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Ravit Geva,1,2 Loredana Vecchione,2 Sabine Tejpar,2 Hubert Piessevaux,3 Eric Van Cutsem,2 Hans Prenen21Gastrointestinal Malignancies Service, Oncology Division, Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center, Tel Aviv, Israel; 2Department of Gastroenterology, Digestive Oncology Unit, University Hospitals Leuven, Leuven, Belgium; 3Department of Gastroenterology, Cliniques Universitaires Saint-Luc, Brussels, BelgiumPurpose: The combination of chemotherapy and bevacizumab, a monoclonal antibody targeting the vascular endothelial growth factor, is consistently being used as first- and second-line treatment in patients with metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC). There is little data of the activity of bevacizumab in chemorefractory mCRC patients. The aim of this retrospective single center study was to evaluate the activity of bevacizumab combined with chemotherapy in this study population.Methods: Forty-six consecutive mCRC patients treated in the University Hospital Gasthuisberg (Leuven, Belgium) receiving bevacizumab in advanced lines following failure of conventional chemotherapy were included in this study. Treatment regimen consisted of bevacizumab 5 mg/kg in combination with leucovorin, 5-fluorouracil, and oxaliplatin (FOLFOX) or leucovorin, 5-fluorouracil, and irinotecan (FOLFIRI).Results: Bevacizumab plus chemotherapy was used in third-line treatment in eight (17%) patients and in fourth-line treatment or more in 38 patients (83%). All patients previously failed irinotecan-based chemotherapy, 44 (96%) failed oxaliplatin-based regimens, and 40 (87%) failed treatment with cetuximab. Bevacizumab was given in combination with irinotecan-based chemotherapy in 36 patients, oxaliplatin-based chemotherapy in nine patients, and with single agent 5-fluorouracil in one patient. Objective response was demonstrated in ten patients (22%) and disease control in 38 (83%) with a median progression-free survival of 8.9 months and a median overall survival of 13.8 months. Only four patients experienced grade III and above bevacizumab-related toxicity.Conclusion: Taking into account the retrospective nature of the study which can influence the selection of patients, bevacizumab given in advanced lines after failure of conventional chemotherapy and antiepidermal growth factor receptor agents can result in high disease control rates in patients with mCRC.Keywords: colorectal cancer, bevacizumab, chemorefractory

Thanks to a coordinated funding by the European Space Agency (ESA) and the European Commission (EC) within the 7th framework program, the High-Speed Experimental Fly Vehicles – International (HEXAFLY-INT) project is aimed at the flight validation of hypersonics technologies enabling future trans-atmospheric flights. The project, which is currently involving partners from Europe, Russian Federation and Australia operating under ESA/ESTEC coordination, will achieve the goal of designing, manufacturing, assembling and flight testing an unpowered high speed vehicle in a glider configuration by 2018. The main technical challenges of the project are specifically related to the design of the vehicle gliding configuration and to the complexity of integrating breakthrough technologies with standard aeronautical technologies, e.g. high temperature protection system and airframe cold structures. Also, the sonic boom impact, which is one of the environmental challenges of the high speed flight, will be assessed. This paper provides a comprehensive and detailed update on all the current projects activities carried out to date on both the vehicle and mission design., {"references":["Steelant J., 'Achievements obtained for sustained hypersonic flight within the LAPCAT project', 15th AIAA International Space Planes and Hypersonic Systems and Technologies Conference. Dayton, OH: AIAA 2008-2578, 2008.","Steelant J., Varvill R., Defoort S., Hanneman K. and Marini M.' 'Achievements Obtained for Sustained Hypersonic Flight within the LAPCAT-II Project', 20th AIAA International Space Planes and Hypersonic Systems and Technologies Conference, 06-09 July 2015, AIAA-2015-3677, Glasgow (UK).","Steelant J., \"Achievements obtained on Aero-Thermal Loaded Materials for High-Speed Atmospheric Vehicles within ATLLAS\", AIAA-2009-7225, 16th AIAA/DLR/DGLR International Space Planes and Hypersonic Systems and Technologies Conference, Bremen, Germany, October 19th-22nd, 2009.","Bouchez M. et al., 'Combustor and Material Integration for High Speed Aircraft in the European Research Program ATLLAS2', 19th AIAA Hypersonic Space Plane Conference, Atlanta, Georgia, US, AIAA-2014-2950.","Steelant J., Langener T., Hannemann K., Riehmer J., Kuhn M., Dittert C., Jung W., Marini M., Pezzella G., Cicala M. and Serre L., 'Conceptual Design of the High-Speed Propelled Experimental Flight Test Vehicle HEXAFLY', 20th Int. Space Planes and Hypersonic Systems and Technology Conference, AIAA-2015-3539, 5-8 July 2015, Glasgow, UK.","V. Carandente et al., \"Finite Element Thermal Design of the Hexafly-INT Experimental Flight Test Vehicle\", 6th European Conference for Aeronautics and Space Sciences (EUCASS), Krakòv, Poland, July 2015."]}

Background: Adjuvant chemoradiotherapy does not represent the standard of care in patients with resected highrisk gastric cancer; however, results from phase 2 and randomizedtrials suggestimprovementin overall survival.We assessedthefeasibilityandtoxiceffectsofchemoradiotherapy as adjuvant treatment in locally advanced gastric cancer. Design: Pilot study. Setting: University hospital. Patients: Twenty-nine patients with T4Nor any TN23 gastric cancer previously treated with potentially curative surgery were enrolled. All of the patients received combined adjuvant chemotherapy with FOLFOX-4 (ie, a combination of folinic acid [leucovorin], fluorouracil, and oxaliplatin [Eloxatin]) for 8 cycles and concomitant radiotherapy (45 Gy in 25 daily fractions over 5 weeks). Radiotherapy was begun after the first 2 cycles of FOLFOX-4, which was reduced by 25% during the period of concomitant radiotherapy. Main Outcome Measures: Treatment toxic effects according to the National Cancer Institute–Common Toxicity Criteria classification, overall and disease-free survival rates, and identification of prognostic indicators. Results: All of the patients completed treatment. Severe hematologic and gastrointestinal toxic effects occurred in 10% and 33%, respectively. No acute hepatic or renal toxic effects were observed; 1 patient experienced severe neurotoxicity. Disease-free and overall survival rates at 1, 2, and 3 years were 79%, 35%, and 35% and 85%, 62.6%, and 50.1%, respectively, and were shown to be substantially better than those observed in untreated patients. Long-term outcome was related to TNM stage, basal serum tumor marker level, and, particularly, lymph node ratio. Conclusion: A multimodal approach with FOLFOX-4 and radiotherapy is feasible and effective for the treatment of patients with resected high-risk gastric cancer.

One of the most important issues in biomass gasification is the correct prediction of gasification products, with particular attention to the Topping Atmosphere Residues (TARs). In this work, performed within the European 7FP UNIfHY project, develops and validates experimentally a model able of predicting the outputs, including TARs, of a steam-fluidized bed biomass gasifier. Pine wood was chosen as biomass feedstock: the products obtained in pyrolysis tests are the relevant model input. Hydrodynamics and chemical properties of the reacting system are considered: the hydrodynamic approach is based on the two phase theory of fluidization, meanwhile the chemical model is based on the kinetic equations for the heterogeneous and homogenous reactions. The derived differentials equations for the gasifier at steady state were implemented and solved via MATLAB. Simulations were carried out varying steam/biomass ratio (0.5-1) and operating temperature (750-850°C).The comparison between model and experimental results showed that the model is able of predicting gas mole fractions and production rate including most of the representative TARs compounds., Proceedings of the 21st European Biomass Conference and Exhibition, 3-7 June 2013, Copenhagen, Denmark, pp. 841-848