Ionic liquids are liquids composed completely of ions. In the past two decades, ionic liquids have been widely used as "green solvents" replacing traditional organic solvents for organic synthesis and catalysis. In addition, ionic liquids are playing an increasingly important role in separation science. In this Account, the application of ionic liquids in all areas of separation science including extractions, gas chromatography, and supported liquid membrane processes are highlighted.

[reaction: see text] Several organic reactions conducted at high temperatures, including the isomerization reaction, the Claisen rearrangement, and the Diels-Alder reaction, were investigated in three geminal dicationic ionic liquids with high thermal stability. High to moderate yields of the products for most entries were obtained. Advantages of these approaches are discussed. These ionic liquids were shown to be recyclable. The utility of these ionic liquid solvents for high-temperature organic reactions was demonstrated.

It is known that room-temperature ionic liquids (RTILs) have wide applicability in many scientific and technological fields. In this work, a series of three new dicationic room-temperature ionic liquids functionalized with poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) linkages were synthesized and characterized via a linear solvation model. The application of these ILs as new GC stationary phases was studied. The efficient separation of several mixtures containing compounds of different polarities and 24 components of a flavor and fragrance mixture indicated comparable or higher resolving power for the new IL stationary phases compared to the commercial polysiloxane and poly(ethylene glycol)-based stationary phases. In addition, the selectivities of the IL stationary phases could be quite unique. The separation of a homologous alkane and alcohol mixture displayed the "dual nature" of these ionic liquids as GC stationary phases. The thermal stability study showed the column robustness up to 350 degrees C. The high separation power, unique selectivity, high efficiency and high thermal stability of the new dicationic ionic liquids indicate that they may be applicable as a new type of robust GC stationary phase.

Six chiral ionic liquids were prepared and evaluated as "chiral induction solvents" in which two different dibenzobicyclo[2.2.2]octatrienes were photoisomerized to chiral products. Enantiomeric excesses from 3 to 12% were obtained from the photochemical di-π-methane rearrangement. Results indicate that the chiral induction derives from an ion pairing interaction of the deprotonated diacids with the ionic liquid cation. This is the first report on chiral induction via a chiral IL for an irreversible, unimolecular photochemical isomerization. DisciplinesChemistry | Organic Chemistry | Other Chemistry | Polymer Chemistry CommentsReprinted (adapted) with permission from Organic Letters, 7 (2) ABSTRACTSix chiral ionic liquids were prepared and evaluated as "chiral induction solvents" in which two different dibenzobicyclo[2.2.2]octatrienes were photoisomerized to chiral products. Enantiomeric excesses from 3 to 12% were obtained from the photochemical di-π-methane rearrangement. Results indicate that the chiral induction derives from an ion pairing interaction of the deprotonated diacids with the ionic liquid cation. This is the first report on chiral induction via a chiral IL for an irreversible, unimolecular photochemical isomerization.

FMT is effective in a mouse model of UC through its modulation on gut microbiota and the host immune system.

The plant hormone auxin is perceived by the nuclear F-box protein TIR1 receptor family and regulates gene expression through degradation of Aux/IAA transcriptional repressors. Several studies have revealed the importance of the proteasome in auxin signalling, but details on how the proteolytic machinery is regulated and how this relates to degradation of Aux/IAA proteins remains unclear. Here we show that an Arabidopsis homologue of the proteasome inhibitor PI31, which we name PROTEASOME REGULATOR1 (PTRE1), is a positive regulator of the 26S proteasome. Loss-of-function ptre1 mutants are insensitive to auxin-mediated suppression of proteasome activity, show diminished auxin-induced degradation of Aux/IAA proteins and display auxin-related phenotypes. We found that auxin alters the subcellular localization of PTRE1, suggesting this may be part of the mechanism by which it reduces proteasome activity. Based on these results, we propose that auxin regulates proteasome activity via PTRE1 to fine-tune the homoeostasis of Aux/IAA repressor proteins thus modifying auxin activity.

Aim: This meta-analysis, only including randomized controlled trials (RCTs), was conducted to assess separately and compare the therapeutic efficacy of adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells (ADMSCs) and bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) for knee osteoarthritis (OA) at the same follow-up time. Methods: Potential relevant researches were identified from PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, Cochrane Library and clinicaltrials.gov. The data, from clinical trials concentrating on knee OA treated with ADMSCs or BMSCs, were extracted and pooled for meta-analysis to compare the clinical outcomes of patients with knee OA in visual analog scale (VAS), Western Ontario McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC), Lysholm knee scale (Lysholm) and Tegner activity scale (Tegner). Results: Nine randomized controlled trials including a total of 377 patients met the inclusion criteria. This meta-analysis obtained the following results. First, the improvement of VAS scores was statistically significant after BMSCs treatment at 6-, 12- and 24-month follow-up compared with control groups (p < 0.01). In contrast, the improvement of WOMAC scores was of no statistical significance, but showed a positive trend with the prolongation of the follow-up time (6 months: mean difference [MD] = 6.51; 95% CI: -2.38 to 15.40; p = 0.15; 12 months: MD = -6.81; 95% CI: -13.94 to 0.33; p = 0.06). Lysholm scores presented a similar pattern (12 months: MD = 1.93; 95% CI: -11.52 to 15.38; p = 0.78; 24 months: MD = 8.94; 95% CI: 1.45 to 16.43; p = 0.02). Second, VAS and WOMAC scores of patients after ADMSCs treatment were significantly improved at any follow-up time (p ≤ 0.05). The improvement of Lysholm scores was of no statistical significance compared with control groups, although treatment outcome at 12-month follow-up was better than that at 24-month follow-up, which was debatable because only data of one clinical trial were pooled in the analysis (12 months: MD = 7.50; 95% CI: -1.94 to 16.94; p = 0.12; 24 months: MD = 5.10; 95% CI: -3.02 to 13.22; p = 0.22). Finally, by comparing the statistical results of VAS and WOMAC scores, it could be concluded that the therapeutic effect of ADMSCs on knee OA was more effective than that of BMSCs. Conclusion: This meta-analysis showed that regeneration with BMSCs or ADMSCs had a great application potential in the treatment of patients with knee OA, and ADMSCs tended to be superior to BMSCs according to the limited clinical evidences available.

Tissue hypoxia caused by upper airway collapse is a main cause of excessive oxidative stress and systemic inflammation in obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) patients. Increased reactive oxygen species (ROS) and inflammatory responses affect cell survival and ultimately contribute to tissue injury. In the present study, we proposed that the induction of ROS by hypoxia, as an intrinsic stress, activates myoblast pyroptosis in OSA. We found increased cell death and abnormal expression of pyroptosis markers in the skeletal muscle of OSA mice. In vitro studies showed hypoxia-induced pyroptotic death of C2C12 myoblasts, as evidenced by the activation of caspase-1 and gasdermin D (GSDMD). Hypoxia induced ROS overproduction and accumulation in myoblasts. More importantly, applying N-acetylcysteine (NAC), an ROS scavenger, rescued cell swelling, downregulated the inflammatory response, and prevented pyroptotic death in hypoxia-cultured myoblasts. Hypoxia stimulation promoted NF-κB P65 phosphorylation and HIF-1α nuclear translocation. Moreover, hypoxia increased the nuclear level of cleaved caspase-1 and GSDMD. NAC inhibited hypoxia-induced variations in the HIF-1α and NF-κB signaling pathway. Taken together, our results determined that hypoxia-induced ROS contribute to myoblast pyroptosis. Therefore, our findings suggest that ROS may be a potential therapeutic target for ameliorating hypoxia-induced cell death and tissue injury, especially in OSA and hypoxia-related diseases.