Macroalgae are considered to be promising biomass for fuels and chemicals production. To utilize brown macroalgae as biomass, the degradation of alginate, which is the main carbohydrate of brown macroalgae, into monomeric units is a critical prerequisite step. Saccharophagus degradans 2-40 is capable of degrading more than ten different polysaccharides including alginate, and its genome sequence demonstrated that this bacterium contains several putative alginate lyase genes including alg17C. The gene for Alg17C, which is classified into the PL-17 family, was cloned and overexpressed in Escherichia coli. The recombinant Alg17C was found to preferentially act on oligoalginates with degrees of polymerization higher than 2 to produce the alginate monomer, 4-deoxy-L: -erythro-5-hexoseulose uronic acid. The optimal pH and temperature for Alg17C were found to be 6 and 40 °C, respectively. The K (M) and V (max) of Alg17C were 35.2 mg/ml and 41.7 U/mg, respectively. Based on the results of this study, Alg17C could be used as the key enzyme to produce alginate monomers in the process of utilizing alginate for biofuels and chemicals production.

Background:Oxycodone, a semisynthetic thebaine derivative opioid, is widely used for the relief of moderate to severe pain. The aim of this study was to compare the efficacy and side effects of oxycodone and fentanyl in the management of postoperative pain by intravenous patient-controlled analgesia (IV-PCA) in patients who underwent laparoscopic supracervical hysterectomy (LSH).Methods:The 127 patients were randomized to postoperative pain treatment with either oxycodone (n = 64, group O) or fentanyl group (n = 63, group F). Patients received 7.5 mg oxycodone or 100 μg fentanyl with 30-mg ketorolac at the end of anesthesia followed by IV-PCA (potency ratio 75:1) for 48 hours postoperatively. A blinded observer assessed postoperative pain based on the numerical rating scale (NRS), infused PCA dose, patient satisfaction, sedation level, and side effects.Results:Accumulated IV-PCA consumption in group O was less (63.5 ± 23.9 mL) than in group F (85.3 ± 2.41 mL) during the first 48 hours postoperatively (P = 0.012). The NRS score of group O was significantly lower than that of group F at 4 and 8 hours postoperatively (P < .001); however, the incidence of postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV), dizziness, and drowsiness was significantly higher in group O than in group F. Patient satisfaction was lower in group O than in group F during the 48 hours after surgery (P < 0.001).Conclusions:Oxycodone IV-PCA (potency ratio 1:75) provided superior analgesia to fentanyl IV-PCA after LSH; however, the higher incidence of side effects, including PONV, dizziness, and drowsiness, suggests that the doses used in this study were not equipotent.

BackgroundWe planned to compare the effect of intravenous oxycodone and fentanyl on post-operative pain after laparoscopic hysterectomy.MethodsWe examined 60 patients were randomized to postoperative pain treatment with either oxycodone (n = 30, Group O) or fentanyl (n = 30, Group F). The patients received 10 mg oxycodone/100 µg fentanyl with ketorolac 30 mg before the end of anesthesia and then continued with patient-controlled analgesia for 48 h postoperatively.ResultsThe accumulated oxycodone consumption was less than fentanyl during 8, 24 and 48 h postoperatively. Numeric rating score of Group O showed significantly lower than that of Group F during 30 min, 2, 4, 8 and 24 h postoperatively. The incidences of adverse reactions were similar in the two groups, though the incidence of nausea was higher in the Group O during the 24 and 48 h postoperative period.ConclusionsOxycodone IV-PCA was more advantageous than fentanyl IV-PCA for laparoscopic hysterectomy in view of accumulated oxycodone consumption, pain control and cost beneficial effect. However, patient satisfaction was not good in the group O compared to group F.

No significant beneficial effect of Gln supplementation with a low-dose parenteral regimen was demonstrated on the surgical outcome after a PD for periampullary tumors. Therefore, we should be prudent in using Gln as a routine pharmacologic supplement to the standard nutrition in patients who undergo major operations.