Noncatalytic Direct Liquefaction of Biorefinery Lignin by Ethanol

There is a growing interest in lignin valorization to biofuels and chemicals. Here, we propose a novel and simple noncatalytic process to directly liquefy lignin rich solid residual from second generation bioethanol production by solvolysis with ethanol. Through an extensive parameter study in batch autoclaves assessing the effects of varying reaction temperature, reaction time, and solvent:lignin ratio, it is shown that hydrothermally pretreated enzymatic hydrolysis lignin solvolysis in supercritical ethanol can produce a heptane soluble bio-oil without the need for exhaustive deoxygenation. The process does not require addition of catalyst or a reducing agent such as hydrogen. The process is advantageously carried out with a low reaction period (<1 h) and with a reduced amount of solvent to lignin feedstock (ethanol:lignin (w/w) ratio of 2:1) which is a previously unexplored domain for lignin solvolysis. The resulting bio-oil product is mainly a mixture of di- and monomeric lignin species where the original lignin unit linkages have been broken. The oxygen content is lowered to <10 wt % (corresponding to an HHV of 36 MJ/kg) and the bio-oil is stable and acid free (verified by NMR), and due to the use of sulfur free lignin rich residual as feedstock, the resulting oil product is equally sulfur free. The residual solid product (char) has a reduced oxygen content relative to the lignin feed and equally increased higher heating value, making it a candidate for use as a biochar

Preadmission glucocorticoid use and anastomotic leakage after colon and rectal cancer resections: a Danish cohort study

ObjectiveTo examine whether preadmission glucocorticoid use increases the risk of anastomotic leakage after colon and rectal cancer resections.DesignA population-based cohort study.SettingDenmark (2001–2011).ParticipantsWe identified patients who had undergone a primary anastomosis after a colorectal cancer resection by linking medical registries. Participants who filled their most recent glucocorticoid prescription ≤90, 91–365 and >365 days before their surgery date were categorised as current, recent and former users, respectively.Main outcome measuresWe calculated 30-day absolute risk of anastomotic leakage and computed ORs using logistic regression models with adjustment for potential confounders.ResultsOf the 18 190 patients with colon cancer, anastomotic leakage occurred in 1184 (6.5%). Glucocorticoid use overall was not associated with an increased risk of leakage (6.4% vs 6.9% among never-users; OR 1.05; 95% CI 0.89 to 1.23). Categories of oral, inhaled or intestinal-acting glucocorticoids did not greatly affect risk of leakage. Anastomotic leakage occurred in 695 (13.2%) of 5284 patients with rectal cancer. Glucocorticoid use overall slightly increased risk of leakage (14.6% vs 12.8% among never-users; OR 1.36, 95% CI 1.08 to 1.72). Results did not differ significantly within glucocorticoid categories.ConclusionsPreadmission glucocorticoids modestly increased the risk of anastomotic leakage mainly after rectal cancer resection. However, absolute risk differences were small and the clinical impact of glucocorticoid use may therefore be limited

Heritability and Familial Aggregation of Diverticular Disease: A Population-Based Study of Twins and Siblings

BACKGROUND & AIMS: Little is known about the role of heritable factors in diverticular disease. We evaluated the contribution of heritable factors to the development of diverticular disease diagnosed at a hospitalization or outpatient visit. METHODS: Using nationwide patient registries, we identified 142,123 incident cases of diverticular disease diagnosed at a hospitalization (1977-2011) or an outpatient hospital visit (1995-2011) in Denmark, including cases in 10,420 index siblings and 923 twins. We calculated standardized incidence ratios for siblings versus the general population and concordance rates for monozygotic versus dizygotic twin pairs as measures of relative risk (RR). RESULTS: The RR for diverticular disease in siblings of index cases was 2.92 (95% confidence interval [CI], 2.50-3.39) compared with the general population. The RRs were similar irrespective of the sex of the sibling or index case and were particularly strong in siblings of hospitalized cases and cases that underwent surgery. The proband-wise concordance rate for monozygotic twins was double that of dizygotic twins (0.16 [95% CI, 0.11-0.22] vs 0.07 [95% CI, 0.05-0.11], respectively). The RR of diverticular disease in one twin when the other had diverticular disease was 14.5 (95% CI, 8.9-23) for monozygotic twins compared with 5.5 (95% CI, 3.3-8.6) for dizygotic twins. Associations were stronger in female monozygotic twins compared with male twins (tetrachoric correlation, 0.60 [95% CI, 0.49-0.70] vs 0.33 [95% CI, 0.13-0.51]; P = .03 in an analysis stratified by sex and zygosity). We estimate that 53% (95% CI, 45%-61%) of susceptibility to diverticular disease results from genetic factors. CONCLUSIONS: Based on a population-based study in Denmark, genetic factors appear to contribute to development of diverticular disease