Effect of enzymatic transesterification on the melting points of palm stearin-sunflower oil mixtures

Transesterification with lipases may be used to convert mixtures of fats to plastic fats, making them more suitable for use in edible products. In our study, 1,3-specific (Aspergillus niger, Mucor javanicus, Rhizomucor miehei, Rhizopus javanicus, and Rhizopus niveus) and nonspecific (Pseudomonas sp. and Candida rugosa) lipases were used to transesterify mixtures of palm stearin and sunflower oil (PS-SO) at a 40:60 ratio in a solvent-free medium. The transesterified mixtures of PS-SO were analyzed for their percentage free fatty acids (FFA), degree and rate of transesterification, solid fat content, slip melting point (SMP), and melting characteristics by differential scanning calorimetry. Results indicated that Pseudomonas sp. lipase produced the highest degree (77.3%) and rate (50.0 h−1) of transesterification, followed by R. miehei lipase at 32.7% and 27.1 h−1, respectively. The highest percentage FFA liberated was also in the reaction mixtures catalyzed by Pseudomonas sp. (2.5%) lipase and R. miehei (2.4%). Pseudomonas-catalyzed mixtures produced the biggest drop in SMP (13.5°C) and showed complete melting at below body temperature. All results indicated conversion of the PS-SO mixtures to a more fluid product. The findings also suggest that the specificity of lipases may not play a significant role in lowering the melting point of the PS-SO mixtures

Patients with BRAF-Mutant Advanced/Metastatic Melanoma: Original Research on the Treatment Reality in Germany and Austria in the Era of Choice

Introduction Cutaneous melanoma is one of the most aggressive forms of skin neoplasms and represents a major cause of neoplastic or cancer death in Europe. Without adequate therapy, the 5-year survival rate is 15% when the disease metastasizes to distant organs. The objective of our study was to evaluate the status quo of the current treatment standards in stage IV melanoma and rationale for therapy decisions in Germany and Austria between January 2016 and September 2018. Methods In this retrospective, anonymized registry, data of male and female patients with unresectable advanced/metastaticBRAF-positive cutaneous melanoma treated in the first, second, and third line with registered substances were analyzed using descriptive statistics. Results Ninety-nine patients (50.5% male) received a total of 172 treatment lines. The first (99 patients), second (56 patients), and third (17 patients) treatment lines were documented. Within the 80.8% of patients with stage IV melanoma, targeted therapy (TT) was more frequently administered as a first-line treatment than immunotherapy (IO) with checkpoint inhibitors (59.6% TT vs. 40.4% IO). Across all lines, patients received TT in 54.7% and IO in 43.0% of the cases. As targeted agents, dabrafenib plus trametinib was predominantly prescribed (72.3%), whereas the monotherapy with anti-programmed cell death protein 1 and anti-cytotoxic T lymphocyte-associated protein 4 antibodies or their combination was prescribed similarly often (50.0% vs. 47.3%). Most commonly, the treatment type was switched from TT to IO or vice versa upon disease progression. The most frequent rationales for prescribing either TT or IO were remission pressure (72.9%) or physician's preference (45.0%), respectively. Disease progression was a more frequent cause of treatment discontinuation than undesired events. Conclusion Patients in Germany and Austria with unresectable advanced or metastaticBRAF-mutant melanoma predominantly receive guideline-recommended treatments. TT was more frequently administered than IO while the rationale for prescribing a specific treatment type differed between the two