Chemical composition and efficiency of bio-oil obtained from giant cane (arundo donax L.) as a wood preservative

The authors thank Kahramanmaras Sutcu Imam University, Turkey, Hamburg University, and Johann Heinrich von Thunen-Institut (especially Dr. Uwe Noldt for the termite test), Germany. The financial support of the project Micro- and nano-structural studies on the cell wall distribution and efficacy of modern and novel wood protection systems by the Swedish Research Council for Environment, Agricultural Sciences and Spatial Planning (FORMAS) is gratefully acknowledged.This study aimed at determining the chemical composition of bio-oil from giant cane (Arundo donax L.), as well as its performance as a wood preservative. The performance was determined through water absorption, tangential swelling, and resistance to fungi and termites. Bio-oil was obtained by pyrolysis at 450 to 525 degrees C. The yield of liquid, char, and gas was determined to be 45, 30, and 25%, respectively. The most abundant chemical compounds found in the bio-oil were acids, ketones, furans, benzenes, phenols, sugars, and guaiacols. Scots pine sapwood was impregnated with the obtained bio-oil at concentrations of 10 and 20%. Additionally, treated samples were impregnated with epoxidized linseed oil to study its effect on bio-oil leachability. The retention of the giant cane bio-oil was in the range of 50 to 100 kg m(-3). Leached samples were exposed to white-and brown-rot fungi, according to European standard EN 113. Wood impregnated with only cane oil demonstrated a durability that classifies the treatment as very effective (mass loss less than 3%). Epoxidized linseed oil treatment significantly reduced water absorption of the treated samples with bio-oil and further improved the durability. A termite test showed that bio-oil was also effective against Reticulitermes flavipes

Re-examining the characteristics of pediatric multiple sclerosis in the era of antibody-associated demyelinating syndromes.

Background: The discovery of anti-myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein (MOG)-IgG and anti-aquaporin 4 (AQP4)-IgG and the observation on certain patients previously diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS) actually have an antibody-mediated disease mandated re-evaluation of pediatric MS series. Aim: To describe the characteristics of recent pediatric MS cases by age groups and compare with the cohort established before 2015. Method: Data of pediatric MS patients diagnosed between 2015 and 2021 were collected from 44 pediatric neurology centers across Turkiye. Clinical and paraclinical features were compared between patients with dis-ease onset before 12 years (earlier onset) and >= 12 years (later onset) as well as between our current (2015-2021) and previous (< 2015) cohorts. Results: A total of 634 children (456 girls) were enrolled, 89 (14%) were of earlier onset. The earlier-onset group had lower female/male ratio, more frequent initial diagnosis of acute disseminated encephalomyelitis (ADEM), more frequent brainstem symptoms, longer interval between the first two attacks, less frequent spinal cord involvement on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and lower prevalence of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF)-restricted oligoclonal bands (OCBs). The earlier-onset group was less likely to respond to initial disease-modifying treatments. Compared to our previous cohort, the current series had fewer patients with onset < 12 years, initial presentation with ADEM-like features, brainstem or cerebellar symptoms, seizures, and spinal lesions on MRI. The female/male ratio, the frequency of sensorial symptoms, and CSF-restricted OCBs were higher than reported in our previous cohort. Conclusion: Pediatric MS starting before 12 years was less common than reported previously, likely due to exclusion of patients with antibody-mediated diseases. The results underline the importance of antibody testing and indicate pediatric MS may be a more homogeneous disorder and more similar to adult-onset MS than previously thought