Plasma chromatography of heroin and cocaine with mass-identified mobility spectra.

Plasma chromatography detects and identifies compounds in trace quantities at atmospheric pressure through characteristic positive and negative mobility spectra. To facilitate use of the technique to detect gas chromatographic effluents, a number of reference mobility spectra for different classes of compounds have been reported. Reference spectra for two more compounds, heroin and cocaine, are presented in this study. The primary ions found in these mobility spectra were determined to be M+, (M - H2)+, and (M - CH3CO2)+ for heroin and M+, (M - C6H5CO2)+ and (M - C6H5CO2 - CO2CH3)+ for cocaine using a directly interfaced plasma chromatograph-mass spectrometer. The identified ions agree closely with those predicted in the ion mobility spectra using mass-mobility correlation data coupled with chemical ionization mass spectrometry data. Also, an independent check demonstrating the reliability of reduced mobility values reported in earlier reference spectra was made.     

Analysis of bufadienolides in the Chinese drug ChanSu by high-performance liquid chromatography with atmospheric pressure chemical ionization tandem mass spectrometry

The qualitative analysis of bufadienolides in the Chinese drug ChanSu was performed using high-performance liquid chromatography with atmospheric pressure chemical ionization tandem mass spectrometry (APCI-MS/MS). Bufadienolides are the major bioactive constituents of ChanSu, which is used to treat heart failure and cancer in traditional Chinese medicine. The APCI-MS fragmentation behavior of bufadienolides was studied. For bufadienolides with only hydroxyl substituents, the fragmentation was characterized by successive eliminations of H(2)O and CO molecules, and the profile of MS/MS product ions was correlated with the number of hydroxyl groups. If a C-16 acetoxyl group was present, the fragmentation of [M+H](+) ions was triggered by initial loss of 60 Da (HOAc). The elimination of CO was significant for bufadienolides with a 19-formyl group, and the 19-hydroxyl group could be characterized by the loss of 30 Da (HCHO). These fragmentation rules were applied to the identification of bufadienolides in a methanolic extract of ChanSu, which was separated on a C(18) column with gradient elution. A total of 35 bufadienolides were identified, including four new constituents. The method established here facilitated the convenient and rapid quality control of ChanSu crude drug and its pharmaceutical preparations.     

Molecular characteristics of the inhibition of human neutrophil elastase by nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs

Nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs(NSAIDs) are known as clinically effective agents for treatment of inflammatory diseases. Inhibition of cyclooxygenase has been thought to be a major facet of the pharmacological mechanism of NSAIDs. However, it is difficult to ascribe the antiinflammatory effects of NSAIDs solely to the inhibition of prostaglandin synthesis. Human neutrophil elastase (HNElastase; HNE, EC 3.4.21.37) has been known as a causative factor in inflammatory diseases. To investigate the specific relationship between HNElastase inhibition and specificity of molecular structure of several NSAIDs, HNElastase was purified by Ultrogel AcA54 gel filtration, CM-Sephadex ion exchange, and HPLC (with TSK 250 column) chromatography. HNElastase was inhibited by aspirin and salicylate in a competitive manner and by naproxen, ketoprofen, phenylbutazone, and oxyphenbutazone in a partial competative manner, but not by ibuprofen and tolmetin. HNElastase-phenylbutazone-complex showed strong Raman shifts at 200, 440, 1124, 1194, 1384, 1506, and 1768 cm(-1). The Raman bands 1194, 1384, and 1768 cm(-1) may represent evidences of the conformational change at -N=N-phi radical, pyrazol ring, and -C=O radical of the elastase-drug complex, respectively. Phenylbutazone might be bound to HNElastase by ionic and hydrophobic interaction, and masked the active site. Inhibition of HNElastase could be another mechanism of action of NSAIDs besides cyclooxygenase inhibition in the treatment of inflammatory diseases. Different inhibition characteristics of HNE-lastase by NSAIDs such as aspirin, phenylbutazone-like drugs and ineffective drugs could be important points for drawing the criteria for appropriate drugs in clinical application.     

Reversible binding of the HPLC6 isoform of type I antifreeze proteins to ice surfaces and the antifreeze mechanism studied by multiple quantum filtering-spin exchange NMR experiment

Antifreeze proteins (AFPs) protect organisms from freezing damage by inhibiting the growth of seed-ice crystals. It has long been hypothesized that irreversible binding of AFPs to ice surfaces is responsible for inhibiting the growth of seed-ice crystals as such a mechanism supports the popularly accepted Kelvin effect for the explanation of local freezing-point depression. However, whether the binding is reversible or irreversible is still under debate due to the lack of direct experimental evidence. Here, we report the first direct experimental result, by using the newly developed multiple quantum (MQ) filtering-spin exchange NMR experiment, that shows that the binding of HPLC6 peptides to ice surfaces is reversible. It was found that the reversible process can be explained by the model of monolayer adsorption. These results suggest that the Kelvin effect is not suitable for explaining the antifreeze mechanism, and direct interactions between the peptides and the ice-surface binding sites are the driving forces for the binding of AFPs to ice surfaces. We propose that there exists a concentration gradient of AFP from an ice-binding surface to the solution due to the affinity of ice surfaces to AFPs. This concentration gradient creates a dense layer of AFP in contact with the ice-binding surface, which depresses the local freezing point because of the colligative property, but not the Kelvin effect.     

Mechanically interlocked molecules incorporating cucurbituril and their supramolecular assemblies

Mechanically interlocked molecules incorporating cucurbituril (CB[6]) as a molecular 'bead' and their supramolecular assemblies are described. An efficient synthesis of 1D, 2D and 3D polyrotaxanes with high structural regularity and molecular necklaces has been achieved by a combination of self-assembly and coordination chemistry. The functional aspects of these interlocked molecules and their supramolecular assemblies, including molecular machines and switches based on [2]rotaxanes, a 2D polyrotaxane with large cavities and channels, pseudorotaxane-terminated dendrimers, and interaction of pseudorotaxanes containing polyamines and CB[6] with DNA are also described.     

On hyper-Zagreb index conditions for hamiltonicity of graphs

Czechoslovak Mathematical Journal - During the last decade, several research groups have published results on sufficient conditions for the hamiltonicity of graphs by using some topological...     

Structure,trend and prospect of operational research: a scientific analysis for publications from 1952 to 2020 included in Web of Science database

As an important research direction, operational research (OR) has always attracted scholars worldwide. We study the structure, trend and prospect in the OR field by conducting a bibliometric analysis of publications in the period of 1952–2020, which are included in the Web of Science (WoS) database. Using three effective bibliometric tools, namely, VOS viewer, CiteSpace, and Bibliometrix, a total of 5,353 publications were retrieved to show clear visual results using a series of scientific analyses. First, a performance analysis revealed the basic characteristics of publications considering the type distribution, annual trend, quantity and quality. Then, a cooperation analysis presented the influential countries/regions and showed the relationships among countries/regions, institutions and authors during different periods based on bibliometric indicators and co-authorship networks. Moreover, a keyword analysis was conducted to investigate the hot topics and development of the OR field, using co-occurrence analysis, timeline view analysis and evolution analysis. Finally, we discussed the implications and limitations, and summarized the main findings. This study hopes to provide important and valuable references for future research on the OR field.