Category Archives: Uncategorized

Cannabis Use May Reduce Healthcare Utilization and Improve Hospital Outcomes in Patients with Cirrhosis

Posted on by

Cover image Annals of Hepatology“Introduction and objectives: Previous studies reveal conflicting data on the effect of cannabis use in patients with cirrhosis. This research evaluates the impact of cannabis on hepatic decompensation, health care utilization, and mortality in patients with cirrhosis.

Results: Cannabis use was detected in 370 (2.1%) of 17,520 cirrhotics admitted in 2011 and in 1,162 (5.3%) of 21,917 cirrhotics in 2015 (p-value <0.001). On multivariable analysis, cirrhotics utilizing cannabis after its legalization experienced a decreased rate of admissions related to hepatorenal syndrome (Odds Ratio (OR): 0.51; 95% Confidence Interval (CI): 0.34-0.78) and ascites (OR: 0.73; 95% CI: 0.63-0.84). Cirrhotics with an etiology of disease other than alcohol and hepatitis C had a higher risk of admission for hepatic encephalopathy if they utilized cannabis [OR: 1.57; 95% CI: 1.16-2.13]. Decreased length of stay (-1.15 days; 95% CI: -1.62, -0.68), total charges (-$15,852; 95% CI: -$21,009, -$10,694), and inpatient mortality (OR: 0.68; 95% CI: 0.51-0.91) were also observed in cirrhotics utilizing cannabis after legalization compared to cirrhotics not utilizing cannabis or utilizing cannabis prior to legalization.

Conclusion: Cannabis use in patients with cirrhosis resulted in mixed outcomes regarding hospital admissions with hepatic decompensation. A trend towards decreased hospital utilization and mortality was noted in cannabis users after legalization. These observations need to be confirmed with a longitudinal randomized study.”

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33157269/

“The effectiveness of medicinal cannabis has been noted for many digestive system diseases including cirrhosis. Medicinal cannabis is associated with improved patient and hospital outcomes in cirrhotics”

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1665268120302052?via%3Dihub

Evaluating the Suitability and Potential Efficiency of Cannabis sativa Oil for Patients with Primary Burning Mouth Syndrome: A Prospective, Open-Label, Single-Arm Pilot Study

Posted on by

Pain Medicine“Objective: To evaluate the use of a Cannabis sativa oil in the management of patients diagnosed with primary burning mouth syndrome (BMS).

Results: Subjects showed a statistically significant improvement over time in terms of a clinical remission of the oral symptoms. Levels of anxiety and depression also changed statistically, displaying a favorable improvement. No serious reactions were detailed. None of the patients had to stop the treatment due to adverse events.

Conclusions: In this pilot evaluation, the C. sativa oil provided was effective and well tolerated in patients with primary BMS. Further bigger and properly defined randomized controlled trials, with different therapeutic approaches or placebo control, are needed, however.”

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33123730/

https://academic.oup.com/painmedicine/advance-article-abstract/doi/10.1093/pm/pnaa318/5943271?redirectedFrom=fulltext

Cannabinoid Receptor Subtype 2 (CB2R) in a Multitarget Approach: Perspective of an Innovative Strategy in Cancer and Neurodegeneration

Posted on by

 Go to Volume 0, Issue 0“The cannabinoid receptor subtype 2 (CB2R) represents an interesting and new therapeutic target for its involvement in the first steps of neurodegeneration as well as in cancer onset and progression.

Several studies, focused on different types of tumors, report a promising anticancer activity induced by CB2R agonists due to their ability to reduce inflammation and cell proliferation. Moreover, in neuroinflammation, the stimulation of CB2R, overexpressed in microglial cells, exerts beneficial effects in neurodegenerative disorders.

With the aim to overcome current treatment limitations, new drugs can be developed by specifically modulating, together with CB2R, other targets involved in such multifactorial disorders.

Building on successful case studies of already developed multitarget strategies involving CB2R, in this Perspective we aim at prompting the scientific community to consider new promising target associations involving HDACs (histone deacetylases) and σ receptors by employing modern approaches based on molecular hybridization, computational polypharmacology, and machine learning algorithms.”

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33094613/

https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acs.jmedchem.0c01357

Abstract Image

The Activation of Cannabinoid Type-2 Receptor with JWH-133 Protects Uterine Ischemia/Reperfusion-Induced Damage

Posted on by

 Pharmacology - Home - Karger Publishers“Uterus transplantation is a complex surgical procedure. Uterine ischemia/reperfusion (IR) damage occurring in this process may cause loss of function in the uterus. Cell damage must be prevented for a healthy uterine function and successful transplantation.

Cannabinoids, with their increasing clinical use, are substances with strong anti-inflammatory and antioxidative effects and have a role in immune system regulation. However, their efficacy in uterine IR damage is still unknown.

This study provides information on the potential applications cannabinoids agonist JWH-133 in uterine IR damage and, hence, in the transplant process.

Results: In the uterine IR group, NF-κB expression and MDA levels were detected at high levels. Histopathological examinations and TUNEL staining revealed extensive cell damage. On the other hand, in groups treated with JWH-133, dose-dependent NF-κB expression and MDA levels decreased (p < 0.05). Depending on the dose, the rate of surviving cells increased in TUNEL staining results.

Conclusion: The results showed that JWH-133 was effective in reducing uterine IR damage. Cannabinoids may be a new alternative that may be used in the transplantation process in the future.”

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33105141/

https://www.karger.com/Article/Abstract/511457

Cannabis use and work-related injuries: a cross-sectional analysis

Posted on by

Occupational Medicine“The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between work-related injury and cannabis use in the past year.

Results: Among the 136 536 working participants, 2577 (2%) had a work-related injury in the last 12 months. Of these 2577 who had a work-related injury, 4% also reported being a cannabis user in the same period. We found no association between past-year cannabis use and work-related injury (odds ratio for work injury among users 0.81, 95% confidence interval 0.66-0.99). The association was unchanged in the subgroup analysis limited to high injury risk occupational groups.

Conclusions: We found no evidence that cannabis users experienced higher rates of work-related injuries. While awaiting prospective studies, occupational medicine practitioners should take a risk-based approach to drafting workplace cannabis policies.”

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33108459/

https://academic.oup.com/occmed/advance-article-abstract/doi/10.1093/occmed/kqaa175/5941608?redirectedFrom=fulltext

Involvement of dopamine receptor in the actions of non-psychoactive phytocannabinoids

Posted on by

Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications “These data support the notion that CBD and CBDV act as functional partial agonists on dopamine D2-like receptors in vivo.

The discovery that dopamine receptor is involved in the actions of phytocannabinoids moves a significant step toward our understanding of the mechanisms for medical uses of cannabis in the treatment of neurological and psychiatric disorders.”

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33097185/

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0006291X20319306?via%3Dihub

Attenuation of Oxidative Stress by Cannabinoids and Cannabis Extracts in Differentiated Neuronal Cells

Posted on by

pharmaceuticals-logo“In this proof-of-concept study, the antioxidant activity of phytocannabinoids, namely cannabidiol (CBD) and Δ9- tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), were investigated using an in vitro system of differentiated human neuronal SY-SH5Y cells.

We showed that THC had a high potency to combat oxidative stress in both in vitro models, while CBD did not show a remarkable antioxidant activity. The cannabis extracts also exhibited a significant antioxidant activity, which depended on the ratio of the THC and CBD. However, our results did not suggest any antagonist effect of the CBD on the antioxidant activity of THC. The effect of cannabis extracts on the cell viability of differentiated human neuronal SY-SH5Y cells was also investigated, which emphasized the differences between the bioactivity of cannabis extracts due to their composition.

Our preliminary results demonstrated that cannabis extracts and phytocannabinoids have a promising potential as antioxidants, which can be further investigated to develop novel pharmaceuticals targeting oxidative stress therapy.”

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33105840/

https://www.mdpi.com/1424-8247/13/11/328

Reductions in alcohol use following medical cannabis initiation: results from a large cross-sectional survey of medical cannabis patients in Canada

Posted on by

 International Journal of Drug Policy“Evidence details how cannabis can influence the use of other psychoactive substances, including prescription medications, alcohol, tobacco and illicit drugs, but very little research has examined the factors associated with these changes in substance use patterns. This paper explores the self-reported use of cannabis as a substitute for alcohol among a Canadian medical cannabis patient population.

Results: Overall, 419 (44%) participants reported decreases in alcohol usage frequency over 30 days, 323 (34%) decreased the number of standard drinks they had per week, and 76 (8%) reported no alcohol use at all in the 30 days prior to the survey. Being below 55 years of age and reporting higher rates of alcohol use in the pre-period were both associated with greater odds of reducing alcohol use, and an intention to use medical cannabis to reduce alcohol consumption was associated with significantly greater odds of both reducing and ceasing alcohol use altogether.

Conclusions: Our findings suggest that medical cannabis initiation may be associated with self-reported reductions and cessation of alcohol use among medical cannabis patients. Since alcohol is the most prevalent recreational substance in North America, and its use results in significant rates of criminality, morbidity and mortality, these findings may result in improved health outcomes for medical cannabis patients, as well as overall improvements in public health and safety.”

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33068830/

“Following medical cannabis initiation, 44% of participants reported decreases in alcohol use frequency over 30 days, and 34% decreased the number of standard drinks they had per week. Younger age (<55 years old) and higher rates of alcohol use prior to medical cannabis initiation were associated with greater odds of reducing alcohol. Specific intention to use medical cannabis to reduce alcohol consumption resulted in greater odds of reducing and/or ceasing use altogether.”

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0955395920303017?via%3Dihub

A Literature Analysis on Medicinal Use and Research of Cannabis in the Meiji Era of Japan

Posted on by

 Journal of Pharmacopuncture“Cannabis is a historical plant which has been used as a medicine in East Asia.

 

Cannabis was prescribed in Meiji era of Japan to alleviate pain and cure the digestive, respiratory, urinary, and nervous system diseases such as indigestion, asthma, tuberculosis, gonorrhea and its complications, insomnia, and nervous prostration.

Cannabis was medically used in Meiji era of Japan and the reporting and sharing of its clinical effect was published on the medical journals like present days.

There were already Cannabis regulations in that era, but its medicinal use was more liberated than nowadays.

It may be a chance to reconsider the current legal system, which strictly controls the use of Cannabis.”

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33072412/

http://www.journal-jop.org/journal/view.html?doi=10.3831/KPI.2020.23.3.142

Cannabinoid Receptors: An Update on Cell Signaling, Pathophysiological Roles and Therapeutic Opportunities in Neurological, Cardiovascular, and Inflammatory Diseases

Posted on by

ijms-logo “The identification of the human cannabinoid receptors and their roles in health and disease, has been one of the most significant biochemical and pharmacological advancements to have occurred in the past few decades. In spite of the major strides made in furthering endocannabinoid research, therapeutic exploitation of the endocannabinoid system has often been a challenging task.

An impaired endocannabinoid tone often manifests as changes in expression and/or functions of type 1 and/or type 2 cannabinoid receptors. It becomes important to understand how alterations in cannabinoid receptor cellular signaling can lead to disruptions in major physiological and biological functions, as they are often associated with the pathogenesis of several neurological, cardiovascular, metabolic, and inflammatory diseases.

This review focuses mostly on the pathophysiological roles of type 1 and type 2 cannabinoid receptors, and it attempts to integrate both cellular and physiological functions of the cannabinoid receptors. Apart from an updated review of pre-clinical and clinical studies, the adequacy/inadequacy of cannabinoid-based therapeutics in various pathological conditions is also highlighted. Finally, alternative strategies to modulate endocannabinoid tone, and future directions are also emphasized.”

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33080916/

https://www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/21/20/7693