In recent years, the evaluation of in utero exposure to drugs of abuse has been achieved by testing biological matrices coming from the fetus or newborn (eg, meconium, fetal hair, cord blood, neonatal urine), the pregnant or nursing mother (eg, hair, blood, oral fluid, sweat, urine, breast milk), or from both the fetus and the mother (placenta, amniotic fluid). Overall, these matrices have the ...

Forensic RNA analysis is gathering pace with reports of messenger RNA analysis being used in case work, and with microRNA being increasingly researched. Such techniques address a fundamental issue in body fluid identification, namely increased specificity over existing chemical tests, and the incorporation of additional body fluids such as vaginal material. The use of RNA analysis will be of pa...

The human body has multiple blood pressure control mechanisms, each of which serves a special and usually different role in pressure regulation. The nervous pressure controllers usually react within seconds and prevent major rapid changes in pressure when acute extraneous forces act on the circulatory system. Then, within minutes to hours, several intermediately acting pressure controllers beco...

This study investigates the role of proinflammatory monocytes recruited from blood circulation and recovered in bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid in mediating the lung damage in a model of acute cigarette smoke (CS)-induced lung inflammation in two strains of mice with different susceptibility to develop emphysema (susceptible -C57BL/6J and non susceptible -129S2/SvHsd). Exposure to whole-body...

Background: Cigarette smoke contains many oxidants and may alter the human reproduction by inducing oxidative stress (OS) in both active and passive smokers. This study was designed to evaluation the effect of environment tobacco smoke (ETS) exposure on oxidative stress in follicular follicle and assisted reproduction outcomes. Materials and Methods: A prospective study was carried out on 236 i...

Testosterone and 5 alpha-dihydrotestosterone (DHT) concentrations in tissue and body fluid were determined in adult male rats to investigate the mode of androgen distribution. The highest concentration of androgen (testosterone + DHT) and the smallest ratio of DHT/testosterone were observed in the intratesticular tissue fluid. The androgen concentration in testicular vein blood was much higher ...

Background: Mercury is widespread and persistent in the environment. One organic form of mercury, Methylmercury (MeHg), can accumulate in the food chain in aquatic ecosystems and lead to high concentrations of MeHg in fish, which, when consumed by humans, can result in an increased risk of adverse effects. Currently, the Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA) has established...