Microdroplets in Microfluidics: An Evolving Platform for Discoveries in Chemistry and Biology

Microdroplets in microfluidics offer a great number of opportunities in chemical and biological research. They provide a compartment in which species or reactions can be isolated, they are monodisperse and therefore suitable for quantitative studies, they offer the possibility to work with extremely small volumes, single cells, or single molecules, and are suitable for high‐throughput experiments. The aim of this Review is to show the importance of these features in enabling new experiments in biology and chemistry. The recent advances in device fabrication are highlighted as are the remaining technological challenges. Examples are presented to show how compartmentalization, monodispersity, single‐molecule sensitivity, and high throughput have been exploited in experiments that would have been extremely difficult outside the microfluidics platform.     

The role of the t-SNARE SNAP-25 in action potential-dependent calcium signaling and expression in GABAergic and glutamatergic neurons

Background  

The soluble N-ethylmaleimide-sensitive factor attachment protein receptor (SNARE) complex, comprised of SNAP-25, syntaxin 1A, and VAMP-2, has been shown to be responsible for action potential (AP)-dependent, calcium-triggered release of several neurotransmitters. However, this basic fusogenic protein complex may be further specialized to suit the requirements for different neurotransmitter systems, as exemplified by neurons and neuroendocrine cells. In this study, we investigate the effects of SNAP-25 ablation on spontaneous neuronal activity and the expression of functionally distinct isoforms of this t-SNARE in GABAergic and glutamatergic neurons of the adult brain.     

Fast atom bombardment mass spectrometry of alkali metal fluorides and chlorides; a comparison of the solid salt and glycerol matrix spectra

The Fast Atom Bombardment (FAB) mass spectra of the alkali metal chlorides (Na, K, Cs) and fluorides (Na, K, Rb, Cs) were obtained from solids and a glycerol matrix, using a fast atom bombardment source. From solids the fluorides exhibited an ion abundance enhancement of the well-known [M(MF)₄]⁺ cluster, which decreased with increasing cation size. A gradual decrease in the n=4 enhancement was observed as the salt was diluted with glycerol. In the chlorides only sodium chloride showed the n=4 relative enhancement. The mass spectra of the salts from a glycerol matrix at molar ratios of 1:1 to 1:10 showed that the spectra of the 1:1 solutions were similar to those from the solids, while glycerol adducts were found to increase with increasing glycerol concentration. A [M(MX)_n(gly)]⁺ species that featured successive losses of HX was observed. It has not been established whether HX losses take place in solution, in the surface/vacuum interface and/or whether gas phase reactions might be responsible for the observation of the [M(MX)_n(gly)–y HX]^? species in the mass spectra of the MX/glycerol system.     

Studies on the Diastereoselective Preparation of Bis-cyclopropanes

The identification of two natural products, FR-900848 and U-106305, has stimulated interest concerning the relationship between configurational isomerism, conformational isomerism, and biological activity of polycyclopropanes. Efforts to investigate the relationship between configurational and conformational isomerism through molecular modeling suggest that significantly different three-dimensional structures will result from unique primary structures. Any effort to address these issues demands that stereoselective methods for the preparation of polycyclopropanes be developed. We have investigated the application of zinc-carbenoid cyclopropanation in the presence of chiral dioxaboralanes to the preparation of eight stereochemically unique bicyclopropanes. The trans-vinylcyclopropane starting materials demonstrated very little substrate-induced stereoselectivity, while the cis-vinylcyclopropane demonstrates modest to excellent stereocontrol. A model for the substrate-based stereocontrol is proposed. We also used the spectroscopic data gathered in this investigation to probe the substrate-mediated stereocontrol in the rhodium(II)-catalyzed cyclopropanation of vinylcyclopropanes with ethyl diazoacetate.     

Neither in vivo MRI nor behavioural assessment indicate therapeutic efficacy for a novel 5HT1A agonist in rat models of ischaemic stroke

Background  

5HT_1A agonists have previously been shown to promote recovery in animal models of stroke using ex vivo outcome measures which have raised the hopes for a potential clinical implementation. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the potential neuroprotective properties of a novel 5HT_1A agonist DU123015 in 2 different models of transient focal ischaemic stroke of varying severities using both in vivo neuroimaging and behavioural techniques as primary outcome measures. For these studies, the NMDA receptor antagonist MK-801 was also utilized as a positive control to further assess the effectiveness of the stroke models and techniques used.     

Investigation of "on water" conditions using a biphasic fluidic platform

Converting the DEAD: A fluidic approach to generate precisely defined water-oil interfaces was used to quantify the influence of the water surface (blue drops) on chemical reactions between quadricyclane or β-pinene and diethyl azodicarboxylate (DEAD). This method allows for easy investigation of the "on water" effect.