Platelet-rich plasma prepared by apheresis and applied in the liquid state with thrombin did not promote better clinical results at 24-month follow-up. Given the numbers available for analysis, the retear rate also did not change.

Background: Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) has been studied with the objective of reducing the retear rate and improving functional outcomes after rotator cuff repair. Only one study to date has reported its midterm effect. Hypothesis: PRP promotes better functional and structural results in arthroscopic rotator cuff repair. Study Design: Randomized controlled trial; Level of evidence, 2. Methods: All patients underwent arthroscopic single-row repair of small to medium supraspinatus tears. At the end of the surgical procedure, liquid PRP prepared by apheresis with autologous thrombin was applied in the tendon-to-bone interface in the PRP group. The outcomes were assessed by the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) and Constant scales and the visual analog scale (VAS) for pain at 6, 12, 24, and 60 months after surgery and magnetic resonance imaging at 12 and 60 months. Results: Of 54 patients initially randomized, we analyzed the clinical outcomes in 51 (25 control, 26 PRP) and the structural outcomes in 44 (22 each group). At 60-month follow-up, the mean UCLA scores were 32.5 ± 3.8 and 32.1 ± 4.6 in the control and PRP groups, respectively ( P = .992). The mean Constant scores were 82.0 ± 9.5 in the control group and 82.1 ± 11.0 in the PRP group ( P = .699). The mean VAS scores were 1.4 ± 1.8 and 1.5 ± 2.1 in the control and PRP groups, respectively ( P = .910). None of the clinical assessments at 6, 12, and 24 months in either group produced statistically significant differences, and both groups showed significant improvements throughout the follow-up time in the 3 evaluations ( P < .001). The control group exhibited 1 full-thickness retear (Sugaya type IV) and 11 partial-thickness retears (Sugaya type III), while the PRP group had 7 partial-thickness retears (Sugaya type III). The overall number of retears did not differ between groups ( P = .203). Conclusion: PRP obtained by apheresis and applied in liquid form with the addition of thrombin at the end of single-row repair of supraspinatus tears did not promote better clinical or structural results at 60-month follow-up. Registration: NCT01029574 ( ClinicalTrials.gov identifier)

A close relationship was found between the pH of soil suspensions in the SMP buffer solution (pH smp ) and the potential acidity of soils (H + Al) extracted by a neutral calcium acetate solution (r = 0.98), for twenty six soil samples of the State of Sao Paulo, Brazil, This relationship was represented by the equation lnY = 7.76 -1.053X, which allowed for the calculation of H + Al directly from the values of pH smp . With the values of H + Al and the sum of bases, calcium, magnesium and potassium, the cation exchange capacity (CEC), and the base saturation (V) were calculated. Relationships between the base saturation of the soils and the active acidity of soil 245 246 QUAGGIO, VAN RAIJ, AND MALAVOLTA suspensions were close, both for pH determined in water (r=0.94) and pH determined in 0.01M CaCl 2 solution (r -0.97). Thus the lime requirement (LR) of soils could be calculated, for given values of pH or base saturation, using the equation LR » CEC (V 2 -V 1 )/100, in which V 1 is the base saturation of the soil and V 2 is the expected value upon liming.The predicted values for lime required to increase the soil pH in water to either 5.5 or 6.0 were comparable to those obtained by the direct use of the SMP buffer method, and were, respectively, two and four times higher than the amounts required to neutralize exchangeable aluminum, considering the criterion LR = Al × 1.5.The proposed method to determine lime requirement of soils is described in detail and the advantages of its use are discussed.

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Knowledge of the genetic markers related to rotator cuff tears can enable identification of susceptible individuals and increase understanding of the pathogenesis of tendon degeneration.

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III, development of diagnostic criteria with universally applied reference-nonconsecutive patients.