Cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) is a group of malignant heterogeneous cancer arising from the biliary tree. The tumor is characterized by insidious onset, high degree of malignancy, poor prognosis, and high recurrence rate. Immortalized cancer cell lines are the best and easiest models for in vitro cancer research. Here, we established a naturally immortalized highly tumorigenic hilar cholangiocarcinoma (hCCA) cell line, CBC3T-1. The...

Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a common severe acute syndrome caused by multiple factors and is characterized by a rapid decline in renal function during a short period. Bone marrow mesenchymal stromal cells (BMSCs) are effective in treating AKI. However, the mechanism of their beneficial effects remains unclear. PTEN-induced kinase 1 (PINK1) may play an important role in kidney tissue repair. In this study, we explored the effe...

Circulating tumor microemboli (CTM) aggregated by ≥ 2 circulating tumor cells (CTCs) are more migratory than single CTCs. Aside from the plasticity in their molecular characteristics, which have been considered tumor migration, CTM also possesses high size heterogeneity. This study, therefore, systematically investigated the heterogeneous sizes of CTM and their involvement in therapeutic resistance in 114 patients with advance...