Objective:  This study aimed to assess the impact of cannabis legalization on both qualitative and quantitative umbilical cord tissue tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) rates and concentrations as a proxy for fetal exposure.

Study Design:  This is a retrospective, observational study of umbilical cord tissue THC levels in a single center, comparing THC exposure rates and concentration levels before and after cannabis legalization in the state of Illinois, Epoch 1 (October 1, 2018-June 30, 2019, pre-legalization) and Epoch 2 (July 1, 2019-August 31, 2021, post-legalization).

Results:  A total of 811 umbilical cords were analyzed during epoch 1 and 2,170 during epoch 2. A higher percentage of umbilical cord tissue tested positive for THC in Epoch 2 compared with Epoch 1 (46.2% vs. 40.6%;  < 0.01). Mean THC levels were 51% higher in umbilical cord tissue in Epoch 2 versus Epoch 1 (6.2 ng/g vs. 4.1 ng/g;  < 0.001).

Conclusion:  Legalization of recreational cannabis was associated with more fetuses exposed to THC and in higher concentrations.

Key Points: · THC concentration can be measured in umbilical cord tissue after birth.. · THC positivity in umbilical cord tissue can be used as a proxy for fetal exposure to cannabis.. · Umbilical cord tissue THC concentration and rates of positivity increased with the legalization of cannabis..

Download full-text PDF

Source
http://dx.doi.org/10.1055/a-2480-3163DOI Listing

Publication Analysis

Top Keywords

umbilical cord
16
cord tissue
16
cannabis legalization
12
impact cannabis
8
tissue tetrahydrocannabinol
8
epoch
6
umbilical
5
legalization umbilical
4
cord
4
tissue
4

Similar Publications

Background: Psoriasis is a chronic and incurable skin inflammation driven by an abnormal immune response. Our study aims to investigate the potential of interferon-γ (IFN-γ) primed mesenchymal stem cells (IMSCs) in targeting T cells to attenuate psoriasis-like inflammation, and to elucidate the underlying molecular mechanism involved.

Methods: Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) were isolated from the umbilical cord and identified based on their surface markers.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Comparative breakthrough: Umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells in heart failure treatment.

World J Cardiol

December 2024

Department of Geriatics, Beijing Hospital, National Center of Gerontology, Institute of Geriatric Medicine, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Beijing 100730, China.

In this article, we evaluate the comparative efficacy and safety of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) derived from bone marrow (BM-MSCs) and umbilical cord (UC-MSCs) in the treatment of heart failure and myocardial infarction. MSCs have gained importance as living bio drug due to their regenerative potential, with BM-MSCs being the most extensively studied. However, UC-MSCs offer unique advantages, such as noninvasive collection and fewer ethical concerns.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Application of autophagy in mesenchymal stem cells.

World J Stem Cells

December 2024

Department of Emergency Medicine, The First Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun 130000, Jilin Province, China.

In this editorial, we have taken an in-depth look at the article published by Wan . The study showed that preconditioning mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) protected them against programmed cell death, and increased their survival rate and therapeutic potential. Autophagy, a type of programmed cell death, is a major intracellular degradation and recycling pathway that is crucial for maintaining cellular homeostasis, self-renewal, and pluripotency.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: The gold standard of care for patients with severe peripheral nerve injury is autologous nerve grafting; however, autologous nerve grafts are usually limited for patients because of the limited number of autologous nerve sources and the loss of neurosensory sensation in the donor area, whereas allogeneic or xenografts are even more limited by immune rejection. Tissue-engineered peripheral nerve scaffolds, with the morphology and structure of natural nerves and complex biological signals, hold the most promise as ideal peripheral nerve "replacements".

Aim: To prepare allogenic peripheral nerve scaffolds using a low-toxicity decellularization method, and use human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells (hUC-MSCs) as seed cells to cultivate scaffold-cell complexes for the repair of injured peripheral nerves.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Repair effect analysis of mesenchymal stem cell conditioned media from multiple sources on HUVECs damaged by high glucose.

Clin Proteomics

December 2024

Key Laboratory of Epigenetic Regulation and Intervention, Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101, China.

Background: The therapeutic potential of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) may be partly attributed to their secretion growth factors, cytokines and chemokines. In various preclinical studies, the use of MSC-conditioned media (CM) has demonstrated promising potential for promoting vascular repair.

Methods: To gain a comprehensive understanding of the variations in conditioned media derived from different sources of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) including umbilical cord, adipose and bone marrow, we investigated their reparative effects on human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) subjected to damage induced by high glucose.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Want AI Summaries of new PubMed Abstracts delivered to your In-box?

Enter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!