Immunoassay screening in urine for synthetic cannabinoids - an evaluation of the diagnostic efficiency.

Background: The abuse of synthetic cannabinoids (SCs) as presumed legal alternative to cannabis poses a great risk to public health. For economic reasons many laboratories use immunoassays (IAs) to screen for these substances in urine. However, the structural diversity and high potency of these designer drugs places high demands on IAs regarding cross-reactivity of the antibodies used and detection limits.

Effects of testosterone, 17beta-estradiol, and downstream estrogens on cytokine secretion from human leukocytes in the presence and absence of cortisol.

Estrogens at physiological concentrations are thought to play an immune-stimulating role, whereas androgens have an anti-inflammatory impact. However, their role on cytokine secretion in the presence or absence of cortisol has not been investigated. Furthermore, the role of hydroxylated estrogens downstream of 17beta-estradiol (E2) on secretion of tumor necrosis factor (TNF) is not known.

Norepinephrine in mice inhibits secretion of splenic IL-6 during the dark period but stimulates its secretion in the light period--possible role of the corticosterone tone.

In early morning hours, a rise of serum cytokines such as IL-6 was described. This study aimed to find reasons for this phenomenon focussing on NE and corticosterone. Mouse spleen slices were electrically stimulated (ES) in a microsuperfusion chamber in order to release endogenous NE.