Microbial biogas production from hydrolysis lignin: Insight into lignin structural changes

Background: The emerging cellulosic bioethanol industry will generate huge amounts of lignin-rich residues that may be converted into biogas by anaerobic digestion (AD) to increase the output of energy carriers from the biorefnery plants. The carbohydrates fraction of lignocellulosic biomass is degradable, whereas the lignin fraction is generally considered difcult to degrade during AD. The objective of this study was to investigate the feasibility of biogas production by AD from hydrolysis lignin (HL), prepared by steam explosion (SE) and enzymatic saccharifcation of birch. A novel nylon bag technique together with two-dimensional nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, pyrolysis–gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (Py-GC/MS), and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy was used to identify recalcitrant and degradable structures in the lignin during AD. Results: The HL had a lignin content of 80% which included pseudo-lignin and condensed-lignin structures resulting from the SE pretreatment. The obtained methane yield from HL was almost twofold higher than the theoretical methane from the carbohydrate fraction alone, indicating that part of the lignin was converted to methane. Characterization of the undegradable material after AD revealed a substantial loss of signals characteristic for carbohydrates and lignin–carbohydrate complexes (LCC), indicating conversion of these chemical components to methane during AD. The β-O-4′ linkage and resinol were not modifed as such in AD, but major change was seen for the S/G ratio from 5.8 to 2.6, phenylcoumaran from 4.9 to 1.0%, and pseudo-lignin and condensed-lignin were clearly degraded. Scanning electron microscopy and simultaneous thermal analysis measurements demonstrated changes in morphology and thermal properties following SE pretreatment and AD. Our results showed that carbohydrate, LCC, pseudo-lignin, and condensed-lignin degradation had contributed to methane production. The energy yield for the combined ethanol production and biogas production was 8.1 MJ fuel per kg DM of substrate (4.9 MJ/kg from ethanol and 3.2 MJ/kg from methane). Conclusion: This study shows the beneft of using a novel bag technique together with advanced analytical techniques to investigate the degradation mechanisms of lignin during AD, and also points to a possible application of HL produced in cellulosic bioethanol plants.publishedVersio

Patterns and Seasonal Variations of Perforated Peptic Ulcer Disease: Experience from Ethiopia

Background: Perforated Peptic Ulcer Disease occurs in 2-10% of patients with ulcer disease and its principal treatment is surgical. Objective: To describe the socio-demographics of the patients, seasonal variation in its incidence, modes of surgical management and outcome of patients. Methods: This was a retrospective study on patients operated for acute perforated peptic ulcer at the Minilik II Memorial Referral Hospital, Ethiopia over a three-year period. Results: Eighty-seven patients were studied, 75 (86.2%) males were predominant. Current use of Chat and Cigarettes were reported by 44 (50.5%) and 41 (47.1%) of patients. Significant number of patients 39 (44.8 %) were operated during the Ethiopian rainy Season of July-September. The commonest presenting symptoms were sudden onset epigastric pain that become very severe in 83 (95.5%). Perforation of the anterior aspect of first part of the duodenum is the most common intra-operative findings in 88.7% (77) of cases and Pedicled omental patch repair after Cellan- Jones was performed in 83 (95.4%) of the patients. Atotal of 42 complications occurred in 20 (22.9%) of the patients, the commonest being wound infection. Ten (11.4%) underwent re-laparotomy. Nine patients (10.3%) died. Conclusion: This study has shown that perforated PUD affects young males who are smokers, alcohol users and khat chewers. It is also very common during the rainy Ethiopian months. We recommend further studies to study the interplay of these risk factors in the pathogenesis of perforations, especially their interaction with H.Pyloriinfection.Key words: Perforated PUD, Omental Patch, Seasonal variation, risk factors

Stability and Photoisomerization of Stilbenes Isolated from the Bark of Norway Spruce Roots

Stilbenes or stilbenoids, major polyphenolic compounds of the bark of Norway spruce (Picea abies L. Karst), have potential future applications as drugs, preservatives and other functional ingredients due to their antioxidative, antibacterial and antifungal properties. Stilbenes are photosensitive and UV and fluorescent light induce trans to cis isomerisation via intramolecular cyclization. So far, the characterizations of possible new compounds derived from trans-stilbenes under UV light exposure have been mainly tentative based only on UV or MS spectra without utilizing more detailed structural spectroscopy techniques such as NMR. The objective of this work was to study the stability of biologically interesting and readily available stilbenes such as astringin and isorhapontin and their aglucones piceatannol and isorhapontigenin, which have not been studied previously. The effects of fluorescent and UV light and storage on the stability of trans stilbenes were assessed and the identification and characterisation of new compounds formed during our experiments were carried out by chromatographic (HPLC, GC) and spectroscopic techniques (UV, MS, NMR). The stilbenes undergo a trans to cis isomerisation under extended UV irradiation by intramolecular cyclisation (by the formation of a new C-C bond and the loss of two hydrogens) to phenanthrene structures. The characterised compounds are novel and not described previously

Stability and Photoisomerization of Stilbenes Isolated from the Bark of Norway Spruce Roots

Stilbenes or stilbenoids, major polyphenolic compounds of the bark of Norway spruce (Picea abies L. Karst), have potential future applications as drugs, preservatives and other functional ingredients due to their antioxidative, antibacterial and antifungal properties. Stilbenes are photosensitive and UV and fluorescent light induce trans to cis isomerisation via intramolecular cyclization. So far, the characterizations of possible new compounds derived from trans-stilbenes under UV light exposure have been mainly tentative based only on UV or MS spectra without utilizing more detailed structural spectroscopy techniques such as NMR. The objective of this work was to study the stability of biologically interesting and readily available stilbenes such as astringin and isorhapontin and their aglucones piceatannol and isorhapontigenin, which have not been studied previously. The effects of fluorescent and UV light and storage on the stability of trans stilbenes were assessed and the identification and characterisation of new compounds formed during our experiments were carried out by chromatographic (HPLC, GC) and spectroscopic techniques (UV, MS, NMR). The stilbenes undergo a trans to cis isomerisation under extended UV irradiation by intramolecular cyclisation (by the formation of a new C-C bond and the loss of two hydrogens) to phenanthrene structures. The characterised compounds are novel and not described previously

Enhancing methane production from lignocellulosic biomass by combined steam‑explosion pretreatment and bioaugmentation with cellulolytic bacterium Caldicellulosiruptor bescii

Background: Biogas production from lignocellulosic biomass is generally considered to be challenging due to the recalcitrant nature of this biomass. In this study, the recalcitrance of birch was reduced by applying steam-explosion (SE) pretreatment (210 °C and 10 min). Moreover, bioaugmentation with the cellulolytic bacterium Caldicellulosiruptor bescii was applied to possibly enhance the methane production from steam-exploded birch in an anaerobic digestion (AD) process under thermophilic conditions (62 °C). Results: Overall, the combined SE and bioaugmentation enhanced the methane yield up to 140% compared to untreated birch, while SE alone contributed to the major share of methane enhancement by 118%. The best methane improvement of 140% on day 50 was observed in bottles fed with pretreated birch and bioaugmentation with lower dosages of C. bescii (2 and 5% of inoculum volume). The maximum methane production rate also increased from 4-mL CH4/ g VS (volatile solids)/day for untreated birch to 9-14-mL CH4/ g VS/day for steam-exploded birch with applied bioaugmentation. Bioaugmentation was particularly effective for increasing the initial methane production rate of the pretreated birch yielding 21-44% more methane than the pretreated birch without applied bioaugmentation. The extent of solubilization of the organic matter was increased by more than twofold when combined SE pretreatment and bioaugmentation was used in comparison with the methane production from untreated birch. The beneficial effects of SE and bioaugmentation on methane yield indicated that biomass recalcitrance and hydrolysis step are the limiting factors for efficient AD of lignocellulosic biomass. Microbial community analysis by 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing showed that the microbial community composition was altered by the pretreatment and bioaugmentation processes. Notably, the enhanced methane production by pretreatment and bioaugmentation was well correlated with the increase in abundance of key bacterial and archaeal communities, particularly the hydrolytic bacterium Caldicoprobacter, several members of syntrophic acetate oxidizing bacteria and the hydrogenotrophic Methanothermobacter. Conclusion: Our findings demonstrate the potential of combined SE and bioaugmentation for enhancing methane production from lignocellulosic biomass

Global, regional, and national burden of chronic kidney disease, 1990–2017 : a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2017

Background Health system planning requires careful assessment of chronic kidney disease (CKD) epidemiology, but data for morbidity and mortality of this disease are scarce or non-existent in many countries. We estimated the global, regional, and national burden of CKD, as well as the burden of cardiovascular disease and gout attributable to impaired kidney function, for the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study 2017. We use the term CKD to refer to the morbidity and mortality that can be directly attributed to all stages of CKD, and we use the term impaired kidney function to refer to the additional risk of CKD from cardiovascular disease and gout. Methods The main data sources we used were published literature, vital registration systems, end-stage kidney disease registries, and household surveys. Estimates of CKD burden were produced using a Cause of Death Ensemble model and a Bayesian meta-regression analytical tool, and included incidence, prevalence, years lived with disability, mortality, years of life lost, and disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs). A comparative risk assessment approach was used to estimate the proportion of cardiovascular diseases and gout burden attributable to impaired kidney function. Findings Globally, in 2017, 1·2 million (95% uncertainty interval [UI] 1·2 to 1·3) people died from CKD. The global all-age mortality rate from CKD increased 41·5% (95% UI 35·2 to 46·5) between 1990 and 2017, although there was no significant change in the age-standardised mortality rate (2·8%, −1·5 to 6·3). In 2017, 697·5 million (95% UI 649·2 to 752·0) cases of all-stage CKD were recorded, for a global prevalence of 9·1% (8·5 to 9·8). The global all-age prevalence of CKD increased 29·3% (95% UI 26·4 to 32·6) since 1990, whereas the age-standardised prevalence remained stable (1·2%, −1·1 to 3·5). CKD resulted in 35·8 million (95% UI 33·7 to 38·0) DALYs in 2017, with diabetic nephropathy accounting for almost a third of DALYs. Most of the burden of CKD was concentrated in the three lowest quintiles of Socio-demographic Index (SDI). In several regions, particularly Oceania, sub-Saharan Africa, and Latin America, the burden of CKD was much higher than expected for the level of development, whereas the disease burden in western, eastern, and central sub-Saharan Africa, east Asia, south Asia, central and eastern Europe, Australasia, and western Europe was lower than expected. 1·4 million (95% UI 1·2 to 1·6) cardiovascular disease-related deaths and 25·3 million (22·2 to 28·9) cardiovascular disease DALYs were attributable to impaired kidney function. Interpretation Kidney disease has a major effect on global health, both as a direct cause of global morbidity and mortality and as an important risk factor for cardiovascular disease. CKD is largely preventable and treatable and deserves greater attention in global health policy decision making, particularly in locations with low and middle SDI

Mapping local patterns of childhood overweight and wasting in low- and middle-income countries between 2000 and 2017

A double burden of malnutrition occurs when individuals, household members or communities experience both undernutrition and overweight. Here, we show geospatial estimates of overweight and wasting prevalence among children under 5 years of age in 105 low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) from 2000 to 2017 and aggregate these to policy-relevant administrative units. Wasting decreased overall across LMICs between 2000 and 2017, from 8.4% (62.3 (55.1–70.8) million) to 6.4% (58.3 (47.6–70.7) million), but is predicted to remain above the World Health Organization’s Global Nutrition Target of <5% in over half of LMICs by 2025. Prevalence of overweight increased from 5.2% (30 (22.8–38.5) million) in 2000 to 6.0% (55.5 (44.8–67.9) million) children aged under 5 years in 2017. Areas most affected by double burden of malnutrition were located in Indonesia, Thailand, southeastern China, Botswana, Cameroon and central Nigeria. Our estimates provide a new perspective to researchers, policy makers and public health agencies in their efforts to address this global childhood syndemic