OBJECTIVEMedulloblastoma is a type of malignant tumor arising in the cerebellum. The clinical importance of programmed cell death 1 ligand–1 (PD-L1) expression in medulloblastoma remains unknown. The aim of the present study was to examine the expression of PD-L1 and tumor-infiltrating T cells, and to evaluate their relationships to the prognosis of patients with medulloblastoma.METHODSThe authors immunohistochemically analyzed PD-L1 expression and CD3+ and CD8+ lymphocyte infiltrations in tumor specimens from 16 patients with medulloblastoma.RESULTSHigh expression of PD-L1 was observed in 9 (56.3%) of 16 samples studied. High expression of PD-L1 was associated with low infiltrations of CD3+ or CD8+ lymphocytes. Patients with high expression of PD-L1 had shorter progression-free survival and overall survival times than those with low expression (p = 0.076 and p = 0.099, respectively). In addition, patients with high expression of PD-L1 and with low infiltration of CD8+ lymphocytes had a significantly worse outcome, with a 5-year survival rate of 15%, as compared with the other patients, who had a 5-year survival rate of nearly 90% (p = 0.0048 for progression-free survival and p = 0.010 for overall survival).CONCLUSIONSThese findings indicate that PD-L1 expression was associated with a reduced infiltration of CD8+ T cells and poor prognosis in human medulloblastoma.

Objectives: This study aimed to evaluate the relationship between the amount of aspirated debris during distal balloon-protected carotid artery stenting (CAS) and the pre-intervention plaque composition, as assessed by Virtual Histology™ (VH) intravascular ultrasound (IVUS). Methods: The study subjects were 25 consecutive patients (mean age, 73.0 ± 5.2 years; 20 males and 5 females) who underwent CAS under distal balloon protection. The average rate of carotid stenosis was 74.6 ± 12.9% by North American Symptomatic Carotid Endarterectomy Trial criteria. We assessed culprit plaque components by VH-IVUS before CAS. Aspirated debris was filtered, stained with HE and mounted onto glass slides. The quantity of debris was evaluated by measuring its surface area. We evaluated the relationship between the quantity of aspirated debris and VH-IVUS measurements before CAS. Results: The amount of debris during CAS was positively correlated with the total plaque volume in grayscale IVUS (Rs = 0.480, p = 0.015) and fibro-fatty volumes over the entire lesion length in VH-IVUS (Rs = 0.561, p = 0.001). Conclusions: Culprit lesions with large plaque volumes, especially larger fibro-fatty volumes, as imaged by VH-IVUS, are associated with large amounts of debris during balloon-protected CAS.

We present a case of a 71-year-old male who had chest symptoms at rest and during effort. He had felt chest oppression during effort for 1 year, and his chest symptoms had recently worsened. One month before admission he felt chest squeezing at rest in the early morning. He presented at our institution to evaluate his chest symptoms. Electrocardiography and echocardiography failed to show any specific changes. Because of the possibility that his chest symptoms were due to myocardial ischemia, he was admitted to our institution for coronary angiography (CAG). An initial CAG showed mild atherosclerotic changes in the proximal segment of the left anterior descending coronary artery (LAD) and mid-segment of the left circumflex coronary artery. Subsequent spasm provocation testing using acetylcholine revealed a bilateral coronary vasospasm, which was relieved after the intracoronary infusion of nitroglycerin. Finally, a CAG showed myocardial bridging (MB) of the mid-distal segments of the LAD. Fractional flow reserve using the intravenous administration of adenosine triphosphate was positive at 0.77, which jumped up to 0.90 through the myocardial bridging segments when the pressure wire was pulled back. Thus, coronary vasospasm and MB might have contributed to his chest symptoms at rest and during effort. Interventional cardiologists should consider the presence of MB as a potential cause of myocardial ischemia. Core tip: Myocardial bridging (MB), an anomaly in which the myocardium overlies the intramural course of segments of the epicardial coronary arteries, is associated with cardiac events. This may be explained by myocardial ischemia, coronary spasms, and/or mechanical compression of the coronary artery by the MB itself. We encountered a patient with angina pectoris both at rest and during exercise, which was caused by both coronary spasm and MB-induced direct myocardial ischemia. The latter finding was revealed using a pressure wire. MB sometimes causes two vascular characteristics, coronary spasms and direct myocardial ischemia, whose management is quite different.Teragawa H, Fujii Y, Ueda T, Murata D, Nomura S. Case of angina pectoris at rest and during effort due to coronary spasm and myocardial bridging.

Bevacizumab has been reported to be effective for recurrent glioblastoma. In our hospital, ifosfamide, carboplatin, etoposide (ICE) is the second-line chemotherapy for first recurrence of glioblastoma after temozolomide failure. In the present analysis, we retrospectively investigated the feasibility and effectiveness of bevacizumab combined with ICE in patients with glioblastoma at second relapse during ICE treatment. Between 2010 and 2012, tumor progressions were diagnosed in consecutive 8 patients who were treated with ICE for the first recurrence of glioblastoma. These patients were administered 3 cycles of 10 mg/kg bevacizumab every two weeks in combination with ICE treatment. The objective response rate of bevacizumab combination was 75% in Neuro-Oncology Working Group (RANO criteria), including complete response and partial response. Median progression free survival (PFS) and median overall survival (OS) after second relapse were 3.7 months (95% confidence interval [CI], 2.5–18.5 months) and 6.0 months (95% CI, 3.2–19.7 months), respectively. The 6-month PFS rates were 25% (95% CI, 0–55.0%). The median OS after initial diagnosis was 23.3 months (95% CI, 16.2–55.8 months). The grade 2 or 3 hematologic adverse events were identified in 7 of 8 patients, most of which might be due to ICE chemotherapy. The results of our retrospective analysis suggest that combination treatment with bevacizumab and ICE may be safe and beneficial in patients with recurrent glioblastoma.