Employing mesenchymal stem cells to support tumor-targeted delivery of extracellular vesicle (EV)-encapsulated microRNA-379.

Adult Mesenchymal Stem Cells (MSCs) have a well-established tumor-homing capacity, highlighting potential as tumor-targeted delivery vehicles. MSCs secrete extracellular vesicle (EV)-encapsulated microRNAs, which play a role in intercellular communication. The aim of this study was to characterize a potential tumor suppressor microRNA, miR-379, and engineer MSCs to secrete EVs enriched with miR-379 for in vivo therapy of breast cancer.

Intracellular location of BRCA2 protein expression and prostate cancer progression in the Swedish Watchful Waiting Cohort.

Prostate cancer patients with inherited BRCA2 mutations have a survival disadvantage. However, it is unknown whether progression is associated with BRCA2 protein expression in diagnostic prostate cancer tissue, among men without inherited mutations. We conducted a nested case-control study within the Swedish Watchful Waiting cohort.

Prognostic significance of deregulated dicer expression in breast cancer.

Background: Dicer, an RNase III-type endonuclease, is the key enzyme involved in RNA interference and microRNA pathways. Aberrant expression of Dicer is reported in several human cancers. Our aim was to assess the prognostic role of Dicer in breast cancer.

Prediction of Oncotype DX and TAILORx risk categories using histopathological and immunohistochemical markers by classification and regression tree (CART) analysis.

Oncotype DX is an RT-PCR assay used to predict which patients with ER-positive node-negative (NN) disease will benefit from chemotherapy. Each patient is stratified into a risk category based on a recurrence score (RS) and the TAILORx trial is determining the benefit of chemotherapy for patients with mid-range RSs. We tested if Oncotype DX and TAILORx risk categories could be predicted by standard pathological features and protein markers corresponding to 10 genes in the assay (ER, PR, Ki67, HER2, BCL2, CD68, Aurora A kinase, survivin, cyclin B1 and BAG1) on 52 patients who enrolled on TAILORx.

Through the looking glass: primary epithelioid angiosarcoma in the left atrium, a unique site for a rare malignancy.

Malignant cardiac tumours occurring on the left side are vanishingly rare entities. We describe a case of a 73-year-old male who underwent surgery for a left-sided cardiac tumour following initial presentation with transient ischaemic attacks. In addition to the unusual presentation and subsequent metastatic pattern to the femur, the tumour's pathological diagnosis was that of an epithelioid variant of an angiosarcoma which has not been previously described in this anatomical location.

A presentation of glandular penile metastases from prostate adenocarcinoma.

Secondary tumours of the penis are rare; they most commonly arise from the prostate and the bladder. These lesions are often associated with disseminated malignancy and have a poor prognosis, with a 6-month mortality of up to 80% reported. Penile metastases have a variety of clinical manifestations including incidental penile nodules, cutaneous findings, urinary symptoms, pain and malignant priapism.

MicroRNA-21 and PDCD4 expression in colorectal cancer.

Introduction: MiRNAs regulate gene expression by binding to target sites and initiating translational repression and/or mRNA degradation. Studies have shown that miR-21 exerts its oncogenic activity by targeting the PDCD4 tumour suppressor 3'-UTR. However, the mechanism of this regulation is poorly understood.

RET protein expression in papillary renal cell carcinoma.

Objective: To examine the role of RET in renal malignancy, in particular papillary renal cell carcinoma (RCC).

Materials And Methods: A cohort of 111 archival renal samples was used consisting of 94 renal cancers (66 papillary RCC, 18 conventional clear cell carcinoma, 10 chromophobe RCC), 4 benign oncocytomas, and 13 normal kidney tissues. RET protein expression was examined by immunohistochemistry and expression levels were correlated with clinicopathologic and patient survival data.

Alcohol and unnatural deaths in the West of Ireland: a 5-year review.

Aim: To investigate the prevalence of alcohol in unnatural deaths in the West of Ireland between 2003 and 2007.

Methods: The reports of 1669 postmortem examinations carried out at Galway University Hospitals were reviewed; 379 non-homicidal unnatural deaths were eligible for the study. Alcohol levels were measured in blood and/or urine in 311 cases.