Cervical cancer remains a major global health burden, particularly in low-resource settings, with a prevalence of 11.7%. Persistent infection with high-risk Human Papillomavirus (HPV) strains is the primary cause, affecting approximately 660,000 women and resulting in nearly 350,000 deaths annually. The disease is often accompanied by complex pain patterns due to tumour progression, nerve invasion, and treatment-related effects, which conventional therapies fail to adequately address. The burden of cervical cancer is disproportionately high in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), where limited access to preventive healthcare, early screening, and effective treatment exacerbates the challenge. Current treatment modalities, including surgery, chemotherapy, and immunotherapy, are associated with significant limitations such as systemic toxicity, long-term complications, and inadequate pain relief. Traditional pain management approaches, including opioids and adjuvant analgesics, are often insufficient and accompanied by severe side effects, necessitating the exploration of novel therapeutic strategies. Emerging treatment options, such as cannabinoid-based analgesics, vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) inhibitors for angiogenesis suppression, and peptide-based drug delivery systems, offer promising alternatives for improving patient outcomes. These multimodal approaches aim to enhance therapeutic efficacy while minimizing systemic toxicity and treatment-related pain. This review explores innovative therapeutic strategies for cervical cancer management, with a focus on recent advancements in pain relief, angiogenesis inhibition, and peptide-based therapies. It synthesizes current research findings, identifies critical knowledge gaps, and outlines potential future directions to improve treatment effectiveness and overall patient quality of life.

Driven by advancements in nanotechnology and biomedicine, multifunctional nanomaterials integrating photodynamic therapy (PDT) and sonodynamic therapy (SDT) are paving new avenues for efficient tumor treatment. In this study, titanium-protoporphyrin coordinated nanoparticles (TiPPs) with a uniform particle size (~70 nm) were successfully fabricated via coordination self-assembly, achieved through the rational selection of a biocompatible metal and functionalized organic ligand. Experimental results demonstrated that after 6 minutes of light or ultrasound irradiation, TiPPs exhibited high reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation efficiency, with DPBF oxidation rates of 71.6% (light group) and 46.6% (ultrasound group), confirming their excellent photo- and sono-responsive ROS production capabilities. Notably, in vitro cytotoxicity assays and in vivo tumor-bearing mouse model studies revealed that the PDT-SDT combination therapy achieved significantly higher tumor inhibition rates than single-mode treatments. This study not only establishes an efficient dual-modal synergistic therapeutic platform but also introduces an innovative paradigm for the development of multifunctional sensitizers through metal-organic coordination engineering, highlighting promising clinical applications.

Colorectal cancer (CRC) remains a challenging disease due to its high diversity and complex immune escape mechanisms. The anticipated incidence of colorectal cancer is expected to reach 3,200,000 new cases per year, indicating a 63% increase, with an estimated 1,600,000 deaths occurring annually, which signifies a 73% rise by the year 2040. In contrast to current treatment modalities, such as chemotherapy, radiotherapy, and surgical interventions, immunotherapy has significantly enhanced both survival rates and overall well-being for patients diagnosed with CRC. One of the new immunotherapeutic options that shows promise in colorectal cancer treatment is immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs). By removing the immune system's inhibition, ICIs allow functioning cytotoxic T cells to identify and eradicate cancerous cells. The primary issue with checkpoint inhibition is the rise in autoimmune adverse events that limit treatment. In situ vaccination (ISV) also offers a promising strategy to enhance anti-tumour immunity by delivering tumour-specific antigens directly to the tumour microenvironment. In situ vaccination, facilitated by dendritic cells, promotes robust T-cell priming and memory formation within the tumour microenvironment. This review discusses the prospects of combining ISV with checkpoint inhibitors, which can enhance immune cell function. This dual approach may lead to a more potent and durable anti-tumour effect with minimal adverse events, ultimately contributing to significant improvements in tumour regression, overall survival, and the overall well-being of individuals diagnosed with CRC.

In this study, bee products such as honey, pollen, and propolis were directly incorporated into the polymer structure prepared based on chitosan and gelatin to obtain biofunctional thin films. Thin films were evaluated according to their potential as wound dressing material with different physicochemical analyses such as chemical structure, morphology, water retention capacity, wettability, degradability and water vapour permeability. The results obtained varied according to the type of bioactive substance. The contact angle and water vapour permeability properties of chitosan: gelatin films selected as control films were improved by adding bioactive substances. In addition, when evaluated in terms of biological properties, it was observed that the bee products loaded thin films exhibited high antioxidant and antibacterial activity. The preliminary optimization results obtained from this study may have the potential to be an initial idea for future studies to be carried out in the material-bee product composition, especially in material production processes.

AIE is a unique photophysical phenomenon, and its distinctive luminescence properties have demonstrated significant potential in the biomedical field. In urinary system diseases, AIE materials, with their high quantum yield, excellent optical properties, and environmental responsiveness, have been widely applied in the early diagnosis, precise treatment, and drug delivery of urinary system cancers. This review systematically summarizes the applications of AIE materials in urinary cancers, such as bladder cancer, renal cancer, prostate cancer, and upper urinary tract cancer, including fluorescence imaging, photodynamic therapy, and drug delivery techniques. Additionally, the review explores the application of AIE materials in the diagnosis of urinary tract infections and renal lesions, as well as their advantages when combined with other imaging technologies (e.g., CT, MRI, and ultrasound). Furthermore, the article analyzes the challenges faced in clinical translation, such as biocompatibility, stability, and large-scale synthesis, while proposing future development directions, including customized molecular design and multifunctional applications combined with nanotechnology.

The need for effective and safe approaches to promote tissue restoration, repair, replacement, and regeneration has spurred interest in biofunctional materials, including copper and microvesicles, given their potential synergistic effects. Indeed, the recently-introduced combination of copper and microvesicles has been recently proposed as a promising innovative and alternative approach showing promise in enhancing therapeutic effects, thereby, promoting in situ tissue repair and regeneration in various fields, such as orthopaedics, dermatology, and dentistry, amongst others. In this article, an overview of Copper-incorporated Microvesicles (CiMs) and their potential applications is provided; a promising avenue for addressing unmet needs in dental and oral surgery. Herein, CiMs have been shown to promote angiogenesis, enhance cell migration, and increase cell proliferation, leading to improved tissue regeneration outcomes. Additionally, the anti-microbial, angiogenic, and anti-inflammatory properties of copper enhance the therapeutic potential of microvesicles. The various methods employed to synthesize, formulate, and characterize CiMs and their potential applications in endodontics, implant dentistry, bone regeneration, treatment of gingival and periodontal disease, and prevention of dentin hypersensitivity, to mention a few, are also discussed. Henceforth, ongoing research, development, and innovation (R&D&I) efforts hold promise for further fine-tuning/optimization of formulated CiMs, leveraging the unique physico-chemico-mechanico-biological properties of novel biofunctional materials, suitable for clinical use in oro-dentistry and cranio-maxillo-facial surgery applications, and undoubtedly beyond.