Increased Circulating Levels of Alpha-Ketoglutarate in Morbidly Obese Women with Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease.

Background: Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) causes a wide spectrum of liver damage, ranging from simple steatosis to cirrhosis. However, simple steatosis (SS) and steatohepatitis (NASH) cannot yet be distinguished by clinical or laboratory features. The aim of this study was to assess the relationship between alpha-ketoglutarate and the degrees of NAFLD in morbidly obese patients.

A new procedure for the hydrophobization of cellulose fibre using laccase and a hydrophobic phenolic compound.

A new biotechnological procedure using laccase in combination with a hydrophobic phenolic compound (lauryl gallate) for the hydrophobization of cellulose fibres and internal sizing of paper was developed. Cellulose fibres from hardwood kraft pulp were incubated with laccase (Lac), in combination with lauryl gallate (LG). The Lac-LG treatment resulted in the internal sizing of paper, and also in significantly reduced water penetration in the handsheets and wettability of the paper surface.

On hexenuronic acid (HexA) removal and mediator coupling to pulp fiber in the laccase/mediator treatment.

Flax soda/AQ pulps were treated with different fungal laccase-mediator combinations followed by physical and chemical characterization of the pulps to obtain a thorough understanding of the laccase/mediator effects on hexenuronic acid (HexA) removal and the coupling of mediator onto pulps for fiber functionalization. Large differences were found and the presence of lauryl gallate (LG) during Trametes villosa laccase (TvL) treatment (TvL+LG) resulted in a much larger reduction of pulp-linked HexA than the combination of p-coumaric acid (PCA) and Pycnoporus cinnabarinus laccase (PcL). A major portion of LG became attached to the pulp as revealed by an increase in the kappa number and further confirmed by thioacidolysis and (1)H NMR analysis of solubilized pulp fractions.

Enzymatic treatments of pulp using laccase and hydrophobic compounds.

The aim of this work was to develop an innovative method for the internal sizing of paper by use of laccase and hydrophobic compounds. Nine different products containing hydrophobic moieties were tested in combination with laccase derived from Trametes villosa on Eucalyptus globulus kraft pulp in order to assess their internal sizing capability. The strongest internal sizing effect was obtained with lauryl gallate (LG).

A new approach to the biobleaching of flax pulp with laccase using natural mediators.

The phenols syringaldehyde (SA), acetosyringone (AS) and p-coumaric acid (PCA) were used as natural laccase mediators in combination with a laccase from Pycnoporus cinnabarinus to bleach flax fibres. Their performance was compared with 1-hydroxybenzotriazole (HBT) in terms of enzyme stability, and pulp and effluent properties. HBT and PCA were found to inactivate laccase in the absence of pulp.

Application of laccase-natural mediator systems to sisal pulp: an effective approach to biobleaching or functionalizing pulp fibres?

The effects of laccase-natural mediator systems (LMS) on sisal pulp and their potential for either biobleaching or functionalizing (via radical-coupling) its fibres were investigated. The enzyme treatment (L stage) was followed by extraction with hydrogen peroxide in order to determine whether observable effects could be enhanced by removing LMS-modified lignin. Four different plant phenols [viz.