The Microstructural Evolution and Grain Growth Kinetics of Fine-Grained Extruded Mg-Nd-Zn-Zr Alloy.

The microstructure evolution and grain growth kinetics of the fine-grained extruded Mg-Nd-Zn-Zr alloy were investigated by holding the extruded plate for a wide range of time in the temperature range of 470 °C to 530 °C. By observing the optical micrographs, it was found that the material showed abnormal grain growth at the experimental condition of 470 °C × 24 h, and the time point of abnormal grain growth appeared significantly earlier with the increase in the experimental temperature. The evaluation of the second phase content within the alloy indicates that the presence of the second phase contributes to the microstructural stability of the Mg-Nd-Zn-Zr alloy. However, the slow coarsening/dissolution of the second phase is an important cause of abnormal grain growth. Based on the experimental data, the isothermal grain growth kinetic models of the fine-grained extruded Mg-Nd-Zn-Zr alloy were developed based on the Sellars model. The grain growth exponent was in the range of 5.5-8 and decreased gradually with the increase in the experimental temperature. The grain growth activation energy is approximately 150.00 kJ/mol, which is close to the bulk diffusion activation energy of magnesium, indicating that the grain growth is controlled by lattice diffusion. By energy spectrometry (EDS), the compositional changes of the second phase within this alloy at 500 °C were investigated.

Hyperuricaemia, gout and related adverse events associated with antihypertensive drugs: A real-world analysis using the FDA adverse event reporting system.

Background: The role of antihypertensive drugs in inducing hyperuricaemia and gout has been a long-term concern in clinical practice. However, clinical studies regarding this issue are limited in number and have yielded inconsistent results. We comprehensively evaluated the association between various antihypertensive drugs and the occurrences of hyperuricaemia, gout and related adverse events (AEs) using the FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS), aiming to guide the selection of antihypertensive drugs with a goal of minimizing the risk of hyperuricaemia, gout and related AEs. Methods: We used OpenVigil 2.1 to query the FAERS database. Hyperuricaemia, gout and related AEs were defined by 5 Preferred Terms: hyperuricaemia, gout, gouty arthritis, gouty tophus and urate nephropathy. Disproportionality analysis was performed, and a positive signal indicated an association between AEs and antihypertensive drugs. Results: The numbers of antihypertensive drugs with positive signals for hyperuricaemia, gout, gouty arthritis, gouty tophus and urate nephropathy were 46, 66, 27, 8 and 6, respectively. These drugs included diuretics, antihypertensive drugs with central action, α blockers, ß blockers, α and ß blockers, calcium channel blockers, angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors, angiotensin II receptor blockers, renin inhibitors, vasodilators, and compound preparations. Furthermore, 42 antihypertensive drugs had positive signal for more than one AEs. Conclusion: Our study suggests that some potassium-sparing diuretics, calcium channel blockers and losartan may be associated with increased risk of hyperuricaemia, gout or related AEs, which is inconsistent with most previous studies. Moreover, Our study also suggests that some antihypertensive drugs with central action, α and ß blockers, renin inhibitors and vasodilators may be associated with increased risk of hyperuricaemia, gout or related AEs, which has not been reported in previous studies. These findings complement real-world evidence on the potential risks of hyperuricaemia, gout and related AEs associated with antihypertensive drugs.

Ovary and uterus related adverse events associated with statin use: an analysis of the FDA Adverse Event Reporting System.

Experimental studies have demonstrated statin-induced toxicity for ovary and uterus. However, the safety of statins on the functions of ovary and uterus in real-world clinical settings remains unknown. The aim of this study was to identify ovary and uterus related adverse events (AEs) associated with statin use by analyzing data from FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS). We used OpenVigil 2.1 to query FAERS database. Ovary and uterus related AEs were defined by 383 Preferred Terms, which could be classified into ten aspects. Disproportionality analysis was performed to assess the association between AEs and statin use. Our results suggest that statin use may be associated with a series of ovary and uterus related AEs. These AEs are involved in ovarian cysts and neoplasms, uterine neoplasms, cervix neoplasms, uterine disorders (excl neoplasms), cervix disorders (excl neoplasms), endocrine disorders of gonadal function, menstrual cycle and uterine bleeding disorders, menopause related conditions, and sexual function disorders. Moreover, there are variabilities in the types and signal strengths of ovary and uterus related AEs across individual statins. According to our findings, the potential ovary and uterus related AEs of statins should attract enough attention and be closely monitored in future clinical practice.

A Novel Extrusion for Manufacturing TiBw/Ti6Al4V Composite Tubes with a Quasi-Continuous Reinforced Structure.

The present work introduces a novel extrusion with filler material to produce the high-performance TiBw/Ti-6Al-4V composite tube with a quasi-continuous reinforced structure. A simulation was adopted to study the effect of the filler material on the shape accuracy of the tubes. Based on the simulation results, the flow stress of the filler material was not the important factor, but the friction coefficient between the filler and TiBw/Ti-6Al-4V composite and the canning shape were critical to the tube precision. The microstructure and mechanical performance for the as-extruded TiBw/Ti-6Al-4V composite tubes were systematically investigated. After extrusion, the transverse section microstructure of the TiBw/Ti6Al4V composite tube remained quasi-continuous and the TiBw were rotated to align the extrusion direction. Moreover, the tensile strength and elongation reached 1240 MPa and 13.5%, resulting from dynamic recrystallization and whisker rotation.