Discordance of Histologic Grade Between Primary and Metastatic Neuroendocrine Carcinomas.

Background: The prognosis and management of neuroendocrine carcinoma are largely driven by histologic grade as assessed by mitotic activity. The authors reviewed their institutional experience to determine whether the histologic grade of neuroendocrine carcinoma can differ between primary and metastatic tumors.

Methods: This study examined patients who underwent operative resection of both primary and metastatic foci of neuroendocrine carcinoma.

Dorsomorphin, a selective small molecule inhibitor of BMP signaling, promotes cardiomyogenesis in embryonic stem cells.

Background: Pluripotent embryonic stem (ES) cells, which have the capacity to give rise to all tissue types in the body, show great promise as a versatile source of cells for regenerative therapy. However, the basic mechanisms of lineage specification of pluripotent stem cells are largely unknown, and generating sufficient quantities of desired cell types remains a formidable challenge. Small molecules, particularly those that modulate key developmental pathways like the bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) signaling cascade, hold promise as tools to study in vitro lineage specification and to direct differentiation of stem cells toward particular cell types.