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The paper analyses the problem of torsion in an adhesive bonded tubular joint. The constitutive, equilibrium and compatibility equations were used to obtain the stress field in the adhesive. The analysis confirms that the maximum stresses are attained at the ends of the adhesive and that the peak of maximum stress is reached at the end of the stiffer tube and does not tend to zero as the adhesive length approaches infinity.A special type of tubular joint can be produced by modifying the joint profile, thus ensuring that the stress field in the adhesive is constant and thereby optimizing the tubular joint for uniform torsional strength. This result is of considerable practical utility and makes it possible to produce adhesive bonded joints which are both lighter and stronger under torsion. Finally, some suggestions for the joint design are presented.

We aimed to identify clinical predictors of long-term response to abiraterone (defined as >12 months drug exposure) in a retrospective cohort of metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer patients treated in post-docetaxel setting at 24 Italian centers. The Cox proportional hazards model was used to analyze the association between clinical features and the duration of drug exposure. Results were expressed as hazard ratios (HR) with associated 95% confidence intervals (CI). A total of 143 patients met the inclusion criteria. Their median age was 73 years, median Gleason score 8 and median abiraterone exposure 20 months. At the univariate analysis, a significant correlation with the duration of abiraterone exposure was found for Gleason score (HR 0.82, 95% CI 0.71-0.96; p=0.012), PSA (HR 1.10, 95% CI 1.03-1.18; p=0.08) and lactic dehydrogenase levels (HR 1.22, 95% CI 1.02-1.46; p=0.027), while the association between lower alkaline phosphatase levels and treatment duration was marginally significant (HR 1.07, 95% CI 0.99-1.16; p=0.074). Only PSA and Gleason score were predictive of long-term treatment duration in the multivariate analysis. No other clinical factors resulted to be predictive of sustained response to abiraterone, including metastatic disease at diagnosis and visceral disease, suggesting that all subgroups of patients may derive a substantial clinical benefit from abiraterone treatment. These findings need to be validated in prospective, larger studies.

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