Bone cancer including primary bone cancer and metastatic bone cancer, remains a challenge claiming millions of lives and affecting the life quality of survivors. Conventional treatments of bone cancer include wide surgical resection, radiotherapy, and chemotherapy. However, some bone cancer cells may remain or recur in the local area after resection, some are highly resistant to chemotherapy, and some are insensitive to radiotherapy. Phototherapy (PT) including photodynamic therapy (PDT) and photothermal therapy (PTT), is a clinically approved, minimally invasive, and highly selective treatment, and has been widely reported for cancer therapy. Under the irradiation of light of a specific wavelength, the photosensitizer (PS) in PDT can cause the increase of intracellular ROS and the photothermal agent (PTA) in PTT can induce photothermal conversion, leading to the tumoricidal effects. In this review, the progress of PT applications in the treatment of bone cancer has been outlined and summarized, and some envisioned challenges and future perspectives have been mentioned. This review provides the current state of the art regarding PDT and PTT in bone cancer and inspiration for future studies on PT.

Background: Femoral head fractures are rare injuries often associated with poor functional outcomes and complications. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the incidence, treatment methods and approaches, complications, and functional outcomes of femoral head fractures. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed 50 patients who sustained femoral head fractures between January 2011 and December 2018. There were thirty-seven (74%) males and thirteen (26%) females with a median age of 40 years. According to Pipkin’s classification, there were eighteen (36%) Pipkin I, ten (20%) Pipkin II, eight (16%) Pipkin III, and fourteen (28%) Pipkin IV patients. Treatment methods were categorized into non-operative, operative by open reduction and internal fixation (ORIF), and immediate total hip replacement (THR). The recorded surgical approach consists of an anterior(S-P) approach, posterior(K-L) approach, lateral stab, and combined anterior + lateral stab approach for fixation. The patients were also stratified by the Injury Severity Score (ISS), associated injuries, and, mechanism of injuries. The modified harris hip score (MHHS) was used to evaluate the ongoing complications with the clinical outcome of patients with two years or greater follow-up. Results: Eight (16%) patients were managed successfully with closed reduction without surgery and thirty-seven (74%) patients required operative reduction and internal fixation (ORIF) of the femoral head and acetabulum, and 5 (10%) patients required immediate THR. Six (12%) patients developed AVN, and four (8%) required a secondary THR. Sixteen patients (33%) developed post-traumatic osteoarthritis (PTOA), eight (16%) developed heterotopic ossification (HO) and six patients (12%) had sciatic nerve injury, none requiring operative treatment. Overall functional results according to MHHS were, excellent in two (4%) patients, good in sixteen (32%) patients, fair in twenty-two (44%) patients, and poor in ten (20%) patients. A statistically significant difference in outcome was observed among four pipkin subtypes. Conclusion: Femoral head fractures are rare injuries often associated with poor outcomes. In this study, we report the functional outcomes and complications of all treatment approaches for femoral head fracture based on the Pipkin classification. The treatment aim should always be the anatomical reduction of the fragments. This study, adds to the growing literature on femoral head fracture and provides a reference for the clinical treatment to guide patient management. Trial registration: Our study was approved by the Clinical Research and Biomedical Ethical Committee of West China Hospital, Sichuan University, and was performed in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki. All participants provided written informed consent to participate in this study.

In the field of sports medicine, repair surgery for anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) and rotator cuff (RC) injuries are remarkably common. Despite the availability of relatively effective treatment modalities, outcomes often fall short of expectations. This comprehensive review aims to thoroughly examine current strategies employed to promote tendon‐bone healing and analyze pertinent preclinical and clinical research. Amidst ongoing investigations, tendon‐derived stem cells (TDSCs), which have comparatively limited prior exploration, have garnered increasing attention in the context of tendon‐bone healing, emerging as a promising cell type for regenerative therapies. This review article delves into the potential of combining TDSCs with tissue engineering methods, with ACL reconstruction as the main focus. It comprehensively reviews relevant research on ACL and RC healing to address the issues of graft healing and bone tunnel integration. To optimize tendon‐bone healing outcomes, our emphasis lies in not only reconstructing the original microstructure of the tendon‐bone interface but also achieving proper bone tunnel integration, encompassing both cartilage and bone formation. In this endeavor, we thoroughly analyze the transcriptional and molecular regulatory variables governing TDSCs differentiation, incorporating a retrospective analysis utilizing single‐cell sequencing, with the aim of unearthing relevant signaling pathways and processes. By presenting a novel strategy rooted in TDSCs‐driven osteogenic and chondrogenic differentiation for tendon‐bone healing, this study paves the way for potential future research avenues and promising therapeutic applications. It is anticipated that the findings herein will contribute to advancing the field of tendon‐bone healing and foster the exploration of TDSCs as a viable option for regenerative therapies in the future.

Background: Treating lateral compression type 1 (LC1) pelvic ring injuries in older patients is controversial. This study evaluated surgical treatments combined with ERAS for treating LC1 pelvic fractures in the elderly. Methods: In this retrospective study, patients who underwent surgery with INFIX (supra-acetabular spinal pedicle screws, and a subcutaneous connecting rod; the experimental group) or superior pubic ramus cannulated screw (the control group) fixation of LC1 pelvic fracture from January 2019 to January 2022 were reviewed. Injury radiography and computed tomography were performed to determine the Young–Burgess classification. All patients performed standardized early rehabilitation exercises after surgery and were followed up for > 12 months. After surgery, the Matta score and the visual analog scale (VAS) were evaluated, and the postoperative weight-bearing time and the length of stay (LOS) were recorded. The Barthel index and the Majeed score were evaluated at 4 months after surgery and at the last follow-up. Results: Fifty-three patients were included. Thirty-two patients included in the experimental group had a mean age of 75.0 ± 6.2 (range, 66–86) years, and the other 21 patients in the control group had a mean age of 74.6 ± 4.6 (range, 68–83) years. The mean follow-up time was 13.1 ± 1.6 (range, 12–18) months in the experimental group and 13.4 ± 1.3 (range, 12–16) months in the control group. There were no significant differences in follow-up time between the groups (P > 0.05). The mean VAS score, time to weight-bearing, and LOS were 2.0 ± 0.7 (range, 1–3), 1.1 ± 0.3 (range, 1–2) d, and 5.8 ± 0.9 (range, 4–7) d in the experimental group and 2.3 ± 1.2 (range, 1–5), 2.5 ± 1.6 (range, 1–7) d, and 6.1 ± 1.6 (range, 5–11) d in the control group, respectively. Between the two groups, there was a significant difference in the postoperative time to weight-bearing (P < 0.05), while there was no significant difference in the LOS (P > 0.05). No bedrest-related complications occurred in either group. The Matta score was 90.6% in the experimental group and 90.4% in the control group (P > 0.05). At the 4-months follow-up, the experimental group had a better Barthel index and Majeed score compared with the control group, which were 86.1 ± 6.2 (range, 70–95) vs. 81.2 ± 4.1 (range, 75–90) and 86.3 ± 3.3 (range, 78–91) vs. 80.3 ± 3.9 (range, 76–86), respectively. The experimental group had better early rehabilitation effect than the control group. There was no significant difference in Barthel index and Majeed score between the two groups at the last follow-up (P > 0.05). Conclusion: Both INFIX and intramedullary superior pubic ramus cannulated screws can successfully treat LC1 pelvic fractures and reduce bed rest complications among older patients.