60 research outputs found
Cardiovascular Risk Reduction with Icosapent Ethyl for Hypertriglyceridemia
BACKGROUND
Patients with elevated triglyceride levels are at increased risk for ischemic events. Icosapent
ethyl, a highly purified eicosapentaenoic acid ethyl ester, lowers triglyceride levels, but data
are needed to determine its effects on ischemic events.
METHODS
We performed a multicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial involving
patients with established cardiovascular disease or with diabetes and other risk factors, who
had been receiving statin therapy and who had a fasting triglyceride level of 135 to 499 mg
per deciliter (1.52 to 5.63 mmol per liter) and a low-density lipoprotein cholesterol level of
41 to 100 mg per deciliter (1.06 to 2.59 mmol per liter). The patients were randomly assigned
to receive 2 g of icosapent ethyl twice daily (total daily dose, 4 g) or placebo. The primary
end point was a composite of cardiovascular death, nonfatal myocardial infarction, nonfatal
stroke, coronary revascularization, or unstable angina. The key secondary end point was a
composite of cardiovascular death, nonfatal myocardial infarction, or nonfatal stroke.
RESULTS
A total of 8179 patients were enrolled (70.7% for secondary prevention of cardiovascular
events) and were followed for a median of 4.9 years. A primary end-point event occurred in
17.2% of the patients in the icosapent ethyl group, as compared with 22.0% of the patients
in the placebo group (hazard ratio, 0.75; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.68 to 0.83; P<0.001);
the corresponding rates of the key secondary end point were 11.2% and 14.8% (hazard ratio,
0.74; 95% CI, 0.65 to 0.83; P<0.001). The rates of additional ischemic end points, as assessed
according to a prespecified hierarchical schema, were significantly lower in the icosapent
ethyl group than in the placebo group, including the rate of cardiovascular death (4.3% vs.
5.2%; hazard ratio, 0.80; 95% CI, 0.66 to 0.98; P=0.03). A larger percentage of patients in
the icosapent ethyl group than in the placebo group were hospitalized for atrial fibrillation
or flutter (3.1% vs. 2.1%, P=0.004). Serious bleeding events occurred in 2.7% of the patients
in the icosapent ethyl group and in 2.1% in the placebo group (P=0.06).
CONCLUSIONS
Among patients with elevated triglyceride levels despite the use of statins, the risk of ischemic events, including cardiovascular death, was significantly lower among those who received 2 g of icosapent ethyl twice daily than among those who received placebo. (Funded
by Amarin Pharma; REDUCE-IT ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT01492361
Unraveling the low-temperature activity of Rh-CeO2 catalysts in CO oxidation: probing the local structure and Red-Ox transformation of Rh3+ species
The local structure of the active sites is one of the key aspects of establishing the nature of the catalytic activity of the systems. In this work, a detailed structural investigation of the Rh-CeO2 catalysts prepared by the co-precipitation method was carried out. The application of a variety of physicochemical methods such as XRD, Raman spectroscopy, XPS, TEM, TPR-H2, and XAS revealed the presence of highly dispersed Rh3+ species in the catalysts: Rh3+ single ions and RhOx clusters. The substitution of Ce4+ ions by Rh3+ species, which provided a strong distortion of the CeO2 lattice, is shown. XAS data ensured the refinement of the Rh local structure. It was shown that single Rh3+ sites located next to each other can merge the formation of RhOx clusters with Rh local environment close to the one in Rh2O3 and CeRh2O5 oxides. The distortion of the CeO2 lattice around single and cluster rhodium species had a beneficial effect on the catalytic activity of the samples in low-temperature CO oxidation (LTO-CO). TEM, XAS, and in situ XRD data allowed establishing the structural transformations of the catalysts under Red-Ox treatments. The reduction treatment led to Rhn metallic cluster formation localized on defects of the reduced CeO2−δ. The reduced sample demonstrated efficient CO conversion at 0 °C. However, this system was not stable: its contact with air led to ceria reoxidation and partial reoxidation of Rh to highly dispersed Rh3+ species at room temperature, while heating in an oxidizing atmosphere resulted in the complete reoxidation of metallic rhodium species. The results of the work shed light on the structural aspects of the reversibility of the Rh-CeO2 catalysts based on the highly dispersed Rh3+ species under treatment in the reaction conditions
Optimization of application procedure for fixation of monocationic salt onto cotton with antibacterial activity
A novel application procedure for imparting antibacterial properties onto cotton is described. The modified cotton was obtained by polymerization of glycidyl methacrylate (GMA) with 1,4 diazabicyclo[2,2,2]octane monocationic salt (MS) derivative in the presence of the free radical initiators sodium bisulfite and potassium persulfate. Out of the four application protocols tested, use of an exhaustion procedure to fix MS onto cotton gave optimal results. Dyeing of the modified cotton with C.I direct 225 did not require salt, thereby indirectly confirming fixation of the cationic MS. Antibacterial activity was completely retained after three washing cycles when tested with Klebsiella pneumoniae but to a lesser extent against Staphylococcus aureus. The mechanical properties of the modified cotton were unaltered
Bioengineering and Bioinformatics Summer Institutes: Meeting Modern Challenges in Undergraduate Summer Research
Summer undergraduate research programs in science and engineering facilitate research progress for faculty and provide a close-ended research experience for students, which can prepare them for careers in industry, medicine, and academia. However, ensuring these outcomes is a challenge when the students arrive ill-prepared for substantive research or if projects are ill-defined or impractical for a typical 10-wk summer. We describe how the new Bioengineering and Bioinformatics Summer Institutes (BBSI), developed in response to a call for proposals by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the National Science Foundation (NSF), provide an impetus for the enhancement of traditional undergraduate research experiences with intense didactic training in particular skills and technologies. Such didactic components provide highly focused and qualified students for summer research with the goal of ensuring increased student satisfaction with research and mentor satisfaction with student productivity. As an example, we focus on our experiences with the Penn State Biomaterials and Bionanotechnology Summer Institute (PSU-BBSI), which trains undergraduates in core technologies in surface characterization, computational modeling, cell biology, and fabrication to prepare them for student-centered research projects in the role of materials in guiding cell biology
- …