Experimental study of formwork tightness as a function of rheological properties of SCC

Several studies relating formwork pressure to rheology exist, however the relationship between rheology and leakage through formwork joints remains to be investigated. In practice, standard documents are used to define formwork tightness requirements, typically using a qualitative approach. To try bridge this gap in knowledge, we developed a test set-up to study tightness of formwork joints under pressure as a function of varying rheological properties. Coupled with standard rheology tests, this new test set-up provides means of linking flow rate, formwork pressure, flow area, and the rheological properties. The study seeks to provide insight on measurable governing parameters and thus inform formwork tightness requirements in a more quantifiable manner. This paper presents a test set-up designed to study the flow of fresh paste through small openings. It highlights a preliminary study on the pressure-driven flow of limestone paste through a bottom orifice in a cylindrical container. While this new device may not be directly representative of the actual conditions in formwork, it provides a good base for a fundamental study that can then be extrapolated to a more representative test operation. Preliminary results show a linear relationship between the flow rate and the applied pressure. The results also show that increasing the flow area by a factor of 2.33 had a higher impact than an increase in yield stress and viscosity by a factor of 2.54 and 3.80 respectively. However, more tests need to be carried out to obtain clear trends

Treatment gaps in the implementation of LDL cholesterol control among high- and very high-risk patients in Europe between 2020–2021: the multinational observational SANTORINI study

Background European data pre-2019 suggest statin monotherapy is the most common approach to lipid management for preventing cardiovascular (CV) events, resulting in only one-fifth of high- and very high-risk patients achieving the 2019 ESC/EAS recommended low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) goals. Whether the treatment landscape has evolved, or gaps persist remains of interest. Methods Baseline data are presented from SANTORINI, an observational, prospective study that documents the use of lipid-lowering therapies (LLTs) in patients ≥18 years at high or very high CV risk between 2020 and 2021 across primary and secondary care settings in 14 European countries. Findings Of 9602 enrolled patients, 9044 with complete data were included (mean age: 65.3 ± 10.9 years; 72.6% male). Physicians reported using 2019 ESC/EAS guidelines as a basis for CV risk classification in 52.0% (4706/9044) of patients (overall: high risk 29.2%; very high risk 70.8%). However, centrally re-assessed CV risk based on 2019 ESC/EAS guidelines suggested 6.5% (308/4706) and 91.0% (4284/4706) were high- and very high-risk patients, respectively. Overall, 21.8% of patients had no documented LLTs, 54.2% were receiving monotherapy and 24.0% combination LLT. Median (interquartile range [IQR]) LDL-C was 2.1 (1.6, 3.0) mmol/L (82 [60, 117] mg/dL), with 20.1% of patients achieving risk-based LDL-C goals as per the 2019 ESC/EAS guidelines. Interpretation At the time of study enrolment, 80% of high- and very high-risk patients failed to achieve 2019 ESC/EAS guidelines LDL-C goals. Contributory factors may include CV risk underestimation and underutilization of combination therapies. Further efforts are needed to achieve current guideline-recommended LDL-C goals. Trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT04271280. Funding This study is funded by Daiichi Sankyo Europe GmbH, Munich, Germany