Identification of anthelmintic parbendazole as a therapeutic molecule for HNSCC through connectivity map-based drug repositioning

Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) is one of the most common human cancers; however, its outcome of pharmacotherapy is always very limited. Herein, we performed a batch query in the connectivity map (cMap) based on bioinformatics, queried out 35 compounds with therapeutic potential, and screened out parbendazole as a most promising compound, which had an excellent inhibitory effect on the proliferation of HNSCC cell lines. In addition, tubulin was identified as a primary target of parbendazole, and the direct binding between them was further verified. Parbendazole was further proved as an effective tubulin polymerization inhibitor, which can block the cell cycle, cause apoptosis and prevent cell migration, and it exhibited reasonable therapeutic effect and low toxicity in the in vivo and in vitro anti-tumor evaluation. Our study repositioned an anthelmintic parbendazole to treat HNSCC, which revealed a therapeutic utility and provided a new treatment option for human cancers.

Inferior vena cava filter placement for the prevention of pulmonary embolism and the complications related to the filter placement / 介入放射学杂志

Objective To investigate the effects of inferior vena cava (IVC) filter placement for the prevention of fatal pulmonary embolism and to discuss the management of complications related to the filter placement. Methods Seventy patients with proved deep vein thrombosis of lower extremity underwent inferior vena cava filter placement. A total of 72 IVC filters were implanted, which included 20 Trap Ease filters, 31Vena Tech filters, 13 retrievable OptEase~(TM) filters and 8 Tempo Ⅱ filters. One filter was deployed above the orifice of renal vein and the remaining 71 were deployed below the orifice of renal vein. Results All the patients were followed up for 8-72 months after the procedure. During the follow-up period no fatal pulmonary embolism occurred except that some complications related to the filter placement occurred in 6 cases.Conclusion Inferior vena cava filter placement can effectively prevent the occurrence of pulmonary embolism. Of course, this treatment should be strictly applied according to the indications.