Hepatic intra-arterial versus intravenous fotemustine in patients with liver metastases from uveal melanoma (EORTC 18021): a multicentric randomized trial

Despite an improved antitumor efficacy as noticed by an enhanced response rate and an improved progression-free survival, the hepatic intra-arterial fotemustine did not increase the overall survival of uveal melanoma patients with liver metastases only. We propose to consider intrahepatic treatment as an experimental approac

Alumina-catalysed derivatisation of sesquiterpene lactones

1047-104

Demographics of infertility and management of unexplained infertility

Peer reviewedPostprin

Efficacy, Safety, and Quality of Life (Qol) Data from the Eortc 18071 Phase III Trial of Ipilimumab (Ipi) Versus Placebo After Complete Resection of Stage III Melanoma

n/

Noninvasive Diagnosis of Visceral Leishmaniasis:Development and Evaluation of Two Urine-Based Immunoassays for Detection of Leishmania donovani Infection in India

Visceral leishmaniasis (VL), one of the most prevalent parasitic diseasesin the developing world causes serious health concerns. Post kala-azar dermal leishmaniasis (PKDL) is a skin disease which occurs after treatment as a sequel to VL. Parasitological diagnosis involves invasive tissue aspiration which is tedious and painful. Commercially available immunochromatographic rapid diagnostic test such as rK39-RDT is used for field diagnosis of VL, detects antibodiesin serum samples. Urine sample is however, much easier in collection,storage and handling than serum and would be a better alternative where collection of tissue aspirate or blood is impractical. In this study, we have developed and evaluated the performance of two urine-based diagnostic assays, ELISA and dipstick test, and compared the results with serologicalrK39-RDT. Our study shows the capability of urinebased tests in detecting anti-Leishmania antibodies effectively for both VL and PKDL diagnosis. The ability of dipstick test to demonstrate negative results after six months in 90% of the VL cases after treatment could be useful as a test of clinical cure. Urine-based tests can therefore replace the need for invasive practices and ensure better diagnosi

Quality of life, coping strategies and support needs of women seeking Traditional Chinese Medicine for infertility and viable pregnancy in Australia: a mixed methods approach

Extent: 11p.Background: Infertility affects about 15% of couples in Western-societies with most progressing to fertility clinics for treatment. Despite being common, infertility is often experienced as a lonely road for affected couples. In this paper we expand on our previously published findings of women’s experiences with infertility or difficulty of viable pregnancy who had sought Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) therapy in Australia, and focus on women’s quality of life, coping strategies, and support needs. Methods: We applied mixed methods using the Tuebingen Quality of Life and the COPE questionnaires and in-depth interviews with 25 women with primary or secondary infertility, recurrent miscarriages or unexplained stillbirth, and who had consulted a TCM practitioner. We used a thematic approach to analyse the interviews, and descriptive statistics to evaluate questionnaire responses. Results: Women reported through both questionnaires and interviews compromised quality of life due to the high level of distress, guilt, grief, and frustration caused by infertility. However, our women represented a highly motivated sample, actively seeking alternative support. While the TCM approach to infertility management increased women’s sense of personal agency and control through education and continuity of care, the need for greater understanding and support on a societal level remains. Conclusions: In infertility, ongoing emotional and instrumental support is pivotal to the wellbeing and quality of life of the affected. Traditional Chinese Medicine addresses some support needs in infertility not routinely available in the Western model of care. More peer-led and professional-led support groups are greatly needed for women experiencing infertility to help break isolation and raise awareness of integrative approaches to fertility management.Karin Ried and Ann Alfre

Numerical Investigations of Coherent Structures in Axial Flow in Single Rod-Channel Geometry

In order to ramp up the conversion ratios and burn-up of nuclear reactors, it is inevitable to go to tightly packed fuel rods in the reactor. These nuclear reactors with tightly packed rod-bundles are characterized by interesting flow patterns, different from the ones encountered in regular channel and pipe flows. The correct prediction and control of the flow distribution is essential for the reactor design and safety assessment, and has been an active area of research in reactor thermal-hydraulics. Apart from the axial flow of coolant parallel to the rod bundles, there exists cross-flow between the sub-channels. The cross-flow promotes homogeneous enthalpy distribution and enhanced mixing between the coolant flowing in the sub-channels. Turbulent mixing is an important phenomenon, which influences the flow and temperature patterns in the rod bundles. Large-scale coherent structures along with transverse flow pulsations have been identified in the rod-rod and rod-wall gap regions. This large-scale structure has a quasi-periodic behavior and is considered an important factor for high mixing-rate. The aim of this work is to get a better understanding of the flow in a rod-bundle. This is done by performing numerical investigations on a simplified rod-channel geometry. The Unsteady Reynolds Averaged Navier Stokes equations are solved using the Computational Fluid Dynamics software OpenFOAM. Extensive benchmark and validation studies were done in order to determine the simulation technique that offers a good balance between computational cost and accuracy. The flow dynamics and the transport and mixing of a passive scalar due to the coherent structures are studied. Different turbulence models were used to study their effect on flow dynamics, and no major differences were observed. Following this, the computationally cheaper k-epsilon turbulence model with wall functions was chosen for the simulations. The time required for flow development in this geometry was significantly higher than that in regular turbulent channel or pipe flow. This led to different results than the ones observed in the experiments and in previous simulation results published in the literature. It was concluded that the flow in the experiments was not fully developed and that probably not enough time was used to allow flow development in the previous simulations. Our results indicate that the shear-layer becomes thinner and the number of structures decreased with flow development, which would explain the higher number of structures found in previous simulations. High values of velocity fluctuations and the kinetic energy due to these fluctuations indicated the presence of structures in the near-gap region. Large-scale three-dimensional counter-rotating sledge-shaped structures were observed via the flow visualization of resolved velocity. These structures were not only restricted to the gap region, but encompassed the entire flow domain. The high periodicity and stability of these structures indicate that they are not turbulence structures. The effect of gap-size on the coherent structures was studied, and this study suggested that the presence of more than one mechanism for the formation of these structures. A critical gap-size was obtained, at which the intensity of the structures has a maximum value, and a cut-off gap size was identified, at which a transition takes place between the two mechanisms. The coherent structures were found to play a significant role in both the transport and mixing of the passive scalar. The contribution were similar to that of the turbulent diffusion. The simulations indicate that the effect of the coherent structures on the transport and mixing of a passive scalar is of the same order of magnitude of the effect of the turbulent diffusion.Chemical EngineeringRadiation, Radionuclides & ReactorsApplied Science