Violation of Boltzmann Equipartition Theorem in Angular Phonon Phase Space Slows down Nanoscale Heat Transfer in Ultrathin Heterofilms

Heat transfer through heterointerfaces is intrinsically hampered by a thermal boundary resistance originating from the discontinuity of the elastic properties. Here, we show that with shrinking dimensions the heat flow from an ultrathin epitaxial film through atomically flat interfaces into a single crystalline substrate is significantly reduced due to violation of Boltzmann equipartition theorem in the angular phonon phase space. For films thinner than the phonons mean free path, we find phonons trapped in the film by total internal reflection, thus suppressing heat transfer. Repopulation of those phonon states, which can escape the film through the interface by transmission and refraction, becomes the bottleneck for cooling. The resulting nonequipartition in the angular phonon phase space slows down the cooling by more than a factor of 2 compared to films governed by phonons diffuse scattering. These allow tailoring of the thermal interface conductance via manipulation of the interface

Knee Osteoarthritis Pain Management with an Innovative High and Low Molecular Weight Hyaluronic Acid Formulation (HA-HL): A Randomized Clinical Trial

Introduction: The objective of this study was to compare a single intra-articular injection of an innovative high and low molecular weight hyaluronic acid formulation (HA-HL) versus placebo in treating moderate-to-severe symptomatic knee osteoarthritis. Methods: Subjects with primary osteoarthritis knee pain (Kellgren and Lawrence grade 2–3) were randomly assigned to intra-articular HA-HL or placebo in a prospective, double-blind, 24-week study. The primary outcome variable was change from screening to week 24 of a Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) pain score. Secondary outcomes included Lequesne’s algofunctional index, EuroQol 5-Dimension Questionnaire, 5-level version (EQ-5D-5L), Outcome Measures in Arthritis Clinical Trials-Osteoarthritis Research Society International (OMERACT-OARSI) response and rescue medication usage. Results: In a total of 692 randomized patients, a rapid decrease was observed in mean VAS pain score from baseline to week 1 (26 ± 24 mm in the HA-HL group vs. 23 ± 23 mm in the placebo group); pain intensity continued to decrease during 24 weeks of follow-up, reaching a mean change from baseline of 35 ± 28 mm vs. 32 ± 27 mm at week 24. Mixed model analysis demonstrated statistically significant differences between groups in favor of the HA-HL group at weeks 1, 6, 12, and 24. HA-HL was also more effective than placebo in improving Lequesne’s algofunctional index, OMERACT-OARSI response, and health-related quality of life. The use of rescue medication (paracetamol 500 mg tablets; ≤ 6 per day) was lower in the HA-HL group. Both treatments were similarly well tolerated. Conclusions: A single intra-articular injection of an innovative high and low molecular weight hyaluronic acid formulation (HA-HL) is effective in providing fast, sustained, and clinically relevant reductions in pain, functional limitation, and health-related quality of life that were apparent at 1 week after the intra-articular injection and maintained throughout the 24-week follow-up in subjects with painful knee osteoarthritis, with a good safety profile. Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT03200288. © 2021, The Author(s)

Evolution of Microstructure and Texture during Warm Rolling Of a Duplex Steel

The effect of warm rolling on the evolution of microstructure and texture in a duplex stainless steel (DSS) was investigated. For this purpose, a DSS steel was warm rolled up to 90 pct reduction in thickness at 498 K, 698 K, and 898 K (225 °C, 425 °C, and 625 °C). The microstructure with an alternate arrangement of deformed ferrite and austenite bands was observed after warm rolling; however, the microstructure after 90 pct warm rolling at 498 K and 898 K (225 °C and 625 °C) was more lamellar and uniform as compared to the rather fragmented and inhomogeneous structure observed after 90 pct warm rolling at 698 K (425 °C). The texture of ferrite in warm-rolled DSS was characterized by the presence of the RD (〈011〉//RD) and ND (〈111〉//ND) fibers. However, the texture of ferrite in DSS warm rolled at 698 K (425 °C) was distinctly different having much higher fraction of the RD-fiber components than that of the ND-fiber components. The texture and microstructural differences in ferrite in DSS warm rolled at different temperatures could be explained by the interaction of carbon atoms with dislocations. In contrast, the austenite in DSS warm rolled at different temperatures consistently showed pure metal- or copper-type deformation texture which was attributed to the increase in stacking fault energy at the warm-rolling temperatures. It was concluded that the evolution of microstructure and texture of the two constituent phases in DSS was greatly affected by the temperature of warm rolling, but not significantly by the presence of the other phas

Effect of sitagliptin on cardiovascular outcomes in type 2 diabetes

BACKGROUND: Data are lacking on the long-term effect on cardiovascular events of adding sitagliptin, a dipeptidyl peptidase 4 inhibitor, to usual care in patients with type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease. METHODS: In this randomized, double-blind study, we assigned 14,671 patients to add either sitagliptin or placebo to their existing therapy. Open-label use of antihyperglycemic therapy was encouraged as required, aimed at reaching individually appropriate glycemic targets in all patients. To determine whether sitagliptin was noninferior to placebo, we used a relative risk of 1.3 as the marginal upper boundary. The primary cardiovascular outcome was a composite of cardiovascular death, nonfatal myocardial infarction, nonfatal stroke, or hospitalization for unstable angina. RESULTS: During a median follow-up of 3.0 years, there was a small difference in glycated hemoglobin levels (least-squares mean difference for sitagliptin vs. placebo, -0.29 percentage points; 95% confidence interval [CI], -0.32 to -0.27). Overall, the primary outcome occurred in 839 patients in the sitagliptin group (11.4%; 4.06 per 100 person-years) and 851 patients in the placebo group (11.6%; 4.17 per 100 person-years). Sitagliptin was noninferior to placebo for the primary composite cardiovascular outcome (hazard ratio, 0.98; 95% CI, 0.88 to 1.09; P<0.001). Rates of hospitalization for heart failure did not differ between the two groups (hazard ratio, 1.00; 95% CI, 0.83 to 1.20; P = 0.98). There were no significant between-group differences in rates of acute pancreatitis (P = 0.07) or pancreatic cancer (P = 0.32). CONCLUSIONS: Among patients with type 2 diabetes and established cardiovascular disease, adding sitagliptin to usual care did not appear to increase the risk of major adverse cardiovascular events, hospitalization for heart failure, or other adverse events

Effects of alirocumab on types of myocardial infarction: insights from the ODYSSEY OUTCOMES trial

Aims  The third Universal Definition of Myocardial Infarction (MI) Task Force classified MIs into five types: Type 1, spontaneous; Type 2, related to oxygen supply/demand imbalance; Type 3, fatal without ascertainment of cardiac biomarkers; Type 4, related to percutaneous coronary intervention; and Type 5, related to coronary artery bypass surgery. Low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) reduction with statins and proprotein convertase subtilisin–kexin Type 9 (PCSK9) inhibitors reduces risk of MI, but less is known about effects on types of MI. ODYSSEY OUTCOMES compared the PCSK9 inhibitor alirocumab with placebo in 18 924 patients with recent acute coronary syndrome (ACS) and elevated LDL-C (≥1.8 mmol/L) despite intensive statin therapy. In a pre-specified analysis, we assessed the effects of alirocumab on types of MI. Methods and results  Median follow-up was 2.8 years. Myocardial infarction types were prospectively adjudicated and classified. Of 1860 total MIs, 1223 (65.8%) were adjudicated as Type 1, 386 (20.8%) as Type 2, and 244 (13.1%) as Type 4. Few events were Type 3 (n = 2) or Type 5 (n = 5). Alirocumab reduced first MIs [hazard ratio (HR) 0.85, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.77–0.95; P = 0.003], with reductions in both Type 1 (HR 0.87, 95% CI 0.77–0.99; P = 0.032) and Type 2 (0.77, 0.61–0.97; P = 0.025), but not Type 4 MI. Conclusion  After ACS, alirocumab added to intensive statin therapy favourably impacted on Type 1 and 2 MIs. The data indicate for the first time that a lipid-lowering therapy can attenuate the risk of Type 2 MI. Low-density lipoprotein cholesterol reduction below levels achievable with statins is an effective preventive strategy for both MI types.For complete list of authors see http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/eurheartj/ehz299</p

Polymorphisms of the porcine cathepsins, growth hormone-releasing hormone and leptin receptor genes and their association with meat quality traits in Ukrainian Large White breed

© 2016, The Author(s). Cathepsins, growth hormone-releasing hormone (GHRH) and leptin receptor (LEPR) genes have been receiving increasing attention as potential markers for meat quality and pig performance traits. This study investigated the allele variants in four cathepsin genes (CTSB, CTSK, CTSL, CTSS), GHRH and LEPR in pure-bred Ukrainian Large White pigs and evaluated effects of the allele variants on meat quality characteristics. The study was conducted on 72 pigs. Genotyping was performed using PCR–RFLP technique. Meat quality characteristics analysed were intramuscular fat content, tenderness, total water content, ultimate pH, crude protein and ashes. A medium level of heterozygosity values was established for GHRH and LEPR genes which corresponded to very high levels of informativeness indexes. Cathepsins CTSL, CTSB and CTSK had a low level of heterozygosity, and CTSS did not segregate in this breed. Association studies established that intramuscular fat content and tenderness were affected by the allele variance in GHRH and LEPR but not by CTSB and CTSL genes. The GHRH results could be particularly relevant for the production of lean prime cuts as the A allele is associated with both, a lower meat fat content and better tenderness values, which are two attributes highly regarded by consumers. Results of this study suggest that selective breeding towards GHRH/AA genotype would be particularly useful for improving meat quality characteristics in the production systems involving lean Large White lines, which typically have less than 2% intramuscular fat content

Effect of alirocumab on mortality after acute coronary syndromes. An analysis of the ODYSSEY OUTCOMES randomized clinical trial

Background: Previous trials of PCSK9 (proprotein convertase subtilisin-kexin type 9) inhibitors demonstrated reductions in major adverse cardiovascular events, but not death. We assessed the effects of alirocumab on death after index acute coronary syndrome. Methods: ODYSSEY OUTCOMES (Evaluation of Cardiovascular Outcomes After an Acute Coronary Syndrome During Treatment With Alirocumab) was a double-blind, randomized comparison of alirocumab or placebo in 18 924 patients who had an ACS 1 to 12 months previously and elevated atherogenic lipoproteins despite intensive statin therapy. Alirocumab dose was blindly titrated to target achieved low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) between 25 and 50 mg/dL. We examined the effects of treatment on all-cause death and its components, cardiovascular and noncardiovascular death, with log-rank testing. Joint semiparametric models tested associations between nonfatal cardiovascular events and cardiovascular or noncardiovascular death. Results: Median follow-up was 2.8 years. Death occurred in 334 (3.5%) and 392 (4.1%) patients, respectively, in the alirocumab and placebo groups (hazard ratio [HR], 0.85; 95% CI, 0.73 to 0.98; P=0.03, nominal P value). This resulted from nonsignificantly fewer cardiovascular (240 [2.5%] vs 271 [2.9%]; HR, 0.88; 95% CI, 0.74 to 1.05; P=0.15) and noncardiovascular (94 [1.0%] vs 121 [1.3%]; HR, 0.77; 95% CI, 0.59 to 1.01; P=0.06) deaths with alirocumab. In a prespecified analysis of 8242 patients eligible for ≥3 years follow-up, alirocumab reduced death (HR, 0.78; 95% CI, 0.65 to 0.94; P=0.01). Patients with nonfatal cardiovascular events were at increased risk for cardiovascular and noncardiovascular deaths (P<0.0001 for the associations). Alirocumab reduced total nonfatal cardiovascular events (P<0.001) and thereby may have attenuated the number of cardiovascular and noncardiovascular deaths. A post hoc analysis found that, compared to patients with lower LDL-C, patients with baseline LDL-C ≥100 mg/dL (2.59 mmol/L) had a greater absolute risk of death and a larger mortality benefit from alirocumab (HR, 0.71; 95% CI, 0.56 to 0.90; Pinteraction=0.007). In the alirocumab group, all-cause death declined wit h achieved LDL-C at 4 months of treatment, to a level of approximately 30 mg/dL (adjusted P=0.017 for linear trend). Conclusions: Alirocumab added to intensive statin therapy has the potential to reduce death after acute coronary syndrome, particularly if treatment is maintained for ≥3 years, if baseline LDL-C is ≥100 mg/dL, or if achieved LDL-C is low. Clinical Trial Registration: URL: https://www.clinicaltrials.gov. Unique identifier: NCT01663402

A comparsion of the fattening results and carcass quality of crossbred pigs (Polish Landrace x Polish Large White) x German Landrace and (Polish Landrace x Polish Large White) x Duroc

Был проведен опыт на 209 откормочных свиньях, в том числе на 95 помесях (польская белая вислоухая х крупная белая польская) х немецкая белая вислоухая и 114 помесях (польская белая вислоухая х крупная белая польская) х дюрок. Откорм начинался при среднем весе тела около 32 кг и заканчивался при достижении веса около 110 кг. Средний суточный привес в группе помесей после хряков немецкой белой вислоухой породы составлял 545,8 г, а в группе после хряков породы дюрок 547,1 г, при среднем потреблении корма в Обеих группах составляющем 5,2 кг на 1 к кг привеса. После окончаная откорма по 20 откормочных свиней каждой группы (в том числе 10 хрячков и 10 свинок) подвергали убою и диссекции. Длина туш посередине в группе после хряков немецкой белой вислоухой породы составляла в среднем 83,25 см, а после хряков породы дюрок 82,90 см. Средняя толщина шпига была сходной в обеих группах, составляя 2,73 см в группе после хряков немецкой белой вислоухой породы и 2,65 см в группе после хряков породы дюрок. Площадь глазка корейки помесей (польская белая вислоухая х крупная белая польская) x немецкая белая вислоухая составляла 39,29 см , а в группе помесей (польская белая вислоухая х крупная белая польская) к дюрок 39,78, 39,78 см². Вес cхлажденной полутуши составлял в группе помесей (польская белая вислоухая х крупная белая польская) х немецкая белая вислоухая 39,85 кг, а в группе помесей (польская белая вослоухая х крупная белая польская) х дюрок 40,20 кг. В группе откормочников после хряков немецкой белой вислоухой породы содержание мяса в основных отрубах составляло 19,34 кг, а жира 9,37 кг, когда как в группе после хряков породы дюрок содержание мяса составляло 19,65 кг, а жира 9,12 кг. Не установлено существенных различий в результатах откорма и качестве туш между обеими группами помесей.The experiment covered 209 fattened pigs - 95 (Polish Landrace) x German Landrace crossbreds and 114 (Polish Landrace x Polish Large White) x Duroc crossbreds. The fattening began at a mean body weight of 32 kg and ended at about 110 kg. The mean daily weight gain in the group of crossbreds obtained after German Landrace (GL) boars was 545.8 g and in the group after Duroc (D) boars - 547.1 g. At the end of fattening 20 animals from each group - 10 sows and 10 boars - were slaughtered and dissected. The mean carcass length was 83.25 cm in animals after GL boars and 82.90 cm in pigs after D boars. The mean backfat thickness was in both groups similar and reached 2.73 and 2.65 cm, respectively. The lean eye area was 39.29 cm² and 39.78 cm², the weight of a half-carcasscold was 39.85 and 40.20 kg, respectively. In the group of pigs after the GL boars the amount of lean in basic cuts was 19.34 kg and of fat 9.37 kg, while in the animals obtained after D boars - 19.65 kg of lean and 9.12 kg of fat. No significant differences in the fattening results and carcass quality between the two groups of crossbreds were observed

Casein in mixtures for fattening pigs

Целью соответствующего опыта было сравнение результатов откорма свиней с использованием кормосмеси составленной из ячменя с примесью мясной и костной муки или казеина (класса II или III) как источников белка. Количество белковых прибавок отвечало польскому стандарту кормления сельскохозяйственных животных. Опыт охватывал 224 помесных свиней держимых в станках (7 голов на станок). Не наблюдались существенные различия в средних привесах и в использовании кормов между опытными группами. Результаты убойного выхода 36 свиней (по 12 голов в группе) не показывали существенных различий между группами. Результаты опыта позволили констатировать, что казеин II-го и III-го класса и мясная н костная мука отеoественного производства характеризуются сравнительно хорошими кормовыми достоинствами как белковые прибавки в ячменю в рационах для растущих поросят.The experiment was established to compare results of fattening pigs with barley mixed with meat and bone meal of casein (II and III class) as a protein additive. The amount of protein additive was set according to the Polish Standards for Feeding Housejold Animals IX Ed. In experiment were 224 crossbred pigs kept in pens (7 per pen). There was no statistically significant differences in average daily gain and feed conversion between experimental groups. The results of slaughter quality of 36 pigs (12 per group) did not show any significant differences between the groups. The results of the experiment prove that casein II and III class and produced in Poland meat and bone meal have comparative nutritional value as sole protein additive to the barley in diets for growing pigs