Multifunctional drug delivery and combined multimodal therapy strategies are very promising in tumor theranostic applications. In this work, a simple and versatile nanoplatform based on biologically inspired polydopamine capped gold nanorods (GNR-PDA) is developed. Dopamine, a well-known neurotransmitter associated with many neuronal disorders, can undergo self-polymerization on the surface of GNRs to form a stable PDA shell. Its unique molecular adsorption property, as well as its high chemical stability and biocompatibility, facilitate GNR-PDA as an ideal candidate for drug delivery. Methylene blue (MB) and doxorubicin (DOX) are directly adsorbed on GNR-PDA via electrostatic and/or π-π stacking interactions, forming GNR-PDA-MB and GNR-PDA-DOX nanocomposites, respectively. The GNR-PDA-MB can generate reactive oxygen species (ROS, from MB) or hyperthermia (from GNR-PDA) with high efficiency under deep-red/NIR laser irradiation, while the GNR-PDA-DOX exhibits light-enhanced drug release under NIR laser irradiation. The combined dual-modal light-mediated therapy, by using GNR-PDA-MB [photodynamic/photothermal therapy (PDT/PTT)] and GNR-PDA-DOX (Chemo/PTT), is carried out and shows remarkable cancer cell killing efficiency in vitro and significant suppression of tumor growth in vivo, which are much more distinct than any single-modal therapy strategy. Our work illustrates that GNR-PDA could be a promising nanoplatform for multifunctional drug delivery and multimodal tumor theranostics in the future.

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have recently been shown to home to tumors and contribute to the formation of the tumor-associated stroma. In addition, MSCs can secrete paracrine factors to facilitate tumor progression. However, the involvement of MSC-derived cytokines in colorectal cancer (CRC) angiogenesis and growth has not been clearly addressed. In this study, we report that interleukin-8 (IL-8) was the most highly upregulated pro-angiogenic factor in MSCs co-cultured with CRC cells and was expressed at substantially higher levels in MSCs than CRC cells. To evaluate the effect of MSC-derived IL-8 on CRC angiogenesis and growth, we used MSCs that expressed small hairpin (interfering) RNAs (shRNA) targeting IL-8 (shIL-8-MSCs). We found that MSC-secreted IL-8 promoted human umbilical vein endothelial cell (HUVEC) proliferation and migration, tube-formation ability and CRC cell proliferation. Additionally, in vivo studies showed that MSCs promoted tumor angiogenesis partially through IL-8. Taken together, these findings suggest that IL-8 secreted by MSCs promotes CRC angiogenesis and growth and can therefore serve as a potential novel therapeutic target.

Our results suggest that LCN2 might play an important role in regulation of proliferation and invasion of human prostate cancer, and that it can be a valuable marker of prostate cancer progression.

Intra-abdominal retained surgical sponge is an uncommon surgical error. Herein, we report a 92-year-old woman who was brought to the emergency room for acute urinary retention. She had a history of vaginal hysterectomy for uterine prolapse 18 years previously, performed at our hospital. Retained surgical sponge in the pelvic cavity was suspected by abdominal computed tomography. The surgical gauze was removed by laparotomy excision and the final diagnosis was gossypiboma.

The variation in the mortality-to-incidence ratio (MIR) between countries and genders reflects the complex etiology and intervention of bladder cancer. In this study, we investigated the MIR variation between genders and health care disparities among countries. Cancer incidence and mortality were obtained from the GLOBOCAN 2012 database. The ranking and the total expenditure on health of countries were obtained from the World Health Organization. Linear regression was used to estimate the significance between variables. We estimated the role of MIRs from 33 countries. Bladder cancer incidence and mortality rates were higher in more developed regions, Europe, and the Americas. The MIRs were higher in less developed regions. Analysis according to country revealed Germany to have the lowest MIR. High relative MIRs (female MIR/male MIR) for bladder cancer were noted in many developed countries. A correlation between MIR and health care disparities among countries was indicated by a significant association between the World Health Organization ranking and total expenditure on health/GDP with the MIR and relative MIR. Low bladder cancer MIR is prone to be more prevalent in countries with good health care system.