PS2MS: A Deep Learning-Based Prediction System for Identifying New Psychoactive Substances Using Mass Spectrometry.

The rapid proliferation of new psychoactive substances (NPS) poses significant challenges to conventional mass-spectrometry-based identification methods due to the absence of reference spectra for these emerging substances. This paper introduces PS2MS, an AI-powered predictive system designed specifically to address the limitations of identifying the emergence of unidentified novel illicit drugs. PS2MS builds a synthetic NPS database by enumerating feasible derivatives of known substances and uses deep learning to generate mass spectra and chemical fingerprints. When the mass spectrum of an analyte does not match any known reference, PS2MS simultaneously examines the chemical fingerprint and mass spectrum against the putative NPS database using integrated metrics to deduce possible identities. Experimental results affirm the effectiveness of PS2MS in identifying cathinone derivatives within real evidence specimens, signifying its potential for practical use in identifying emerging drugs of abuse for researchers and forensic experts.

Experimental study on the impact of "IDS + JFCS" complex wetting agent on the characteristics of coal bodies.

As China's coal mines have transitioned to deep mining, the ground stress within the coal seams has progressively increased, resulting in reduced permeability and poor wetting ability of conventional wetting agents. Consequently, these agents have become inadequate in fulfilling the requirements for preventing washouts during deep mining operations. In response to the aforementioned challenges, a solution was proposed to address the issues by formulating a composite wetting agent. This composite wetting agent combines a conventional surfactant with a chelating agent called tetrasodium iminodisuccinate (IDS). By conducting a meticulous screening of surfactant monomer solutions, the ideal formulation for the composite wetting agent was determined by combining the monomer surfactant with IDS. Extensive testing, encompassing evaluations of the composite solution's apparent strain, contact angle measurements, and alterations in the oxygenated functional groups on the coal surface, led to the identification of the optimal composition. This composition consisted of IDS serving as the chelating agent and fatty alcohol polyoxyethylene ether (JFCS).Subsequent assessment of the physical and mechanical performance of the coal briquettes treated with the composite wetting agent revealed notable enhancements. These findings signify significant advancements in the field and hold promising implications. Following the application of the composite wetting agent, notable reductions were observed in the dry basis ash and dry basis full sulfur of coal. Additionally, the water content within the coal mass increased significantly, leading to a substantial enhancement in the wetting effect of the coal body. This enhanced wetting effect effectively mitigated the coal body's inclination towards impact, thereby offering technical support for optimizing water injection into coal seams and preventing as well as treating impact ground pressure.

Active cell divisions generate fourfold orientationally ordered phase in living tissue.

Morphogenesis, the process through which genes generate form, establishes tissue-scale order as a template for constructing the complex shapes of the body plan. The extensive growth required to build these ordered substrates is fuelled by cell proliferation, which, naively, should destroy order. Understanding how active morphogenetic mechanisms couple cellular and mechanical processes to generate order-rather than annihilate it-remains an outstanding question in animal development. We show that cell divisions are the primary drivers of tissue flow, leading to a fourfold orientationally ordered phase. Waves of anisotropic cell proliferation propagate across the embryo with precise patterning. Defects introduced into the nascent lattice by cell divisions are moved out of the tissue bulk towards the boundary by subsequent divisions. Specific cell proliferation rates and orientations enable cell divisions to organize rather than fluidize the tissue. We observe this using live imaging and tissue cartography to analyse the dynamics of fourfold tissue ordering in the trunk segmental ectoderm of the crustacean Parhyale hawaiensis beginning 72 h after egg lay. The result is a robust, active mechanism for generating global orientational order in a non-equilibrium system that sets the stage for the subsequent development of shape and form.

Simultaneous Determination and Stability Analysis of Ten New Psychoactive Substances including Synthetic Cathinones, Phenethylamines, and Ketamine Substitutes in Urine Using Liquid Chromatography-Tandem Mass Spectrometry.

Knowing the stability of drugs is important to ensure accurate and reliable results of drug concentrations. This study evaluated the stability of ten new psychoactive substances (NPSs) in urine and methanol/water at different storage temperatures. Quantitative analyses were performed using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. Three replicates of each storage condition were analyzed at day 0 and after 7, 14-, 30-, 60-, and 90 days with storage at +25°C, +4°C, and -20°C. For each analyte, the percent difference at each time interval from day 0 was calculated for each storage condition. Para-methoxyamphetamine (PMA), para-methoxymethamphetamine (PMMA), deschloroketamine (DCK), and 2-fluorodeschloroketamine (2-FDCK) were stable in urine, even when stored for 90-day periods at various temperatures. For synthetic cathinones, the concentrations declined over time at room temperature (+25°C) in urine but were relatively stable in methanol solvent with 0.1% formic acid. The significant degradation was found at +25°C, and the most excellent stability was shown by samples stored at -20°C. Phenethylamines (PMA and PMMA) and ketamine substitutes (DCK and 2-FDCK) were relatively more stable than synthetic cathinones (mephedrone, butylone, pentylone, ephylone, 4-MEAPP, and eutylone).

Comparing the Variants of Iron Oxide Nanoparticle-Mediated Delivery of miRNA34a for Efficiency in Silencing of PD-L1 Genes in Cancer Cells.

The blocking of programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) in tumor cells represents a powerful strategy in cancer immunotherapy. Using viral vectors to deliver the cargo for inactivating the PD-L1 gene could be associated with host cell genotoxicity and concomitant immune attack. To develop an alternative safe gene delivery method, we designed a unique combination for miRNA34a delivery using a transgene carrier in the form of iron oxide magnetic nanoparticles (IONPs) via magnetofection to downregulate PD-L1 expression in cancer cells. We synthesized IONPs of multiple shapes (IONRs (iron oxide nanorods), IONSs (iron oxide nanospheres), and ITOHs (iron oxide truncated octahedrons)), surface-functionalized with polyethyleneimine (PEI) using the ligand exchange method, as gene delivery systems. Under the guidance of an external magnetic field, PEI@IONPs loaded with plasmid DNA (DNA/PEI@IONPs) encoding GFP showed high transfection efficiency at different weight ratios and time points in A549 and MDA-MB-231 cells. Additionally, the DNA/PEI@IONPs with miRNA34a inserts under a static magnetic field resulted in significant knockdown of the PD-L1 gene, as demonstrated via immunoblotting of the PD-L1 protein. Among the three shapes of IONPs, IONRs showed the highest PD-L1 knockdown efficiency. The genetic expression of miRNA34a was also studied using qPCR and it showed high expression of miRNA in cells treated with PEI@IONRs. Flow cytometry and a live/dead assay confirmed apoptosis after transfection with miRNA34a. To conclude, in this paper, a promising transgene carrier with low cost, negligible cytotoxicity, and high transfection efficiency has been successfully established for miRNA gene delivery in the context of cancer immunotherapy.

Study on the effect of SDBS and SDS on deep coal seam water injection.

Coal seam water injection, as an important disaster prevention means in the process of coal mining, can effectively suppress coal dust, add water injection additives, can effectively improve the wettability of coal body, improve the permeability of coal body, so as to achieve the prevention of rock burst. To improve the wettability of coal in coal seam water injection, the surfactant is often added to water, but sodium dodecyl benzene sulfonate (SDBS) and sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) have limitations in improving wettability of deep coal seam by injecting water. Therefore, it is very important to determine the influencing factors of SDBS and SDS to improve the wettability of coal. In this paper, the effects of oxygen-containing functional groups and minerals in coal on the wettability of coal are revealed, and the wettability mechanism of SDBS and SDS is expounded from the microscopic point of view. SEM was used to characterize the interaction between coal surface and surfactant, and the contact angle experiment was used to verify the influence of minerals in coal on wettability. Inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectroscopy (ICP) and dynamic light scattering (DLS) tests were used to characterize the interaction of SDBS, SDS with minerals and the size of precipitation generated by the interaction of SDBS, SDS and mineral ions. The results showed that SDBS and SDS interact with Ca2+ to produce precipitation and block the flow of water in coal, which is not conducive to improving the wettability of deep coal seam to a certain extent. The significant chelating effect of chelating agent and Ca2+ provides a feasible solution to this problem.

Circular RNA circRNA-0039459 promotes the migration, invasion, and proliferation of liver cancer cells through the adsorption of miR-432.

This study aimed to investigate the molecular mechanism of circular RNA circ-0039459 and its effects on the apoptosis, proliferation, invasion, and migration of hepatocellular carcinoma cells. The expression of circ-0039459, miR-432, and synoviolin 1 (SYVN1) mRNA was determined using real-time quantitative reverse transcription PCR. Cell proliferation was detected by cell counting kit-8 assay, and the apoptosis rate was detected using flow cytometry. Cell migration and invasion were detected using Transwell assay. The expression of E-cadherin, N-cadherin, and vimentin was detected using western blot. The targeting relationship between circ-0039459 and miR-432 as well as that between miR-432 and SYVN1 were detected using the dual-luciferase reporter and RNA pull-down assays. We found that circ-0039459 and SYVN1 mRNA were highly expressed, whereas miR-432 was lowly expressed in hepatocellular carcinoma cells and tissues. After treatment with ribonuclease R or actinomycin D, the expression of linear RNA was reduced, whereas that of circular RNA was not significantly changed. circ-0039459 knockdown or miR-432 overexpression can inhibit cell proliferation, invasion, and migration and the expression of N-cadherin and vimentin proteins in carcinoma cells as well as promote apoptosis and increase the E-cadherin level. circ-0039459 targeted and regulated miR-432, which targeted and regulated SYVN1. The decreased miR-432 expression reversed the effects of circ-0039459 knockout in cancer cells. Furthermore, SYVN1 overexpression reversed the effect of miR-432 overexpression in hepatoma cells. Hence, circ-0039459 can affect the proliferation, apoptosis, migration, and invasion of hepatocellular carcinoma cells through the adsorption of miR-432, thereby regulating the expression of SYVN1.

Efficient knock-in at the chicken ovalbumin locus using adenovirus as a CRISPR/Cas9 delivery system.

In this study, efficient knock-in (KI) of human epidermal growth factor (hEGF) cDNA at the ovalbumin (OV) locus in cultured chicken cells was achieved using adenovirus as a delivery for CRISPR/Cas9 elements and optimizing donor vector construction. The strategy of recruiting donor DNA to the insertion site further improved the KI efficiency. The inserted hEGF cDNA can expressed in primary oviduct cells and secreted hEGF promoted proliferation of Hela cells. Moreover, we achieved efficient KI in blastoderm cells without altering their induction in vitro and obtained germline chimeric KI chicken embryos by transplanting KI blastoderm cells as well as injecting adenovirus directly, in vivo. Our results provided an efficient KI method for chicken cells and embryos, and lay the foundation for more convenient production of KI chicken at the OV locus, which will promote the development of oviduct-specific bioreactor.

Extracting Coastal Raft Aquaculture Data from Landsat 8 OLI Imagery.

Information, especially spatial distribution data, related to coastal raft aquaculture is critical to the sustainable development of marine resources and environmental protection. Commercial high spatial resolution satellite imagery can accurately locate raft aquaculture. However, this type of analysis using this expensive imagery requires a large number of images. In contrast, medium resolution satellite imagery, such as Landsat 8 images, are available at no cost, cover large areas with less data volume, and provide acceptable results. Therefore, we used Landsat 8 images to extract the presence of coastal raft aquaculture. Because the high chlorophyll concentration of coastal raft aquaculture areas cause the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) and the edge features to be salient for the water background, we integrated these features into the proposed method. Three sites from north to south in Eastern China were used to validate the method and compare it with our former proposed method using only object-based visually salient NDVI (OBVS-NDVI) features. The new proposed method not only maintains the true positive results of OBVS-NDVI, but also eliminates most false negative results of OBVS-NDVI. Thus, the new proposed method has potential for use in rapid monitoring of coastal raft aquaculture on a large scale.

Retinoic acid (RA) and bone morphogenetic protein 4 (BMP4) restore the germline competence of in vitro cultured chicken blastodermal cells.

Chicken blastodermal cells (BCs) are pluripotent stem cells derived from early embryos and may be easily obtained and manipulated. However, in vitro cultured BCs have extremely low germline capacity, which may limit their applications. Research on the germ cell differentiation of mammalian pluripotent cells using chemical-inducing agents has gained popularity, and tremendous achievements have been made. Whether chemical-inducing agents allow acquirement of germline competence in BCs is, however, questionable. In this study, retinoic acid (RA) and bone morphogenetic protein 4 (BMP4) promoted the expression of germline-specific genes and restored the germline competence of in vitro cultured BCs. Moreover, BCs induced with RA and BMP4 could efficiently produce gonadal chimeric chick embryos. These results may greatly enhance the potential applications of BCs in biotechnology and basic research.

The increase of voltage-gated potassium channel Kv3.4 mRNA expression in oral squamous cell carcinoma.

BACKGROUND: Potassium channels have been reported to be involved in the proliferation of many types of cells, including tumor cells. The overexpression of the K+ channel and related channel activity are involved in the neoplastic process. METHODS: We examined the expression of an A-type voltage-gated K+ channel, Kv3.4, in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) and esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) compared with non-cancerous matched tissue (NCMT) using RT-PCR analysis. In addition, administration of an A-type K+ channel blocker, 4-aminopyridine (4-AP), and an antisense oligodeoxynucleotide (ODN) directed specifically against Kv3.4 were performed to identify the involvement of Kv3.4 in the growth of OSCC cells. RESULTS: A significantly increase in the frequency of Kv3.4 mRNA expression was identified in OSCC (64%) compared to corresponding NCMT (29%) (P = 0.05). The increase of Kv3.4 mRNA expression was also eminent in ESCC. Growth of OSCC cells was significantly inhibited by 4-AP in a dose-dependent manner at different time point of treatment. In OECM-1 OSCC cells, a significant growth inhibition was noted in antisense ODN-treated cells compared to control cells. CONCLUSION: We provide novel evidences of the increase of Kv3.4 mRNA expression in OSCC. The abrogation of Kv3.4 inhibits the growth of OSCC cells.