BACKGROUND The platelet gel is made by embedding concentrate platelets within a semisolid (gel) network of polymerized fibrin. It is believed that this blood component will be used more and more in the treatment of several clinical conditions and as an adjunctive material in tissue engineering. Several systems are available to produce platelet-rich plasma (PRP) for topical therapy. Recently, a ...

Editorial Platelet rich plasma (PRP), also termed autologous platelet gel, plasma rich in growth factors (PRGF), platelet concentrate (PC), is essentially an increased concentration of autologous platelets suspended in a small amount of plasma after centrifugation. Basically, patient's blood is collected and centrifuged at varying speeds until it separates into 3 layers: platelet poor plasma (P...

This paper investigates poverty reduction strategy papers (PRSPs), launched by the International Monetary Fund/World Bank in 1999 as conditions for debt relief and loans. It queries whether PRSPs really represent a shift away from the controversial structural adjustment programmes (SAPs) of the past. Ostensibly PRSPs have a greater focus on poverty reduction, yet this investigation finds little...

BACKGROUND The development of platelet-rich fibrin (PRF) drastically simplified the preparation procedure of platelet-concentrated biomaterials, such as platelet-rich plasma (PRP), and facilitated their clinical application. PRF's clinical effectiveness has often been demonstrated in pre-clinical and clinical studies; however, it is still controversial whether growth factors are significantly c...

Platelet concentrates for surgical use are autogenous regenerative preparations, produced by the centrifugation of the patient own blood sample. Most techniques are often regrouped inappropriately under the historical term of Platelet-Rich Plasma (PRP). Since 15 years, their use dramatically increased in many surgical fields, particularly in oral and maxillofacial surgery. The literature on thi...

In this issue of the Journal there is a squaring of circles: in their article, "Autologous plasma rich in growth factors in the prevention of severe bleeding after teeth extractions on patients with bleeding disorders: a controlled comparison with fibrin glue"1, a group of authors from Turin demonstrate the effectiveness of plasma rich in growth factors (PRGF) in controlling bleeding after dent...