Current issues in medically assisted reproduction and genetics in Europe: research, clinical practice, ethics, legal issues and policy. European Society of Human Genetics and European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology.

In March 2005, a group of experts from the European Society of Human Genetics and European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology met to discuss the interface between genetics and assisted reproductive technology (ART), and published an extended background paper, recommendations and two Editorials. Seven years later, in March 2012, a follow-up interdisciplinary workshop was held, involving representatives of both professional societies, including experts from the European Union Eurogentest2 Coordination Action Project. The main goal of this meeting was to discuss developments at the interface between clinical genetics and ARTs. As more genetic causes of reproductive failure are now recognised and an increasing number of patients undergo testing of their genome before conception, either in regular health care or in the context of direct-to-consumer testing, the need for genetic counselling and preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD) may increase. Preimplantation genetic screening (PGS) thus far does not have evidence from randomised clinical trials to substantiate that the technique is both effective and efficient. Whole-genome sequencing may create greater challenges both in the technological and interpretational domains, and requires further reflection about the ethics of genetic testing in ART and PGD/PGS. Diagnostic laboratories should be reporting their results according to internationally accepted accreditation standards (International Standards Organisation - ISO 15189). Further studies are needed in order to address issues related to the impact of ART on epigenetic reprogramming of the early embryo. The legal landscape regarding assisted reproduction is evolving but still remains very heterogeneous and often contradictory. The lack of legal harmonisation and uneven access to infertility treatment and PGD/PGS fosters considerable cross-border reproductive care in Europe and beyond. The aim of this paper is to complement previous publications and provide an update of selected topics that have evolved since 2005

Parametric analysis of viscoelastic hyperboloidal helical rod

The objective of this study is to perform a pioneering research about a viscoelastic hyperboloidal helical rod having a standard type of distortional behavior and a Kelvin type of bulk compressibility. Field equations are based on the Timoshenko beam theory, and the exact curvatures of the hyperboloidal geometry are considered through the formulation. The numerical analysis is carried out by the mixed finite element method, considering the rotary inertia, in the Laplace space, and the results are transformed back to time space numerically using the modified Durbin’s algorithm. A cantilevered hyperboloidal helical rod having solid circular, hollow circular, and thin-walled hollow circular cross sections is handled, and the rod is loaded by rectangular and triangular impulsive types of point load at the tip. Through the analysis, different values of retardation time, three different relaxation functions associated with shear modulus, and three different creep functions associated with bulk modulus are handled. Finally, a benchmark example is presented, and the influence of the loading and the material parameters on the helix geometry is discussed. </jats:p