Effects and safety of Ginkgo biloba on blood metabolism in type 2 diabetes mellitus: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: There has existed controversy regarding the use of Ginkgo biloba (GKB) for blood metabolism among type 2 diabetes mellitus(T2DM) patients, and we tried to analyze the effects and safety of GKB on T2DM patients. Methods: We conducted a literature search between January 2003 and December 2022 of seven online databases (PubMed, Scopus, Embase, Google Scholar, Web of Sciences, Cochrane Library, and China National Knowledge Infrastructure). A systematic literature review and meta-analysis were performed to compare the effects and safety of GKB among T2DM patients. Four groups of parameters were extracted and analyzed: hemorheology parameters, lipid profile, glycemic control markers, and adverse events. Results: In the end, 13 eligible articles with 11 indicators among 1573 patients were included. In the hemorheology parameters section, GKB showed significantly lower plasma viscosity (PV) (SMD=-0.91, 95%CI [-1.45, -0.36], P<0.01) and hematocrit (Hct) (SMD=-0.60, 95%CI [-0.97, -0.24], P<0.01) than the control group. GKB shoed higher velocity of the dorsalis pedis artery (VDPA) (SMD=0.51, 95%CI [0.26, 0.76], P<0.01) and ankle brachial index (ABI) (SMD=0.71, 95%CI [0.32, 1.10], P<0.01) than the control. In both the lipid profile and glycemic control markers sections, we did not find any difference between GKB and control groups, including total cholesterol (TC), triglyceride (TG), low-density lipoprotein (LDL), high-density lipoprotein (HDL), hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c), and fasting serum glucose (FSG). In addition, we saw no difference in adverse events (AE). The sensitivity analysis and funnel plot showed that the results in this research were robust and had no publication bias. Conclusion: In conclusion, GKB might safely reduce the risk of peripheral arterial or even systemic cardiovascular disease. However, GKB did not directly improve lipid and blood glucose levels in T2DM patients. Systematic review registration: https://inplasy.com/, identifier INPLASY202350096.

Spectral and physicochemical characterization of dysprosium-based multifunctional ionic liquid crystals.

We report on the synthesis and characterization of multifunctional ionic liquid crystals (melting points below 100 °C) which possess chirality and fluorescent behavior as well as mesomorphic and magnetic properties. In this regard, (1R,2S)-(-)-N-methylephedrine ((-)MeEph), containing a chiral center, is linked with variable alkyl chain lengths (e.g., 14, 16, and 18 carbons) to yield liquid crystalline properties in the cations of these compounds. A complex counteranion consisting of trivalent dysprosium (Dy(3+)) and thiocyanate ligand (SCN(-)) is employed, where Dy(3+) provides fluorescent and magnetic properties. Examination of differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and hot-stage polarizing optical microscopy (POM) data confirmed liquid crystalline characteristics in these materials. We further report on phase transitions from solid to liquid crystal states, followed by isotropic liquid states with increasing temperature. These compounds exhibited two characteristic emission peaks in acetonitrile solution and the solid state when excited at λex = 366 nm, which are attributed to transitions from (4)F9/2 to (6)H15/2 and (4)F9/2 to (6)H13/2. The emission intensities of these compounds were found to be very sensitive to the phase.

Surfactant-based ionic liquids for extraction of phenolic compounds combined with rapid quantification using capillary electrophoresis.

A rapid liquid phase extraction employing a novel hydrophobic surfactant-based room temperature ionic liquid (RTIL), tetrabutylphosphonium dioctyl sulfosuccinate ([4C4 P][AOT]), coupled with capillary electrophoretic-UV (CE-UV) detection is developed for removal and determination of phenolic compounds. The long-carbon-chain RTIL used is sparingly soluble in most solvents and can be used to replace volatile organic solvents. This fact, in combination with functional-surfactant-anions, is proposed to reduce the interfacial energy of the two immiscible liquid phases, resulting in highly efficient extraction of analytes. Several parameters that influence the extraction efficiencies, such as extraction time, RTIL type, pH value, and ionic strength of aqueous solutions, were investigated. It was found that, under acidic conditions, most of the investigated phenols were extracted from aqueous solution into the RTIL phase within 12 min. Good linearity was observed over the concentration range of 0.1-80.0 µg/mL for all phenols investigated. The precision of this method, expressed as RSD, was determined to be within 3.4-5.3% range. The LODs (S/N = 3) of the method were in the range of 0.047-0.257 µg/mL. The proposed methodology was successfully applied to determination of phenols in real water samples.

An immobilized graphene oxide stationary phase for open-tubular capillary electrochromatography.

The research literature currently abounds with studies of graphene-related materials as a result of the extraordinary properties of such materials. On the basis of these citations, it is clear that the range of applications for such materials is substantial. In this manuscript, we report the immobilization of graphene oxide (GO) onto a fused-silica capillary to form a potential stationary phase for use in open-tubular CEC. We successfully incorporated GO through an in situ condensation reaction with (3-aminopropyl)triethoxysilane after silanization with (3-aminopropyl)triethoxysilane on the inner surface of the capillary. This GO-incorporated capillary was then characterized by use of SEM, infrared spectroscopy, and measurements of EOF. The electrochromatographic features of this stationary phase have also been investigated. Evaluation of acquired data indicates high electrochromatographic resolution and good capillary efficiency. Highly reproducible results between runs, days, and capillaries were also obtained.

Irradiation induced fluorescence enhancement in PEGylated cyanine-based NIR nano- and mesoscale GUMBOS.

We report on the synthesis and characterization of a PEGylated IR786 GUMBOS (Group of Uniform Materials Based on Organic Salts). The synthesis of this material was accomplished using a three step protocol: (1) substitution of chloride on the cyclohexenyl ring in the heptamethine chain of IR786 by 6-aminohexanoic acid, (2) grafting of methoxy polyethylene glycol (MeOPEG) onto the 6-aminohexanoic acid via an esterification reaction, and (3) anion exchange between [PEG786][I] and lithium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide (LiNTf(2)) or sodium bis(2-ethylhexyl)sulfosuccinate (AOT) in order to obtain PEG786 GUMBOS. Examination of spectroscopic data for this PEG786 GUMBOS indicates a large stokes shift (122 nm). It was observed that this PEG786 GUMBOS associates in aqueous solution to form nano- and mesoscale self-assemblies with sizes ranging from 100 to 220 nm. These nano- and mesoscale GUMBOS are also able to resist nonspecific binding to proteins. PEGylation of the original IR786 leads to reduced cytotoxicity. In addition, it was noted that anions, such as NTf(2) and AOT, play a significant role in improving the photostability of PEG786 GUMBOS. Irradiation-induced J-aggregation in [PEG786][NTf(2)] and to some extent in [PEG786][AOT] produced enhanced photostability. This observation was supported by use of both steady state and time-resolved fluorescence measurements.

Lipophilic phosphonium-lanthanide compounds with magnetic, luminescent, and tumor targeting properties.

Multifunctional phosphonium-lanthanide compounds that simultaneously possess paramagnetism, luminescence, and tumor mitochondrial targeting properties were prepared by use of a facile method. These compounds were fully characterized by use of (1)H, (13)C, (31)P NMR, FT-IR, and elemental analyses. The thermal properties of these compounds including melting points and decomposition temperatures were investigated using DSC and TGA analyses. In addition, the paramagnetism, luminescence, and tumor targeting properties of these multifunctional compounds were confirmed by respective use of SQUID, fluorescence, and cell cytotoxicity studies. All compounds exhibited paramagnetism at room temperature, which could provide target delivery of these compounds to parts of the body containing tumor cells using a strong external magnetic field. In addition, these compounds display two major characteristic emissions originating from Dy(3+), which can be utilized for imaging tumor cells. The IC(50) values of these compounds measured against normal breast cell line (Hs578Bst) are significantly greater than those measured against the corresponding carcinoma breast cell line (Hs578T), clearly indicating the selective tumor targeting properties of these compounds. Confocal fluorescence microscopy studies were used to confirm the yellowish-green fluorescence corresponding to the emission of dysprosium thiocyanate anion within cancer cells upon exposure of cancer cell lines such as human pancreatic carcinoma cell line (MIAPaCa-2) and human breast carcinoma (MDA-MB-231) to a solution of these phosphonium-dysprosium compounds.

Highly efficient extraction of phenolic compounds by use of magnetic room temperature ionic liquids for environmental remediation.

A hydrophobic magnetic room temperature ionic liquid (MRTIL), trihexyltetradecylphosphonium tetrachloroferrate(III) ([3C(6)PC(14)][FeCl(4)]), was synthesized from trihexyltetradecylphosphonium chloride and FeCl(3) · 6H(2)O. This MRTIL was investigated as a possible separation agent for solvent extraction of phenolic compounds from aqueous solution. Due to its strong paramagnetism, [3C(6)PC(14)][FeCl(4)] responds to an external neodymium magnet, which was employed in the design of a novel magnetic extraction technique. The conditions for extraction, including extraction time, volume ratio between MRTIL and aqueous phase, pH of aqueous solution, and structures of phenolic compounds were investigated and optimized. The magnetic extraction of phenols achieved equilibrium in 20 min and the phenolic compounds were found to have higher distribution ratios under acidic conditions. In addition, it was observed that phenols containing a greater number of chlorine or nitro substituents exhibited higher distribution ratios. For example, the distribution ratio of phenol (D(Ph)) was 107. In contrast, 3,5-dichlorophenol distribution ratio (D(3,5-DCP)) had a much higher value of 6372 under identical extraction conditions. When compared with four selected traditional non-magnetic room temperature ionic liquids, our [3C(6)PC(14)][FeCl(4)] exhibited significantly higher extraction efficiency under the same experimental conditions used in this work. Pentachlorophenol, a major component in the contaminated soil sample obtained from a superfund site, was successfully extracted and removed by use of [3C(6)PC(14)][FeCl(4)] with high extraction efficiency. Pentachlorophenol concentration was dramatically reduced from 7.8 µg mL(-1) to 0.2 µg mL(-1) after the magnetic extraction by use of [3C(6)PC(14)][FeCl(4)].