Centrifuged supernatants from FNA provide a liquid biopsy option for clinical next-generation sequencing of thyroid nodules.

Background: Molecular testing is recommended as an adjunct to improve the preoperative diagnosis of fine-needle aspiration (FNA) of thyroid nodules. Centrifuged supernatants from FNA samples, which are typically discarded, have recently emerged as a novel liquid-based biopsy for molecular testing. This study evaluates the use of thyroid FNA supernatants for detecting clinically relevant mutations.

Salvaging the supernatant: next generation cytopathology for solid tumor mutation profiling.

With the expanding role of targeted therapy in patients with solid tumors, pathologists face the daunting task of having to maximize limited volume tissue obtained by fine needle aspiration for a variety of molecular tests. While most molecular studies on fine needle aspiration samples have been reported using cellular material, recent studies have shown that a substantial amount of DNA can be retrieved from the supernatant fluid of aspirate needle rinses after cell pelleting for cytospin or cell block preparations. In routine clinical workflow, the supernatant is discarded; however this fluid may provide a complementary source of DNA for tumor mutational profiling.

Temperature Shift Alters DNA Methylation and Histone Modification Patterns in Gonadal Aromatase (cyp19a1) Gene in Species with Temperature-Dependent Sex Determination.

The environment surrounding the embryos has a profound impact on the developmental process and phenotypic outcomes of the organism. In species with temperature-dependent sex determination, gonadal sex is determined by the incubation temperature of the eggs. A mechanistic link between temperature and transcriptional regulation of developmental genes, however, remains elusive.

Embryonic PCB exposure alters phenotypic, genetic, and epigenetic profiles in turtle sex determination, a biomarker of environmental contamination.

In species with temperature-dependent sex determination, embryonic gonadal differentiation can be modified by exposure to exogenous chemicals such as environmental contaminants. Although phenotypic outcomes of such events are well documented, the underlying molecular mechanisms are rarely described. Here we examine the genetic and epigenetic effect of the embryonic exposure to polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) on gonad differentiation in red-eared slider turtles (Trachemys scripta).