to high concentration of platelets, growth factors, cytokines, and chemokines, platelet-rich plasma is effective in reducing pain related symptoms and in the treatment of back pain. Platelet-rich plasma use has evolved and gained popularity for pain related conditions, including vertebrogenic and discogenic back pain. Additional well-designed studies are warranted in the future to better determine best practice strategies to provide future clinicians with a solid foundation of evidence to make advancements with regenerative medical therapies such as platelet-rich plasma.

Nationwide hepatitis C virus screening and treatment of adolescents in Egyptian schools.

Until 2018, Egypt had the highest prevalence of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection globally, affecting approximately 7% of the population. Despite efforts in diagnosis and treatment since 2006, nearly 2 million individuals with chronic HCV infection had yet to be diagnosed as of early 2018. In December, 2018, a mass HCV screening campaign for adolescents aged 15-18 years was initiated. Among 3 024 325 adolescents screened, the HCV antibody seroprevalence was 11 477 (0·38%), of whom 8187 (78·7%) were HCV RNA-positive. Sustained virological response 12 weeks after completion of treatment (SVR12) was attained by 7327 (99·6%) adolescents with a fixed-dose combination of generic ledipasvir 90 mg plus sofosbuvir 400 mg. Although mass screening in this age group might not be regularly adopted by many health systems and its cost-effectiveness might be lower than the screening of adults and high-risk groups (eg, patients on haemodialysis, people who inject drugs), breaking the chain of transmission in younger populations should lead to a reduction in HCV incidence and complications, and hasten the elimination of the disease.

Clinical outcome of intracoronary versus intravenous high-dose bolus administration of tirofiban in diabetic patients undergoing primary percutaneous coronary intervention.

BACKGROUND: Previous trials remain inconsistent regarding the advantages and hazards related to intracoronary (IC) compared with intravenous (IV) administration of thrombolytics. We aimed to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of IC versus IV tirofiban administration in diabetic patients (DM) with acute ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) during primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). METHODS: This trial included 95 patients who were randomised to high-dose bolus plus a maintenance dose of tirofiban administered either IV or IC. The groups were compared for the incidence of composite major adverse cardiac events (MACE) at 30 days. Levels of cardiac markers were recorded pre- and post-intervention for myocardial perfusion. RESULTS: The MACE were not different between the groups, but post-procedure myocardial blush grade (MBG) 3 and thrombolysis in myocardial infarction (TIMI) 3 flow were significant in the IC group (p = 0.45, 0.21, respectively), favouring the IC strategy. Peak values of both creatine kinase-muscle/brain (CK-MB) and high-sensitivity troponin T (hs-TnT) were significantly lower in the IC group (155.68 ± 121, 4291 ± 334 ng/dl) versus the IV group (192.4 ± 86, 5342 ± 286 ng/dl) (p = 0.021, p = 0.035, respectively). The peak value was significantly lower in the IC group than the IV group in terms of ST-segment resolution and 30-day left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) (p = 0.016 and 0.023, respectively). CONCLUSION: Thirty days post PCI, IC tirofiban was more efficient in ameliorating blood flow in the coronary arteries and myocardial tissue perfusion in DM patients after STEMI despite bleeding events, and MACE rates showed no significant difference between the groups. The IC group showed better improvement in LVEF.