Cancer is one of the world’s most burdensome diseases, with increasing prevalence and a high mortality rate threat. Tumor recurrence and metastasis due to treatment resistance are two of the primary reasons that cancers have been so difficult to treat. The epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT) is essential for tumor drug resistance. EMT causes tumor cells to produce mesenchymal stem cells and quickly adapt to various injuries, showing a treatment-resistant phenotype. In addition, multiple signaling pathways and regulatory mechanisms are involved in the EMT, resulting in resistance to treatment and hard eradication of the tumors. The purpose of this study is to review the link between EMT, therapeutic resistance, and the molecular process, and to offer a theoretical framework for EMT-based tumor-sensitization therapy.

In the maxillofacial area, soft and hard tissue abnormalities are caused by trauma, tumors, infection, and other causes that expose the maxillofacial region to the surface of the human body. Patients' normal physiological function and appearance are interfered with, and their mental health is adversely impacted, reducing their overall life quality. The pursuit of appropriate medical treatments to correct these abnormalities is thus vital. Autologous stem cell regeneration technology mainly focused on tissues has lately emerged as a significant problem in the medical community. Because of the capacity of dental pulp stem cells (DPSCs) to self-renew, the use of DPSCs from the human pulp tissues of deciduous teeth or permanent teeth has gained popularity among scientists as a stem cell-based therapy option. Aside from that, they are simple to extract and have minimal immunogenicity. As a result, bone tissue engineering may be a critical component in treating maxillofacial and periodontal bone abnormalities. DPSCs activity in maxillofacial and periodontal tissue-engineered bone tissue was investigated in this research.

The skull defects are challenging to self-heal, and autologous bone graft repair has numerous drawbacks. The scaffolds for the rapid and effective repair of skull defects have become an important research topic. In this study, polyvinyl alcohol (PVA)/β-tricalcium phosphate(β-TCP) composite scaffolds containing icariin (ICA) were prepared through direct-ink three-dimensional (3D) printing technology. β-TCP in the composite scaffold had osteoconductive capability, and the ICA molecule had osteoinductive capacity. The β-TCP and ICA components in the composite scaffold can enhance the capability to repair skull defects. We show that ICA exhibited a slow-release behaviour within 80 days. This behaviour helped the scaffold to continuously stimulate the formation of new bone. The results of in vitro cell compatibility experiments showed that the addition of ICA molecules contributed to the adhesion and proliferation of MC-3T3-E1 cells. The level of alkaline phosphatase secretion demonstrated that the slow release of ICA can promote the osteogenic differentiation of MC-3T3-E1 cells. The introduction of ICA molecules accelerated the in situ bone regeneration in in vivo. It is concluded that the 3D-printed PVA scaffold with β-TCP and ICA has a wide range of potential applications in the field of skull defect treatment.

NiTi alloys produced through additive manufacturing technology exhibit unique shape memory effects and the capability to accurately form complex structures, making them promising materials for bone implants. However, the bioinert nature of NiTi alloys and their limited antibacterial properties increase the risk of implant loosening and infection following surgery, complicating treatment efforts. To address this issue, we propose the development of a biocompatible and bacteriostatic DCPD-PCL-GO coating on the surface of alloy using electrochemical deposition and dip-pulling methods. This coating not only enhances corrosion resistance but also inhibits nickel ion release. We investigated the corrosion resistance, biocompatibility, and photothermal therapy (PTT) capabilities under near-infrared irradiation of composite coatings with varying graphene oxide content. The safe concentration of doped graphene oxide was ultimately determined. Our results indicated that doping with 150 mg of graphene oxide yielded the best corrosion resistance (3.8 ± 0.8 × 10⁻⁹ A/cm²) while maintaining a high cell survival rate (101%). Under near-infrared irradiation, the bacteriostatic rates against Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli (in vivo and in vitro) exceeded 80%. Notably, the near-infrared-triggered bacteriostatic strategy demonstrated good biosafety in vivo settings, effectively reducing the inflammatory response while ensuring the safety of normal tissues. This modified method has an important application prospect in the photothermal treatment of postoperative infection.