Detection of ketamine in the oral fluid of drivers in northeastern France during the years 2020-2023.

Background And Objectives: Ketamine is a psychoactive substance used for its stimulant and hallucinogenic properties. As the use of ketamine may lead to impaired driving, we aimed to assess the occurrence of ketamine in the driving population tested positive for narcotics in roadside checks using oral fluid analysis. Oral fluid concentrations of ketamine and norketamine were examined to determine the percentage of drivers susceptible to ketamine impairment.

Emerging Detection of Hexahydrocannabinol in Driver Saliva: Preliminary Data.

Introduction: Hexahydrocannabinol or HHC has recently appeared on the Internet and in cannabidiol (CBD) stores in various forms. Although the abuse and dependence potential of HHC consumption has not yet been established, HHC has been reported by consumers to have effects similar to delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and has been classified as narcotics in France since June 12, 2023.

Methods: We conducted a retrospective study of all cases of oral fluid samples collected from drivers by traffic police officers and sent to our laboratory to confirm the presence of illicit substances between June 12, 2023 and December 31, 2023.

Outside-in hair contamination by blood containing opiates and opioids.

Hair analysis for drugs has become extensively used for forensic investigation in recent years. To best interpret hair drug content in post-mortem conditions, the extent of external contamination by biological fluids, such as blood, must be taken into account to avoid false positive results. The present study evaluated opiates and opioids incorporation into hair from blood containing different concentrations of morphine (MOR), 6-mono-acetyl morphine (6-AM), codeine (COD), dihydrocodeine (DHC), tramadol (TRA), oxycodone (OXY), methadone (MET), 2-ethylidene-1,5-dimethyl-3,3- diphenyl pyrrolidine (EDDP), buprenorphine (BUP) and norbuprenorphine (NBUP).

Counteracting tryptophan metabolism alterations as a new therapeutic strategy for rheumatoid arthritis.

Objectives: Alterations in tryptophan (Trp) metabolism have been reported in inflammatory diseases, including rheumatoid arthritis (RA). However, understanding whether these alterations participate in RA development and can be considered putative therapeutic targets remains undetermined.In this study, we combined quantitative Trp metabolomics in the serum from patients with RA and corrective administration of a recombinant enzyme in experimental arthritis to address this question.

In vitro stability study of 10 beta-lactam antibiotics in human plasma samples.

Background And Objectives: Beta-lactam antibiotics are reported for some of them to be subject to a rapid degradation in infusion solutions and in human blood samples. However, the current data of stability available in blood samples are limited to a few number of beta-lactam antibiotics, and the methodology of the corresponding studies may be discussed. The objective of the present study is to evaluate the stability of 10 beta-lactam antibiotics in human plasma samples.

Emerging role of IκBζ in inflammation: Emphasis on psoriasis.

Psoriasis is a chronic inflammatory disorder affecting skin and joints that results from immunological dysfunction such as enhanced IL-23 induced Th-17 differentiation. IkappaB-Zeta (IκBζ) is an atypical transcriptional factor of the IκB protein family since, contrary to the other family members, it positively regulates NF-κB pathway by being exclusively localized into the nucleus. IκBζ deficiency reduces visible manifestations of experimental psoriasis by diminishing expression of psoriasis-associated genes.

Identification of circulating biomarkers of Crohn's disease and spondyloarthritis using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy.

Crohn's disease (CD) and spondyloarthritis (SpA) are two inflammatory diseases sharing many common features (genetic polymorphism, armamentarium). Both diseases lack diagnostic markers of certainty. While the diagnosis of CD is made by a combination of clinical, and biological criteria, the diagnosis of SpA may take several years to be confirmed.

Online SPE UPLC-MS/MS method for the simultaneous determination of 33 psychoactive drugs from swab-collected human oral fluid samples.

Oral fluid is easy and safe to collect and allows the detection of drugs of abuse after local exposure by oral, smoked, and/or inhaled intake, or systemic exposure. A routine online solid-phase extraction UPLC-MS/MS method was developed for the simultaneous determination of 33 psychoactive drugs in oral fluid. The selected drugs were fourteen fentanyl analogs and nineteen other abused psychoactive compounds, including classical narcotics, which were analyzed in a run of 10 min.

Anti-Inflammatory Activity of Bryophytes Extracts in LPS-Stimulated RAW264.7 Murine Macrophages.

Bryophytes produce rare and bioactive compounds with a broad range of therapeutic potential, and many species are reported in ethnomedicinal uses. However, only a few studies have investigated their potential as natural anti-inflammatory drug candidate compounds. The present study investigates the anti-inflammatory effects of thirty-two species of bryophytes, including mosses and liverworts, on Raw 264.

Gastroenterological safety of IL-17 inhibitors: a systematic literature review.

Introduction: Interleukin 17 is a proinflammatory cytokine considered to play a significant role in the immunopathogenesis of many chronic immune-mediated disorders. Interleukin 17 inhibitors provide an excellent treatment option for patients with psoriasis, psoriatic arthritis, or ankylosing spondylitis. However, Interleukin 17 inhibitors have been suspected of worsening or triggering new-onset inflammatory bowel disease.

Lack of Adiponectin Drives Hyperosteoclastogenesis in Lipoatrophic Mice.

Long bones from mammals host blood cell formation and contain multiple cell types, including adipocytes. Physiological functions of bone marrow adipocytes are poorly documented. Herein, we used adipocyte-deficient PPARγ-whole body null mice to investigate the consequence of total adipocyte deficiency on bone homeostasis in mice.

IL-17 Inhibitors and Inflammatory Bowel Diseases: A Postmarketing Study in Vigibase.

Several gastrointestinal symptoms and chronic inflammatory bowel diseases (IBDs) have been reported after therapy with IL-17 inhibitors. To date, however, no study has shown a clear association between these drugs and IBD onset. We searched on Vigibase, the worldwide pharmacovigilance database, to investigate reporting prevalence, characteristics, and prognosis of all gastroenterological adverse events in patients treated with IL-17 inhibitors.

Metabolic regulation by PPARγ is required for IL-33-mediated activation of ILC2s in lung and adipose tissue.

Type 2 innate lymphoid cells (ILC2s) play a critical role early in the response to infection by helminths and in the development of allergic reactions. ILC2s are also involved in the physiologic regulation of adipose tissue and its metabolic response to cold shock. We find that the metabolic sensor peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPARγ) is highly expressed in ILC2s of the lung and adipose tissue and increases responsiveness to IL-33.

Multiplex detection of 14 fentanyl analogues and U-47700 in biological samples: Application to a panel of French hospitalized patients.

Synthetic opioids (SO) associated with the recent alarming increase of deaths and intoxications in United States of America and Europe are not detected by the usual first-line opiates drug screening assays. We developed a liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry analytical method for the multiplex detection of 14 fentanyl analogues (2-furanylfentanyl, 4-ANPP, 4-methoxybutyrylfentanyl, acrylfentanyl, alfentanil, carfentanil, despropionyl-2-fluorofentanyl, fentanyl, methoxyacetylfentanyl, norfentanyl, ocfentanil, remifentanil, sufentanil and valerylfentanyl) and U-47700 in whole blood and urine samples. The method was validated according to the requirements of ISO 15189.

Paradoxical gastrointestinal effects of interleukin-17 blockers.

Secukinumab, ixekizumab and brodalumab are monoclonal antibody therapies that inhibit interleukin (IL)-17 activity and are widely used for the treatment of psoriasis, psoriatic arthritis and ankylosing spondylitis. The promising efficacy results in dermatology and rheumatology prompted the evaluation of these drugs in Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis, but the onset of paradoxical events (disease exacerbation after treatment with a theoretically curative drug) prevented their approval in patients with inflammatory bowel diseases (IBDs). To date, the pathophysiological mechanisms underlying these paradoxical effects are not well defined, and there are no clear guidelines for the management of patients with disease flare or new IBD onset after anti-IL-17 drug therapy.

Secreted Frizzled-related proteins (sFRPs) in osteo-articular diseases: much more than simple antagonists of Wnt signaling?

Osteo-articular diseases are characterized by a dysregulation of joint and/or bone homeostasis. These include diseases affecting the joints originally, such as osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis, or the bone, such as osteoporosis. Inflammation and the involvement of Wingless-related integration site (Wnt) signaling pathways are key pathophysiological features of these diseases resulting in tissue degradation by matrix-degrading enzymes, namely matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) and a disintegrin and metalloproteinases with thrombospondin motifs (ADAMTs), secreted by the joint resident cells and/or by infiltrating immune cells.

Gut microbiome in chronic rheumatic and inflammatory bowel diseases: Similarities and differences.

Introduction: Inflammatory bowel diseases (IBDs) and chronic rheumatic diseases (CRDs) are systemic chronic disorders sharing common genetic, immune and environmental factors. About half of patients with IBD develop rheumatic ailments and microscopic intestinal inflammation is present in up to half of CRD patients. IBD and CRD patients also share a common therapeutic armamentarium.

Lack of Adipocytes Alters Hematopoiesis in Lipodystrophic Mice.

Adult hematopoiesis takes place in the perivascular zone of the bone cavity, where endothelial cells, mesenchymal stromal/stem cells and their derivatives such as osteoblasts are key components of bone marrow (BM) niches. Defining the contribution of BM adipocytes to the hematopoietic stem cell niche remains controversial. While an excess of medullar adiposity is generally considered deleterious for hematopoiesis, an active role for adipocytes in shaping the niche has also been proposed.

CRD Generated by pCARGHO: A New Efficient Lectin-Based Affinity Tag Method for Safe, Simple, and Low-Cost Protein Purification.

Purification of recombinant proteins remains a bottleneck for downstream processing. The authors engineered a new galectin 3 truncated form (CRD ), functionally and structurally characterized, with preserved solubility and lectinic activity. Taking advantage of these properties, the authors designed an expression vector (pCARGHO), suitable for CRD -tagged protein expression in prokaryotes.