A review on non-edible oil as a potential feedstock for biodiesel: physicochemical properties and production technologies

There is increasing concern regarding alleviating world energy demand by determining an alternative to petroleum-derived fuels due to the rapid depletion of fossil fuels, rapid population growth, and urbanization. Biodiesel can be utilized as an alternative fuel to petroleum-derived diesel for the combustion engine. At present, edible crops are the primary source of biodiesel production. However, the excessive utilization of these edible crops for large-scale biodiesel production might cause food supply depletion and economic imbalance. Moreover, the utilization of edible oil as a biodiesel feedstock increases biodiesel production costs due to the high price of edible oils. A possible solution to overcome the existing limitations of biodiesel production is to utilize non-edible crops oil as a feedstock. The present study was conducted to determine the possibility and challenges of utilizing non-edible oil as a potential feedstock for biodiesel production. Several aspects related to non-edible oil as a biodiesel feedstock such as overview of biodiesel feedstocks, non-edible oil resources, non-edible oil extraction technology, its physicochemical and fatty acid properties, biodiesel production technologies, advantages and limitation of using non-edible oil as a feedstock for biodiesel production have been reviewed in various recent publications. The finding of the present study reveals that there is a huge opportunity to utilize non-edible oil as a feedstock for biodiesel production.

There is increasing concern regarding alleviating world energy demand by determining an alternative to petroleum-derived fuels due to the rapid depletion of fossil fuels, rapid population growth, and urbanization.     

Nifedipine as a therapeutic modality for raynaud's phenomenon

Eight patients with Raynaud's phenomenon were entered into a double-blind crossover study of nifedipine versus placebo, with 7 patients undergoing finger pleth-ysmography before and after sublingual nifedipine ad-ministration. While receiving nifedipine, all patients reported decreased frequency and severity of attacks, and 4 of 5 had digital ulcer healing. Total finger blood flow increased in 5 of 6 patients after treatment with sublingual nifedipine. This preliminary study indicates that nifedipine may be a useful agent for treatment of digital vasospasm.     

Complete remission of a mesenteric fibromatosis after taking sulindac

We report the case of a 22-year-old-man having a familial adenomatous polyposis coli treated by total colectomy with ileo-rectal anastomosis. Two years after the operation, an asymptomatic mesenteric fibromatosis appeared which was nonresectable due to mesenteric vessels infiltration. Nine years later, sulindac therapy was started for residual polyps in the rectal stump. This treatment was taken intermittently, during periods of 1 to 8 months, for 6 years. After 4 years of treatment, the tumor was no longer palpable. Four years after sulindac discontinuation, the patient was operated on for suspicion of intestinal adhesion. The mesenteric fibromatosis had completely disappeared and mesenteric vessels were free. This complete macroscopic regression of a desmoid tumor after sulindac therapy emphasizes again the interest of this treatment for mesenteric fibromatosis.     

Repeated Multimodality Ablative Therapies for Oligorecurrent Pulmonary Metastatic Disease

Stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) and percutaneous thermal ablation (TA) are alternatives to surgery for the management of pulmonary oligometastases. In this collaborative work, we retrospectively analyzed patients who had undergone iterative focal ablative treatments of pulmonary oligometastases. We hypothesized that repeated ablative therapies could benefit patients with consecutive oligometastatic relapses. Patients treated with SBRT and/or TA for pulmonary oligometastases in two French academic centers between October 2011 and November 2016 were included. A total of 102 patients with 198 lesions were included; 45 patients (44.1%) received repeated focal treatments at the pulmonary site for an oligorecurrent disease (the “multiple courses” group). Median follow-up was 22.5 months. The 3-year overall survival rates of patients who had a single treatment sequence (the “single course” group) versus the “multiple courses” were 73.9% and 78.8%, respectively, which was not a statistically significant difference (p = 0.860). The 3-year systemic therapy-free survival tended to be longer in the “multiple courses” group (50.4%) than in the “single course” group (44.7%) (p = 0.081). Tolerance of repeated treatments was excellent with only one grade 4 toxicity. Thereby, multimodality repeated ablative therapy is effective in patients with pulmonary oligorecurrent metastases. This strategy may delay the use of more toxic systemic therapy.     

Influence of orthodontic appliance type on salivary parameters during treatment

ObjectivesTo evaluate the effect of orthodontic appliances on physicochemical, biochemical, and oxidative stress changes in salivary parameters during treatment.Materials and MethodsA cohort study was conducted with 112 healthy patients. Salivary samples were taken at baseline, 1 month, and 9 months after placement of the orthodontic appliances used in treatment.ResultsA statistically significant difference was observed in certain examined salivary parameters, including enzymes, electrolytes, and oxidative stress markers.ConclusionsThe use of aligners had a lower prevalence of disturbing salivary parameters. Orthodontist must consider these changes to prevent the occurrence of white spot lesions.