Abstract 209: Does ECPR for the Younger Patients Who Has Long Downtime Improve Neurological Outcome?

Introduction: It have reported previously that extracorporeal cardiopulmonary resuscitation (ECPR) for out of hospital cardiac arrest should induct within 45 minutes from collapse. However, We often encounter patients with favorable neurological outcome who had longer time interval from collapse to induction of V-A ECMO (Downtime: DT). We analyzed that relation about neurological outcome and DT for patients undergone ECPR. Methods: In this single center retrospective study, from January 2010 to April 2019, we identified 147 patients who underwent ECPR. Of these, 87 patients (59%) had shorter DT (≦45min:Group S), and 60 patients (41%) had longer DT (≧46min:Group L). We compared neurological outcome between two groups. Glasgow-Pittsburgh Cerebral Performance Category (CPC) 1-2 was defined as favorable neurological outcome, CPC3-5 was defined as unfavorable outcome at 3 months. Results were expressed as Median (IQR). Results: Patient characteristics were not different between the two groups. DT were 37 min (32-42: Group S) and 57 min (50-64: Group L). 51 % of the patients in Group S (46 patients) were alive at 3 month, as compared with 35% in Group L (21 patients) (p: 0.05). At the 3 month follow up, Group S had a higher rate of favorable neurological outcome than Group L (39% (34 patients) vs 28% (17 patients) (p:0.18 ). In younger patients (≦65y.o), the rate of favorable neurological outcome were roughly equal in each groups (Group S: 41% (20/48 patients) vs 37% (11/30 patients) ) (p:0.51). Conclusions: Because it is possible younger patients with cardiac arrest had a favorable neurological outcome, even if they had longer DT, it should consider the expanded adaptation of ECPR.

UNESCO activities in Africa for the 2014 International Year of Crystallography (IYCr)

Following the United Nations General Assembly (Decision A/66/L.51) declaration of 2014 as the International Year of Crystallography (IYCr2014), UNESCO and IUCr received a strong mandate to coordinate the activities of the Year in order to tackle the global disaffection from science and scientific careers, namely in crystallography, that threatens scientific enterprise innovation and sustainability and, consequently, the prospects for using science for development, especially in Africa. In addition, the crystallography capacity-gap between the wealthiest and the poorest regions of the world is increasing due to brain drain, the weakness of local expertise, the absence of linkage between science policy and the regional community of crystallographers, as well as the lack of inclusion of Africa in international scientific cooperation. For developing countries in Africa, it is therefore vital to be in a position to exploit the opportunities that crystallography and the IYCr2014 offer in terms of building, nurturing and maintaining a critical mass of highly qualified, innovative scientists, students and engineers in crystallography-related fields. For all those reasons, UNESCO seizes the opportunities presented by the International Year to foster crystallography education, research and cooperation and its use and applications, which are providing solutions to some of the developmental challenges that Africa is facing today. Some of the UNESCO/IUCr flagships initiatives echoing to this strategy are both the IUCr-UNESCO OpenLabs (a network of operational crystallographic laboratories) in Africa and the Regional Summit meeting in Bloemfontein, South Africa.

Biochemical response to ketoconazole therapy in post-chemotherapy mCRPC patients.

174 Background: Ketoconazole for the treatment of metastatic castration resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) has never been investigated in randomized trials. In fact, although ketoconazole is a less potent inhibitor of the CYP-17 enzyme systems compared to abiraterone, there is no head-to-head evidence demonstrating that this translates into improved survival. We analyzed biochemical response rates in post-chemotherapy mCRPC patients who were treated with ketoconazole 200 mg TID plus prednisone 5 mg BID at a single center in Denmark. Methods: Between 2008 and 2012, where neither abiraterone nor enzalutamide was available in Denmark, a total of 30 post-chemotherapy mCRPC patients were managed with ketoconazole. Percent change in prostate-specific antigen (PSA) and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) from baseline were registered. Overall survival was calculated from the initiation of ketoconazole. Results: At initiation of ketoconazole, median age was 66 (range: 58 to 76). Median PSA was 547 ng/ml (65 to 4,241). Median ALP was 159 U/L (51 to 750). The median number of prior cancer therapies was five (three to nine). The median time on ketoconazole treatment was 150 days (14 to 648). A total of 44% patients had any decline in PSA, whereof 31% experienced a decline of >=50%. At three months, a total of 19 patients still received ketoconazole, whereof 26% sustained a PSA decline of >=50% from baseline. A total of 71% experienced any decline in ALP, whereof 36% experienced a maximum decline of >=50%. At three months, 7 of 19 patients (36%) sustained an ALP decline of >=50% from baseline. At follow-up, 28 of 30 patients had died. The median overall survival was 10.5 months (95%CI: 8.3-12.6). Conclusions: Compared to the post-chemotherapy phase II study of abiraterone (58 patients) our cohort most likely had a larger tumor burden (e.g. higher PSA, more therapies prior to start of ketoconazole). Nonetheless, we demonstrated a reasonably comparable maximum >=50% PSA response-rate (43% in phase II) and three-months response-rate >=50% (36% in phase II). Also a significant decline in ALP was demonstrated here which has not been reported in abiraterone trials. Given the large difference in expenditure, a head-to-head comparison of abiraterone and ketoconazole in mCRPC patients still seem justified.

Evaluation of Compact and Effective Air-Cooled Carbon Foam Heat Sink

This study investigates a V-shaped corrugated carbon foam heat sink for thermal management of electronics with forced air convection. Experiments were conducted to determine the heat sink performance in terms of heat transfer coefficient and pressure drop. The test section, with overall dimensions of 51 mm L×51 mm W×19 mm H, enabled up to 166 W of heat dissipation, and 3280 W/m2 K and 2210 W/m2 K heat transfer coefficients, based on log mean and air inlet temperatures, respectively, at 7.8 m/s air flow speed, and 1320 Pa pressure loss. Compared to a solid carbon foam, the V-shaped corrugated structure enhances the heat transfer, and at the same time reduces the flow resistance. Physical mechanisms underlying the observed phenomena are briefly explained. With benefits that potentially can reduce overall weight, volume, and cost of the air-cooled electronics, the present V-shaped corrugated carbon foam emerges as an alternative heat sink.

The effect of spiromesifen on the reproductive potential of Tetranychus urticae koch (Acari: Tetranychidae)

Laboratory bioassays were conducted to evaluate the effects of spiromesifen on the fecundity, fertility and population growth of two-spotted spider mite (Tetranychus urticae Koch) after treatment of pre-ovipositing females with five acaricide concentrations: 180 mg/l (maximum recommended concentration for use in glasshouses against spider mites), 18 mg/l, 1.8 mg/l and 0.18 mg/l (the last one was discriminative for eggs and immatures in preliminary studies, i.e. produced 100% mortality of those stages) and 0.018 mg/l. After 24h exposure, the percentages of females surviving treatment without visible symptoms of poisoning were 50% (180 mg/l), 45% (18 mg/l), 51% (1.8 mg/l), 74% (0.18 mg/l), 96% (0.018 mg/l) and 98% (0 mg/l). Over the first four days after treatment, the females that survived 180 mg/l and 18 mg/l laid no eggs. The total number of eggs laid after treatment with these two concentrations was reduced to less than 2% against the control by the end of the trial. The females that survived 1.8 mg/l laid 50% less eggs, compared to the control, while the number of eggs laid by the females treated with 0.18 mg/l and 0.018 mg/l were 19% and 4% lower, respectively. Over the initial four days, egg hatch rates in treatments were 73-87%, and 92-93% in the control. Significant statistical differences between gross fecundity (FCg) and gross fertility (FTg) values in the control and treatments were detected for females surviving 180 mg/l, 18 mg/l and 1.8 mg/l. On the other hand, only the net fertility (FTn) value of females treated with 0.018 mg/l showed no statistically significant difference from the control value. Treatments with 180 mg/l and 18 mg/l significantly reduced the instantaneous rate of increase (ri) 6, 8 and 10 days after treatment, compared to the control. The negative ri values in those treatments indicated a declining population. Sublethal effects of spiromesifen and its impact on T. urticae management are discussed.

Age, growth, and reproductive season of bluefish (Pomatomus saltatrix) in the Marmara region, Turkey

Ceyhan, T., Akyol, O., Ayaz, A., and Juanes, F. 2007. Age, growth, and reproductive season of bluefish (Pomatomus saltatrix) in the Marmara region, Turkey. – ICES Journal of Marine Science, 64: 531–536. Bluefish (Pomatomus saltatrix) are distributed widely along the Turkish coasts, and are regularly captured, especially in the Sea of Marmara during their spawning migration to the Black Sea from the Mediterranean in spring and during their return migration south in early autumn. Age, growth, and reproductive season are reported. The ages of 1114 bluefish were determined from otoliths. The age groups ranged from 0 to III, and mean fork lengths (and weights) were 14.4 ± 0.12 cm (38.2 ± 1.02 g), 19.5 ± 0.06 cm (93.7 ± 0.86 g), 27.5 ± 0.48 cm (238.5 ± 11.3 g), and 33.3 ± 0.50 cm (431.9 ± 17.08 g) for each age group, respectively. The von Bertalanffy growth parameters were L∞ = 51 cm, K = 0.228, and t0 = −1.26 y. The reproductive period, evaluated from gonadosomatic indices, began in early spring and extended until August.

Uridine glucuronosyltransferase 2B7 polymorphisms and epirubicin pharmacokinetics

13071 Background: Epirubicin (epi) is a widely used anthracycline for the treatment of breast cancer. In contrast to its optical isomer doxorubicin, epi is predominantly glucuronidated by uridine glucuronosyltransferase 2B7 (UGT2B7). UGT2B7 has a T to C polymorphism at position -161 in the enhancer region which correlated with efficacy of morphine glucuronidation (Sawyer et al. Clin Pharmcol Ther 2003). Methods: We performed a prospective pharmacogenetic study of FEC100 (5-fluorouracil 500 mg/m2, Epi 100 mg/m2 and cyclophosphamide 500 mg/m2) given every 3 wks in early stage breast cancer pts. Drug levels were drawn at 1 and 24 hrs. We have determined levels of epi, epi-glucuronide (epiG), epirubicinol (epiol), and epiol-glucuronide (epiolG) in 78 of the 120 pts. The levels of epi and its metabolites were measured using an HPLC with fluorescence detection using the method of Fogli et al with modifications. Patient characteristics-median (range): age 50 (28 - 67), sex 77 F/ 1 M, baseline AST 22 U/L (13–66), ALT 20 U/L (5–90), bilirubin 7 umol/L (2–24), creatinine 73 umol/L (51–126). Results: 14 pts were TT homozygotes, 45 were CT heterozygotes, and 19 were CC homozygotes. Concentrations (ng/ml, median (range)) of epi, epiG, epiol, and epiolG at 1 hr respectively were 91 (39–481), 280 (0–981) 76 (14–212) 76 (0–276). There was no relationship between epiG concentration and genotype: 315 (median) TT, 263 CT, 288 CC. Patients with a TT genotype had a lower epiol concentrations (median, ng/ml) at 24 hr: 12 TT, 23 CT, 25 CC; p = 0.04. Conclusions: This analysis shows a relationship between UGT2B7 genotype and epi pharmacokinetics. We are completing analysis of all 120 samples and plan to perform a formal NONMEM analysis. No significant financial relationships to disclose.

Increasing the capacity for treatment of chemical plant wastewater by replacing existing suspended carrier media with Kaldnes Moving Bed(tm) media at a plant in Singapore

The Kaldnes biomedia K1, which is used in the patented Kaldnes Moving Bed(tm) biofilm process, has been tested along with other types of biofilm carriers for biological pretreatment of a complex chemical industry wastewater. The main objective of the test was to find a biofilm carrier that could replace the existing suspended carrier media and at the same time increase the capacity of the existing roughing filter-activated sludge plant by 20% or more. At volumetric organic loads of 7.1 kg COD/m3/d the Kaldnes Moving Bed™ process achieved much higher removal rates and much lower effluent concentrations than roughing filters using other carriers. The Kaldnes roughing stage achieved more than 85% removal of organic carbon and more than 90% removal of BOD5 at the tested organic load, which was equivalent to a specific biofilm surface area load of 24 g COD/m2/d. Even for the combined roughing filter-activated sludge process, the Kaldnes carriers outperformed the other carriers, with 98% removal of organic carbon and 99.6% removal of BOD5. The Kaldnes train final effluent concentrations were only 22 mg FOC/L and 7 mg BOD5/L. Based on the successful pilot testing, the full-scale plant was upgraded with Kaldnes Moving Bed™ roughing filters. During normal operation the upgraded plant has easily met the discharge limits of 100 mg COD/L and 50 mg SS/L. For the month of September 2002, with organic loads between 100 and 115% of the design load for the second half of the month, average effluent concentrations were as low as 9 mg FOC/L, 51 mg COD/L and 12 mg SS/L.