Screening for more than 1,000 pesticides and environmental contaminants in cannabis by GC/Q-TOF

Posted on September 21, 2020 By LabLynx Journal articles

Sure, there are laboratory methods for looking for a small number of specific contaminates in cannabis substrates (target screening), but what about more than a thousand at one time (suspect screening)? In this 2020 paper published in Medical Cannabis and Cannabinoids, Wylie et al. demonstrate a method to screen cannabis extracts for more than 1,000 pesticides, herbicides, fungicides, and other pollutants using gas chromatography paired with a high-resolution accurate mass quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometer (GC/Q-TOF), in conjunction with several databases. They note that while some governmental bodies are mandating a specific subset of contaminates to be tested for in cannabis products, some cultivators may still use unapproved pesticides and such that aren't officially tested for, putting medical cannabis and recreational users alike at risk. As proof-of-concept, the authors describe their suspect screening materials, methods, and results of using ever-improving mass spectrometry methods to find hundreds of pollutants at one time. Rather than make specific statements about this method, the authors instead let the results of testing confiscated cannabis samples largely speak to the viability of the method.

Persistent identification of instruments

Posted on September 16, 2020 By LabLynx Journal articles

In this 2020 paper published in Data Science Journal, Stocker et al. present their initial attempts at generating a schema for persistently identifying scientific measuring instruments, much in the same way journal articles and data sets can be persistently identified using digital object identifiers (DOIs). They argue that "a persistent identifier for instruments would enable research data to be persistently associated with" vital metadata associated with instruments used to produce research data, "helping to set data into context." As such, they demonstrate the development and implementation of a schema to address the managements of instruments and the data they produce. After discussing their methodology, results, those results' interpretation, and adopted uses of the schema, the authors conclude by declaring the "practical viability" of the schema "for citation, cross-linking, and retrieval purposes," and promoting the schema's future development and adoption as a necessary task,

Cannabis contaminants limit pharmacological use of cannabidiol

Posted on September 15, 2020 By LabLynx Journal articles

In this 2020 review published in the journal Frontiers in Pharmacology, Montoya et al. discuss the various potential contaminants found in cannabis products and how those contaminants may create negative consequences medically, particularly for immunocompromised individuals. Though the authors take a largely global perspective on the topic, they note at several points the lack of consistent standards—particularly in the United States—and what that means for the long-term health of cannabis users, especially as legalization efforts continue to move forward. In addition to contaminants such as microbes, heavy metals, pesticides, plant growth regulators, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, the authors also address the dangers that come with inaccurate laboratory analyses and labeling of cannabinoid content in cannabidiol (CBD)-based products. They conclude that "it is imperative to develop universal standards for cultivation and testing of products to protect those who consume cannabis."

Development of an informatics system for accelerating biomedical research

Posted on September 13, 2020 By LabLynx Journal articles

Appearing originally in a 2019 issue of F1000Research, this recently revised second version sees Navale et al. expand on their development, implementation, and various uses of the Biomedical Research Informatics Computing System (BRICS), "designed to address the wide-ranging needs of several biomedical research programs" in the U.S. With a focus on using common data elements (CDEs) for improving data quality, consistency, and reuse, the authors explain their approach to BRICS development, how it accepts and processes data, and how users can effectively access and share data for improved translational research. The authors also provide examples of how the open-source BRICS software is being used by the National Institutes of Health and other organizations. They conclude that not only does BRICS further biomedical digital data stewardship under the FAIR principles, but it also "results in sustainable digital biomedical repositories that ensure higher data quality."