Summary.  Chronic hepatitis C infection is associated with hypolipidaemia that resolves with viral clearance. Lipid levels in a subgroup of patients rebound to levels that may increase the risk of coronary heart disease. The impact of acute hepatitis C infection and its clearance on lipid levels is unknown. We undertook a retrospective evaluation of subjects with acute hepatitis C infection evaluating lipid levels before, during and following acute infection. Thirty‐eight subjects with acute hepatitis C infection had lipid levels available. Twelve patients had pre‐infection and intra‐infection lipid levels available. Cholesterol (197.8–152.4 mg/dL, P = 0.025), low‐density lipoprotein (LDL) (116.1–76.3 mg/dL, P = 0.001) and non‐high‐density lipoprotein (non‐HDL) cholesterol (164.0–122.7 mg/dL, P = 0.007) decreased dramatically during acute hepatitis C virus infection. Nineteen patients who achieved viral clearance had lipid levels available during infection and following resolution of infection. In these patients, cholesterol (145.0–176.0 mg/dL, P = 0.01), LDL (87.0–110.1 P = 0.0046) and non‐HDL cholesterol (108.6–133.6 mg/dL, P = 0.008) increased significantly. No change was seen in patients who developed chronic infection. Four patients had lipid levels before, during and following resolution of infections and had increased postinfection LDL, cholesterol and non‐HDL cholesterol from pre‐infection levels, indicating acute infection may be associated with an increase in postinfection lipid levels and may confer an increased risk of coronary heart disease. Acute hepatitis C infection results in hypolipidaemia with decreased LDL, cholesterol and non‐HDL cholesterol levels that increase following infection resolution. Levels may increase above pre‐infection baseline lipid levels and should be monitored.

Hydrogels, characterized by their porous network structures and microenvironment-responsive properties, have been widely explored for tumor embolization. Physically or dynamically crosslinked hydrogels-such as ionic, hydrogen-bonded, or supramolecular systems-exhibit favorable microcatheter injectability and shear-thinning behavior, whereas covalently crosslinked systems are typically delivered as low-viscosity precursors for in situ gelation. These features endow embolic hydrogels with tunable drug delivery capacity and excellent biocompatibility, enabling precise occlusion of tumor-feeding arteries and controlled, localized therapeutic release. This review uniquely emphasizes the innovative design of multifunctional hydrogels, focusing on their role in synergistic multimodal therapies and personalized cancer treatment. It provides a comprehensive overview of the latest advancements in the preparation methods and functional properties of embolic hydrogels, alongside their emerging clinical applications. Additionally, we address the challenges hindering clinical translation and propose future directions, including the personalized design of intelligent hydrogels and the exploration of synergistic mechanisms for multimodal therapeutic strategies. This review offers valuable insights into the design, development, and clinical application of embolic hydrogels for precision medicine.

Background: Residual viable tumor cells after ablation at the tumor periphery serve as the source for tumor recurrence, leading to treatment failure. Purpose: To develop a novel three-dimensional (3D) multi-modal perfusion-thermal electrode system completely eradicating medium-to-large malignancies. Materials and Methods: This study included five steps: (i) design of the new system; (ii) production of the new system; (iii) ex vivo evaluation of its perfusion-thermal functions; (iv) mathematic modeling and computer simulation to confirm the optimal temperature profiles during the thermal ablation process, and; (v) in vivo technical validation using five living rabbits with orthotopic liver tumors. Results: In ex vivo experiments, gross pathology and optical imaging demonstrated the successful spherical distribution/deposition of motexafin gadolinium administered through the new electrode, with a temperature gradient from the electrode core at 80 °C to its periphery at 42 °C. An excellent repeatable correlation of temperature profiles at varying spots, from the center to periphery of the liver tumor, was found between the mathematic simulation and actual animal tumor models (Pearson coefficient ≥0.977). For in vivo validation, indocyanine green (ICG) was directly delivered into the peritumoral zones during simultaneous generation of central tumoral lethal radiofrequency (RF) heat (>60 °C) and peritumoral sublethal RF hyperthermia (<60 °C). Both optical imaging and fluorescent microscopy confirmed successful peritumoral ICG distribution/deposition with increased heat shock protein 70 expression. Conclusion: This new 3D, perfusion-thermal electrode system provided the evidence on the potential to enable simultaneous delivery of therapeutic agents and RF hyperthermia into the difficult-to-treat peritumoral zones, creating a new strategy to address the critical limitation, i.e., the high incidence of residual and recurrent tumor following thermal ablation of unresectable medium-to-large and irregular tumors.