Parameter determination of the method of directional unloading of the reservoir based on physical modelling on a true triaxial loading setup

The article presents a theoretical and experimental substantiation of the method of directional unloading of the reservoir in fields with low-permeability reservoirs. The relevance of the article is due to the reduction of hydrocarbon resources in modern conditions and the need to create new efficient environmentally friendly technologies to develop hydrocarbon deposits with hard-to-recover reserves, primarily with low-permeability reservoirs. The results of a theoretical study of the stress-strain state in the vicinity of a well, both cased and open, are presented. They are necessary to develop programs for laboratory testing of core specimens from the studied fields. A technique for physical modelling of deformation processes in the bottomhole zone with a decrease in pressure at the well bottom in a true triaxial loading unit is described in order to determine the parameters of the process impact on the formation reservoir, leading to an increase in well productivity. The method was applied to the conditions of the low-permeability reservoir at the Verkhneviluchanskoye oil and gas condensate field in the southwest of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia). Expe-rimental studies were carried out on a unique scientific unit for true triaxial loading, created at the IPMech RAS, the Triaxial Independent Loading Test System. The directional unloading method was adapted for the studied field, the process parameters of successful application of the method were determined: the bottomhole design, the drawdown values necessary to increase the permeability of the bottomhole formation zone

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