Search

Background Bevacizumab (BEV), at a standard dose of 10 mg/kg every 2 weeks is associated with prolonged progression-free survival (PFS) but no improvement in overall survival (OS) in recurrent glioblastoma (rGBM). Few studies have examined the potential dose-dependent efficacy of BEV. In Ontario, reimbursement for the costs of BEV varies, and as a result, our practice began to routinely use lower dose regimens. The main aim of this study was to ensure that there was no harm to patients who received the low dose protocol. Methods A single-center retrospective study of patients given BEV for rGBM between 2015–2020 was performed. Clinical and treatment data including BEV dose regimen (SD [10 mg/kg every 2 weeks] vs LD [5 mg/kg every 2–3 weeks or 10 mg/kg every 3 weeks]) received at the time of rGBM diagnosis were captured. Overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) on BEV were compared using the Kaplan-Meier product-limit method. Log-rank test was used to compare potential predictive factors. Cox regression model was performed for multivariable analysis of OS and PFS. Results A total of 96 patients were included with a median follow-up duration of 6.84 months (range 1.12–50.63 months) from the date of the first infusion. The LD group consisted of 55 of the 96 patients. By virtue of funding mechanisms for BEV, the median age in the LD group was significantly higher (62 vs 54 years p = 0.009). There was no difference in MGMT status between the 2 groups (p = 0.60). Eight patients received lomustine with BEV (3 from the SD and 5 from the LD. The LD group had prolonged median PFS (5.89 months versus 3.22 months; p = 0.0112) and OS (10.23 months versus 6.28 months; p = 0.0010). Multivariable analysis including the dose of BEV, the extent of resection, gender, and age revealed that standard dose of BEV, subtotal resection, and female sex were associated with worse overall survival. Nine patients in the SD group vs 18 patients in the LD group reported an adverse event related to BEV. Conclusions For patients with recurrent GBM, we found that a low dose regimen of BEV was associated with prolonged OS and PFS compared to the standard dose regimen. Lower dose schedules may be a better and more cost-effective option for patients with rGBM. Lower costs might provide more equitable access to this very important palliative drug.

Tumor-related epilepsy may respond to chemotherapy. In a previously-published multi-centre randomized clinical trial of 562 elderly glioblastoma patients, temozolomide plus short-course radiotherapy conferred a survival benefit over radiotherapy alone. Seizure outcomes were not reported.We performed an unplanned secondary analysis of this trial's data. The trial design has been previously reported. Seizures were recorded by clinicians as adverse events and by patients in quality of life questionnaires. A Chi-square test of seizure rates between the two groups (α = 0.05) and a Kaplan-Meier estimator of time-to-first self-reported seizure were planned.Almost all patients were followed until they died. In the radiotherapy alone group, 68 patients (24%) had a documented or self-reported seizure versus 83 patients (30%) in the temozolomide plus radiotherapy group, Chi-square analysis showed no difference (p = 0.15). Patients receiving radiotherapy alone tended to develop seizures earlier than those receiving temozolomide plus radiotherapy (p = 0.054). Patients with seizures had shorter overall survival than those without seizures (hazard ratio 1.24, p = 0.02).This study was not powered to detect differences in seizure outcomes, but temozolomide seemed to have minimal impact on seizure control in elderly patients with glioblastoma.NCT00482677 2007-06-05.

Adoptive T cell therapy using ex vivo expanded autologous tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TIL) has resulted in notable tumor regression across multiple solid tumor indications. Despite their success, TIL harvest requires invasive surgery and sterile isolation. In addition, extracted cells from an immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment (TME) often have impaired functions, low neoantigen-specificity and require high dose cytokine for expansion. All possible reasons for non-responders or post-treatment relapse. Generating T cell therapies specifically expanded against neoantigen targets and derived from peripheral blood lymphocytes may overcome these limitations. The ATLAS bioassay identifies patient-specific neoantigen targets of T cells, and Inhibigens™, tumor antigens that are detrimental to protective immune responses. Using PLANET™, a robust and scalable closed manufacturing process, T cells specific for up to 30 ATLAS-identified neoantigens (excluding Inhibigens) are expanded, providing considerable breadth of tumor recognition and the potential to limit tumor escape. Use of peripheral T cells leverages robust cells not suppressed by the TME and eliminates the need for invasive tumor resection. Our data show that NPTs are specific for up to 89% of targeted neoantigens, consist of non-exhausted effector and central memory cells, and express proliferative and tissue homing markers. NPTs are highly polyfunctional, secreting multiple combinations of IFNγ, Granzyme B, TNFα, and MIP1α in response to specific neoantigens. Evaluation of markers for memory-progenitor stem-like features in NPTs are being explored and will be discussed. The TITAN™ clinical trial evaluating GEN-011 NPTs is ongoing (NCT04596033).

A vaccination regimen capable of eliciting potent and broadly neutralizing antibodies (bNAbs) remains an unachieved goal of the HIV-1 vaccine field. Here, we report the immunogenicity of longitudinal prime/boost vaccination regimens with a panel of HIV-1 envelope (Env) gp140 protein immunogens over a period of 200 weeks in guinea pigs. We assessed vaccine regimens that included a monovalent clade C gp140 (C97ZA012 [C97]), a tetravalent regimen consisting of four clade C gp140s (C97ZA012, 459C, 405C, and 939C [4C]), and a tetravalent regimen consisting of clade A, B, C, and mosaic gp140s (92UG037, PVO.4, C97ZA012, and Mosaic 3.1, respectively [ABCM]). We found that the 4C and ABCM prime/boost regimens were capable of eliciting greater magnitude and breadth of binding antibody responses targeting variable loop 2 (V2) over time than the monovalent C97-only regimen. The longitudinal boosting regimen conducted over more than 2 years increased the magnitude of certain tier 1 NAb responses but did not increase the magnitude or breadth of heterologous tier 2 NAb responses. These data suggest that additional immunogen design strategies are needed to induce broad, high-titer tier 2 NAb responses. IMPORTANCE The elicitation of potent, broadly neutralizing antibodies (bNAbs) remains an elusive goal for the HIV-1 vaccine field. In this study, we explored the use of a long-term vaccination regimen with different immunogens to determine if we could elicit bNAbs in guinea pigs. We found that longitudinal boosting over more than 2 years increased tier 1 NAb responses but did not increase the magnitude and breadth of tier 2 NAb responses. These data suggest that additional immunogen designs and vaccination strategies will be necessary to induce broad tier 2 NAb responses.

Preview Many patients with significant carotid artery stenosis are candidates for endarterectomy, a procedure now proved to reduce the incidence of future stroke and death. In this article, Drs Jaigobin and Perry describe an approach to patients with both symptomatic and asymptomatic carotid stenosis and review current indications for surgical referral. They also emphasize the importance of recognizing and managing concurrent coronary artery disease.

The sequence diversity of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) presents a formidable challenge to the generation of an HIV-1 vaccine. One strategy to address such sequence diversity and to improve the magnitude of neutralizing antibodies (NAbs) is to utilize multivalent mixtures of HIV-1 envelope (Env) immunogens. Here we report the generation and characterization of three novel, acute clade C HIV-1 Env gp140 trimers (459C, 405C, and 939C), each with unique antigenic properties. Among the single trimers tested, 459C elicited the most potent NAb responses in vaccinated guinea pigs. We evaluated the immunogenicity of various mixtures of clade C Env trimers and found that a quadrivalent cocktail of clade C trimers elicited a greater magnitude of NAbs against a panel of tier 1A and 1B viruses than any single clade C trimer alone, demonstrating that the mixture had an advantage over all individual components of the cocktail. These data suggest that vaccination with a mixture of clade C Env trimers represents a promising strategy to augment vaccine-elicited NAb responses. IMPORTANCE It is currently not known how to generate potent NAbs to the diverse circulating HIV-1 Envs by vaccination. One strategy to address this diversity is to utilize mixtures of different soluble HIV-1 envelope proteins. In this study, we generated and characterized three distinct, novel, acute clade C soluble trimers. We vaccinated guinea pigs with single trimers as well as mixtures of trimers, and we found that a mixture of four trimers elicited a greater magnitude of NAbs than any single trimer within the mixture. The results of this study suggest that further development of Env trimer cocktails is warranted.

The extraordinary diversity of the human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) envelope (Env) glycoprotein poses a major challenge for the development of an HIV-1 vaccine. One strategy to circumvent this problem utilizes bioinformatically optimized mosaic antigens. However, mosaic Env proteins expressed as trimers have not been previously evaluated for their stability, antigenicity, and immunogenicity. Here, we report the production and characterization of a stable HIV-1 mosaic M gp140 Env trimer. The mosaic M trimer bound CD4 as well as multiple broadly neutralizing monoclonal antibodies, and biophysical characterization suggested substantial stability. The mosaic M trimer elicited higher neutralizing antibody (nAb) titers against clade B viruses than a previously described clade C (C97ZA.012) gp140 trimer in guinea pigs, whereas the clade C trimer elicited higher nAb titers than the mosaic M trimer against clade A and C viruses. A mixture of the clade C and mosaic M trimers elicited nAb responses that were comparable to the better component of the mixture for each virus tested. These data suggest that combinations of relatively small numbers of immunologically complementary Env trimers may improve nAb responses. IMPORTANCE The development of an HIV-1 vaccine remains a formidable challenge due to multiple circulating strains of HIV-1 worldwide. This study describes a candidate HIV-1 Env protein vaccine whose sequence has been designed by computational methods to address HIV-1 diversity. The characteristics and immunogenicity of this Env protein, both alone and mixed together with a clade C Env protein vaccine, are described.

Immunogens based on the human immunodeficiency virus type-1 (HIV-1) Envelope (Env) glycoprotein have to date failed to elicit potent and broadly neutralizing antibodies against diverse HIV-1 strains. An understudied area in the development of HIV-1 Env-based vaccines is the impact of various adjuvants on the stability of the Env immunogen and the magnitude of the induced humoral immune response. We hypothesize that optimal adjuvants for HIV-1 gp140 Env trimers will be those with high potency but also those that preserve structural integrity of the immunogen and those that have a straightforward path to clinical testing. In this report, we systematically evaluate the impact of 12 adjuvants on the stability and immunogenicity of a clade C (CZA97.012) HIV-1 gp140 trimer in guinea pigs and a subset in non-human primates. Oil-in-water emulsions (GLA-emulsion, Ribi, Emulsigen) resulted in partial aggregation and loss of structural integrity of the gp140 trimer. In contrast, alum (GLA-alum, Adju-Phos, Alhydrogel), TLR (GLA-aqueous, CpG, MPLA), ISCOM (Matrix M) and liposomal (GLA-liposomes, virosomes) adjuvants appeared to preserve trimer integrity as measured by size exclusion chromatography. However, multiple classes of adjuvants similarly augmented Env-specific binding and neutralizing antibody responses in guinea pigs and non-human primates.

The design of immunologic interventions to prevent postnatal transmission of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) will require identification of protective immune responses in this setting. Simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV)-infected rhesus monkeys (RMs), a species that develops an AIDS-like illness following experimental infection, transmit the virus at a high rate during breastfeeding. In contrast, postnatal transmission of SIV occurs rarely or not at all in natural, asymptomatic primate hosts of SIV. These contrasting transmission patterns provide a unique opportunity to study mechanisms that evolved to protect suckling infants from SIV infection. We compared the virologic and immunologic properties of milk of SIV-infected and uninfected natural hosts of SIV, African green monkeys (AGMs), to that of RMs. Interestingly, despite a low number of milk CD4 + T lymphocytes in uninfected AGMs, milk virus RNA load in SIV-infected AGMs was comparable to that of SIV-infected RMs and that in AGM plasma. This observation is in contrast to the relatively low virus load in milk compared to that in plasma of SIV-infected RMs and HIV-infected women. Milk of SIV-infected AGMs also displayed robust virus-specific cellular immune responses. Importantly, an autologous challenge virus-specific neutralization response was detected in milk of five of six SIV-infected AGMs that was comparable in magnitude to that in plasma. In contrast, autologous challenge virus neutralization was not detectable in milk of SIV-infected RMs. The autologous virus-specific adaptive immune responses in breast milk of AGMs may contribute to impedance of virus transmission in the infant oral/gastrointestinal tract and the rarity of postnatal virus transmission in natural hosts of SIV.

The worldwide diversity of HIV-1 presents an unprecedented challenge for vaccine development 1-2. Antigens derived from natural HIV-1 sequences have elicited only limited breadth of cellular immune responses in nonhuman primate studies and clinical trials to date. Polyvalent “mosaic” antigens, in contrast, are designed to optimize cellular immunologic coverage of global HIV-1 sequence diversity 3. Here we show that mosaic HIV-1 Gag, Pol, and Env antigens expressed by recombinant, replication-incompetent adenovirus serotype 26 vectors markedly augmented both the breadth and depth without compromising the magnitude of antigen-specific T lymphocyte responses as compared with consensus or natural sequence HIV-1 antigens in rhesus monkeys. Polyvalent mosaic antigens therefore represent a promising strategy to expand cellular immunologic vaccine coverage for genetically diverse pathogens such as HIV-1.

To defeat SIV, add a protein boost Despite 30 years of effort, no HIV-1 vaccine exists. Barouch et al. evaluated one promising strategy in rhesus macaques, a preclinical model commonly used to test potential HIV-1 vaccine candidates. They immunized monkeys with adenovirus-36 vectors engineered to express SIV (simian immunodeficiency virus) genes and then boosted them with a recombinant gp120 envelope glycoprotein (Env) from SIV. This regimen afforded greater protection than a strategy that instead used a viral vector–based boost. A parallel trial using a SHIV (simian/human immunodeficiency virus)–based vaccine and challenge model produced similar results. Whether this particular approach will be equally successful in humans remains to be tested. Science , this issue p. 320

BACKGROUND Venous thromboembolism (VTE) frequently complicates the course of patients with cancer, and there is evidence to suggest that patients with brain tumors are at particularly high risk. The objective of this methodology-based literature review was to quantify the rate of incidence of VTE in patients with malignant glioma and to determine the factors that predict an increased risk of this complication. METHODS Studies meeting predefined inclusion criteria were evaluated independently on an eight-item methodology index by three raters. Authors were contacted to resolve ambiguities. The results of the studies were summarized and the incidence rate of VTE within the early postoperative phase and during extended follow-up were reported separately. RESULTS Within 6 weeks after surgery the incidence rate of deep venous thrombosis (DVT) ranged from 3% to 60%, varying with the prophylaxis regimen used, the method of diagnosis, and the study design. Beyond 6 weeks postoperatively, the rates of DVT ranged from 0.013 to 0.023 per patient-month of follow-up. The single study with no significant methodologic deficiencies found a 24% rate of incidence of symptomatic DVT over the 17 months of follow-up beyond the first 6 postoperative weeks. In 6 studies the presence of leg paresis, histologic diagnosis of glioblastoma multiform, age ≥ 60 years, large tumor size, use of chemotherapy, and length of surgery > 4 hours were identified as possible risk factors. CONCLUSIONS The incidence of VTE is high throughout the course of malignant glioma. A randomized, controlled trial is needed to clarify whether the benefits of long term anticoagulant prophylaxis outweigh the risks and costs of such therapy. Cancer 2000;89:640–6. © 2000 American Cancer Society.

To the Editor: Cervical artery dissection is an important cause of stroke in young patients. While the recent literature has focused on the pathophysiology,1 little attention has been given to acute treatment. Based on stroke patterns, recent work has opined that heparin is a “logical” treatment for carotid territory dissection,2 although this has been challenged.3 To investigate the treatment preferences of stroke experts in extracranial cervical artery dissection, we developed a single-page questionnaire. Members of the Canadian Stroke Consortium (CSC),4 a group consisting of neurologists with a subspeciality interest in stroke, were asked to fill out the questionnaire at their annual general meeting in 1999. In addition, the questionnaire was mailed out once to members who did not attend the meeting. The CSC had 96 members at the time of this meeting, …

Human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1)-specific monoclonal antibodies with extraordinary potency and breadth have recently been described. In humanized mice, combinations of monoclonal antibodies have been shown to suppress viraemia, but the therapeutic potential of these monoclonal antibodies has not yet been evaluated in primates with an intact immune system. Here we show that administration of a cocktail of HIV-1-specific monoclonal antibodies, as well as the single glycan-dependent monoclonal antibody PGT121, resulted in a rapid and precipitous decline of plasma viraemia to undetectable levels in rhesus monkeys chronically infected with the pathogenic simian–human immunodeficiency virus SHIV-SF162P3. A single monoclonal antibody infusion afforded up to a 3.1 log decline of plasma viral RNA in 7 days and also reduced proviral DNA in peripheral blood, gastrointestinal mucosa and lymph nodes without the development of viral resistance. Moreover, after monoclonal antibody administration, host Gag-specific T-lymphocyte responses showed improved functionality. Virus rebounded in most animals after a median of 56 days when serum monoclonal antibody titres had declined to undetectable levels, although, notably, a subset of animals maintained long-term virological control in the absence of further monoclonal antibody infusions. These data demonstrate a profound therapeutic effect of potent neutralizing HIV-1-specific monoclonal antibodies in SHIV-infected rhesus monkeys as well as an impact on host immune responses. Our findings strongly encourage the investigation of monoclonal antibody therapy for HIV-1 in humans., National Institutes of Health (U.S.) (AI055332), National Institutes of Health (U.S.) (AI060354), National Institutes of Health (U.S.) (AI078526), National Institutes of Health (U.S.) (AI084794), National Institutes of Health (U.S.) (AI095985), National Institutes of Health (U.S.) (AI096040), National Institutes of Health (U.S.) (AI100148), National Institutes of Health (U.S.) (AI10063), Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (OPP1033091), Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (OPP1033115), Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (OPP1040741), Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (OPP1040753), Ragon Institute of MGH, MIT, and Harvard, Stavros S. Niarchos Foundation, Howard Hughes Medical Institute (Investigator)

Background. We report the first-in-human safety and immunogenicity assessment of a prototype Ad26 vector-based human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) vaccine in humans. Methods. Sixty Ad26-seronegative, healthy, HIV-uninfected subjects were enrolled in a randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled, dose-escalation phase 1 study. Five groups of 12 subjects received 109–1011 vp of the Ad26-EnvA vaccine (N = 10/group) or placebo (N = 2/group) at weeks 0 and 24 or weeks 0, 4, and 24. Safety and immunogenicity were assessed. Results. Self-limited reactogenicity was observed after the initial immunization at the highest (1011 vp) dose. No product-related SAEs were observed. All subjects who received the Ad26-EnvA vaccine developed Ad26 NAb titers, EnvA-specific enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA) titers, and EnvA-specific enzyme-linked immunospot assays (ELISPOT) responses. These responses persisted at week 52. At week 28 in the 109, 1010, 1011 vp 3-dose and the 1010 and 5 × 1010 vp 2-dose groups, geometric mean EnvA ELISA titers were 6113, 12 470, 8545, 3470, and 9655 and mean EnvA ELISPOT responses were 397, 178, 736, 196, and 1311 SFC/106 peripheral blood mononuclear cells, respectively. Conclusion. This Ad26 vectored vaccine was generally safe and immunogenic at all doses tested. Reactogenicity was minimal with doses of 5 × 1010 vp or less. Ad26 is a promising new vaccine vector for HIV-1. Clinical Trials Registration. {"type":"clinical-trial","attrs":{"text":"NCT00618605","term_id":"NCT00618605"}}NCT00618605.

Background. Gliosarcoma is an uncommon malignant brain tumor with mixed glial and mesenchymal elements. Experience is limited to case series, and pathologic data are disparate, leading to uncertainty about clinical features, management, and histogenesis. Methods. A clinicopathologic review of 32 patients with survival analysis and immunohistochemical studies was performed including glial fibrillary acidic protein analysis, alpha-1-antitrypsin (alpha-1-AT) analysis, and smooth muscle actin (SMA) analysis. Results. Twenty-five patients had primary gliosarcoma, whereas 7 developed gliosarcoma after irradiation for glioblastoma multiforme (GBM). Clinical features were similar to those of GBM. Most tumors were intraaxial and diffusely infiltrating by radiologic studies and at surgery. Median survival for primary gliosarcoma was 25 weeks overall, with patients who received irradiation surviving longer (46 vs. 13 weeks, P < 0.025). Gliosarcoma occurring after irradiation appeared hyperdense by computed tomography in five of seven cases, and median survival was 53 weeks. Primary gliosarcoma was a dimorphic tumor with malignant glial elements and features of malignant fibrous histiocytoma (MFH) or fibrosarcoma and one osteosarcoma. Smooth muscle actin labeled tumor vessels heavily, but in 15/25 primary cases, it extended to the surrounding spindle cells. The remaining cases appeared morphologically like MFH and tended to be positive for alpha-1-AT. Postirradiation gliosarcoma was fibrosarcomatous with positive SMA in 75% of the cases examined. Conclusions. Gliosarcoma behaves clinically like GBM, and survival may be improved by cranial irradiation of selected patients. Smooth muscle actin reactivity in sarcomatous areas suggests histogenesis in some tumors from the smooth muscle within GBM, whereas others may arise via different mechanisms including differentiation from a pluripotential precursor. Transformation of the smooth muscle within GBM may have therapeutic implications for antiangiogenesis agents. Cancer 1995;75:2910–8.

Background HIV-1 envelope glycoprotein is the primary target for HIV1-specific antibodies. The native HIV-1 envelope spike on the virion surface is a trimer, but trimeric gp140 and monomeric gp120 are currently believed to induce comparable immune responses. Indeed, most studies on the immunogenicity of HIV-1 envelope oligomers have revealed only marginal improvement over monomers. We report here that stable and homogenous envelope trimers with characteristics expected for the native viral spikes are substantially superior at eliciting neutralizing antibodies in guinea pigs. Methods Stable envelope gp140 trimer derived from clinical isolate sequences were stabilized with the T4-fibritin C-terminal trimerization tag and produced in stablely transfected 293T cells. Characterization of Env trimers was performed by Western blotting, size-exclusion chromatography (SEC), analytical-ultra centrifugation (AUC), multi-angle light scattering (MALS) and surface plasmon resonance (SPR). Guinea pigs were immunized six times with 100 µg of protein trimer or monomer in CpG/Emulsigen adjuvants. Antibody responses were determined by ELISA and TZM.bl neutralizing antibody assays. Results Homogeneous trimer and monomer preparations exhibited high purity as measured by SEC and SDS-PAGE. AUC and MALS analyses revealed expected molecular weight for both trimer and monomer. SPR analyses revealed expected binding with CD4 and multiple broadly neutralizing antibodies. These trimers have markedly different antigenic properties than those of monomeric gp120s derived from the same sequences. They induce potent, cross-clade neutralizing antibody responses with titers substantially higher than those elicited by the corresponding gp120 monomers for a diverse set of both tier 1 and tier 2 viruses. Conclusion We have demonstrated the importance of generating highquality envelope trimers for antigenic and immunogenic studies; furthermore these results highlight the immunologic differences between monomers and high-quality envelope trimers, illustrating important implications for HIV-1 vaccine development and immunogen selection in large clinical trials.

Preview Many patients with significant carotid artery stenosis are candidates for endarterectomy, a procedure now proved to reduce the incidence of future stroke and death. In this article, Drs Jaigobin and Perry describe an approach to patients with both symptomatic and asymptomatic carotid stenosis and review current indications for surgical referral. They also emphasize the importance of recognizing and managing concurrent coronary artery disease.

Most people afflicted by cancer will experience cognitive impairment, sometimes referred to as 'chemobrain' or 'chemofog', due to the various direct and indirect effects of their disease and its treatment. In addition, patients with primary or metastatic tumors of the brain experience direct neurologic symptoms due, for example, to the location of their disease, surgical intervention, and the late effects of treatment such as radiotherapy. The aim of this book is to serve as a resource for health care professionals working with cancer patients who experience cognitive changes as a result of their cancer and its treatment. It provides practical information to help improve care by reviewing and describing brain-behavior relationships; research-based evidence on cognitive changes that occur with various cancers and cancer treatments; assessment techniques, including neurocognitive assessment and neuroimaging techniques; and intervention strategies for affected patients. In short, it will explain how to identify, assess and treat these conditions.

Sarcoma metastatic to the brain is uncommon and rarely occurs as the initial manifestation of tumor. Alveolar soft-part sarcoma, a rare but well studied subtype of a soft tissue sarcoma with a propensity for central nervous system invasion, presenting with brain metastases, has been reported only once previously. We report the case of a 28-year-old man who presented with partial seizures and who was found to have a homogeneously enhancing frontal lesion on a broad dural base disclosed by computed tomography. preoperatively, the lesion was thought to be a meningioma. The tumor was excised easily and had features typical of an alveolar soft-part sarcoma, which were revealed by light and electron microscopy as well as immunohistochemical analysis. Multiple lung nodules compatible with metastases were found on a chest film. Meningeal dissemination has been reported in a variety of sarcoma types, including rhabdomyosarcoma, fibrosarcoma, and leiomyosarcoma. We add alveolar soft-part sarcoma to this list and suggest that increased recognition of the propensity for these tumors to exhibit metastatic spread to the dura should eliminate diagnostic confusion and provide an earlier diagnosis of these rare lesions. The patterns of spread in metastatic sarcoma deserve further study.

Pursuant to a recent driving under the influence (DUI) case, a medical study of six subjects was cited reporting that ibuprofen causes a decrease in the maximum rate of elimination of ethanol. Such a drug interaction is of significant forensic science interest and warrants further examination. This study investigates the effect of ibuprofen on ethanol elimination rate and ethanol concentration in nineteen volunteers. Volunteer subjects were randomly assigned to two groups administered either a placebo followed by ethanol or ibuprofen followed by ethanol. Subjects served as their own control. Blood ethanol concentrations were monitored every 30 to 60 min for up to 4 h with Intoximeter 3000 instruments. A blood sample was drawn at the final Intoximeter test and analyzed for ethanol and ibuprofen by gas chromatography and mass spectrometry, respectively. The mean elimination rate (+/- SD) as calculated using Widmark's elimination factor was 0.018 +/- 0.006 g/dL for ethanol and 0.017 +/- 0.007 g/dL/h for ethanol with ibuprofen. Mean ethanol concentrations (g/dL +/- SD) were: 0.095 +/- 0.026 (ethanol) and 0.095 +/- 0.033 (ethanol and ibuprofen) at 30 min; 0.077 +/- 0.026 (ethanol) and 0.075 +/- 0.031 (ethanol and ibuprofen) at 150 min; and 0.089 +/- 0.025 (ethanol) and 0.087 +/- 0.030 (ethanol and ibuprofen) overall. There was no statistically significant affect of ibuprofen on either the peak blood ethanol concentration or the ethanol elimination rate (p less than or equal to 0.001). These results reveal no evidence of a significant ethanol-ibuprofen interaction.