Used to classify article posts by terms used for medical conditions. It’s mostly aimed at practitioners and physicians.

To Be Blunt: Weed Appreciate You Not Flying with Marijuana, but Current Conflicting Cannabis Law Leaves Things Hazy

/by

The Controlled Substances Act of 1970 categorized marijuana as a Schedule I drug, making all forms of possession illegal at the federal level. However, in the last ten years alone, the majority of America has gained access to a form of marijuana, whether it be for recreational or medicinal purposes, in accordance with rapidly changing state laws. As of November 2022, twenty-one states, Washington, D.C., and Guam have legalized recreational marijuana, and thirty-seven states, Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico, Guam, and the U.S. Virgin Islands have legalized medical marijuana. With this conflict between federal and state law regarding cannabis possession, air travel while possessing marijuana has become a grey area filled with discrepancies and varying approaches. This Article offers specific recommendations for Congress to employ to best address the current issues airports across the United States are facing upon the discovery of a passenger attempting to fly while possessing a personal use amount of marijuana. This framework includes, at the broad level: (1) the removal of marijuana from the Controlled Substances Act of 1970, in accordance with current proposed legislation; and (2) editing current proposed legislation to include mention of what applicable federal agencies’ roles will be as related to marijuana in response to this.

Read more

When The Pharmacopoeia Fails: Cannabis for Pain

/by

Addressing the most compelling cannabis concern, its abuse by young people, the best meta-analysis of the data [2] reveals that even the heaviest non-medical cannabis usage in teen- agers and young adults reduces cognitive sequelae to non- statistical salience after abstinence of 72 hours with no evident permanent sequelae. No formal study has shown cognitive impairment in medical cannabis patients, and some have even documented improvement.

Read more

The Anti-Tumorigenic Role of Cannabinoid Receptor 2 in Colon Cancer: A Study in Mice and Humans

/by

The endocannabinoid system, particularly cannabinoid receptor 2 (CB2 in mice and CNR2 in humans), has controversial pathophysiological implications in colon cancer. Here, we investigate the role of CB2 in potentiating the immune response in colon cancer in mice and determine the influence of CNR2 variants in humans. Comparing wild-type (WT) mice to CB2 knockout (CB2−/−) mice, we performed a spontaneous cancer study in aging mice and subsequently used the AOM/DSS model of colitis-associated colorectal cancer and a model for hereditary colon cancer (ApcMin/+). Additionally, we analyzed genomic data in a large human population to determine the relationship between CNR2 variants and colon cancer incidence. Aging CB2−/− mice exhibited a higher incidence of spontaneous precancerous lesions in the colon compared to WT controls.

Read more

Therapeutic Potential of Phytocannabinoid Cannabigerol for Multiple Sclerosis: Modulation of Microglial Activation In Vitro and In Vivo

/by

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a widespread chronic neuroinflammatory and neurodegenerative disease. Microglia play a crucial role in the pathogenesis of MS via the release of cytokines and reactive oxygen species, e.g., nitric oxide. Research involving the role of phytocannabinoids in neuroinflammation is currently receiving much attention. Cannabigerol is a main phytocannabinoid, which has attracted significant pharmacological interest due to its non-psychotropic nature. In this research, we studied the effects of cannabigerol on microglial inflammation in vitro, followed by an in vivo study. Cannabigerol attenuated the microglial production of nitric oxide in BV2 microglia and primary glial cells; concomitant treatment of the cells with cannabigerol and telmisartan (a neuroprotective angiotensin receptor blocker) decreased nitric oxide production additively. Inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) expression was also reduced by cannabigerol.

Read more

The Effectiveness and Safety of Pharmaceutical-Grade Cannabidiol in the Treatment of Mastocytosis-Associated Pain: A Pilot Study

/by

Mastocytosis patients often experience a number of symptoms, including mastocytosis-associated pain that is difficult to manage due to resistance to usual antalgic treatments and/or the patient’s poor tolerance. Mastocytosis patients display significantly higher levels of indoleamine-2,3-dioxygenase-1 (IDO1) activity, leading to hyperactivation of the N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor. As cannabidiol (CBD) is known to inhibit IDO1′s enzymatic activity, we hypothesized that pharmaceutical-grade CBD is an effective treatment for mastocytosis-associated pain. Patients with non-advanced mastocytosis and refractory pain were eligible for inclusion in this observational pilot study.

Read more

A Retrospective Cohort Study That Examined the Impact of Cannabis Consumption on Long-Term Kidney Outcomes

/by

Cannabis consumption for recreational and medical use is increasing worldwide. However, the long-term effects on kidney health and disease are largely unknown. Post hoc analysis of cannabis use as a risk factor for kidney disease was performed using data from the Assessment, Serial Evaluation, and Subsequent Sequelae of Acute Kidney Injury (ASSESS-AKI) study that enrolled hospitalized adults with and without acute kidney injury from four U.S. centers during 2009–2015. Associations between self-reported cannabis consumption and the categorical and continuous outcomes were determined using multivariable Cox regression and linear mixed models, respectively.

Read more

Scientific Validation of Cannabidiol for Management of Dog and Cat Diseases

/by

Cannabidiol (CBD) is a non-psychotropic phytocannabinoid of the plant Cannabis sativa L. CBD is increasingly being explored as an alternative to conventional therapies to treat health disorders in dogs and cats. Mecha- nisms of action of CBD have been investigated mostly in rodents and in vitro and include modulation of CB1, CB2, 5-HT, GPR, and opioid receptors. In companion animals, CBD appears to have good bioavailability and safety profile with few side effects at physiological doses. Some dog studies have found CBD to improve clinical signs associated with osteoarthritis, pruritus, and epilepsy. However, further studies are needed to conclude a therapeu- tic action of CBD for each of these conditions, as well as for decreasing anxiety and aggression in dogs and cats. Herein, we summarize the avail- able scientific evidence associated with the mechanisms of action of CBD, including pharmacokinetics, safety, regulation, and efficacy in ameliorating various health conditions in dogs and cats.

Read more

Characterization of the Antitumor Potential of Extracts of Cannabis sativa Strains with High CBD Content in Human Neuroblastoma

/by

Cannabis has been used for decades as a palliative therapy in the treatment of cancer. This is because of its beneficial effects on the pain and nausea that patients can experience as a result of chemo/radiotherapy. Tetrahydrocannabinol and cannabidiol are the main compounds present in Cannabis sativa, and both exert their actions through a receptor-mediated mechanism and through a non-receptor-mediated mechanism, which modulates the formation of reactive oxygen species. These oxidative stress conditions might trigger lipidic changes, which would compromise cell membrane stability and viability. In this sense, numerous pieces of evidence describe a potential antitumor effect of cannabinoid compounds in different types of cancer, although controversial results limit their implementation. In order to further investigate the possible mechanism involved in the antitumoral effects of cannabinoids, three extracts isolated from Cannabis sativa strains with high cannabidiol content were analyzed. Cell mortality, cytochrome c oxidase activity and the lipid composition of SH-SY5Y cells were determined in the absence and presence of specific cannabinoid ligands, with and without antioxidant pre-treatment.

Read more

Beyond Pain Relief: A Review on Cannabidiol Potential in Medical Therapies

/by

The phytocannabinoid cannabidiol (CBD) is receiving increasing attention due to its pharmacological properties. Although CBD is extracted from Cannabis sativa, it lacks the psychoactive effects of Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and has become an attractive compound for pharmacological uses due to its anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, anticonvulsant, and anxiolytic potential. The molecular mechanisms involved in CBD’s biological effects are not limited to its interaction with classical cannabinoid receptors, exerting anti-inflammatory or pain-relief effects. Several pieces of evidence demonstrate that CBD interacts with other receptors and cellular signaling cascades, which further support CBD’s therapeutic potential beyond pain management. In this review, we take a closer look at the molecular mechanisms of CBD and its potential therapeutic application in the context of cancer, neurodegeneration, and autoimmune diseases.

Read more

The Endocannabinoid System and Physical Exercise

/by

The endocannabinoid system (ECS) is involved in various processes, including brain plas- ticity, learning and memory, neuronal development, nociception, inflammation, appetite regulation, digestion, metabolism, energy balance, motility, and regulation of stress and emotions. Physical exercise (PE) is considered a valuable non-pharmacological therapy that is an immediately available and cost-effective method with a lot of health benefits, one of them being the activation of the endoge- nous cannabinoids. Endocannabinoids (eCBs) are generated as a response to high-intensity activities and can act as short-term circuit breakers, generating antinociceptive responses for a short and variable period of time. A runner’s high is an ephemeral feeling some sport practitioners experience during endurance activities, such as running. The release of eCBs during sustained physical exercise appears to be involved in triggering this phenomenon. The last decades have been characterized by an increased interest in this emotional state induced by exercise, as it is believed to alleviate pain, induce mild sedation, increase euphoric levels, and have anxiolytic effects. This review provides information about the current state of knowledge about endocannabinoids and physical effort and also an overview of the studies published in the specialized literature about this subject.

Read more

Reprogramming systemic and local immune function to empower immunotherapy against glioblastoma

/by

The limited benefits of immunotherapy against glioblastoma (GBM) is closely related to the paucity of T cells in brain tumor bed. Both systemic and local immunosuppression contribute to the deficiency of tumor-infiltrating T cells. However, the current studies focus heavily on the local immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment but not on the co-existence of systemic immuno- suppression. Here, we develop a nanostructure named Nano-reshaper to co- encapsulate lymphopenia alleviating agent cannabidiol and lymphocyte recruiting cytokine LIGHT. The results show that Nano-reshaper increases the number of systemic T cells and improves local T-cell recruitment condition, thus greatly increasing T-cell infiltration. When combined with immune checkpoint inhibitor, this therapeutic modality achieves 83.3% long-term survivors without recurrence in GBM models in male mice. Collectively, this work unveils that simultaneous reprogramming of systemic and local immune function is critical for T-cell based immunotherapy and provides a clinically translatable option for combating brain tumors.

Read more

Antioxidant promotion and oxidative stress downregulation by β-caryophyllene oxide attenuate lung cancer A549 cell proliferation

/by

One of the most common cancers that result in death is lung cancer. There is new hope in the ght against lung cancer thanks to the chemopreventive properties of natural dietary substances like β- caryophyllene oxide (CPO), and research is currently being done to test this theory. CPO, a sesquiterpene isolated from medicinal plant essential oils, inhibits carcinogenesis and has been effective in treating many cancers. This study examined how CPO affected proliferation of human lung cancer A549 cells. CPO was found to have an inhibitory concentration (IC50) of 124.1 g/ml.

Read more