Hyaluronic acid (HA) is a nonsulfated glycosaminoglycan and a major component of the extracellular matrix. HA is overexpressed by numerous tumor cells, especially tumor-initiating cells. HA-based nanomaterials play in importance role in drug delivery systems. HA is used in various types of nanomaterials including micelle, polymersome, hydrogel, and inorganic nanoparticle formulations. Many experiments show that HA-based nanomaterials can serve as a platform for targeted chemotherapy, gene therapy, immunotherapy, and combination therapy with good potential for future biomedical applications in cancer treatment.

The platelet–lymphocyte ratio (PLR) and neutrophil–lymphocyte ratio (NLR) have been reported as prognostic factors in various cancers, but their roles in metastatic renal cell cancer (mRCC) remain unclear. We investigated the significance of PLR and NLR, along with that of established prognostic factors, in mRCC patients receiving first-line tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKI). Data obtained from 63 mRCC patients who received first-line TKI between 2007 and 2013 were evaluated retrospectively. The association of PLR, NLR, and established prognostic factors with progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) was analyzed using the Kaplan–Meier method. The influence of independent prognostic factors on survival was determined using multivariable Cox regression analysis. High NLR (>3.6) and PLR (>150) were related to shorter PFS (p = 0.001) and OS (p = 0.001). The presence of brain metastases [hazard ratio (HR) 4.94, 95% CI 1.75–13.9; p = 0.002] and high PLR (>150, HR 13.1, 95% CI 5.14–33.2; p = 0.001) were independently associated with PFS, and Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group Performance status ≥2 (HR 3.60, 95% CI 1.39–9.31; p = 0.008), lymph node metastasis (HR 2.76, 95% CI 1.11–6.86; p = 0.029), brain metastasis (HR 9.39, 95% CI 2.74–32.1; p = 0.001), and high PLR (>150, HR 16.1, 95% CI 4.41–58.4; p = 0.001) with OS. High PLR was associated with shorter survival of mRCC patients receiving first-line TKI. The PLR may be an effective independent prognostic factor in this setting.

The survival benefits of adrenalectomy (ADx) in the setting of metastatic cancer and prognostic factors for recurrence-free (RFS) and overall survival (OS) after adrenalectomy for metastatic carcinoma are still under debate. We evaluated the impact of clinicopathological variables on RFS and OS after ADx for metastatic carcinoma in patients with primary cancer.

The most common metastatic sites of prostate cancer are the lymph nodes and bone. Ureteral metastasis from prostate cancer is very unusual and only a few cases have been reported. We describe a 76-year-old male with ureteral metastasis of prostate cancer along with a review of the literature. Initially, based on the diagnostic evaluation, urothelial cell carcinoma of the left distal ureter was suspected. Nephroureterectomy with bladder cuff excision was performed. The final pathologic diagnosis was prostate cancer metastatic to the ureter. Although rare and the mechanistic link between prostate cancer and distant ureteral metastasis has not been clarified on a clinical basis, this would be included in the differential diagnosis of ureteral lesions in patients with a history of prostate cancer. It is important to recognize this unusual manifestation so that timely appropriate treatment can be initiated.

Our study retrospectively investigated differential patterns of the functional connectivity (FC) of core brain regions synchronous with morphometric changes associated with sexual dysfunction in menopausal women, and their correlations with sexual hormones. Twenty-three premenopausal women (mean age: 41.52 ± 7.38 years) and 21 menopausal women (mean age: 55.52 ± 2.80 years) underwent sex hormone level measurements with high-resolution T1 and functional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) during rest, neutral, and sexual arousal conditions. Analysis of covariance adjusted for age was used to compare the FC and gray matter (GM) volume between the two groups. Menopausal women showed lower GM volumes in the superior frontal gyrus (SFG), superior temporal pole, parahippocampal gyrus (PHG), hippocampus (Hip), amygdala (Amg), and cerebellum (Cb) compared to premenopausal women (p < 0.05). In addition, compared to premenopausal women, menopausal women showed decreased FC of seed regions involved in the SFG, frontal eye fields, and Amg, as well as target regions involved in the PHG, Hip, inferior frontal gyrus, Cb, and vermis (p < 0.005). Furthermore, the FC between the right Amg and right Cb and between the left Amg and right Cb during sexual arousal in both groups was positively correlated with total estrogen and estradiol levels, respectively (p < 0.01). The GM volume values in the right Amg and right Cb were positively correlated with total estrogen and estradiol levels (p < 0.05). Our study demonstrated an association between menopause-related differential FC and GM volume variations and fluctuating sex hormones. Our findings highlight that overlapping brain regions with functional alterations and morphometric changes are closely linked with menopausal symptom-related decreases in sexual arousal and hormone levels.