A Review of the Rationale for Additional Therapeutic Interventions to Attain Lower LDL-C When Statin Therapy Is Not Enough

Statins alone are not always adequate therapy to achieve low-density lipoprotein (LDL) goals in many patients. Many options are available either alone or in combination with statins that makes it possible to reach recommended goals in a safe and tolerable fashion for most patients. Ezetimibe and bile acid sequestrants reduce cholesterol transport to the liver and can be used in combination. Niacin is very effective at lowering LDL, beyond its ability to raise high-density lipoprotein and shift LDL particle size to a less atherogenic type. When statins cannot be tolerated at all, red yeast rice can be used if proper formulations of the product are obtained. Nutrients can also be added to the diet, including plant stanols and sterols, soy protein, almonds, and fiber, either individually or all together as a portfolio diet. A clear understanding of how each of these strategies works is essential for effective results

The Evolution of Compact Binary Star Systems

We review the formation and evolution of compact binary stars consisting of white dwarfs (WDs), neutron stars (NSs), and black holes (BHs). Binary NSs and BHs are thought to be the primary astrophysical sources of gravitational waves (GWs) within the frequency band of ground-based detectors, while compact binaries of WDs are important sources of GWs at lower frequencies to be covered by space interferometers (LISA). Major uncertainties in the current understanding of properties of NSs and BHs most relevant to the GW studies are discussed, including the treatment of the natal kicks which compact stellar remnants acquire during the core collapse of massive stars and the common envelope phase of binary evolution. We discuss the coalescence rates of binary NSs and BHs and prospects for their detections, the formation and evolution of binary WDs and their observational manifestations. Special attention is given to AM CVn-stars -- compact binaries in which the Roche lobe is filled by another WD or a low-mass partially degenerate helium-star, as these stars are thought to be the best LISA verification binary GW sources.Comment: 105 pages, 18 figure

Solar Coronal Plumes

Polar plumes are thin long ray-like structures that project beyond the limb of the Sun polar regions, maintaining their identity over distances of several solar radii. Plumes have been first observed in white-light (WL) images of the Sun, but, with the advent of the space era, they have been identified also in X-ray and UV wavelengths (XUV) and, possibly, even in in situ data. This review traces the history of plumes, from the time they have been first imaged, to the complex means by which nowadays we attempt to reconstruct their 3-D structure. Spectroscopic techniques allowed us also to infer the physical parameters of plumes and estimate their electron and kinetic temperatures and their densities. However, perhaps the most interesting problem we need to solve is the role they cover in the solar wind origin and acceleration: Does the solar wind emanate from plumes or from the ambient coronal hole wherein they are embedded? Do plumes have a role in solar wind acceleration and mass loading? Answers to these questions are still somewhat ambiguous and theoretical modeling does not provide definite answers either. Recent data, with an unprecedented high spatial and temporal resolution, provide new information on the fine structure of plumes, their temporal evolution and relationship with other transient phenomena that may shed further light on these elusive features

Noble gas transport into the mantle facilitated by high solubility in amphibole

The chemical evolution of both the Earth’s atmosphere and mantle can be traced using noble gases. Their abundance in mantle and atmosphere is largely determined by a balance between the flux of noble gases from the Earth’s interior through magmatism, and the recycling of noble gases from the atmosphere back into the mantle at subduction zones. The flux of noble gases back into the mantle has long been thought to be negligible. Analyses of samples from the mantle now suggest that this recycling flux is more significant, but the mechanism is unclear. Here we present high-pressure experimental measurements that demonstrate high solubility of noble gases in amphibole, an important hydrous mineral in altered oceanic crust. Noble gas solubility correlates with the concentration of unoccupied A-sites, sites within the amphibole lattice structure that are constituted by a pair of opposing tetrahedra rings. We conclude that A-sites are energetically favourable locations for noble gas dissolution in amphibole that could allow recycling of noble gases into the mantle by subduction of altered oceanic crust. As many hydrous minerals in subducting slabs, such as serpentine and chlorite, have lattice structures similar to the A-site in amphibole, we suggest that these minerals may provide even more significant recycling pathways

Helium in Earth's early core

International audienceThe observed escape of the primordial helium isotope, 3He, from the Earth's interior indicates that primordial helium survived the energetic process of planetary accretion and has been trapped within the Earth to the present day. Two distinct reservoirs in the Earth's interior have been invoked to account for variations in the 3He=4He ratio observed at the surface in ocean basalts: a conventional depleted mantle source and a deep, still enigmatic, source that must have been isolated from processing throughout Earth history. The Earth's iron-based core has not been considered a potential helium source because partitioning of helium into metal liquid has been assumed to be negligible. Here we determine helium partitioning in experiments between molten silicates and iron-rich metal liquids at conditions up to 16 GPa and 3,000 K. Analyses of the samples by ultraviolet laser ablation mass spectrometry yield metal-silicate helium partition coefficients that range between 4:7 10-3 and 1:7 10-2 and suggest that significant quantities of helium may reside in the core. Based on estimated concentrations of primordial helium,we conclude that the early core could have incorporated enough helium to supply deep-rooted plumes enriched in 3He throughout the age of the Earth