Publications by authors named "J F Bonnici"
2-Oxoglutarate (2OG) dependent N-methyl lysine demethylases (JmjC-KDMs) regulate eukaryotic transcription. We report studies showing that isolated forms of all human KDM4 and KDM5 JmjC enzymes catalyse demethylation of N-methylated Arg-3 of histone H2a. Unexpectedly, the results reveal that KDM4E and, less efficiently, KDM4D catalyse C-4 hydroxylation of Arg-20 of H2a on peptides, recombinant H2a, and calf histone extracts, including when the Arg-20 guanidino group is N-methylated.
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- This study evaluates the clinical features and outcomes of acute cannabis toxicity versus acute synthetic cannabinoid receptor agonist toxicity in European emergency departments from 2013-2020.
- Using data from the European Drug Emergencies Network Plus, researchers analyzed 2,657 cases of cannabis exposure and 503 cases of synthetic cannabinoid exposure to compare their effects.
- The findings indicate that synthetic cannabinoid exposures are linked to more severe neuropsychiatric symptoms, while cannabis exposures are associated with cardiovascular issues.
Article Synopsis
- Jumonji-C lysine demethylases (JmjC-KDMs) are known for demethylating N-methyllysine residues on histones, but some also exhibit N-methylarginine demethylase (RDM) activity.
- Biochemical screening showed that human KDM5s (KDM5A-D) and KDM4E have both KDM and RDM activities, while KDM4A/D show less RDM capability, and KDM1A exhibits no RDM activity.
- The study suggests that JmjC-KDMs might have broader catalytic functions beyond just demethylation of N-methyllysine, paving the way for future research into their biological roles.
Maltese health and social wellbeing student knowledge, attitudes and beliefs about medical cannabis.
Complement Ther Med
August 2021
Given the recent emergence of medical cannabis legalization in Malta, the objective of this study was to assess knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs about medical cannabis among a sample of Maltese students. The sample comprised 327 students enrolled in the University of Malta's Faculties of Health Sciences, Medicine and Surgery, and Social Wellbeing. The vast majority of respondents expressed a desire for formal education and training about medical cannabis.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjective: To analyse the relative percentage of acute recreational drug toxicity emergency department (ED) presentations involving the main drug groups according to age and sex and investigate different patterns based on sex and age strata.
Methods: We analysed all patients with acute recreational drug toxicity included by the Euro-DEN Plus dataset (22 EDs in 14 European countries) between October 2013 and December 2016 (39 months). Drugs were grouped as: opioids, cocaine, cannabis, amphetamines, gamma-hydroxybutyrate (GHB), hallucinogens, new psychoactive substances (NPS), benzodiazepines and ketamine.