Background: In our previous study, we indicated that scutellarin (SCU) induced an anticancer effect in A549 cells. However, whether SCU regulates the radiosensitivity of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and its related mechanism is still unclear. Methods: In this study, we explored the anticancer effect induced by iodine-125 ( 125 I) and SCU at a sensitizing concentration in A549 and H1975 cells. Cellular apoptosis and proliferation were detected by flow cytometry, Bcl-2/Bax expression level, cell cycle, CCK-8, and EdU staining. A tumor model using nude mice was also carried out to investigate the combined effect of 125 I and SCU in vivo. In addition, the expression level of AKT/mTOR pathway was detected to investigate whether it is linked to the anticancer effect of 125 I and SCU.Results: SCU at a sensitizing concentration promoted the 125 I-induced apoptosis and antiproliferative effect in A549 and H1975 cells. Moreover, the same results were obtained in vivo. Based on our findings, the AKT/mTOR pathway was significantly downregulated after combined treatment with 125 I and SCU. Conclusions: The results of our study suggested that SCU promotes the anticancer effects induced by 125 I in NSCLC cells by downregulating the AKT/mTOR pathway and lays a foundation for future application of this combined treatment.

Objectives: To find the potential biomarkers of cholangiocarcinoma, form a biomarker package, evaluate its efficiency, and validate it. Methods: R software was used to analyze the differential expression of mRNAs between cholangiocarcinoma and adjacent nontumorous tissues, obtained from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA), and enrich the KEGG pathway. Metabo-Profile Inc. performed the comprehensive bile acid profiling and quantitation. The training set concluded 20 cholangiocarcinoma and 20 nontumorous volunteers. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve and accompanying area under the curve (AUC) was calculated. The top four bile acids formed a new biomarker package. The validation set included 15 cholangiocarcinoma and 15 nontumorous, and the sensitivity and specificity of the new biomarker package were tested.Results: Gene expression of 36 cholangiocarcinoma and nine adjacent nontumorous tissues was obtained in January 2020. Totally 9887 differential genes were eligible (logFC ≥ 1 or ≤ -1, P < 0.05, and adjust P < 0.01). GO analysis showed that 20 KEGG pathways were enriched, including primary bile acid biosynthesis and bile secretion. Comprehensive bile acid profiling and quantitation showed 15 differential bile acid types, and the ROC-AUC was between 0.953 and 0.750. HDCA, isoLCA, bCDCA, and DCA were selected to form a biomarker package. The Logit (p = cholangiocarcinoma) = 7.898 -3.70*(1isoLCA) -0.444*(bCDCA) + 0.415*(HDCA) + 0.041*DCA. Its ROC-AUC was 0.944. In the validation set, the sensitivity was 0.933 and the specificity was 0.867. Conclusion:Bile acid types package was efficient to distinguish nontumorous population and cholangiocarcinoma. The difference might be associated to the downregulation of primary bile acid biosynthesis and bile secretion pathway of cholangiocarcinoma.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of zone 2 thoracic endovascular aortic repair assisted by the chimney technique or single-branched stent graft for the preservation of the left subclavian artery, and summarize our single-center experience with the techniques. Materials and methods: From February 2017 to June 2020, 137 patients who underwent left subclavian artery revascularization during zone 2 thoracic endovascular aortic repair were enrolled. Patients had acute type B aortic dissection and penetrating aortic ulcer associated with intramural hematoma. The chimney technique was performed in 68 patients (group A), and single-branched stent graft was deployed in 69 patients (group B). All procedures were performed during the acute phase. Primary technical success, immediate postoperative endoleak, neurologic complications (stroke or spinal cord ischemia), 30-day mortality, 1-year technical success, all-cause mortality, patency of the left subclavian artery, and reintervention were analyzed. Comparing the occurrence of the Bird-Beak Configuration, defined as a gap between the aortic wall and the sent graft with stent protrusion into the aortic lumen more than 5 mm, was also performed. Results: Primary technique success was achieved in 66 and 67 patients in groups A and B, respectively. The incidence of immediate postoperative endoleak, neurologic complications (stroke or spinal cord ischemia), and 30-day mortality were 5.9%, 1.5%, and 4.4% in group A, and 2.9%, 2.9%, and 2.9% in group B, respectively. During follow-up, the 1-year technical success rate was similar in both groups. All-cause mortality was similar in both groups (3.1% in group A and 4.5% in group B). The patency of the left subclavian artery was not significantly different between the 2 groups with 2 and 3 occlusions in groups A and B, respectively. The rate of reintervention was higher in group B (3.1% vs 1.6%, p=0.536), with a non-significant difference. Bird-Beak Configuration was more prominent in group B with the incidence of 59.42%. Conclusions: Acting as minimally invasive alternatives, both techniques are feasible for left subclavian artery preservation during zone 2 thoracic endovascular aortic repair for type B acute aortic syndromes with encouraging mid-term outcomes. Long-term follow-up is required to confirm these findings.