Intracranial metastasis of adenocarcinoma of the prostate presenting with symptoms of spinal cord compression.

Spinal cord compression is a not uncommon complication of metastatic prostate cancer. Intracranial metastasis of prostatic adenocarcinoma is however unusual. We report a case of a 67-year-old man with metastatic prostate carcinoma, who presented with a 3-day history of lower limb weakness and collapse.

A microstereolithography resin based on thiol-ene chemistry: towards biocompatible 3D extracellular constructs for tissue engineering.

A new class of degradable aliphatic poly(carbonate) resins for use in microstereolithographic process is described. Using a biologically inert photo-inhibiting dye, exemplar 3-dimensional structures were produced using thiol-ene chemistry via microstereolithography. Fabricated constructs demonstrated good biological compatibility with cells and had tensile properties that render them suitable for use as tissue engineering scaffolds.

A differential role for CXCR4 in the regulation of normal versus malignant breast stem cell activity.

C-X-C chemokine receptor type 4 (CXCR4) is known to regulate lung, pancreatic and prostate cancer stem cells. In breast cancer, CXCR4 signalling has been reported to be a mediator of metastasis, and is linked to poor prognosis. However its role in normal and malignant breast stem cell function has not been investigated.

In situ-forming robust chitosan-poly(ethylene glycol) hydrogels prepared by copper-free azide-alkyne click reaction for tissue engineering.

A water-soluble azide-functionalised chitosan was crosslinked with propiolic acid ester-functional poly(ethylene glycol) using copper-free click chemistry. The resultant hydrogel materials were formed within 5-60 min at 37 °C and resulted in mechanically robust materials with tuneable properties such as swelling, mechanical strength and degradation. Importantly, the hydrogels supported mesenchymal stem cell attachment and proliferation and were also non-toxic to encapsulated cells.