The burning loss of Al and Ti elements in superalloys during electroslag remelting has become a prevalent issue. And the existing slag system is not suitable for smelting the ATI 718Plus^TM alloy. Therefore, it is imperative to develop a new slag system for smelting the ATI 718Plus^TM alloy. To mitigate this issue, a thermodynamic model of the oxidation reaction of Al and Ti at the slag and alloy interface was established based on the ion and molecule coexistence theory (IMCT). The thermodynamic model was used to investigate the correlation between the equilibrium content of Al and Ti, slag composition, smelting temperature, and initial Al and Ti content of the electrode. The results indicate that while increasing the smelting temperature can effectively inhibit the burning loss of Al, it will exacerbate the burning loss of Ti. Increasing CaO and Al₂O₃ contents can inhibit the Al burning loss, while an increase in the TiO₂ content can inhibit the Ti burning loss. Although an increase in the MgO content results in the burning loss of Al, its impact on the Al is minimal. The burning loss of Al and Ti was not affected by the change in the CaF₂ content. The high Al content in ATI 718Plus^TM makes it prone to burning loss of Al during the electroslag remelting. The combustion loss of Al can be reduced by increasing the Ti content in the electrode or adding a suitable amount of aluminum powder to the slag system. The accuracy of the model had been validated through experimental verification.

Sclerostin, encoded by the SOST gene, is a novel bone anabolic target for bone diseases. Humanized anti-sclerostin antibody, romosozumab, was approved for treatment of postmenopausal osteoporosis by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), but with a black-box warning on cardiovascular risk. The clinical data regarding cardiovascular events from various pre-marketing and post-marketing studies of romosozumab were inconsistent. Overall, the cardiovascular risk of sclerostin inhibition could not be excluded. The restriction of romosozumab in patients with cardiovascular disease history would be necessary. Moreover, genome-wide association study (GWAS) analyses of SOST variants revealed inconsistent results of the association between SOST variations and cardiovascular diseases. Further research incorporating larger sample sizes and functional analyses are necessary. In analyses of serum/tissue sclerostin levels in patients with cardiovascular diseases, the results were controversial but indicated an association between sclerostin and the presence/severity/outcomes of cardiovascular diseases. Nonclinical studies in rodents indicated the inhibitory effect of sclerostin on inflammation, aortic aneurysm, atherosclerosis, and vascular calcification. Sclerostin loop3 participated in the inhibitory effect of sclerostin on bone formation, while the cardiovascular protective effect of sclerostin was independent of sclerostin loop3. Macrophagic sclerostin loop2–apolipoprotein E receptor 2 (ApoER2) interaction participated in the inhibitory effect of sclerostin on inflammation in vitro. Sclerostin in human aortic smooth muscle cells participated in the reduction in calcium deposition. The role of sclerostin in cardiovascular system deserves further investigation.

This study systematically investigated the effects of Co/Ni ratios (0.6–2.0) on the solidification behavior, as-cast microstructure, and element segregation of Co-Al-W-based superalloys, and elucidated the mechanism of thermodynamic and kinetic synergistic regulation. The results show that increasing the Co/Ni ratio has a negligible effect on the liquidus and solidus temperatures, but it significantly lowers the dissolution temperature of the γ′ phase, thereby expanding the alloy’s heat treatment window (HTW) from 215 °C to 269 °C. As the Co/Ni ratio increased from 0.6 to 2, the SDAS at the center of the alloy ingot decreased from 112.4 μm to 43.3 μm, resulting in a significant refinement of the as-cast microstructure. The dendritic segregation coefficients for positively segregating elements such as Ta, Hf, and Al, as well as negatively segregating elements such as W, all approached 1 significantly, effectively suppressing microsegregation during solidification. This study reveals the multidimensional synergistic regulation mechanism of the Co/Ni ratio on the non-equilibrium solidification behavior of highly alloyed Co-Al-W-based superalloys and quantitatively elucidates the relationship between the Co/Ni ratio, the microstructural uniformity of as-cast specimens, and the heat treatment process window. For the first time in a highly alloyed multi-component Co-Al-W system, a correlation has been established between the Co/Ni ratio, element segregation, dendrite coarsening coefficient, and heat treatment window.