Double-blind, randomised, placebo controlled, parallel group study of sativex® in the treatment of patients with peripheral neuropathic pain, associated with allodynia [poster]

No abstract available

Pressure perturbations from geologic carbon sequestration: Area-of-review boundaries and borehole leakage driving forces

We investigate the possibility that brine could be displaced upward into potable water through wells. Because of the large volumes of CO2 to be injected, the influence of the zone of elevated pressure on potential conduits such as well boreholes could extend many kilometers from the injection site—farther than the CO2 plume itself. The traditional approach to address potential brine leakage related to fluid injection is to set an area of fixed radius around the injection well/zone and to examine wells and other potentially open pathways located in the “Area-of-Review” (AoR). This suggests that the AoR needs to be defined in terms of the potential for a given pressure perturbation to drive upward fluid flow in any given system rather than on some arbitrary pressure rise. We present an analysis that focuses on the changes in density/salinity of the fluids in the potentially leaking wellbore.Bureau of Economic Geolog

Capacity investigation of brine-bearing sands of the Frio Formation for geologic sequestration of CO2

The capacity of fluvial brine-bearing formations to sequester CO2 is investigated using numerical simulations of CO2 injection and storage. Capacity is defined as the volume fraction of the subsurface available for CO2 storage and is conceptualized as a product of factors that account for two-phase flow and transport processes, formation geometry, formation heterogeneity, and formation porosity. The space and time domains used to define capacity must be chosen with care to obtain meaningful results, especially when comparing different authors’ work. Physical factors that impact capacity include permeability anisotropy and relative permeability to CO2, brine/CO2 density and viscosity ratios, the shape of the trapping structure, formation porosity and the presence of low permeability layering.National Energy Technology LaboratoryBureau of Economic Geolog

Bloch points in nanostrips

Complex magnetic materials hosting topologically non-trivial particle-like objects such as skyrmions are under intensive research and could fundamentally change the way we store and process data. One important class of materials are helimagnetic materials with Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction. Recently, it was demonstrated that nanodisks consisting of two layers with opposite chirality can host a single stable Bloch point of two different types at the interface between the layers. Using micromagnetic simulations we show that FeGe nanostrips consisting of two layers with opposite chirality can host multiple coexisting Bloch points in an arbitrary combination of the two different types. We show that the number of Bloch points that can simultaneously coexist depends on the strip geometry and the type of the individual Bloch points. Our simulation results allow us to predict strip geometries suitable for an arbitrary number of Bloch points. We show an example of an 80-Bloch-point configuration verifying the prediction

Expert-based development of a standard in CO2 sequestration monitoring technology

Bureau of Economic Geolog

An in vivo coil setup for AC magnetic field-mediated magnetic nanoparticle heating experiments

In vitro and in vivo evaluation of magnetic nanoparticles in relation to magnetic fluid hyperthermia (MFH) treatment is an on-going quest. This current paper demonstrates the design, fabrication, and evaluation of an in vivo coil setup for real-time, whole body thermal imaging. Numerical calculations estimating the flux densities, and in silico analysis suggest that the proposed in vivo coil setup could be used for real-time thermal imaging during MFH experiments (within the limitations due to issues of penetration depth). Suchin silicoevaluations provide insightsinto the designofsuitable AMF applicators for AC magnetic field-mediated in vivoMNP heating as demonstrated in this study

Leveraging Geologic CO2 Storage Technology for CO2-EOR Management

Enhanced oil recovery (EOR) through CO2 injection has evolved from the laboratory testing and field piloting phases in the early 1970s to the widespread and refined operations of today. Over the last 20 years, geological CO2 storage (GCS) has emerged as a promising approach to dispose of large volumes of CO2. Much of the early advances in the operational aspects of GCS were learned from CO2-EOR. However, given its “newness� and the health, safety, and environment (HSE) concerns related to CO2 emissions, considerable fundamental and applied research with heavily instrumented GCS field projects, from pilot to commercial scale, has produced data not ordinarily available from conventional CO2-EOR studies. A key exception is the Weyburn-Midale CO2-EOR project in Saskatchewan, Canada, which has had a dedicated characterization, reservoir dynamics and surveillance program in operation since 2000. Even though many of the processes and workflows for these two operations are similar, significant differences do exist primarily because of the different objectives and regulatory environments that exist for CO2-EOR and CO2 storage projects. Fundamentally, CO2 storage tools and processes are geared toward developing a much more detailed understanding of the storage system and the physical and chemical processes accompanying CO2 injection, with monitoring and surveillance being conducted during the pre-operational, operational, and post-operational stages of a project. Pre-operational monitoring for a CO2-EOR project is primarily focused on understanding the reservoir physical and petrophysical properties as well as the properties of the reservoir and injected fluids. Surveillance in the operational phase of an EOR flood is limited, with emphasis being placed on monitoring injection pressures and rates as well as the volumes and properties of the injected and produced fluids. Lessons learned from GCS research and field tests will likely benefit CO2-EOR project performance by employing aspects of characterization, simulation and surveillance. This study reviews the predictive and diagnostic tools currently applied to GCS projects and infers how their deployment might improve CO2-EOR projects. These improvements might include project conformance, CO2 utilization / oil produced, field management, and containment risks.Bureau of Economic Geolog

Broadening the Debate About Post-trial Access to Medical Interventions: A Qualitative Study of Participant Experiences at the End of a Trial Investigating a Medical Device to Support Type 1 Diabetes Self-Management.

Increasing ethical attention and debate is focusing on whether individuals who take part in clinical trials should be given access to post-trial care. However, the main focus of this debate has been upon drug trials undertaken in low-income settings. To broaden this debate, we report findings from interviews with individuals (n = 24) who participated in a clinical trial of a closed-loop system, which is a medical device under development for people with type 1 diabetes that automatically adjusts blood glucose to help keep it within clinically recommended ranges. Individuals were recruited from UK sites and interviewed following trial close-out, at which point the closed-loop had been withdrawn. While individuals were stoical and accepting of the requirement to return the closed-loop, they also conveyed varying degrees of distress. Many described having relaxed diabetes management practices while using the closed-loop and having become deskilled as a consequence, which made reverting back to pre-trial regimens challenging. Participants also described unanticipated consequences arising from using a closed-loop. As well as deskilling, these included experiencing psychological and emotional benefits that could not be sustained after the closed-loop had been withdrawn and participants reevaluating their pre- and post-trial life in light of having used a closed-loop and now perceiving this life much more negatively. Participants also voiced frustrations about experiencing better blood glucose control using a closed-loop and then having to revert to using what they now saw as antiquated and imprecise self-management tools. We use these findings to argue that ethical debates about post-trial provisioning need to be broadened to consider potential psychological and emotional harms, and not just clinical harms, that may result from withdrawal of investigated treatments. We also suggest that individuals may benefit from information about potential nonclinical harms to help make informed decisions about trial participation.NIHR, JDR

Adaptability of Closed-Loop during Labour, Delivery and Postpartum: A secondary analysis of data from two randomized crossover trials in type 1 diabetes pregnancy

Background: Tight glucose control during labour and delivery is recommended for pregnant women with type 1 diabetes. This can be challenging to achieve using the current treatment modalities. The automated nature of closed-loop and its ability to adapt to real-time glucose levels make it well suited for use during labour, delivery and the immediate postpartum period. Methods: We report observational data of participants from two randomized crossover trials who chose to continue using closed-loop during labour, delivery and postpartum. Labour was defined as the 24 hours prior to delivery and postpartum as the 48 hours after delivery. The glucose target range during pregnancy was 3.5-7.8mmol/L (63-140mg/dL) and 3.9-10mmol/L (70-180mg/dL) after delivery. Results: Twenty-seven (84.4%) of the potential 32 trial participants used closed-loop through labor, delivery, and postpartum. Use of closed-loop was associated with 82.0% (IQR 49.3,93.0) time-in-target range during labor and delivery and a mean glucose of 6.9±1.4mmol/L (124±25mg/dL). Closed-loop performed well throughout vaginal, elective and emergency caesarean section deliveries. Postpartum, women spent 83.3% (IQR 75.2,94.6) time-in-target range (3.9-10.0mmol/L [70-180mg/dL]), with a mean glucose of 7.2±1.4mmol/L (130±25mg/dL). There was no difference in maternal glucose concentration between mothers of infants with and without neonatal hypoglycemia (6.9±1.6 and 6.8±1.1 mmol/L [124±29 and 122±20mg/dL] respectively; p=0.84). Conclusions: Automated closed-loop insulin delivery is feasible during hospital admissions for labour, delivery and postpartum. Larger scale studies are needed to evaluate its efficacyThe trials were funded by the National Institute for Health Research (HRM Career Development Fellowship, CDF-2013-06-035), Diabetes UK (BDA 07/0003551), Gates Cambridge Trust PhD fellowship (ZAS), Jean Hailes for Women’s Health (ZAS); Allen-Carey Scholarship in Women’s Health (JMY) and a grant from the NIHR Cambridge Biomedical Research Centre (RH). Abbott Diabetes Care supplied discounted CGM devices, sensors, and details of communication protocol to facilitate real-time connectivity. HRM conducts independent research supported by the National Institute for Health Research