iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Dr Felix Effah, MRes, MPhil, PhD @dreffah.bsky.social · 25/11/2024

Can cannabis be used medicinally for depression and mental health issues? In this paper we track the changes in the cannabinoid system and we observed that there’s a specific age where the endocannabinoid system alters significantly. Have a read. www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/23...

mdpi.com

Dynamic Changes in the Endocannabinoid System during the Aging Process: Focus on the Middle-Age Crisis

Endocannabinoid (eCB) signaling is markedly decreased in the hippocampus (Hip) of aged mice, and the genetic deletion of the cannabinoid receptor type 1 (CB1) leads to an early onset of cognitive decl...

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Dr Felix Effah, MRes, MPhil, PhD @dreffah.bsky.social · 24/11/2024

Sometimes I wish I had answers, but for now, I’m just sitting with the questions.

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Dr Felix Effah, MRes, MPhil, PhD @dreffah.bsky.social · 24/11/2024

The US has so much potential for me, but the reality of being an immigrant—navigating this liminal space between here and home—makes me feel vulnerable in ways I never expected. Am I the only one who feels this way? Caught between the excitement of a future here and the pull of home?

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Dr Felix Effah, MRes, MPhil, PhD @dreffah.bsky.social · 24/11/2024

I belong. But here, as much as I dream of building a career in academia, there’s this undercurrent of anxiety. What if the visa doesn’t renew? What if the contract doesn’t get extended? And then there’s the distance. Being far from home is a weight I feel daily.

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Dr Felix Effah, MRes, MPhil, PhD @dreffah.bsky.social · 24/11/2024

It’s like holding someone’s baby, knowing you can hand them back if things get overwhelming. But this time, there’s no handing back—this is my life, and I’m an immigrant. My status here is tied to renewable visas and contracts. In the UK, I’m a citizen.

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Dr Felix Effah, MRes, MPhil, PhD @dreffah.bsky.social · 24/11/2024

Being a postdoc in the US as someone from the UK feels like walking a tightrope between opportunity and uncertainty. I’ve studied at NYU before, but back then, I always knew I’d eventually leave. Now, I’m here with the possibility of staying long-term, and that changes everything.

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Dr Felix Effah, MRes, MPhil, PhD @dreffah.bsky.social · 22/11/2024

I must say I’m enjoying the conversation a lot and I’m learning a lot from this discussion. As an e-cig researcher, I do strongly believe they are not harmless even aside nicotine the humectants alone induce toxicity.

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Dr Felix Effah, MRes, MPhil, PhD @dreffah.bsky.social · 20/11/2024

Wow. That is very interesting. Thank you for explaining to me. I will do more research into it. Do you have like a studio where you provide these services ?

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Dr Felix Effah, MRes, MPhil, PhD @dreffah.bsky.social · 20/11/2024

Hi Brianna. Nice connecting with you. Sorry for my ignorance. What is Reiki?

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Dr Felix Effah, MRes, MPhil, PhD @dreffah.bsky.social · 20/11/2024

There are new vaping products on the market using 6-methyl nicotine instead of nicotine. This is to circumvent FDA regulations and reduce taxation. If you have vaped both Nicotine and 6-methyl nicotine, can you share your experiences here? I’m researching 6-methyl nicotine. #vaping #🧪

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Dr Felix Effah, MRes, MPhil, PhD @dreffah.bsky.social · 20/11/2024

I’m very happy you were able to reverse most of the harm the cigarette smoking did with e-cigarettes. But, you need to also be aware that your genetics 🧬 and lifestyle may have worked in your favor. The whooping majority may not have your physiology.

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Dr Felix Effah, MRes, MPhil, PhD @dreffah.bsky.social · 20/11/2024

The higher I go in my scientific career, the more I realize that there is more politics in science than I thought. Shouldn’t science be independent of people’s personal opinions? Why is it so difficult for the so-called big guys to accept new evidence that go against theirs? Strange #science #🧪

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Dr Felix Effah, MRes, MPhil, PhD @dreffah.bsky.social · 20/11/2024

This is really good actually. I like it. And I must admit. I use a system developed by a German company Vitrocell which Mimics the aerodynamics of vapes in the human lung. And I must say that most of the things I test do not show much toxicity when exposed to the cells. Buy, they are not harmless LT

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Dr Felix Effah, MRes, MPhil, PhD @dreffah.bsky.social · 20/11/2024

In regards to the brain, evidence has shown that nicotine is beneficial. But that’s the same thing for cannabis. Yet, they’ve been rejected and frowned upon like some poisons.

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Dr Felix Effah, MRes, MPhil, PhD @dreffah.bsky.social · 20/11/2024

Also, most of the scientific papers published on e-cigarettes to be frank with you are rubbish because their conclusions are drawn from wrong models of exposure. Almost, 99% of them use e-liquids exposed to 2D cells instead of aerosols exposed to 3D lung cells to mimic the in vivo micro-environment.

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Dr Felix Effah, MRes, MPhil, PhD @dreffah.bsky.social · 20/11/2024

Good point. But it’s all about the dosage of nicotine. I don’t necessarily think nicotine is harmful per se because like Paracelsus said, the dose makes the poison. I’m just worried about the dose and the chemical adducts that be formed with other chemicals in vapes, which could be harmful.

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Dr Felix Effah, MRes, MPhil, PhD @dreffah.bsky.social · 20/11/2024

Wow. Thats an impressive career. I do build lung models in vitro for clinical Trials and toxicology studies

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Dr Felix Effah, MRes, MPhil, PhD @dreffah.bsky.social · 20/11/2024

Thank you for reading our research. We do the research to improve life and health. The evidence points towards the fact that e-cigarettes are a safer alternative to cigarettes. They are not harmless though. My recent investigation is showing that even the coil resistance must be monitored carefully.

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Dr Felix Effah, MRes, MPhil, PhD @dreffah.bsky.social · 20/11/2024

Hi Stephanie! Nice connecting with you! What are you working on?

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Dr Felix Effah, MRes, MPhil, PhD @dreffah.bsky.social · 19/11/2024

What that means is that, they might be toxic but we need some years to fully understand their toxicity.

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Dr Felix Effah, MRes, MPhil, PhD @dreffah.bsky.social · 19/11/2024

The truth is the chemical profiling of aerosolized e-liquids are very unique and different from cigarettes. So, whiles its true that the chemicals in cigarettes have been subjected to years of research, the e-cig-specific chemicals from the flavors, propylene glycol & glycerin need to be researched.

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Dr Felix Effah, MRes, MPhil, PhD @dreffah.bsky.social · 18/11/2024

Nice connecting with you. Yeah I couldn’t make up my mind. I love both the brain and the lung. Mechanistically it makes sense why nicotines would decrease PD. Yeah. The lungs are fine for now. I think the damaging effects are going to be seen after chronic exposures.

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Dr Felix Effah, MRes, MPhil, PhD @dreffah.bsky.social · 18/11/2024

Ever wondered what happens to your brain as you age? Why is it that you loose excitement over the same things you used to enjoy when you were younger? Have a read at my most recent paper to understand how aging affects the oxytocin and receptor systems 🧪👨🏾‍🔬 onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10....

onlinelibrary.wiley.com

Differential temporal decline of cerebral oxytocin and μ‐opioid receptor density during the aging process in mice

This study investigates the age-dependent variations in Mu-opioid receptor (MOPr) and oxytocin receptor (OTR) in mice from adolescence to geriatric age. The tipping point in OTR occurred at an earlie...

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Dr Felix Effah, MRes, MPhil, PhD @dreffah.bsky.social · 18/11/2024

Hi BlueSky, I’m new here and trying to figure out this app works. I’m a scientist with expertise in neuropharmacology, toxicology and bioengineering. I have several papers published on how aging affects our brains and the toxicity of e-cigarettes on the human lungs. I hope to connect with you. 🧪👨🏾‍🔬

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Dr Felix Effah, MRes, MPhil, PhD @dreffah.bsky.social · 18/11/2024

I have a book entitled overcoming published on Apple Books and Amazon in soft copy and hard copy. This book is about my journey as a black boy in STEM, from underprivileged backgrounds to being in prestigious schools like NYU, Cambridge and the likes.

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