Prostate cancer (PCa) causes deaths worldwide, ranking second after lung cancer. Bone metastasis (BM) frequently results from advanced PCa, affecting approximately 90% of patients, and it also often results in severe skeletal-related events. Traditional diagnostic methods for bone metastases, such as tissue biopsies and imaging, have substantial drawbacks. This article summarizes the significance of biomarkers in PCa accompanied with BM, including (1) bone formation markers like osteopontin (OPN), pro-collagen type I C-terminal pro-peptide (PICP), osteoprotegerin (OPG), pro-collagen type I N-terminal pro-peptide (PINP), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), and osteocalcin (OC); (2) bone resorption markers, including C-telopeptide of type I collagen (CTx), N-telopeptide of type I collagen (NTx), bone sialoprotein (BSP), tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase (TRACP), deoxypyridinoline (D-PYD), pyridoxine (PYD), and C-terminal pyridinoline cross-linked telopeptide of type I collagen (ICTP); (3) prostate-specific antigen (PSA); (4) neuroendocrine markers, such as chromogranin A (CgA), neuron-specific enolase (NSE), and pro-gastrin releasing peptide (ProGRP); (5) liquid biopsy markers, such as circulating tumor cells (CTCs), microRNA (miRNA), circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA), and cell-free DNA (cfDNA) and exosomes. In summary, some of these markers are already in widespread clinical use, while others still require further laboratory or clinical studies to validate their value for clinical application.

Severe spinal cord injury (SCI) disrupts neuronal circulation and results in irreversible motor function loss. Treating SCI is a major challenge due to the limited regenerative capacity of axons and the inflammatory environment that hinders recovery. Macrophages play a dual role in SCI, with their polarization determining whether they exacerbate the injury or promote tissue repair. In this study, we developed a curcumin-loaded polydopamine nanoparticle antioxidant scaffold (cur-PDA@gel) as a novel therapeutic approach for SCI. This scaffold was designed to bidirectionally modulate macrophage polarization. The polydopamine-coated nanoparticles demonstrated strong antioxidant activity, effectively neutralizing reactive oxygen species (ROS) and reducing inflammation. Curcumin released from the scaffold promoted M2-type macrophage polarization while inhibiting M1-type polarization, thereby reshaping the inflammatory microenvironment at the injury site and facilitating axonal regeneration. Mechanistically, curcumin regulated macrophage polarization by suppressing the NF-κB signaling pathway and activating the JAK/STAT pathway, particularly in the context of cur-PDA@gel implantation. These findings underscore the potential of cur-PDA@gel as a promising therapeutic strategy for SCI repair by targeting macrophage polarization.

Total hip arthroplasty (THA) is a crucial intervention for managing degenerative hip diseases, with the anterior approach offering potential advantages of reduced postoperative pain and earlier postoperative recovery. Despite significant advantages, the system has several limitations, such as limited surgical exposure and the risk of soft tissue damage, which ultimately affect clinical outcomes. Various technology-assisted strategies have been introduced to address these challenges in anterior THA, aiming to enhance intraoperative stability, surgical precision, and early rehabilitation, among which the Dynamic Adjustable Modular Integrated System (DAMiS) traction bed is a commonly used traction-assisted approach. Recent studies have reported that traction-assisted techniques may be associated with improvements in selected perioperative outcomes, such as complication rates, implant positioning, and early postoperative recovery, although these findings are primarily derived from retrospective studies with heterogeneous designs. Nonetheless, most available studies are limited by single-center, retrospective designs, small sample sizes, and short follow-up durations, and few provide direct comparisons with conventional techniques. This review provides a narrative overview of technology-assisted direct anterior total hip arthroplasty, outlining the clinical applications, benefits, and limitations of various assistive strategies and discussing future directions for their clinical integration. Further high-quality multicenter trials and long-term evaluations are required to validate the clinical utility of technology-assisted approaches and to guide their appropriate adoption in anterior THA.