Glioblastoma is a form of brain tumor with a very high morbidity and mortality. Despite decades of research, the best treatments currently in clinical practice only extend survival by a number of months. A promising alternative to conventional treatment for glioblastomas is immunotherapy. Although proposed over a century ago, the field of cancer immunotherapy has historically struggled to translate it into effective clinical treatments. Better understanding is needed of the various regulatory and co-stimulatory factors in the glioblastoma patient for more efficient immunotherapy treatments. The tumor microenvironment is anatomically shielded from normal immune-surveillance by the blood-brain barrier, irregular lymphatic drainage system, and it’s in a potently immunosuppressive environment. Immunotherapy can potentially manipulate these forces effectively to enhance anti-tumor immune response and clinical benefit. New treatments utilizing the immune system show promise in terms of targeting and efficacy. This review article attempts to discuss current practices in glioblastoma treatment, the theory behind immunotherapy, and current research into various clinical trials.

In this editorial we will first describe most common information about the intriguing “traditional” fetal origin hypothesis of Barker for physiological, endocrine and cardiovascular diseases (CVDs). The ‘developmental origins of adult disease’ hypothesis, often called the ‘Barker hypothesis’, states that adverse in?uences early in development, and particularly during intrauterine life, can result in permanent changes in physiology and metabolism, which result in increased disease risk in adulthood. This hypothesis originally evolved from observations by Barker and colleagues that the regions in England that had the highest rates of infant mortality in the early twentieth century also had the highest rates of mortality from coronary heart disease decades later . As the most commonly registered cause of infant death at the start of the twentieth century was low birthweight, these observations led to the hypothesis that low birthweight babies who survived infancy and childhood might be at increased risk of coronary heart disease later in life. In this editorial we want to extend the hypothesis that the nutritional status of the future mother determines the "quality" of the brain of the foetus and the morbidity of mental illness in later life like early dementia.

Background: Linear accelerator (LINAC) based radiosurgery for a brain arteriovenous malformation (bAVM) is replacing gamma knife radiosurgery. We present clinical outcome, obliteration rates and predictor factors of treatment success following LINAC radiosurgery for bAVM which is not much addressed subject in Middle East. Methods: 13 patients who underwent LINAC radiosurgery for brain arteriovenous malformations from November 2008 to November 2011 in our radiation oncology department were retrospectively analyzed. Recollection of demographic data, AVM and treatment characteristics along with clinical and radiographic follow up information was done by reviewing the electronic data base. Results: All thirteen patients underwent stereotactic radiosurgery by linear accelerator based treatment delivery system (BrainLab) over three years. These included 7 males and 6 females, with median age of 22 years. Intracranial hemorrhage was a presenting feature in 7 (54 %) of patients. Prior embolization was done in 10 (77%) patients with 7 patients having more than once undergone this procedure. The location of AVM was superficial in 9 (70%) and deep in brain in 4 (30%) patients. The mean AVM score was 0.97 with 3 patients having AVM score = 1 with mean Spetzler-Martin grade of 2.7 and 8 (62%) patients having grade 3 or more. Median follow up was 30 months. Mean dose delivered was 21.7 Gy in single fraction. Complete obliteration of AVM nidus was achieved in 9 (70%) patients while 4 patients (30%) had partial obliteration. Six patients (67 %) achieved complete obliteration among 9 who had AVM score of less than 1. Post radiosurgery neurological deficit occurred in only one patient in form of right temporal field loss. Conclusions: Linear accelerator based radiosurgery is promising treatment option for brain AVMs in majority of cases with reasonable adverse effect profile.

For a long time researchers and clinicians have been trying to clarify the possible existing relationships between Alzheimer’s disease and the depression in the elderly. This article tries to take stock of these complex links. It seems that often depression is clinically confused with apathy.

For two decades, pediatric autoimmune neuropsychiatric disorder associated with group a beta hemolytic streptococcal infection (PANDAS) has been treated with high-dose intravenous immune globulin (IVIg) therapy based upon the understanding that the disorder is partly due to post-infectious dysimmunity.