Use of Platelet-Rich Plasma in Treating Low Back Pain: A Review of the Current Literature

Low back pain (LBP) is a common problem encountered by physicians. It is a considerable cause of morbidity and socioeconomic loss and is one of the most expensive musculoskeletal disorders. Conventional treatments include bed rest, analgesics, therapeutic exercises, lumbar or caudal epidural corticosteroids, and surgery. Several new biological therapies are being investigated for use in LBP and one of these is platelet-rich plasma (PRP). In this article, we summarize the current literature published on PRP concerning its composition, classification, and application in LBP. We believe our review will prove useful to clinicians and academics alike, interested in new developing therapies for LBP.

Vertebral osteomyelitis and epidural abscesses caused by Prevotella oralis: a case report

An interesting case of pyogenic vertebral osteomyelitis with multiple epidural abscesses caused by non-pigmented Prevotella oralis is reported. The patient was a 68-year-old female who presented to the emergency room (ER) with severe pain and tenderness in her lower back with fever. She had recently undergone esophagogastroduodensoscopy (EGD) for complaints of esophageal reflux, which showed submucosal cyst in the esophagus. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the thoracic spine revealed multiple spinal epidural abscesses with signal enhancement at the level of T6 and T7, suggestive of vertebral osteomyelitis. Two blood cultures drawn one hour apart grew Prevotella oralis. The body fluid aspirated from the abscesses was also positive for the anaerobic commensal P. oralis. Necrosis associated with the submucosal cyst was implicated as the cause of sepsis and osteomyelitis due to this organism.

Ethnomedicinal Observations from the Anantprasad and Jeypur Tribal Villages of district Cuttack, Odisha, India.

Ethnobotanical survey tours were conducted during year 2010-2011 to document the ethnomedicinal remedies for various ailments of the Kondh tribe inhabiting in the Anantprasad and Jeypur villages of district Cuttack, Odisha, India under Athagarh Forest Division. The paper presents 24 plants species belonging to 23 genera and 16 families used by Kondh tribes of this area and other local inhabitants etc. for the treatment of various diseases i. e. boils, cuts & wounds, joints pain, jaundice, constipation, earache, headache, dysentery, menstrual problems, snake-bite etc. The Plants are arranged alphabetically with their botanical name, family in bracket, local name, unani name wherever available, locality with collection number, part used, name of the disease(s) against which used, mode of preparation and administration and Informant who shared his valuable information is given for each recipe discussed. The information provided will help to discover new herbal drugs for many of the diseases, thus far, incurable in modern medicine.