Engineered dual-functional gold nanoparticles enhance radiosensitization in prostate cancer cells: synergistic action of curcumin and gold.

Prostate cancer remains a leading cause of cancer-related mortality in men, with the three main treatment modalities being surgery, chemotherapy, radiotherapy, or a combination depending on the stage. However, the use of radiotherapy is often restricted by dose-limiting toxicity of the organs at risk. To address this challenge, we developed curcumin-coated gold nanoparticles (Curc-GNPs) that leverage both the photoelectric properties of gold and the radiosensitizing effects of curcumin.

Income-Based Disparities in Opioid Prescription Dispensing Among Public Drug Plan Beneficiaries in Canada from 2010 to 2018: A Population-Based and Sex-Stratified Retrospective Study.

Background: Previous research in Canada has examined opioids prescription dispensing at the population level but did not examine the potential relationship with area-level income and rates of opioid dispensing.

Objective: The aim was to estimate average and annual opioid dispensing rate ratios (RRs) between lowest and highest income quintile geographic areas in Canada.

Methods: We performed a population-based retrospective study using the National Prescription Drug Utilization Information System (NPDUIS) between 2010 and 2018 that contains prescription records for all public drug plan beneficiaries (65+) in all Canadian provinces, excluding Quebec, Nova Scotia, and New Brunswick.