BACKGROUND Postoperative respiratory failure (PRF) (requiring mechanical ventilation > 48 h after surgery or unplanned intubation within 30 days of surgery) is associated with significant morbidity and mortality. The objective of this study was to identify preoperative factors associated with an increased risk of PRF and subsequently develop and validate a risk calculator. METHODS The America...

BACKGROUND The genome sequence of Rickettsia felis revealed a number of rickettsial genetic anomalies that likely contribute not only to a large genome size relative to other rickettsiae, but also to phenotypic oddities that have confounded the categorization of R. felis as either typhus group (TG) or spotted fever group (SFG) rickettsiae. Most intriguing was the first report from rickettsiae o...

BACKGROUND Postherpetic neuralgia (PHN) is often refractory to existing treatments. Treatment of the dorsal root ganglion (DRG) using monopolar pulsed radiofrequency (PRF), which is a non- or minimally neurodestructive technique, is not efficacious in all patients. OBJECTIVES This study aimed to determine the safety and clinical efficacy of bipolar high-voltage, long-duration PRF on the DRG i...

BACKGROUND This study aimed to demonstrate the effect of intra-articular (IA) lumbar facet joint (LFJ) pulsed radiofrequency (PRF) for the management of LFJ pain, and to compare the effect of IA LFJ PRF to IA corticosteroid injection (ICI). Pathology in the LFJ is a common source of lower back pain (LBP). It is responsible for chronic LBP in approximately 15% to 45% of patients. It has been rep...

Tetrandrine (TET), a bis-benzylisoquinoline alkaloid isolated from the dried root of Hang-Fang-Chi (Stephania tetrandra S. Moore), is well known to possess activities including antioxidant, anti-inflammation, anti-fibrotic and anticancer. It is used clinically to treat hypertension and silicosis. In the present study, the anti-proliferative and apoptotic effects of TET were evaluated on three d...

Sacroiliac (SI) joint pain can result from degeneration, infection, malignancy, and trauma. Patients with metastatic bone pain who do not respond to conventional treatment may need more aggressive neuroinvasive approaches. Recently, pulsed radiofrequency (PRF) neuromodulation has emerged as a promising treatment alternative for refractory cases of SI joint pain. Nevertheless, there is no report...

Platelet-rich fibrin (PRF) is a second-generation platelet concentrate enriched with platelets and growth factors which found to be beneficial for periodontal regeneration. The purpose of this case report is to clinically and radiographically evaluate the efficacy of PRF for the treatment of periodontal intrabony defects (IBD). A 38year old Indian female presented with periodontal IBD in relati...

Oroantral communication (OAC) is an abnormal connection between the maxillary sinus and oral cavity. It is mostly formed after the extraction of the first and second upper molars. Platelet-rich fibrin (PRF) created by Choukroun's protocol concentrates most platelets and leukocytes from a blood harvest to a single autologous fibrin biomaterial. It has been used widely in oral and maxillofacial s...