Nanomedicine technology is a rapidly developing field of research and application that uses nanoparticles as a platform to facilitate the diagnosis and treatment of diseases. Nanoparticles loaded with drugs and imaging contrast agents have already been used in clinically, but they are essentially passive delivery carriers. To make nanoparticles smarter, an important function is the ability to actively locate target tissues. It enables nanoparticles to accumulate in target tissues at higher concentrations, thereby improving therapeutic efficacy and reducing side effects. Among the different ligands, the CREKA peptide (Cys-Arg-Glu-Lys-Ala) is a desirable targeting ligand and has a good targeting ability for overexpressed fibrin in different models, such as cancers, myocardial ischemia-reperfusion, and atherosclerosis. In this review, the characteristic of the CREKA peptide and the latest reports regarding the application of CREKA-based nanoplatforms in different biological tissues are described. In addition, the existing problems and future application perspectives of CREKA-based nanoplatforms are also addressed.

Objective To evaluate the feasibility and efficacy of computed tomography (CT)‐guided radiofrequency ablation (RFA) of cervical intervertebral discs for the treatment of discogenic cervicogenic headache (CEH). Background Some patients with CEH experience no obvious therapeutic effect after conventional therapy, particularly patients with refractory CEH originating from abnormal cervical intervertebral discs. Treatment for this type of CEH remains poorly characterized. Methods Using a single intervention arm, pretest/posttest design, we retrospectively analyzed the data of patients who underwent CT‐guided RFA of cervical intervertebral discs for CEH at the Pain Medicine Center of Zhejiang Provincial People’s Hospital from January 2017 to April 2021. If conservative treatment failed in patients with discogenic CEH, we classified the patients as having refractory CEH and performed RFA of cervical intervertebral discs. We used a numeric rating scale (NRS) to assess pain intensity for 6 months. We also compared therapeutic outcome of patients with different characteristics. Results A total of 44 patients who underwent CT‐guided RFA of cervical intervertebral discs were enrolled and 41 of them were analyzed in the present study. The preoperative median (25th, 75th) NRS score was 4 (4, 5), and it was significantly reduced to 1 (0, 4) 6 months after RFA (p < 0.001). The number of patients with ≥50% of their pain relieved after 6 months was 28 of 41 (68%). No serious treatment‐related complications occurred in this study. Compared with single‐level RFA, multi‐level RFA shows greater effects on pain intensity reduction (p = 0.032) and pain relief rate (p = 0.047) of patients. Conclusion In patients who have discogenic CEH, CT‐guided RFA of the cervical intervertebral discs appears to be a promising treatment with no serious complications.

Purpose: Although percutaneous minimally invasive techniques have been gradually applied to the surgical treatment of cervical disc herniation (CDH), some patients still experience adverse outcomes. The aim of this study was to explore the effect of acupuncture treatment for CDH patients after minimally invasive surgery (MIS). Methods: We retrospectively reviewed patients with CDH admitted to our department between January 1, 2019 and December 31, 2020. Visual analog scale (VAS), neck disability index (NDI), and the modified MacNab criteria were used to assess pain, function, and clinical outcomes, respectively. Characteristics between patients with acupuncture treatment and those without acupuncture treatment were compared. Logistic regression analysis was performed to investigate the effect of acupuncture treatment on clinical outcomes. Results: 211 patients were incorporated in the cohort with 102 (48.3%) receiving acupuncture treatment. Patients with acupuncture had a lower postoperative VAS and NDI at one month, six months, and one year (all P < 0.001) after surgery. In addition, acupuncture treatment was associated with lower modified MacNab criteria score at six months and one year (both P < 0.001). Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that acupuncture (P < 0.001, OR 9.282, 95% CI 3.469-24.836) was an independent factor for good outcomes at one year. Conclusions: Acupuncture treatment had beneficial effects on relieving pain and improving function in CDH patients after MIS, and was a significant and independent factor for good outcomes at one year after surgery. Acupuncture could be an effective adjunct therapy for CDH patients after MIS.