Where and with whom does a brief social-belonging intervention promote progress in college?

A promising way to mitigate inequality is by addressing students' worries about belonging. But where and with whom is this social-belonging intervention effective? Here we report a team-science randomized controlled experiment with 26,911 students at 22 diverse institutions. Results showed that the social-belonging intervention, administered online before college (in under 30 minutes), increased the rate at which students completed the first year as full-time students, especially among students in groups that had historically progressed at lower rates. The college context also mattered: The intervention was effective only when students' groups were afforded opportunities to belong. This study develops methods for understanding how student identities and contexts interact with interventions. It also shows that a low-cost, scalable intervention generalizes its effects to 749 4-year institutions in the United States.

Extracardiac imaging findings in COVID-19-associated multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children.

BACKGROUND: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)-associated multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C) is an emerging syndrome that presents with a Kawasaki-like disease and multiorgan damage in children previously exposed to COVID-19. OBJECTIVE: To review the extracardiac radiologic findings of MIS-C in a group of children and young adults with a confirmed diagnosis of MIS-C. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In a retrospective study from April 1, 2020, to July 31, 2020, we reviewed the imaging studies of 47 children and adolescents diagnosed with MIS-C, 25 females (53%) and 22 males (47%), with an average age of 8.4 years (range 1.3-20 years). Forty-five had chest radiographs, 8 had abdominal radiographs, 13 had abdominal US or MRI, 2 had neck US, and 4 had brain MRI. RESULTS: Thirty-seven of 45 (82%) patients with chest radiographs had findings, with pulmonary opacities being the most common finding (n=27, 60%), most often bilateral and diffuse, followed by peribronchial thickening (n=26, 58%). Eight patients had normal chest radiographs. On abdominal imaging, small-volume ascites was the most common finding (n=7, 54%). Other findings included right lower quadrant bowel wall thickening (n=3, 23%), gallbladder wall thickening (n=3, 23%), and cervical (n=2) or abdominal (n=2) lymphadenopathy. Of the four patients with brain MRI, one had bilateral parieto-occipital abnormalities and another papilledema. CONCLUSION: The diagnosis of MIS-C and its distinction from other pathologies should be primarily based on clinical presentation and laboratory evidence of inflammation because imaging findings are nonspecific. However, it should be considered in the setting of bilateral diffuse pulmonary opacities, peribronchial thickening, right lower quadrant bowel inflammation or unexplained ascites in a child presenting with Kawasaki-like symptoms and a history of COVID-19 infection or recent COVID-19 exposure.

Am I a Science Person? A Strong Science Identity Bolsters Minority Students' Sense of Belonging and Performance in College.

Identifying as a "science person" is predictive of science success, but the mechanisms involved are not well-understood. We hypothesized that science identity predicts success because it fosters a sense of belonging in science classrooms. Thus, science identity should be particularly important for first-generation and racial-minority students, who may harbor doubts about belonging in science. Two field studies in college Introductory Biology classes (Ns = 368, 639) supported these hypotheses. A strong science identity predicted higher grades, particularly for minority students. Also consistent with hypotheses, Study 2 found that self-reported belonging in college mediated the relationship between science identity and performance. Furthermore, a social belonging manipulation eliminated the relationship between science identity and performance among minority students. These results support the idea that a strong science identity is particularly beneficial for minority students because it bolsters belonging in science courses. Practical and theoretical implications are discussed.

Changing Social Contexts to Foster Equity in College Science Courses: An Ecological-Belonging Intervention.

In diverse classrooms, stereotypes are often "in the air," which can interfere with learning and performance among stigmatized students. Two studies designed to foster equity in college science classrooms (Ns = 1,215 and 607) tested an intervention to establish social norms that make stereotypes irrelevant in the classroom. At the beginning of the term, classrooms assigned to an ecological-belonging intervention engaged in discussion with peers around the message that social and academic adversity is normative and that students generally overcome such adversity. Compared with business-as-usual controls, intervention students had higher attendance, course grades, and 1-year college persistence. The intervention was especially impactful among historically underperforming students, as it improved course grades for ethnic minorities in introductory biology and for women in introductory physics. Regardless of demographics, attendance in the intervention classroom predicted higher cumulative grade point averages 2 to 4 years later. The results illustrate the viability of an ecological approach to fostering equity and unlocking student potential.

Bolstering trust and reducing discipline incidents at a diverse middle school: How self-affirmation affects behavioral conduct during the transition to adolescence.

A three-year field experiment at an ethnically diverse middle school (N = 163) tested the hypothesis that periodic self-affirmation exercises delivered by classroom teachers bolsters students' school trust and improves their behavioral conduct. Students were randomly assigned to either a self-affirmation condition, where they wrote a series of in-class essays about personally important values, or a control condition, where they wrote essays about personally unimportant values. There were no behavioral effects of affirmation at the end of 6th grade, after students had completed four writing exercises. However, after four additional exercises in 7th grade, affirmed students had a significantly lower rate of discipline incidents than students in the control condition. The effect continued to grow and did not differ across ethnic groups, such that during 8th grade students in the affirmation condition on average received discipline at a 69% lower rate than students in the control condition. Analyses of student climate surveys revealed that affirmation was associated with higher school trust over time, a tendency that held across ethnic groups and partially mediated the affirmation effect on discipline. Repeated self-affirmation can bolster students' school trust and reduce the incidence of discipline in middle school, findings with both theoretical and practical implications.

ORCA: a comprehensive bioinformatics container environment for education and research.

SUMMARY: The ORCA bioinformatics environment is a Docker image that contains hundreds of bioinformatics tools and their dependencies. The ORCA image and accompanying server infrastructure provide a comprehensive bioinformatics environment for education and research. The ORCA environment on a server is implemented using Docker containers, but without requiring users to interact directly with Docker, suitable for novices who may not yet have familiarity with managing containers. ORCA has been used successfully to provide a private bioinformatics environment to external collaborators at a large genome institute, for teaching an undergraduate class on bioinformatics targeted at biologists, and to provide a ready-to-go bioinformatics suite for a hackathon. Using ORCA eliminates time that would be spent debugging software installation issues, so that time may be better spent on education and research. AVAILABILITY AND IMPLEMENTATION: The ORCA Docker image is available at https://hub.docker.com/r/bcgsc/orca/. The source code of ORCA is available at https://github.com/bcgsc/orca under the MIT license.

Automated landmark-guided deformable image registration.

The purpose of this work is to develop an automated landmark-guided deformable image registration (LDIR) algorithm between the planning CT and daily cone-beam CT (CBCT) with low image quality. This method uses an automated landmark generation algorithm in conjunction with a local small volume gradient matching search engine to map corresponding landmarks between the CBCT and the planning CT. The landmarks act as stabilizing control points in the following Demons deformable image registration. LDIR is implemented on graphics processing units (GPUs) for parallel computation to achieve ultra fast calculation. The accuracy of the LDIR algorithm has been evaluated on a synthetic case in the presence of different noise levels and data of six head and neck cancer patients. The results indicate that LDIR performed better than rigid registration, Demons, and intensity corrected Demons for all similarity metrics used. In conclusion, LDIR achieves high accuracy in the presence of multimodality intensity mismatch and CBCT noise contamination, while simultaneously preserving high computational efficiency.

Lymph node ratio influence on risk of head and neck cancer locoregional recurrence after initial surgical resection: implications for adjuvant therapy.

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to determine if lymph node ratio is associated with locoregional recurrence for patients with oral cavity or laryngeal cancer treated with initial surgical management. METHODS: The study included 350 patients with oral cavity (73%) or laryngeal cancer (27%) who underwent initial surgery. All analyses were multivariable, adjusting for primary site, pathologic prognostic factors, and adjuvant therapy. RESULTS: Lymph node ratio was significantly associated with locoregional recurrence, in which each 1% increase in lymph node ratio had an adjusted hazard ratio (HR) for locoregional recurrence of 1.02 (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.002-1.042; p = .05). Lymph node ratio was also associated with OS, in which each 1% increase in lymph node ratio had an adjusted HR for death of 1.028 (95% CI, 1.012-1.045; p = .001). CONCLUSION: Adjusting for pathologic factors and adjuvant therapy, lymph node ratio was found to be an independent prognostic factor for locoregional recurrence and overall survival (OS). Patients with lymph node ratio ≥20% are at high risk of locoregional recurrence and death, and may be considered for adjuvant chemoradiation.

Value of gadolinium-enhanced MRI in detection of acute appendicitis in children and adolescents.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to determine both the value of gadolinium-enhanced MRI in children with suspected acute appendicitis and the best sequences for detecting acute appendicitis, to thereby decrease imaging time. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This was a retrospective review of pediatric patients with suspected appendicitis who had undergone MRI at our institution between 2010 and 2011 after an indeterminate ultrasound examination. MRI examinations included T1-weighted unenhanced and contrast-enhanced, T2-weighted, and balanced steady-state free precession (SSFP) sequences in axial and coronal planes. Sequences were reviewed together and individually by five radiologists who were blinded to the final diagnosis. Radiologists were asked to score their confidence of appendicitis diagnosis using a 5-point scale. The diagnostic performance of each MR sequence was obtained by comparing the mean area under the curve (AUC) using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis. RESULTS: A total of 49 patients with clinically suspected appendicitis were included, of whom 16 received a diagnosis of appendicitis. The mean AUCs for reviewing all sequences together, contrast-enhanced sequences alone, T2-weighted sequences alone, and balanced SSFP alone were 0.984, 0.979, 0.944, and 0.910, respectively. No significant difference was observed between reviewing all sequences together versus contrast-enhanced sequences alone (p = 0.90) and T2-weighted sequences alone (p = 0.23). A significant difference was observed between contrast-enhanced sequences and balanced SSFP (p < 0.03). CONCLUSION: Gadolinium-enhanced images and T2-weighted images are most helpful in the assessment of acute appendicitis in the pediatric population. These findings have led to protocol modifications that have reduced imaging time.

A retrospective analysis of tumor volumetric responses to five-fraction stereotactic radiotherapy for paragangliomas of the head and neck (glomus tumors).

BACKGROUND: Skull base paragangliomas (SBP) are locally expansile tumors that can be treated with stereotactic radiotherapy with favorable results. This report describes the results of 31 patients with SBP treated with CyberKnife radiotherapy delivering a total dose of 25 Gray in five fractions. METHODS: All patients treated with five-fraction CyberKnife radiotherapy at a single institution were identified between 2007 and 2013. Tumor volumetric analyses were performed to assess responses to radiotherapy. RESULTS: Median follow-up was 24 months with a range of 4-78 months. Local control and overall survival were 100%. Of the 20 patients who presented with tinnitus, 12 reported improvement (60%), of whom 6 reported complete resolution. There was a 37.3% reduction in tumor volume among all patients (p = 0.16). On subset analysis of patients with ≥24 months of follow-up, tumor volume decreased 49% (p = 0.01). The rate of grade 1-2 toxicity was 19%, with no grade 3 or worse toxicity. CONCLUSION: A five-fraction CyberKnife-based stereotactic radiotherapy approach is safe and efficacious for the management for patients with SBP. Our findings suggest the potential use of this strategy as a definitive or salvage treatment option for SBP.

Ultrasonography/MRI versus CT for diagnosing appendicitis.

BACKGROUND: Cross-sectional imaging increases accuracy in diagnosing appendicitis. We hypothesized that a radiation-free imaging pathway of ultrasonography selectively followed by MRI would not change clinical end points compared with computed tomography (CT) for diagnosis of acute appendicitis in children. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed children (<18 years old) who had diagnostic imaging for suspected acute appendicitis between November 2008 and October 2012. Before November 2010 CT was used as the primary imaging modality (group A); subsequently, ultrasonography was the primary imaging modality followed by MRI for equivocal findings (group B). Data collected included time from triage to imaging and treatment and results of imaging and pathology. RESULTS: Six hundred sixty-two patients had imaging for suspected appendicitis (group A = 265; group B = 397, of which 136 [51%] and 161 [41%], respectively, had positive imaging for appendicitis). Negative appendectomy rate was 2.5% for group A and 1.4% for group B. Perforation rate was similar for both groups. Time from triage to antibiotic administration and operation did not differ between groups A and B. There was higher proportion of positive imaging and appendectomies in group A and thus more negative imaging tests in group B (ultrasonography and MRI), but diagnostic accuracy of the 2 imaging pathways was similar. CONCLUSIONS: In children with suspected acute appendicitis, a radiation-free diagnostic imaging of ultrasonography selectively followed by MRI is feasible and comparable to CT, with no difference in time to antibiotic administration, time to appendectomy, negative appendectomy rate, perforation rate, or length of stay.

Regulation of glucose homeostasis and lipid metabolism by PPP1R3G-mediated hepatic glycogenesis.

Liver glycogen metabolism plays an important role in glucose homeostasis. Glycogen synthesis is mainly regulated by glycogen synthase that is dephosphorylated and activated by protein phosphatase 1 (PP1) in combination with glycogen-targeting subunits or G subunits. There are seven G subunits (PPP1R3A to G) that control glycogenesis in different organs. PPP1R3G is a recently discovered G subunit whose expression is changed along the fasting-feeding cycle and is proposed to play a role in postprandial glucose homeostasis. In this study, we analyzed the physiological function of PPP1R3G using a mouse model with liver-specific overexpression of PPP1R3G. PPP1R3G overexpression increases hepatic glycogen accumulation, stimulates glycogen synthase activity, elevates fasting blood glucose level, and accelerates postprandial blood glucose clearance. In addition, the transgenic mice have a reduced fat composition, together with decreased hepatic triglyceride level. Fasting-induced hepatic steatosis is relieved by PPP1R3G overexpression. In addition, PPP1R3G overexpression is able to elevate glycogenesis in primary hepatocytes. The glycogen-binding domain is indispensable for the physiological activities of PPP1R3G on glucose metabolism and triglyceride accumulation in the liver. Cumulatively, these data indicate that PPP1R3G plays a critical role in postprandial glucose homeostasis and liver triglyceride metabolism via its regulation on hepatic glycogenesis.

Accuracy of computed tomography for predicting pathologic nodal extracapsular extension in patients with head-and-neck cancer undergoing initial surgical resection.

PURPOSE: Nodal extracapsular extension (ECE) in patients with head-and-neck cancer increases the loco-regional failure risk and is an indication for adjuvant chemoradiation therapy (CRT). To reduce the risk of requiring trimodality therapy, patients with head-and-neck cancer who are surgical candidates are often treated with definitive CRT when preoperative computed tomographic imaging suggests radiographic ECE. The purpose of this study was to assess the accuracy of preoperative CT imaging for predicting pathologic nodal ECE (pECE). METHODS AND MATERIALS: The study population consisted of 432 consecutive patients with oral cavity or locally advanced/nonfunctional laryngeal cancer who underwent preoperative CT imaging before initial surgical resection and neck dissection. Specimens with pECE had the extent of ECE graded on a scale from 1 to 4. RESULTS: Radiographic ECE was documented in 46 patients (10.6%), and pECE was observed in 87 (20.1%). Sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), and negative predictive value (NPV) were 43.7%, 97.7%, 82.6%, and 87.3%, respectively. The sensitivity of radiographic ECE increased from 18.8% for grade 1 to 2 ECE, to 52.9% for grade 3, and 72.2% for grade 4. Radiographic ECE criteria of adjacent structure invasion was a better predictor than irregular borders/fat stranding for pECE. CONCLUSIONS: Radiographic ECE has poor sensitivity, but excellent specificity for pECE in patients who undergo initial surgical resection. PPV and NPV are reasonable for clinical decision making. The performance of preoperative CT imaging increased as pECE grade increased. Patients with resectable head-and-neck cancer with radiographic ECE based on adjacent structure invasion are at high risk for high-grade pECE requiring adjuvant CRT when treated with initial surgery; definitive CRT as an alternative should be considered where appropriate.

HESI Admission Assessment scores: predicting student success.

This study investigated the value of administering Elsevier's HESI Admission Assessment (A(2)) to associate degree nursing (ADN) school applicants. The relationship of A(2) scores-composite scores and 5 component scores: basic math skills, reading comprehension, grammar, vocabulary & general knowledge, and anatomy & physiology-with final course grades in 3 first-semester nursing courses was investigated. Findings indicated that composite A(2) scores and all 5 component A(2) scores that were administered to the ADN applicants were significantly related (P < .01) to final course grades in 2 of the 3 first-semester nursing courses, Nursing Process I and Nursing Process II. All A(2) scores except reading comprehension were significantly (P <.01) related to final course grades in the Pharmacology nursing course. The mean A(2) scores of students who completed all 3 of the first-semester nursing courses were compared with the mean A(2) scores of students who did not complete one or more of these courses. Findings indicated that the mean composite A(2) score and the mean score for each of the 5 component A(2) exams were significantly higher (P < .01) for those students who completed all 3 nursing courses than for students who did not complete one or more of these courses. The faculty concluded that A(2) scores were useful in predicting students' success in the first semester of the nursing program, which is when most of the attrition occurs, and that screening applicants based on A(2) scores can help promote student retention.

Breast reconstruction and post-mastectomy radiation practice.

PURPOSE: The goal of this study was to explore the perspectives and practice of radiation oncologists who treat breast cancer patients who have had breast reconstruction. METHODS: In 2010, an original electronic survey was sent to all physician members of the American Society of Radiation Oncology, National Cancer Research Institute-Breast Cancer Studies Group in the United Kingdom, Thai Society of Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology, Swiss Society of Radiation Oncology, and Turkish Radiation Oncology Society. We identified factors associated with radiation oncologists who treat breast cancer patients with reconstruction performed prior to radiation and obtained information regarding radiation management of the breast reconstruction. RESULTS: 358 radiation oncologists responded, and 60% of the physicians were from the United States. While 64% of participants agree or strongly agree that breast image affects a woman's quality of life during radiation, 57% feel that reconstruction challenges their ability to deliver effective breast radiation. Compared with other countries, treatment within the United States was associated with a high reconstruction rate (>/= 50% of mastectomy patients) prior to radiation (p < 0.05). Delayed-immediate reconstruction with a temporary tissue expander was more common in the United States than in other countries (52% vs. 23%, p = 0.01). Among physicians who treat patients with tissue expanders, the majority (60%) prefer a moderately inflated implant with 150-250 cc of fluid rather than a completely deflated (13%) or inflated expander (28%) during radiation. Among radiation oncologists who treat reconstructions, 49% never use bolus and 40% never boost a breast reconstruction. United States physicians were more likely than physicians from other countries to boost or bolus the reconstruction irrespective of the type of reconstruction seen in their clinic patients (p < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: Great variation in practice is evident from our study of radiation treatment for breast cancer patients with reconstruction. Further research on the impact and delivery of radiation to a reconstructed breast may validate some of the observed practices, highlight the variability in treatment practice, and help create a treatment consensus.

Radiation field design and patterns of locoregional recurrence following definitive radiotherapy for breast cancer.

PURPOSE: Locoregional control is associated with breast cancer-specific and overall survival in select women with breast cancer. Although several patient, tumor, and treatment characteristics have been shown to contribute to locoregional recurrence (LRR), studies evaluating factors related to radiotherapy (XRT) technique have been limited. We investigated the relationship between LRR location and XRT fields and dose delivered to the primary breast cancer in women experiencing subsequent locoregional relapse. METHODS AND MATERIALS: We identified 21 women who were previously treated definitively with surgery and XRT for breast cancer. All patients developed biopsy-result proven LRR and presented to Emory University Hospital between 2004 and 2010 for treatment. Computed tomography (CT) simulation scans with XRT dose files for the initial breast cancer were fused with (18)F-labeled fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography (FDG PET)/CT images in DICOM (Digital Imaging and Communications in Medicine) format identifying the LRR. Each LRR was categorized as in-field, defined as ≥95% of the LRR volume receiving ≥95% of the prescribed whole-breast dose; marginal, defined as LRR at the field edge and/or not receiving ≥95% of the prescribed dose to ≥95% of the volume; or out-of-field, that is, LRR intentionally not treated with the original XRT plan. RESULTS: Of the 24 identified LRRs (3 patients experienced two LRRs), 3 were in-field, 9 were marginal, and 12 were out-of-field. Two of the 3 in-field LRRs were marginal misses of the additional boost XRT dose. Out-of-field LRRs consisted of six supraclavicular and six internal mammary nodal recurrences. CONCLUSIONS: Most LRRs in our study occurred in areas not fully covered by the prescribed XRT dose or were purposely excluded from the original XRT fields. Our data suggest that XRT technique, field design, and dose play a critical role in preventing LRR in women with breast cancer.

Impact of internal metallic ports in temporary tissue expanders on postmastectomy radiation dose distribution.

PURPOSE: Temporary tissue expanders (TTE) with an internal magnetic metal port (IMP) have been increasingly used for breast reconstruction in post-mastectomy patients who receive radiation therapy (XRT). We evaluated XRT plans of patients with IMP to determine its effect on XRT dose distribution. METHODS AND MATERIALS: Original treatment plans with CT simulation scans of 24 consecutive patients who received XRT (ORI), planned without heterogeneity corrections, to a reconstructed breast containing an IMP were used. Two additional treatment plans were then generated: one treatment plan with the IMP assigned the electron density of the rare earth magnet, nickel plated neodymium-iron-boron (HET), and a second treatment plan with the IMP assigned a CT value of 1 to simulate a homogeneous breast without an IMP (BRS). All plans were prescribed 50 Gy to the reconstructed breast (CTV). RESULTS: CTV coverage by 50 Gy was significantly lower in the HET (mean 87.7% CTV) than in either the ORI (mean 99.7% CTV, P<.001) or BRS plans (mean 95.0% CTV, P<.001). The effect of the port was more pronounced on CT slices containing the IMP with prescription dose coverage of the CTV being less in the HET than in either ORI (mean difference 33.6%, P<.01) or BRS plans (mean difference 30.1%, P<.001). HET had a less homogeneous and conformal dose distribution than BRS or ORI. CONCLUSION: IMPs increase dose heterogeneity and reduce dose to the breast CTV through attenuation of the beam. For optimal XRT treatment, heterogeneity corrections should be used in XRT planning for patients with TTE with IMP, as the IMP impacts dose distribution.

Isolated primary testicular B lymphoblastic lymphoma: an unusual presentation.

Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) is the most common cancer in children and adolescents. Clinical presentation often reflects bone marrow involvement and consequences of bone marrow failure. Microscopic involvement of the testis is rare, occurring in about 2% of cases. We present a case of a 3-year-old child who displayed unilateral macroorchidism as the only clinical symptom of ALL. Although the patient presented with localized disease, he was treated with systemic chemotherapy without recurrence. In this report, we review the current literature on ALL testicular involvement, diagnosis, and treatment.

Unraveling the biological functions of Smad7 with mouse models.

Smad7 is a key negative regulator of the transforming growth factor ß (TGF-ß) signaling and plays an important role in modulating a large array of biological processes. The physiological actions of Smad7 have been extensively investigated by using various mouse models. These studies have pinpointed numerous important in vivo functions of Smad7, including its activity in early embryonic development, fibrosis of many organs, skin cell differentiation, regulation of immune response and inflammation, tumorigenesis, and metabolic control. As most biological activities modulated by Smad7 are closely related to human disorders, it is anticipated that Smad7 will continue to be an intriguing molecule that will be vigorously investigated in the future to strengthen our understanding about the pathogenesis of human diseases.

Radiosensitizing effects of ectopic miR-101 on non-small-cell lung cancer cells depend on the endogenous miR-101 level.

PURPOSE: Previously, we showed that ectopic miR-101 could sensitize human tumor cells to radiation by targeting ATM and DNA-PK catalytic subunit (DNA-PKcs) to inhibit DNA repair, as the endogenous miR-101 levels are low in tumors in general. However, the heterogeneity of human cancers may result in an exception. The purpose of this study was to test the hypothesis that a few tumor cell lines with a high level of endogenous miR-101 would prove less response to ectopic miR-101. METHODS AND MATERIALS: Fourteeen non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cell lines and one immortalized non-malignant lung epithelial cell line (NL20) were used for comparing endogenous miR-101 levels by real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction. Based on the different miR-101 levels, four cell lines with different miR-101 levels were chosen for transfection with a green fluorescent protein-lentiviral plasmid encoding miR-101. The target protein levels were measured by using Western blotting. The radiosensitizing effects of ectopic miR-101 on these NSCLC cell lines were determined by a clonogenic assay and xenograft mouse model. RESULTS: The endogenous miR-101 level was similar or lower in 13 NSCLC cell lines but was 11-fold higher in one cell line (H157) than in NL20 cells. Although ectopic miR-101 efficiently decreased the ATM and DNA-PKcs levels and increased the radiosensitization level in H1299, H1975, and A549 cells, it did not change the levels of the miR-101 targets or radiosensitivity in H157 cells. Similar results were observed in xenograft mice. CONCLUSIONS: A small number of NSCLC cell lines could have a high level of endogenous miR-101. The ectopic miR-101 was able to radiosensitize most NSCLC cells, except for the NSCLC cell lines that had a much higher endogenous miR-101 level. These results suggest that when we choose one miRNA as a therapeutic tool, the endogenous level of the miRNA in each tumor should be considered.