Valorization of bioethanol by-products to produce unspecific peroxygenase with Agrocybe aegerita: Technological and proteomic perspectives.

Unspecific peroxygenase (UPO) presents a wide range of biotechnological applications. This study targets the use of by-products from bioethanol synthesis to produce UPO by Agrocybe aegerita. Solid-state and submerged fermentations (SSF and SmF) were evaluated, achieving the highest titers of UPO and laccase in SmF using vinasse as nutrients source. Optimized UPO production of 331 U/L was achieved in 50% (v:v) vinasse with an inoculum grown for 14 days. These conditions were scaled-up to a 4 L reactor, achieving a UPO activity of 265 U/L. Fungal proteome expression was analyzed before and after UPO activity appeared by shotgun mass spectrometry proteomics. Laccase, dye-decolorizing peroxidases (DyP), lectins and proteins involved in reactive oxygen species (ROS) production and control were detected (in addition to UPO). Interestingly, the metabolism of complex sugars and nitrogen sources had a different activity at the beginning and end of the submerged fermentation.

Bundling the removal of emerging contaminants with the production of ligninolytic enzymes from residual streams.

Enzymes offer interesting features as biological catalysts for industry: high specificity, activity under mild conditions, accessibility, and environmental friendliness. Being able to produce enzymes in large quantities and having them available in a stable and reusable form reduces the production costs of any enzyme-based process. Agricultural residues have recently demonstrated their potential as substrates to produce ligninolytic enzymes by different white rot fungi. In this study, the biotechnological production of a manganese peroxidase (MnP) by Irpex lacteus was conducted through solid-state fermentation (SSF) with wheat straw as substrate and submerged fermentation (SmF) employing wheat straw extract (WSE). The obtained enzyme cocktail also showed manganese-independent activity (MiP), related to the presence of a short MnP and a dye-decolorizing peroxidase (DyP) which was confirmed by shotgun proteomic analyses. In view of the enhanced production of ligninolytic enzymes in SmF, different parameters such as WSE concentration and nitrogen source were evaluated. The highest enzyme titers were obtained with a medium formulated with glucose and peptone (339 U/L MnP and 15 U/L MiP). The scale-up to a 30 L reactor achieved similar activities, demonstrating the feasibility of enzyme production from the residual substrate at different production scales. Degradation of five emerging pollutants was performed to demonstrate the high oxidative capacity of the enzyme. Complete removal of hormones and bisphenol A was achieved in less than 1 h, whereas almost 30% degradation of carbamazepine was achieved in 24 h, which is a significant improvement compared to previous enzymatic treatments of this compound. KEY POINTS: • Wheat straw extract is suitable for the growth of I. lacteus. • The enzyme cocktail obtained allows the degradation of emerging contaminants. • Mn-dependent and Mn-independent activities increases the catalytic potential.

Methadone and a Clinical Pathway in Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis Surgery: A Historically Controlled Study.

STUDY DESIGN: Historically controlled clinical trial. OBJECTIVES: Patients presenting for correction of adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS) by posterior spinal fusion may benefit from structured clinical pathways. We studied the effects of implementing a published clinical pathway for the perioperative care of patients with AIS that required intraoperative use of methadone at our institution. METHODS: We performed a historically controlled clinical trial of patients undergoing posterior spinal fusion for AIS by comparing a retrospectively collected control group of 25 patients with a prospective experimental group of 14 patients receiving methadone, gabapentin, propofol, and remifentanil as part of a new clinical pathway. RESULTS: Use of the pathway decreased average pain scores evaluated by the Numeric Rating Scale in the 24 hours following surgery (4.8 [4-6] to 3.4 [2-4], P = .03 [-2.6 to -0.2; t = -2.3]) and postoperative opioid consumption by 76% (41 [29-51] mg to 10 [4-17] mg, P < .001 [-45 to -15; Welch's t = 4.9]) during the same period. Improved analgesia and reduced reliance on opioids facilitated other postoperative elements of the clinical pathway and shortened the average hospital length of stay by 1 day (4 [3-6] days to 3 [3-5] days, P = .001 [-2 to -1; U = 67, Z = -3.3]). CONCLUSIONS: Multimodal analgesia and a clinical pathway add value in the perioperative care of patients undergoing posterior spinal fusion for AIS by improving analgesia and shortening hospitalization. The prospective arm of the trial was registered at clinicaltrials.gov under NCT02481570.

Cradle-to-gate Life Cycle Assessment of bio-adhesives for the wood panel industry. A comparison with petrochemical alternatives.

The wood panel industry requires the introduction of more environmental-friendly adhesives due to the strict current regulations on formaldehyde-based emissions. The purpose of this study was to environmentally analyse the production of four different bio-adhesives as alternatives to the most conventional fossil resins used in the production of wood panels. The bio-adhesives proposed for analysis derived from different available renewable biopolymers such as protein (soy) and lignin (Kraft and Organosolv), as well as tannin. The production systems were evaluated from a cradle-to-gate perspective using the Life Cycle Assessment methodology, with the aim of identifying critical parameters and comparing them with fossil substitutes. Inventory data of bio-adhesives were modelled at large scale from lab scale experiments and completed with literature reports. Our results showed that the soy-based and tannin based bio-adhesive had an overall better profile than fossil resins, identifying the production of polyacrylamide for the former, and the production of condensed tannin and glyoxal for the latter, as the main environmental hotspots. In contrast, further research is required on the use of lignins, specifically because of the electricity requirements in the lignin glyoxalation stage (a process required for the functionalization of lignin). Sensitivity analyses were conduced on these key parameters suggesting that there is room for improvement.This study provides useful information for researchers and policy-makers on where to focus their activities with the aim of making the future of bio-adhesives more technically and environmentally favourable.