Dark Net Markets: White House Market Drug Trades

Dark net markets (DNMs) are underground markets that ship goods and services globally. A main component of DNMs is the distribution of illegal drugs, these markets offer a wide range of drugs to users all over the world. Using data from the White House Market, a DNM site, this paper examines the price, amount, type, origin and destination countries of drug listings starting from January 6th to January 19th, 2020. It was found that there are restrictions on distribution based on the country of origin, with some countries having a higher rate of orders being shipped globally, potentially due to more lax standards in customs. DNMs appear to be a better alternative to conduct drug sale transactions than physical transactions as they add a substantial layer of protection from detection. This research also found that the drugs offered on DNMs are more pure, cheaper, and there is a significantly reduced chance of encountering physical violence

Significance of the lipid profile and endothelium-dependent vasodilatation in the pathogenesis of microvascular angina

Background: To investigate the significance of lipid disorders and endothelial dysfunction in the pathogenesis of microvascular angina. Methods: Levels of plasma lipids, lipoproteins and apolipoproteins were assessed in 21 patients with microvascular angina and 24 healthy subjects as controls. Also, the endothelium-dependent vasodilatation function was determined with high-resolution ultrasound in both groups. Results: Levels of serum total cholesterol (TC), low density lipoprotein-cholesterol (LDL-C), apolipoprotein B100 (ApoB100) and lipoprotein(a) [Lp(a)] in microvascular angina group were significantly higher than those in healthy subjects (each p < 0.05). The flow-mediated dilatation (FMD) in brachial arteries in patients with microvascular angina declined significantly as compared with that in control subjects (4.7 &#177; 1.9% vs. 12.8 &#177; 3.7%, p < 0.001). However, no significant difference was observed in response to nitroglycerin between groups (19.7 &#177; 8.1% vs. 21.2 &#177; 6.6%; p > 0.05). Linear correlation analysis revealed a significant negative correlation between the FMD of brachial arteries and the serum levels of LDL-C and Lp(a) in the microvascular angina group (r = -0.5125 and -0.4271, respectively, both p < 0.001). Subsequently, all subjects were pooled and divided into two groups (groups A and B) according to the degree of FMD in brachial arteries (A &#163; 4% and B > 4%). The serum LDL-C level was found to be significantly higher in group A than in group B (4.09 &#177; 0.65 mmol/L vs. 2.59 &#177; 0.49 mmol/L; p < 0.05). Conclusions: Plasma lipid disorders and vascular endothelial dysfunction may play important roles in the development of microvascular angina. The dysfunction of endothelium-dependent vasodilation was mainly associated with anomalies in LDL-C and Lp(a), and myocardial endothelial dysfunction was aggravated by lipid abnormalities in patients with microvascular angina