Introduction : Intravenous rt-PA therapy for acute ischemic stroke patients within 4.5 hours after onset is approved and effective, but is difficult to implement in depopulated areas because of geographical conditions and lack of medical specialists.
Methods : From February 2013 to February 2014, 75 acute ischemic stroke patients were transferred to our hospital, four (5.3%) of which were subjected to the “drip and ship” method of rt-PA infusion using a telemedicine system for emergency medicine (k-support). We examined the time course after onset and the treatment outcome of these four cases
Results : Four cases had rt-PA infusion started in the depopulated area. ln one case, recanalization of occluded vessels was demonstrated resulting in improved clinical symptoms.
Conclusion : The “drip and ship” method of rt-PA infusion using a telemedicine system for emergency medicine (k-support) may be a safe and ideal treatment in depopulated areas.

Objective: In recent years, an association between serum soluble immune checkpoint molecules (sICMs) and malignant tumors has been reported, which may become important biomarkers in the future. Although several reports have suggested a correlation between sICMs and prognosis, their origin is unclear. In this study, changes in serum soluble PD-L1 (sPD-L1) during the perioperative period and its origin were analyzed in patients with lung cancer.Patients and Methods: Patients with lung tumors (n=39) were included. Samples for sPD-L1 measurements were collected at five time points before and after surgery, and their changes over time were analyzed. ELISA was used to measure sPD-L1 levels.Results: Thirty-nine patients with lung tumors (31, males; 8, females; age, 74 (years) ± 7.7 (range: 51–89) years; malignancy/benign, 33/6) were enrolled. Eight cases of driver gene mutation-positive tumors were included. Twenty-eight (72%) patients were smokers, and their performance status was 0-1 in all 39 patients. PD-L1 TPS was ≥50%/1–49%/<1% in 8/10/14 patients. Stage I/II/III/IV/postoperative recurrence of lung cancer was observed in 21/0/6/5/1 patients, respectively. There were no significant correlations between sPD-L1 levels and clinicopathological features and no correlation with PD-L1 TPS. Comparing localized lesions (stages I–III) with advanced lesions (stage IV and postoperative recurrence), the distribution of sPD-L1 was slightly higher in advanced lesions, although the difference was not significant. No obvious changes in sPD-L1 expression were observed before and after surgery.Conclusion: sPD-L1 levels tended to be high in stage III and above lung cancer. There was no change in sPD-L1 levels before and after surgery. sPD-L1 levels did not correlate with the PD-L1 TPS.