Influence of volatile solids and pH for the production of volatile fatty acids: Batch fermentation tests using sewage sludge.

The aim of this work was to study the effect of volatile suspended solid (VSS) and pH on volatile fatty acids (VFA) production from waste activated sludge (WAS) fermentation by means of batch tests. The final goal was to gain insights to enhance VFA stream quality, with the novelty of using WAS with high sludge retention time. Results revealed that the optimum conditions to maximize VFAs and minimize nutrients and non-VFA sCOD are a VSS concentration of 5.9 g/L and initial pH adjustment to pH 10. The WAS bacterial community structures were analysed according to Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) of 16S rDNA amplicons. The results revealed changes of bacterial phyla abundance in comparison with the batch test starting condition.

Recovery of polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) from wastewater: A review.

Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) are biopolyesters accumulated as carbon and energy storage materials under unbalanced growth conditions by various microorganisms. They are one of the most promising potential substitutes for conventional non-biodegradable plastics due to their similar physicochemical properties, but most important, its biodegradability. Production cost of PHAs is still a great barrier to extend its application at industrial scale. In order to reduce that cost, research is focusing on the use of several wastes as feedstock (such as agro-industrial and municipal organic waste and wastewater) in a platform based on mixed microbial cultures. This review provides a critical illustration of the state of the art of the most likely-to-be-scale-up PHA production processes using mixed microbial cultures platform and waste streams as feedstock, with a particular focus on both, upstream and downstream processes. Current pilot scale studies, future prospects, challenges and developments in the field are also highlighted.

Bioplastic recovery from wastewater: A new protocol for polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA) extraction from mixed microbial cultures.

A new protocol for polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA) extraction from mixed microbial cultures (MMCs) is proposed. PHA-accumulating capacity of the MMC was selected in a sequencing batch reactor (SBR) fed with a synthetic effluent emulating a fermented oil mill wastewater (OMW). The highest recovery yield and purity (74 ±â€¯8% and 100 ±â€¯5%, respectively) was obtained when using NH4-Laurate for which operating conditions of the extraction process such as temperature, concentration and contact time were optimized. Best conditions for PHA extraction from MMC turned to be: i) a pre-treatment with NaClO at 85 °C with 1 h of contact time, followed by ii) a treatment with lauric acid in a ratio acid lauric to biomass of 2:1 and 3 h of contact time.

Minimally invasive experience for the treatment of gastrointestinal stromal tumours.

Gastrointestinal stromal tumours are rare mesenchymal neoplasms, accounting less than 3% of all the gastrointestinal tumours, that may arise in all portions of the gastrointestinal tract but more frequently they involve stomach and small bowel. Generally are asymptomatic or slight symptomatic, although they may also cause acute clinical conditions. Histologically are characterised by a meshwork of spindle-like cells mixed with fibro-hyaline stroma. The immunohistochemical assessment, marked for a strong immunopositivity for CD117 antibodies, allows the differential diagnosis with others muscular, nervous and fibroblastic tumours. Tumour size and mitotic rate are the most important prognostic indicators. Surgery represents the treatment for patients with primary non-metastatic disease, however a prolonged oncologic follow-up is always recommended. Minimally invasive technique is increasingly adopted and preferred for its low morbidity and shorter in-hospital stay, and more and more reports confirm its safety, efficacy and feasibility. We report a case series of three pauci-sympomatic patients, all hospitalised for severe anaemia related to a chronic gastrointestinal bleeding, successfully treated by laparoscopic approach for the removal of gastrointestinal stromal tumours, two located in the stomach and one in the jejunum.

Atraumatic splenic rupture: an atypical presentation in a previously healthy patient.

UNLABELLED: Atraumatic splenic rupture represents a life-threatening abdominal event that requires immediate diagnosis and prompt surgical treatment to ensure the survival of the patient. Atraumatic rupture is relatively uncommon and can occur either in pathological spleens or, more rarely, in normal ones. It has a high morbidity, frequently with few and non specific signs suggesting its presence, can be associated to other pathologies incidentally discovered by imaging. We present a case, successfully treated, of a 51-year-old man, previously healthy, that referred to our hospital for arterial hypertension and abdominal pain; the patient, for an idiopathic splenic rupture with haemoperitoneum, underwent an open splenectomy whose histology examination showed a normal spleen. KEY WORDS: Atraumatic splenic rupture, Normal spleen, Spontaneos haemoperitoneum - Full text is available at: www.annaliitalianidichirurgia.it.

Unusual presentation of a distal cholangiocarcinoma.

We report a case of a 51-year-old male presented with abdominal pain and itching, whereas jaundice occurred afterwards. Diagnosis was made by means of CT and better assessed by MRI and endoscopic ultrasounds. Patient was treated with an open Whipple's procedure, and after an 18-month follow-up he was doing well.