Recent Advancements and Future Perspectives of Microalgae-Derived Pharmaceuticals.

Microalgal cells serve as solar-powered factories that produce pharmaceuticals, recombinant proteins (vaccines and drugs), and valuable natural byproducts that possess medicinal properties. The main advantages of microalgae as cell factories can be summarized as follows: they are fueled by photosynthesis, are carbon dioxide-neutral, have rapid growth rates, are robust, have low-cost cultivation, are easily scalable, pose no risk of human pathogenic contamination, and their valuable natural byproducts can be further processed. Despite their potential, there are many technical hurdles that need to be overcome before the commercial production of microalgal pharmaceuticals, and extensive studies regarding their impact on human health must still be conducted and the results evaluated.

Integrating pyrolysis and ex-situ catalytic reforming by microwave heating to produce hydrocarbon-rich bio-oil from soybean soapstock.

The composite catalysts were synthesized with SiC powder and ZSM-5 and were characterized by Brunauer-Emmett-Teller, X-ray diffraction, thermogravimetric analysis, pyridine-infrared spectroscopy, and scanning electron microscopy. The catalysts showed a high heating rate and excellent catalytic performance for pyrolysis vapors, and the product fractional distribution and chemical compositions of bio-oil in a tandem system (microwave pyrolysis and microwave ex-situ catalytic reforming) was examined. Experimental results confirmed the quality of bio-oil produced by the microwave-induced catalytic reforming was better than that product through electric heating.

Identification and genetic characterization of avian-origin H3N2 canine influenza viruses isolated from the Liaoning province of China in 2012.

A total of 158 serum samples and 510 nasal swab specimens were collected between September 2010 and May 2012, from dogs exhibiting respiratory symptoms, in order to investigate the epidemiology of H3N2 canine influenza viruses (CIVs) in the Liaoning province of China. Serological surveillance demonstrated that 10.8 % (17/158) of serum samples were positive for H3N2 canine influenza.