Hydrated metal salt pretreatment and alkali catalyzed reactive distillation: A two-step production of waste cooking oil biodiesel

In this work, a novel method was proposed for the conversion of waste cooking oil into biodiesel. A two-step approach based on a pretreatment with AlCl3•6H2O to convert FFA into the relevant methyl esters, followed by the complete transesterification of glycerides, under KOH catalysis in a reactive distillation column, was considered. The pretreatment with AlCl3•6H2O allowed to obtain two different phases: an oily phase, rich in FAME and triacylglycerols and with a very limited content of water (100 ppm), and residual FFA (1 mgKOH /goil), and a methanol phase, in which most of the catalyst, water and monoacylglycerols were dissolved in. The esterified stream was characterized by its composition and used to obtain new kinetic parameters to be used in the setting of the reactive distillation. The reactive distillation column was proved to be efficient in obtaining a biodiesel stream with a purity requirement conform to the EN14214 standards. The transesterification step was characterized by a specific heating requirement of 701.3 kJ per kg of biodiesel produced

In vivo assessment of tumour associated macrophages in murine melanoma obtained by low-field relaxometry in the presence of iron oxide particles

Acknowledgements The authors would like to acknowledge Dr Dana Dawson, University of Aberdeen, UK, for the supply of ferumoxytol. This project has received funding from the European Union Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 668119 (project “IDentIFY”) and it was performed in the frame of the COST Action AC15209 (EURELAX). Maria Rosaria Ruggiero was supported by a “FIRC-AIRC fellowship for Italy”. The Italian Ministry for Education and Research (MIUR) is gratefully acknowledged for yearly FOE funding to the Euro-BioImaging Multi-Modal Molecular Imaging Italian Node (MMMI). Data availability All data analysed during this study are included in this published article (and its supplementary information file). Other raw data required to reproduce these findings are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Protective Effects of Pyridoxamine Supplementation in the Early Stages of Diet-Induced Kidney Dysfunction

Pyridoxamine, a structural analog of vitamin B6 that exerts antiglycative effects, has been proposed as supplementary approach in patients with initial diabetic nephropathy. However, the molecular mechanism(s) underlying its protective role has been so far slightly examined. C57Bl/6J mice were fed with a standard diet (SD) or a diet enriched in fat and fructose (HD) for 12 weeks. After 3 weeks, two subgroups of SD and HD mice started pyridoxamine supplementation (150 mg/kg/day) in the drinking water. HD fed mice showed increased body weight and impaired glucose tolerance, whereas pyridoxamine administration significantly improved insulin sensitivity, but not body weight, and reduced diet-induced increase in serum creatinine and urine albumin. Kidney morphology of HD fed mice showed strong vacuolar degeneration and loss of tubule brush border, associated with a drastic increase in both advanced glycation end products (AGEs) and AGEs receptor (RAGE). These effects were significantly counteracted by pyridoxamine, with consequent reduction of the diet-induced overactivation of NF-kB and Rho/ROCK pathways. Overall, the present study demonstrates for the first time that the administration of the antiglycative compound pyridoxamine can reduce the early stages of diet-dependent kidney injury and dysfunction by interfering at many levels with the profibrotic signaling and inflammatory cascades

Low-Field NMR Relaxometry for Intraoperative Tumour Margin Assessment in Breast-conserving Surgery

Funding: This project has received funding from the European Union Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement no. 668119 (project “IDentIFY”) and from AIRC under IG 2019, ID 23267 project (PI Geninatti Crich Simonetta). The authors acknowledge the Italian Ministry of Research for FOE contribution to the Euro-BioImaging MultiModal Molecular Imaging Italian Node (www.mmmi.unito.it accessed on 1 October 2020). Maria Rosaria Ruggiero was supported by a “FIRC-AIRC fellowship for Italy”. Acknowledgments: This work was performed in the frame of the COST Action CA15209 (EURELAX).Peer reviewedPublisher PD