Targeted Cancer Next-Generation Sequencing as a Primary Screening Tool for Microsatellite Instability and Lynch Syndrome in Upper Gastrointestinal Tract Cancers.

Background: No consensus guideline has been established for microsatellite instability testing in upper gastrointestinal tract cancers. This study aims to determine whether targeted cancer next-generation sequencing can accurately detect microsatellite instability in upper gastrointestinal tract cancers and screen for patients with Lynch syndrome.

Methods: In a cohort of 645 upper gastrointestinal tract cancers, targeted next-generation sequencing assessed microsatellite instability by identifying characteristic insertion and deletion mutations.

Engineered vascular tissue fabricated from aggregated smooth muscle cells.

The goal of this study was to develop a system to rapidly generate engineered tissue constructs from aggregated cells and cell-derived extracellular matrix (ECM) to enable evaluation of cell-derived tissue structure and function. Rat aortic smooth muscle cells seeded into annular agarose wells (2, 4 or 6 mm inside diameter) aggregated and formed thick tissue rings within 2 weeks of static culture (0.76 mm at 8 days; 0.