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In an attempt to characterize a reservoir in a field, importance is given to living models as it serves critical function in estimating if the reservoir under study is economically viable. Having a good knowledge of electrical response to reservoir rocks is important in characterizing and modeling the behavior of fluids at the subsurface. In this study, core plugs extracted from core barrels in a Niger Delta oil field were analyzed in the laboratory in order to determine the electrical properties of the samples and their relationship with each other and formation fluid. This was achieved by using a brine of a known concentration for simulation of core plugs. Results obtained show that for the unconsolidated sandstone, Formation resistivity factor increases with an increase in confining pressure. This characteristic depends on the porosity of the Formation and type of fluid present. Resistivity values in a reservoir will increase with an increase in capillary pressure and decrease with water saturation. The decrease in cementation exponent increases the rate of permeability in reservoir sand. However, resistivity values decrease with clay presence in reservoir sand.

Background and objective: Follow-up for patients with testicular cancer should ensure early detection of relapses. Optimal schedules and minimum requirements for cross-sectional imaging are not clearly defined, and guideline recommendations differ. Our aim was to analyse the clinical impact of different imaging modalities for detection of relapse in a large prospective cohort (Swiss Austrian German Testicular Cancer Cohort Study, SAG TCCS). Methods: Patients with seminoma or nonseminoma were prospectively enrolled between January 2014 and February 2023 after initial treatment (n = 1175). Follow-up according to the study schedule was individualised for histology and disease stage. Only patients who had received primary treatment were considered. We analysed the total number of imaging modalities and scans identifying relapse and the timing of relapse. Key findings and limitations: We analysed data for 1006 patients (64% seminoma, 36% nonseminoma); 76% had stage I disease. Active surveillance was the most frequent management strategy (65%). Recurrence occurred in 82 patients, corresponding to a 5-yr relapse-free survival rate of 90.1% (95% confidence interval 87.7–92.1%). Median follow-up for patients without relapse was 38.4 mo (interquartile range 21.6–61.0). Cross-sectional imaging of the abdomen was the most important indicator of relapse 57%, abdominal CT accounting for 46% and MRI for 11%. Marker elevation indicated relapse in 24% of cases. Chest X-ray was the least useful modality, indicating relapse in just 2% of cases. Conclusions and clinical implications: On the basis of findings from our prospective register, we have adapted follow-up schedules with an emphasis on abdominal imaging and a reduction in chest X-rays. These schedules might provide additional guidance for clinicians and will be prospectively evaluated as SAG TCCS continues to enrol patients. Patient summary: We analysed the value of different types of imaging scans for detection of relapse of testicular cancer. We used our findings to propose an optimum follow-up schedule for patients with testicular cancer.

Background: Patient preferences for treatment outcomes are important to guide decision-making in clinical practice, but little is known about the preferences of patients with metastatic hormone-sensitive prostate cancer (mHSPC). Objective: To evaluate patient preferences regarding the attributed benefits and harms of systemic treatments for mHSPC and preference heterogeneity between individuals and specific subgroups. Design, setting, and participants: We conducted an online discrete choice experiment (DCE) preference survey among 77 patients with metastatic prostate cancer (mPC) and 311 men from the general population in Switzerland between November 2021 and August 2022. Outcome measurements and statistical analysis: We evaluated preferences and preference heterogeneity related to survival benefits and treatment-related adverse effects using mixed multinomial logit models and estimated the maximum survival time participants were willing to trade to avert specific adverse effects. We further assessed characteristics associated with different preference patterns via subgroup and latent class analyses. Results and limitations: Patients with mPC showed an overall stronger preference for survival benefits in comparison to men from the general population (p = 0.004), with substantial preference heterogeneity between individuals within the two samples (both p

Background: Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) improve overall survival (OS) in advanced/metastatic urothelial cancer (a/mUC) patients. Preliminary evidence suggests a prognostic role of inflammatory biomarkers in this setting. We aimed to develop a disease-specific prognostic inflammatory index for a/mUC patients on ICIs. Methods: Fifteen variables were retrospectively correlated with OS and progression-free survival (PFS) in a development (D, n = 264) and a validation (V, n = 132) cohort of platinum-pretreated a/mUC pts receiving ICIs at L2 or further line. A nomogram and inflammatory prognostic index (U-IPI) were developed. The index was also tested in a control cohort of patients treated with chemotherapy only (C, n = 114). Results: The strongest predictors of OS were baseline platelet/lymphocyte (PLR) and neutrophil/lymphocyte (NLR) ratios, and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), NLR, and albumin changes at 4 weeks. These were used to build the U-IPI, which can distinctly classify patients into good or poor response groups. The nomogram scoring is significant for PFS and OS (p < 0.001 in the D, V, and combined cohorts) for the immunotherapy (IO) cohort, but not for the control cohort. Conclusions: The lack of a baseline systemic inflammatory profile and the absence of early serum inflammatory biomarker changes are associated with significantly better outcomes on ICIs in a/mUC pts. The U-IPI is an easily applicable dynamic prognostic tool for PFS and OS, allowing for the early identification of a sub-group with dismal outcomes that would not benefit from ICIs, while distinguishing another that draws an important benefit.

The management of prostate cancer is undergoing rapid changes in all disease settings. Novel imaging tools for diagnosis have been introduced, and the treatment of high-risk localized, locally advanced and metastatic disease has changed considerably in recent years. From clinical and health-economic perspectives, a rational and optimal use of the available options is of the utmost importance. While international guidelines list relevant pivotal trials and give recommendations for a variety of clinical scenarios, there is much room for interpretation, and several important questions remain highly debated. The goal of developing a national consensus on the use of these novel diagnostic and therapeutic strategies in order to improve disease management and eventually patient outcomes has prompted a Swiss consensus meeting. Experts from several specialties, including urology, medical oncology, radiation oncology, pathology and nuclear medicine, discussed and voted on questions of the current most important areas of uncertainty, including the staging and treatment of high-risk localized disease, treatment of metastatic hormone-sensitive prostate cancer (mHSPC) and use of new options to treat metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC).

Introduction The combination of checkpoint inhibition and cisplatin-based chemotherapy is investigated in muscle invasive bladder cancer (MIBC) and results from phase 2 trials have been presented. Intravesical BCG has been used for non-MIBC (NMIBC) in patients with carcinoma in situ and high-grade Ta/T1 tumours. BCG induces innate and adapted immune response and upregulation of PD-L1 in preclinical models. The proposed trial is intended to implement a new immuno-immuno-chemotherapy induction therapy for MIBC. The combination of BCG and checkpoint inhibition with chemotherapy aims at higher intravesical responses and better local and systemic control of disease.Methods and analysis SAKK 06/19 is an open-label single-arm phase II trial for patients with resectable MIBC T2-T4a cN0-1. Intravesical recombinant BCG (rBCG: VPM1002BC) is applied weekly for three instillations followed by four cycles of neoadjuvant cisplatin/gemcitabine every 3 weeks. Atezolizumab 1200 mg every 3 weeks is started together with rBCG and given for four cycles. All patients then undergo restaging and radical cystectomy and pelvic lymphadenectomy. Atezolizumab is continued as maintenance therapy after surgery every 3 weeks for 13 cycles. Pathological complete remission is the primary endpoint. Secondary endpoints include pathological response rate (

The solid wastes in some waste disposal facilities within Federal Capital Territory, Abuja Nigeria were assessed. They were assessed to know whether they are characteristically hazardous to the environment where they are dumped. The procedure became necessary because the solid wastes in the study are known not to be sorted before disposal. Sorting is needed to separate the hazardous components from non-hazardous components of the solid wastes before they are disposed. The assessment was done in accordance with Resource Conservation and Recovery Act, (RCRA, 1976) of United State Environmental Protection Agency using Toxicity Characteristics Leaching procedure. The procedure shows that the Chromium (Cr) ranges from 3.03mg/L to 11mg/L across the investigated dumpsites, Lead (Pb) ranges from 1.58mg/L to 47.6mg/L across the investigated dumpsites and Cadmium (Cd) ranges from 0.169mg/L to 19.2mg/L across the investigated dumpsites. It can be deduced from the results that the wastes in the investigated dump facilities are characteristically hazardous because the concentration of RCRA metals (Pb, Cr and Cd) are above the USEPA allowable limits.

In an attempt to characterize a reservoir in a field, importance is given to living models as it serves critical function in estimating if the reservoir under study is economically viable. Having a good knowledge of electrical response to reservoir rocks is important in characterizing and modeling the behavior of fluids at the subsurface. In this study, core plugs extracted from core barrels in a Niger Delta oil field were analyzed in the laboratory in order to determine the electrical properties of the samples and their relationship with each other and formation fluid. This was achieved by using a brine of a known concentration for simulation of core plugs. Results obtained show that for the unconsolidated sandstone, Formation resistivity factor increases with increase in confining pressure. This characteristic depends on the porosity of the Formation and type of fluid present. Resistivity values in a reservoir will increase with increase in capillary pressure and decrease with water saturation. Decrease in cementation exponent increases the rate of permeability in reservoir sand. However, resistivity values decrease with clay presence in reservoir sand. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

PURPOSETo describe a newly established international registry recruiting diverse patients with advanced prostate cancer across academic and community practices to address unmet needs in this population.PATIENTS AND METHODSInitiated in 2017, IRONMAN (International Registry for Men with Advanced Prostate Cancer) is a prospective cohort of patients with advanced prostate cancer. The study will enroll 5,000 patients with metastatic hormone-sensitive prostate cancer (mHSPC) or castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC), recruited from Australia, the Bahamas, Barbados, Brazil, Canada, Ireland, Jamaica, Kenya, Nigeria, Norway, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and the United States. The study is collecting datatypes to study variation in care and treatment of advanced prostate cancer across countries and across academic, community-based, and government practices with a focus on clinical outcomes, patient-reported outcomes, epidemiologic data, biologic subtypes, and clinician questionnaires.RESULTSThrough July 2022, 2,682 eligible patients were enrolled in 11 of 12 active countries. Sixty-six percent of patients have mHSPC, and 34% have CRPC. On the basis of self-report, 11% of patients are Black and 9% are Hispanic. Five Veterans Affairs Medical Centers are enrolling patients. Globally, 23% of patients report being veterans of military service.CONCLUSIONTo our knowledge, this is the first international cohort of people newly diagnosed with advanced prostate cancer designed to describe variations in patient management, experiences, and outcomes. IRONMAN aims to identify optimal treatment sequences to improve survival, understand patient-reported outcomes, and explore novel biomarkers to understand treatment resistance mechanisms. Insights from IRONMAN will inform and guide future clinical management of people with mHSPC and CRPC. This cohort study will provide real-world evidence to facilitate a better understanding of the survivorship of people with advanced prostate cancer.

BACKGROUND: Over recent years, the incidence of renal cell carcinoma (RCC) has remained unchanged in Switzerland and is low compared with other European countries. Partial or radical nephrectomy is the mainstay of treatment in patients with localised disease. METHODS: We conducted an analysis of data from the cancer registry of Eastern Switzerland on patients with surgery for RCC from 2009 to 2018, focusing on a comparison of surgical technique and outcome in tertiary and non-tertiary hospitals. RESULTS: 492 nephrectomies were performed. Out of 441 curative procedures, 226 were radical and 195 partial nephrectomies (20 unknown). At the tertiary hospital, statistically significantly more partial nephrectomies were performed in non-metastatic patients than at non-tertiary hospitals. We demonstrate a trend towards better disease-free survival after partial compared with radical nephrectomy. The 5-year overall survival for patients diagnosed between 2009 and 2013 was 85%, 83%, and 70% in stage I, II, and III, respectively, compared with 96%, 78%, and 72% for patients diagnosed between 2014 and 2018. CONCLUSION: RCC incidence in Switzerland has been stable during the past decade in contrast to other European countries, and no stage migration occurred. We demonstrated that patients with localised renal cancer at our tertiary centre were more likely to be treated with renal preserving surgery compared with non-tertiary hospitals. This analysis underlines the importance of local cancer registries in the comparison of treatment and outcome over time.

Rapid innovations for treatment and diagnostic procedures in advanced prostate cancer have led to improved outcomes, although uncertainty remains regarding the best management approach in many clinical situations. The 2019 Advanced Prostate Cancer Consensus Conference (APCCC) addressed these areas of uncertainty with a multidisciplinary international expert panel. A total of 57 experts voted on 123 carefully prepared questions. Primary analysis for APCCC 2019 showed consensus (≥75% agreement on one answer) for 33 questions. Here we investigate whether agreement with the consensus answers differed according to medical discipline and region of practice. Overall there was no compelling evidence for group differences in agreement with the consensus answers: expert subgroups differed no more than could be expected by chance due to differences between individual experts. All questions for which consensus was achieved had at least 50% agreement in each expert subgroup. Furthermore, the set of consensus questions changed only moderately if one of the subgroups was excluded from the panel. The identification of consensus questions and answers at APCCC 2019 appeared to be robust to the composition of the panel and well supported. Patient summary: The Advanced Prostate Cancer Consensus Conference (APCCC) addresses areas of uncertainty with a multidisciplinary panel of experts. We analyzed the decisions of these panelists and grouped them by their medical discipline and their region of practice. For all questions for which consensus (agreement ≥75%) was found, at least 50% of each group agreed, indicating widespread support of these answer choices. This finding strengthens the consensus achieved at APCCC 2019 and provides further guidance for clinicians.

Approximately 420 men are diagnosed with germ-cell cancer (GCC) in Switzerland each year. Recent international guidelines outline management issues, but many aspects remain controversial in an area of highly individualised treatments. Even more than in other tumour types, in GCC the challenge is to choose exactly the correct treatment for an individual patient. Overtreatment in patients likely to be cured must be avoided to reduce long-term toxicities. On the other hand, treatment intensification is required in patients presenting with adverse prognostic factors. Therefore, referral to expert centres or consultations with an expert for a second opinion is strongly recommended. In 2020, Swiss experts discussed their strategies in a consensus meeting during the virtual Swiss Oncology and Haematology Congress (SOHC) in order to harmonise their concepts and to suggest optimal strategies for the management of GCC patients in Switzerland. Votes on controversial issues were obtained and are presented in this review wherever applicable.

3D seismic data and well logs have been used to map the structure and stratigraphy in Z-Field Niger Delta where identification of reservoir facies is a major challenge to plan delineation and development drilling. A network of faults and four horizons, A, B, C and D were identified and mapped. Time and depth structure maps of the top of the reservoir of interest show the hydrocarbon bearing structure is a fault-assisted anticlinal dependent structure. Gamma ray and resistivity logs in four exploratory wells were utilized to delineate formation lithologies (facies). The target horizon C (top of sand) was selected for seismic structural mapping. Two major faults (F1, F2) were identified on the time and depth structural maps and a network of other fault structures were identified and interpreted on the seismic sections. The quality of the reservoirs in the "Z-field" Niger Delta is moderate to good and in some distal reservoirs, they are excellent. The average porosity values are approximately the same, but have variations in permeability which could be as a result of compaction of the older reservoirs on the proximal part of the field (Wells A-20 & A-30). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cancer is mostly incurable when diagnosed at a metastatic stage, making its early detection via blood proteins of immense clinical interest. Proteomic changes in tumor tissue may lead to changes detectable in the protein composition of circulating blood plasma. Using a proteomic workflow combining N-glycosite enrichment and SWATH mass spectrometry, we generate a data resource of 284 blood samples derived from patients with different types of localized-stage carcinomas and from matched controls. We observe whether the changes in the patient’s plasma are specific to a particular carcinoma or represent a generic signature of proteins modified uniformly in a common, systemic response to many cancers. A quantitative comparison of the resulting N-glycosite profiles discovers that proteins related to blood platelets are common to several cancers (e.g., THBS1), whereas others are highly cancer-type specific. Available proteomics data, including a SWATH library to study N-glycoproteins, will facilitate follow-up biomarker research into early cancer detection.

Prostate Cancer (PCa) diagnosis is currently hampered by the high false-positive rate of PSA evaluations, which consequently may lead to overtreatment. Non-invasive methods with increased specificity and sensitivity are needed to improve diagnosis of significant PCa. We developed and technically validated four individual immunoassays for cathepsin D (CTSD), intercellular adhesion molecule 1 (ICAM1), olfactomedin 4 (OLFM4), and thrombospondin 1 (THBS1). These glycoproteins, previously identified by mass spectrometry using a Pten mouse model, were measured in clinical serum samples for testing the capability of discriminating PCa positive and negative samples. The development yielded 4 individual immunoassays with inter and intra-variability (CV)

In the last three years, five novel treatments have been shown to improve survival in metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC). These novel treatments have distinct mechanisms of action: tubulin-binding chemotherapy (cabazitaxel); immunotherapy (sipuleucel-T); CYP-17 inhibition (abiraterone); androgen receptor (AR) blockade (enzalutamide); and radioisotope therapy (radium-223). For a number of years, docetaxel was the only treatment with a proven survival benefit for patients with CRPC. Therefore, somewhat artificially, three treatment spaces for drug development in CRPC have emerged: pre-docetaxel; docetaxel combinations; and post-docetaxel. For patients progressing after docetaxel-based chemotherapy, treatment options available outside of clinical trials now include abiraterone, cabazitaxel and enzalutamide. Prospective data on how to best use these novel agents sequentially are not available. Clinicians face the difficult task of choosing between treatment options for individual patients to maximize patient benefit. Treatment evaluation in patients with CRPC remains challenging due to the predominance of bone metastatic disease and the lack of validated surrogate markers for survival. This review summarizes the data available with regards to sequencing of the novel treatments for CRPC.