Environmental Application, Fate, Effects, and Concerns of Ionic Liquids: A Review

Ionic liquids (ILs) comprise mostly of organic salts with negligible vapor pressure and low flammability that are proposed as replacements for volatile solvents. ILs have been promoted as “green” solvents and widely investigated for their various applications. Although the utility of these chemicals is unquestionable, their toxic effects have attracted great attention. In order to manage their potential hazards and design environmentally benign ILs, understanding their environmental behavior, fate and effects is important. In this review, environmentally relevant issues of ILs, including their environmental application, environmental behavior and toxicity are addressed. In addition, also presented are the influence of ILs on the environmental fate and toxicity of other coexisting contaminants, important routes for designing nontoxic ILs and the techniques that might be adopted for the removal of ILs

Molecular characteristics of all hVISA and VISA isolates.

*<p>NT, could not be typed.</p

All hVISA and VISA isolates identified from different clinical specimens ^a.

a<p>All data are presented as number (%).</p>b<p>BHIA-3V is the brain heart infusion agar containing 3 μg/mL vancomycin; 757 isolates were screened for hVISA and VISA on BHIA-3V plates.</p>c<p>PAP-AUC is the population analysis profile-area under the curve; 209 screen-positive isolates were further confirmed by PAP-AUC.</p>d<p>Prevalence of hVISA and VISA isolated from sputum versus other specimens (p<0.001).</p

MIC_50/90 determined by CLSI broth microdilution and the prevalence of <i>agr</i>-dysfunction.

a<p>n = 209; <i>^b</i> n = 129; <i>^c</i> n = 76; <i>^d</i> n = 4; <i>^e</i> Prevalence of <i>agr</i> dysfunction in hVISA/VISA isolates versus VSSA isolates (p<0.001).</p

Quantification of biofilm formation was determined by crystal violet staining and read as an OD value.

<p>Each rhombus represents the mean OD value of one strain from five independent experiments. The ODs of most VSSA isolates (77/129, 59.7%) scattered above that of ATCC 29213 (the blue line; OD₅₇₀ = 2.180), and the ODs of the majority of hVISA isolates (48/76, 63.2%) scattered between those of ATCC29213 and Mu3 (the green line; OD₅₇₀ = 1.350). On the other hand, the ODs of the four VISA isolates scattered between those of Mu3 and Mu50 (the red line; OD₅₇₀ = 0.848).</p

Antimicrobial activity of 15 antimicrobial agents against 209 screen-positive isolates <i>in vitro</i>.

a<p>n = 57; <i>^b</i> n = 72; <i>^c</i> n = 129; <i>^d</i> n = 63; <i>^e</i> n = 17; <i>^f</i> n = 80; <i>^g</i> No. of total VSSA isolates versus no. of total hVISA/VISA isolates; <i>^h</i> TMP-SMX, trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole.</p

Biomimetic Choline-Like Graphene Oxide Composites for Neurite Sprouting and Outgrowth

Neurodegenerative diseases or acute injuries of the nervous system always lead to neuron loss and neurite damage. Thus, the development of effective methods to repair these damaged neurons is necessary. The construction of biomimetic materials with specific physicochemical properties is a promising solution to induce neurite sprouting and guide the regenerating nerve. Herein, we present a simple method for constructing biomimetic graphene oxide (GO) composites by covalently bonding an acetylcholine-like unit (dimethylaminoethyl methacrylate, DMAEMA) or phosphorylcholine-like unit (2-methacryloyloxyethyl phosphorylcholine, MPC) onto GO surfaces to enhance neurite sprouting and outgrowth. The resulting GO composites were characterized by Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, UV–vis spectrometry, scanning electron microscopy, and contact angle analyses. Primary rat hippocampal neurons were used to investigate nerve cell adhesion, spreading, and proliferation on these biomimetic GO composites. GO–DMAEMA and GO–MPC composites provide the desired biomimetic properties for superior biocompatibility without affecting cell viability. At 2 to 7 days after cell seeding was performed, the number of neurites and average neurite length on GO–DMAEMA and GO–MPC composites were significantly enhanced compared with the control GO. In addition, analysis of growth-associate protein-43 (GAP-43) by Western blot showed that GAP-43 expression was greatly improved in biomimetic GO composite groups compared to GO groups, which might promote neurite sprouting and outgrowth. All the results demonstrate the potential of DMAEMA- and MPC-modified GO composites as biomimetic materials for neural interfacing and provide basic information for future biomedical applications of graphene oxide

sj-pdf-1-ajs-10.1177_03635465221130448 – Supplemental material for Double-Limb Graft Versus Single-Limb Graft Medial Patellofemoral Ligament Reconstruction for Recurrent Patellar Dislocation: A Meta-analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials and Cohort Studies

Supplemental material, sj-pdf-1-ajs-10.1177_03635465221130448 for Double-Limb Graft Versus Single-Limb Graft Medial Patellofemoral Ligament Reconstruction for Recurrent Patellar Dislocation: A Meta-analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials and Cohort Studies by Long Pang, Kefan Mou, Yinghao Li, Tao Li, Jian Li, Jing Zhu and Xin Tang in The American Journal of Sports Medicine</p

Small Molecule-Initiated Light-Activated Semiconducting Polymer Dots: An Integrated Nanoplatform for Targeted Photodynamic Therapy and Imaging of Cancer Cells

Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is a noninvasive and light-activated method for cancer treatment. Two of the vital parameters that govern the efficiency of PDT are the light irradiation to the photosensitizer and visual detection of the selective accumulation of the photosensitizer in malignant cells. Herein, we prepared an integrated nanoplatform for targeted PDT and imaging of cancer cells using folic acid and horseradish peroxidase (HRP)-bifunctionalized semiconducting polymer dots (FH-Pdots). In the FH-Pdots, meta-tetra­(hydroxyphenyl)-chlorin (m-THPC) was used as photosensitizer to produce cytotoxic reactive oxygen species (ROS); fluorescent semiconducting polymer poly­[2-methoxy-5-((2-ethylhexyl)­oxy)-<i>p</i>-phenylenevinylene] was used as light antenna and hydrophobic matrix for incorporating m-THPC, and amphiphilic Janus dendrimer was used as a surface functionalization agent to conjugate HRP and aminated folic acid onto the surface of FH-Pdots. Results indicated that the doped m-THPC can be simultaneously excited by the on-site luminol–H₂O₂–HRP chemiluminescence system through two paths. One is directly through chemiluminescence resonance energy transfer (CRET), and the other is through CRET and subsequent fluorescence resonance energy transfer. In vitro PDT and specificity studies of FH-Pdots using a standard transcriptional and translational assay against MCF-7 breast cancer cells, C6 glioma cells, and NIH 3T3 fibroblast cells demonstrated that cell viability decreased with increasing concentration of FH-Pdots. At the same concentration of FH-Pdots, the decrease in cell viability was positively relevant with increasing folate receptor expression. Results from in vitro fluorescence imaging exhibited that more FH-Pdots were internalized by cancerous MCF-7 and C6 cells than by noncancerous NIH 3T3 cells. All the results demonstrate that the designed semiconducting FH-Pdots can be used as an integrated nanoplatform for targeted PDT and on-site imaging of cancer cells