Alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) and aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH) in the cancer diseases. Clinica Chimica Acta 395

Abstract Background: Various alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) isoenzymes and aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH) exist in the pancreas. Moreover, ADH and ALDH are present in pancreatic cancer cells. The activity of ADH class III isoenzymes is significantly higher in cancerous than in healthy tissues. The expression of these enzymes in cancer cells is reflected by increased enzyme activity in the sera and thus could be helpful for diagnosing pancreatic cancer. The aim of this study was to investigate the potential role of ADH and ALDH as tumor markers for pancreatic carcinoma. methods: Serum samples were taken from 165 patients with pancreatic cancer and 166 healthy controls. Total ADH activity and class III and IV isoenzymes were measured by photometric and ALDH activity, ADH I and II by the fluorometric method. Results: There was a significant increase in the activity of ADH III isoenzyme (14.03 mU/l vs 11.45 mU/l; p < 0.001) and total ADH activity in the sera of pancreatic cancer patients compared to the control. The diagnostic sensitivity for ADH III was 70%, specificity 76%, positive and negative predictive values were 79% and 71% respectively. Area under ROC curve for ADH III was 0.64. Conclusion: The results suggest a potential role for ADH III as a marker of pancreatic cancer

Temperature influence on the fast pyrolysis of manure samples: Char, bio-oil and gases production

Fast pyrolysis characterization of three dry manure samples was studied using a pyrolyzer. A heating rate of 600°C/s and a holding time of 10 s were selected to reproduce industrial conditions. The effect of the peak pyrolysis temperature (600, 800 and 1000°C) on the pyrolysis product yield and composition was evaluated. Char and bio-oil were gravimetrically quantified. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was used to analyse the char structure. H2, CH4, CO and CO2 were measured by means of gas chromatography (GC). A decrease in the char yield and an increase of the gas yield were observed when temperature increased. From 800°C on, it was observed that the char yield of samples Dig R and SW were constant, which indicated that the primary devolatilization reactions stopped. This fact was also corroborated by GC analysis. The bio-oil yield slightly increased with temperature, showing a maximum of 20.7 and 27.8 wt.% for samples Pre and SW, respectively, whereas sample Dig R showed a maximum yield of 16.5 wt.% at 800°C. CO2 and CO were the main released gases whereas H2 and CH4 production increased with temperature. Finally, an increase of char porosity was observed with temperature.</p