The aim of this study was to compare next-generation sequencing (NGS) with the traditional fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) for detecting segmental chromosomal aberrations (SCAs) such as 1p deletion, 11q deletion and 17q gain, which are well-known predictive markers for adverse outcome in neuroblastoma. The tumor tissue obtained from 35 patients with neuroblastoma was tested by FISH and targeted NGS, which is specially designed to detect copy number alterations across the entire chromosomal region in addition to mutations in 353 cancer-related genes. All chromosomal copy number alterations were analyzed using the copy number variation plot derived from targeted NGS. FISH was performed to detect 1p deletion, 11q deletion and 17q gain. The copy numbers of 1p, 11q, and 17q obtained via NGS were correlated with those acquired via FISH. The SCAs determined by NGS were matched with those by FISH. Most 17q gain of mismatched cases detected by NGS alone showed a subsegmental gain of 17q. FISH revealed 11q deletion and 17q gain in a few tumor cells of two cases, which were not detected by NGS. NGS can be a sensitive complementary and alternative method to the conventional FISH for detecting SCAs.

As prostate cancer (PCa) is the second most commonly diagnosed cancer worldwide, finding novel markers for prognosis is crucial. BRCA1-associated protein 1 (BAP-1), a nuclear-localized deubiquitinating enzyme, has been reported in several human cancers. However, its prognostic role in PCa remains unknown. Herein, we assessed the prognostic and clinicopathologic significance of BAP-1 in PCa. Seventy surgical specimens from radical prostatectomy cases were examined. Two cores per case were selected for construction of tissue microarrays (TMAs). After the exclusion of two cases because of tissue sparsity, BAP-1 immunohistochemical expression was evaluated in 68 cases of formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded TMA tissue blocks. The immunohistochemical stain was scored according to proportion of nuclear staining: negative (<10% of tumor cells) or positive (≥10% of tumor cells). BAP-1 expression was negative in 30 cases (44.1%) and positive in 38 cases (55.9%). Positive BAP-1 expression was more common in pT3b disease than in pT2 (p=0.038). A high preoperative prostate-specific antigen level was correlated with BAP-1 expression (p=0.014). Age, lymphovascular invasion, perineural invasion, and grade group were not significantly correlated with BAP-1 expression. Patients with positive BAP-1 expression showed significantly shorter disease-free survival (p=0.013). Additionally, BAP-1 was an independent prognostic factor of PCa (p=0.035; hazard ratio, 9.277; 95% confidence interval, 1.165-73.892). Our study findings showed an association of BAP-1 expression with poor PCa prognosis and suggest a potential role for BAP-1 as a prognostic biomarker for PCa.

This report describes an uncommon and fatal case of myocardial infarction due to coronary embolus arising from vegetation in the aortic valve with a background of infective endocarditis (IE). There are various causes of fatal IE. Myocardial infarction due to septic emboli is rare. We report a case of sudden death in a 69-year-old woman with hyperlipidemia and no known cardiac disease. She had severe general weakness and was hospitalized for colonoscopy. The patient unexpectedly presented with cardiac arrest and died. The autopsy showed total occlusion of the left anterior descending artery by an embolus, which originated from the septic vegetation of the aortic valve. Myocardial infarction from septic emboli associated with IE can be fatal and manifested as the first presentation. In autopsy practice of deceased patients with IE, careful examination of the coronary arteries is required.