Background: miRNAs are involved in many critical biological processes. Results: miR-21 induction is STAT3-dependent, and miR-21 knockdown inhibited melanoma cell proliferation and migration and enhanced apoptosis. Although B16 cells produced large lung metastases in mice, miR-21 knockdown cells only formed small lung lesions. Conclusion: miR-21 regulates the metastatic behavior of melanoma. Significance: miR-21 is identified as a potential drug target in melanoma.

Background: miR-21 is overexpressed in many human cancers, including glioblastoma. Results: Insulin-like growth factor (IGF)-binding protein-3 (IGFBP3) is a novel miR-21 target gene and inhibits gliomagenesis in vitro and in vivo. Conclusion: miR-21 down-regulates IGFBP3, which acts as a tumor suppressor in human glioblastoma. Significance: IGFBP3 may have promise as a therapeutic target and prognostic marker for glioblastoma.

Metastatic tumors with an uncertain primary site can be a difficult clinical problem. In tens of thousands of patients every year, no confident diagnosis is ever issued, making standard-of-care treatment impossible. Gene expression profiling (GEP) tests currently available to analyze these difficult-to-diagnose tumors have never been directly compared with the diagnostic standard of care, immunochemistry (IHC). This prospectively conducted, blinded, multicenter study compares the diagnostic accuracy of GEP with IHC in identifying the primary site of 157 formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded specimens from metastatic tumors with known primaries, representing the 15 tissues on the GEP test panel. Four pathologists rendered diagnoses by selecting from 84 stains in 2 rounds. GEP was performed using the Pathwork Tissue of Origin Test. Overall, GEP accurately identified 89% of specimens, compared with 83% accuracy using IHC (P = 0.013). In the subset of 33 poorly differentiated and undifferentiated carcinomas, GEP accuracy exceeded that of IHC (91% to 71%, P = 0.023). In specimens for which pathologists rendered their final diagnosis with a single round of stains, both IHC and GEP exceeded 90% accuracy. However, when the diagnosis required a second round, IHC significantly underperformed GEP (67% to 83%, P < 0.001). GEP has been validated as accurate in diagnosing the primary site in metastatic tumors. The Pathwork Tissue of Origin Test used in this study was significantly more accurate than IHC when used to identify the primary site, with the most pronounced superiority observed in specimens that required a second round of stains and in poorly differentiated and undifferentiated metastatic carcinomas.

SIS was associated with improved graft patency, less infection, complete incorporation, and no false aneurysm formation when compared with PTFE. This may be due to its ability to provide a durable scaffold for cellularization and tissue remodeling. This material may offer a superior alternative to more complex vascular reconstruction techniques in contaminated fields.