Background and purpose Cephaloceles are relatively rare conditions caused by a congenital and/or acquired skull defect. The incidence of associated venous brain anomalies with regard to cephaloceles remains to be fully elucidated. Accordingly, we sought to assess the prevalence of sigmoid sinus dehiscence and diverticula in patients with spontaneous skull base cephaloceles. Materials and methods Our institutional data base was retrospectively queried from 2005 to 2018. Patients in whom spontaneous skull base cephaloceles were identified were ultimately included in the study cohort. These patients subsequently had their sigmoid sinuses re-evaluated with focused attention on the possible presence of dehiscence and/or diverticula. Results We identified 56 patients 12 men and 44 women. After re-evaluation of the sigmoid sinuses, evidence of dehiscence and/or diverticula was noted in 21 patients. The right sigmoid sinus was involved in 11 patients, and the left sigmoid sinus was involved in 7 patients, including 3 cases of diverticulum. In 3 patients, evidence of bilateral sigmoid sinus dehiscence and diverticula was noted. Female sex was associated with sigmoid sinus dehiscence and diverticula by univariate analysis (P = .019). By linear regression, cephalocele volume was negatively associated with sigmoid sinus dehiscence and diverticula (coefficient, -2266, P value less then .007, adjusted R 2 = 0.1077). By univariate logistic regression using average cephalocele volume as a cutoff, we demonstrate a statistically significant finding of lower volumes being associated with sigmoid sinus dehiscence and diverticula with an odds ratio of 3.58 (P = .05). Conclusions The prevalence of sigmoid sinus dehiscence and diverticula in patients with cephalocele is high. Female sex is associated with sigmoid sinus dehiscence and diverticula. The cephalocele volume appears to be inversely proportional to sigmoid sinus dehiscence and diverticula._.The optimal way to use immunomodulatory drugs as components of induction and maintenance therapy for multiple myeloma is unresolved. We addressed this question in a large phase III randomized trial, Myeloma XI. Patients with newly diagnosed multiple myeloma (n = 2042) were randomized to induction therapy with cyclophosphamide, thalidomide, and dexamethasone (CTD) or cyclophosphamide, lenalidomide, and dexamethasone (CRD). Additional intensification therapy with cyclophosphamide, bortezomib and dexamethasone (CVD) was administered before ASCT to patients with a suboptimal response to induction therapy using a response-adapted approach. After receiving high-dose melphalan with autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT), eligible patients were further randomized to receive either lenalidomide alone or observation alone. Co-primary endpoints were progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS). The CRD regimen was associated with significantly longer PFS (median 36 vs. 33 months; hazard ratio [HR], 0.85; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.75-0.96; P = 0.0116) and OS (3-year OS 82.9% vs. 77.0%; HR, 0.77; 95% CI, 0.63-0.93; P = 0.0072) compared with CTD. The PFS and OS results favored CRD over CTD across all subgroups, including patients with International Staging System stage III disease (HR for PFS, 0.73; 95% CI, 0.58-0.93; HR for OS, 0.78; 95% CI, 0.56-1.09), high-risk cytogenetics (HR for PFS, 0.60; 95% CI, 0.43-0.84; HR for OS, 0.70; 95% CI, 0.42-1.15) and ultra high-risk cytogenetics (HR for PFS, 0.67; 95% CI, 0.41-1.11; HR for OS, 0.65; 95% CI, 0.34-1.25). Among patients randomized to lenalidomide maintenance (n = 451) or observation (n = 377), maintenance therapy improved PFS (median 50 vs. 28 months; HR, 0.47; 95% CI, 0.37-0.60; P less then 0.0001). Optimal results for PFS and OS were achieved in the patients who received CRD induction and lenalidomide maintenance. The trial was registered with the EU Clinical Trials Register (EudraCT 2009-010956-93) and ISRCTN49407852.Despite several therapeutic advances, patients with multiple myeloma (MM) require additional treatment options since no curative therapy exists yet. In search of a novel therapeutic antibody, we previously applied phage display with myeloma cell screening and developed TP15, a scFv targeting intercellular adhesion molecule 1 (ICAM-1/CD54). To more precisely evaluate the antibody's modes of action, fully human IgG1 antibody variants were generated bearing wild-type (MSH-TP15) or mutated Fc to either enhance (MSH-TP15 Fc-eng.) or prevent (MSH-TP15 Fc k.o.) Fc gamma receptor binding. Especially MSH-TP15 Fc-eng. induced potent antibody-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity (ADCC) against malignant plasma cells by efficiently recruiting NK cells and engaged macrophages for antibody-dependent cellular phagocytosis (ADCP) of tumor cells. Binding studies with truncated ICAM-1 demonstrated MSH-TP15 binding to ICAM-1 domain 1-2. Importantly, MSH-TP15 and MSH-TP15 Fc-eng. both prevented myeloma cell engraftment and significantly prolonged survival of mice in an intraperitoneal xenograft model. In the subcutaneous model MSH-TP15 Fc-eng. was superior to MSH-TP15, whereas MSH-TP15 Fc k.o. was not effective in both models - reflecting the importance of Fc-dependent mechanisms of action also in vivo. The efficient recruitment of immune cells and the potent anti-tumor activity of the Fc-engineered MSH-TP15 antibody hold significant potential for myeloma immunotherapy.We have used a non-myeloablative conditioning regimen for allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation for the past twenty years. During that period, changes in clinical practice have been aimed at reducing morbidity and mortality from infections, organ toxicity, and graft-versus-host disease.  https://www.selleckchem.com/products/mrtx849.html  We hypothesized that improvements in clinical practice led to better transplantation outcomes over time. From 1997-2017, 1,720 patients with hematologic malignancies received low-dose total body irradiation +/- fludarabine or clofarabine before transplantation from HLA-matched sibling or unrelated donors, followed by mycophenolate mofetil and a calcineurin inhibitor ± sirolimus. We compared outcomes in three cohorts by year of transplantation 1997 +/- 2003 (n=562), 2004 +/- 2009 (n=594), and 2010 +/- 2017 (n=564). The proportion of patients ≥60 years old increased from 27% in 1997 +/- 2003 to 56% in 2010-2017, and with scores from the Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation Comborbidity Index of ≥3 increased from 25% in 1997 +/- 2003 to 45% in 2010 +/- 2017.