Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) as a clinical treatment for bone, muscle, tendon, and cartilage injury has gained popularity in the field of orthopedic sports medicine. The use of a patient's own blood is an appealing aspect of PRP treatment, as the resulting plasma preparation is considered relatively benign in comparison with more common, potentially caustic treatments such as corticosteroids and anesthetics. Although appealing, the autologous nature of PRP introduces variability to plasma preparations, creating challenges for both the researcher and the clinician. Differences in patients at the time of blood draw result in plasma preparations that vary within as well as between patients. This variability is compounded by the multitude of protocols and devices available for procuring PRP. The variability of components and its effects on dosage should be considered in single or consecutive treatments of PRP.

Although the prognosis is generally good for patients with papillary thyroid carcinoma, gross nodal metastasis of carcinoma has a poor prognosis. It is necessary to clarify how carcinoma progresses to gross nodal metastasis in order to establish a cure. The adhesion molecule integrin beta-4 is considered to be related to cell migration and metastasis in many carcinomas. In the present study, we examined integrin beta-4 expression in 65 cases of human papillary thyroid carcinoma using immunohistochemical methods. Expression of integrin beta-4 was found in all papillary carcinomas, but in few normal thyrocytes. Interestingly, integrin beta-4 expression in the carcinomas with gross (> or =3 cm) lymph node metastasis was significantly higher than that in carcinomas with small (<3 cm) or no lymph node metastasis. These results suggest that integrin beta-4 expression in thyroid carcinoma may play a role in the development of gross lymph node metastasis of papillary carcinomas.

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