Uptake and in-vitro bioaccessibility of toxic metals in cocoa beans: Human health risks.

Cocoa-growing areas in Ghana have experienced a rise in mining activities affecting cocoa cultivation and increased concentrations of potentially toxic metals in the soil, which can accumulate in cocoa beans. This study evaluated potential toxic metal contamination in cocoa beans and soils from cocoa farms in mining and non-mining areas in Ghana. We used X-ray fluorescence and an ICP-MS to determine metal concentrations, and a Zeeman mercury analyzer to determine mercury.

Epigenetics and ultraviolet radiation: Implications for skin ageing and carcinogenesis.

Recent published data have highlighted the importance of epigenetics in the response of the skin to recreational and therapeutic ultraviolet radiation (UVR) exposure. 'Epi'-from the Greek επί, meaning over, outside of or around-relates to the chemical modifications that occur on top of the DNA sequence (for example, DNA methylation) and its associated proteins (e.g.

IRF5 Controls Plasma Cell Generation and Antibody Production via Distinct Mechanisms Depending on the Antigenic Trigger.

Elevated levels of serum autoantibodies are a hallmark of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and are produced by plasma cells in response to a variety of antigenic triggers. In SLE, the triggers are complex and may include both T cell-dependent/-independent and TLR-dependent/-independent mechanisms of immune activation, which ultimately contributes to the significant immune dysregulation seen in patients at the level of cytokine production and cellular activation (B cells, T cells, dendritic cells, neutrophils and macrophages). Interferon regulatory factor 5 (IRF5) has been identified as an autoimmune susceptibility gene and polymorphisms in IRF5 associate with altered expression and hyper-activation in distinct SLE immune cell subsets.

Cannabis and the overdose crisis among US adolescents.

Background And Objectives: Since 2019, the drug overdose death rate among adolescents 14-18 years of age in the United States more than doubled. That cannabis legalization may have contributed to this tragedy is investigated by comparing the death rate in jurisdictions that have legalized medicinal or both medicinal and recreational use with those that have not.

Methods: Unintentional drug overdose death data for each state and District of Columbia (jurisdictions) were obtained from CDC WONDER and separately evaluated according to the jurisdiction legalization implementation of cannabis: recreational legalization, medicinal legalization but not recreational legalization, and nonlegalization.

Germline BRCA1/2 status and chemotherapy response score in high-grade serous ovarian cancer.

Background: High-grade serous ovarian cancer (HGSOC) can be treated with platinum-based neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NACT) and delayed primary surgery (DPS). Histopathological response to NACT can be assessed using Böhm's chemotherapy response score (CRS). We investigated whether germline BRCA1/2 (gBRCA1/2) genotype associated with omental CRS phenotype.