Superlatives in news articles reporting non-FDA approved indications for use of cannabis and cannabis products with a focus on psychiatric disorders: a cross-sectional analysis.

The exaggerated language used in news articles to describe the benefits of cannabis for conditions without FDA indications may mislead the public and healthcare providers. Thus, this study's objective was to investigate the use of exaggerated language in news articles focused on cannabis and cannabis-derived products. Using a cross-sectional study design, we searched Google News from March 3, 2020, and September 3, 2019 for 11 prespecified superlative terms along with the search terms "cannabis," "cannabidiol," "pot," "marijuana," "weed," and "CBD." Articles were evaluated for these exaggerative terms describing cannabis and cannabis-derived products along with additional news article characteristics. Screening and data extraction occurred in a masked, duplicate fashion. We identified 612 superlative terms in 374 different news articles focused on cannabis and cannabis-derived products from 262 news outlets. Only 26 (of 374, 7.0%) news articles provided clinical data. In total, superlative terms were used to describe cannabis and cannabis-derived products for the treatment of 91 medical conditions, of which only 2 are FDA approved. The most common psychiatric disorder indicated was anxiety disorder appearing in 88 news articles. Superlatives in news articles covering the treatment of psychiatric illnesses with cannabis and cannabis-derived products are common.

Mechanisms of Enhanced Hemoglobin Electroactivity on Carbon Electrodes upon Exposure to a Water-Miscible Primary Alcohol.

Exposing a carbon electrode to hemoglobin (Hb) and alcoholic solvents, such as methanol, ethanol or 1-propanol, drastically changes Hb electroactivity, but until this work, the important underlying mechanisms were unclear. For the first time, we show that these alcohols impact Hb electroactivity via three mechanisms: modification of the carbon surface oxides on the glassy carbon (GC) electrode, Hb film formation, and structural changes to Hb. C1s X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy provided evidence for significant alcohol-induced modification of the carbon surface oxides, and differential pulse voltammetry showed links between these modifications and Hb electroactivity. Spectroscopic ellipsometry showed that Hb films formed during exposure to Hb- and alcohol-containing electrolytes increased in thickness with increasing alcohol content, although film thickness played only a minor role in Hb electroactivity. Alcohol-induced structural changes in Hb are confirmed with UV-visible absorption and fluorescence data, showing that Hb denaturation also was a significant factor in increasing Hb electroactivity. Carbon-surface-oxide modification and Hb denaturation worked in tandem to maximally increase the Hb electroactivity in 60% methanol. While in ethanol and 1-propanol, the significant increases in Hb electroactivity caused by Hb denaturation were offset by an increase in Hb-inhibiting carbon surface oxides. Knowledge of these mechanisms shows the impact of alcohols on both Hb and carbon electrodes, allows for thoughtful design of the Hb-sensing system, is vital for proper analysis of Hb electroactivity in the presence of these alcohols (e.g., when used as binder solvents for immobilizing Hb into films), and provides fundamental understanding of the Hb-carbon interactions.