Recreational Cannabis Linked to Acute Pancreatitis

Posted on October 10, 2018 by Marie Benz MD FAAD

MedicalResearch.com Interview with:
Tarek Alansari, MD
Metropolitan Hospital

MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings?

Response: Cannabis is the most frequently consumed recreational drug in the world. The use of cannabis is becoming increasingly accepted by the general public in the United States. The estimates of the prevalence of cannabis use in the United States is about 9.5% in the adult population and the prevalence of dependence or abuse approaches 2.9%. Those under the age of 35 years are the most frequent consumers. According to Business Insider as of June 2018, recreational cannabis is legal in 9 states and medical cannabis is legal in 30 states. Recent surveys show that about 35 million Americans are frequent cannabis users.

Aiming for symptomatic relief, some patients with different gastrointestinal disorders have turned to cannabis without fully understanding the effect of its use for their individual condition.
Biliary tract disease, ethanol abuse, infections, autoimmunity, and genetics are well known causes of acute pancreatitis. However, medication-induced pancreatitis remains a less common etiology. In about 20% of cases of acute pancreatitis despite of the great improvement in genetic testing and imaging modalities, the workup still fails to reveal an etiology. These cases are labeled idiopathic.

Cannabis use is emerging as a rare, possibly overlooked cause of acute pancreatitis with few cases reported in the literature. In the United States, only 5 cases of cannabis – induced acute pancreatitis (AP) have been reported till September 2017. The review of literature revealed that only 26 cases of cannabis-induced AP have been reported worldwide. Continue reading →

Fentanyl Strips Can Prevent Opioid Overdoses

Posted on October 5, 2018 by Marie Benz MD FAAD

MedicalResearch.com Interview with:

Jon Zibbell, PhD,
Senior public health scientist
Behavioral Health Research Division
RTI International
Research Triangle Park, NC,

MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings?

Response: For the first time in 2016, U.S. overdose deaths involving illicitly-manufactured fentanyl surpassed deaths from heroin and prescription deaths.

Fentanyl is an extremely potent synthetic opioid, and an illicitly-manufactured form of the drug is regularly being mixed with heroin and often sold to unwitting consumers. Fentanyl is 50 times more potent than heroin and its illicitly-manufactured version is extremely difficult to discern when mixed with heroin. Harm reduction organizations have started to distribute FTS and people consuming street-purchased opioids are using them to test drugs for fentanyl. Our objective was to assess whether this point-of-use form of drug checking was influencing people’s drug use behavior. The study was self-funded by the research institute RTI International.

Our findings show that consumers who tested street opioids with fentanyl test strips were five times more likely to engage in safer drug use behavior when the test comes back positive. The study was conducted among a group of 125 people who inject drugs in Greensboro, North Carolina.

Continue reading →

More Liquor Stores, More Crime

Posted on October 3, 2018 by Marie Benz MD FAAD

MedicalResearch.com Interview with:

Pamela Trangenstein, PhD While she was a predoctoral fellow at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health's Center on Alcohol Marketing and Youth (CAMY)

Dr. Trangenstein

Pamela Trangenstein, PhD
While a predoctoral fellow at
Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health’s Center on Alcohol Marketing and Youth (CAMY)

MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings?

Response: Research repeatedly shows that alcohol outlet density (the number of businesses that sell alcohol in an area) is associated with violent crime, but studies disagree about whether alcohol outlets that are on premise (e.g., bars, restaurants) or off premise (e.g., liquor stores, beer and wine stores) have a stronger association with violent crime.

We used advanced methods that consider both the number of alcohol outlets and their locations to better understand how the association between alcohol outlets and violent crime differs by type of outlet.

We found that alcohol outlets that allow off-premise sales like liquor stores had a stronger association with homicide, aggravated assault, and robbery than on-premise outlets like bars and restaurants. We also found that disadvantaged neighborhoods had higher access to the types of alcohol outlets associated with the most harms: off-premise outlets. Continue reading →

Outbreak of Synthetic Cannabinoid–Associated Bleeding Disorders in Illinois

Posted on September 27, 2018 by Marie Benz MD FAAD

MedicalResearch.com Interview with:

Dr. Kelkar

Dr. Amar Kelkar MD
Clinical Fellow
Division of Hematology & Oncology, Department of Medicine
University of Florida College of Medicine, UF Health Shands Hospital

MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are synthetic cannabinoids?

Response: Starting in March 2018, patients began reporting to hospitals and clinics with unexplained and prolonged bleeding symptoms, first in Chicago, Illinois, and then spreading to Peoria, Illinois and elsewhere. This gained a lot of press because the initial identifying factor was that all the patients had reported recent use of synthetic cannabinoids. As the matter was studied further, it was determined that these patients were likely exposed to an anticoagulant poison mixed in with the synthetic cannabinoids.

Synthetic cannabinoids are lab-derived illicit drugs that target the cannabinoid receptors that are also targeted by marijuana. They go by many names including synthetic marijuana, K2, and Spice.

Continue reading →

Gender Nonconformity Strongly Associated With Substance Abuse Among Male Students

Posted on September 24, 2018 by Marie Benz MD FAAD

MedicalResearch.com Interview with:

Dr. Johns

Michelle M Johns, MPH, PhD
Health Scientist
Division of Adolescent and School Health
CDC

MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings?

Response: Gender nonconformity is an under-researched area of adolescent health that is often linked to negative health outcomes. To address this gap, we analyzed Youth Risk Behavior Survey data to describe the associations between gender nonconformity and risk behaviors, including mental distress, and substance use.

Gender nonconformity was associated with feeling sad and hopeless, as well as suicidal thoughts and/or behaviors among female and male students. In addition, gender nonconformity was strongly associated with substance use among male students.

Continue reading →

The Impact of Alcohol Abuse and Dependency

Posted on September 24, 2018 by Marie Benz MD FAAD

The 2015 National Survey on Drug Use and Health reports that 26.9 percent of people over the age of 18 have engaged in binge drinking in the past year and 15.1 million adults have Alcohol Use Disorder. With alcohol as the center of many social events and lifestyles, many people can easily forget some of its long-term consequences. However, these consequences could have a major impact on your social life, as well as your health and legal environment.

Physical Life Impacts

An excessive amount of drinking can take a serious toll on your physical health. Alcohol interferes with the communication of pathways to the brain and therefore can disrupt your emotions or mood without any warning. Over time, drinking can also damage the heart and lead to stretching and drooping of the heart muscle known as cardiomyopathy, irregular heartbeat, stroke, or high blood pressure. It can also lead to liver inflammation, fibrosis, swelling of blood vessels, and cancer. Your immune system can also become affected by too much alcohol, leaving you susceptible to a variety of diseases such as pneumonia and tuberculosis.

Social and Lifestyle Impacts

Excessive drinking can lead to an impact on family, work, and social life. It can have an impact on work performance and cause many people to call off work or miss obligations. Financial problems can also arise when spending too much money on alcohol, which can lead to further family and marital problems. Many alcoholics also tend to lose friends because of the way they act while under the influence and can also face limited career opportunities because of alcohol-related offenses.

Legal Consequences Associated with Alcoholism

Studies have shown that alcohol can contribute to criminal behavior as it reduces inhibitions and diminishes the thought processes and shields you would normally have while you are sober. Some alcohol-related offenses include assault, property damage, disorderly conduct, offensive behavior, and resisting arrest. One legal consequence that is directly related to alcohol consumption is drunk driving. According to this Mesa DUI attorney, a DUI penalty can also lead to further social, emotional, and physical consequences. You could receive jail time, counseling, fines and fees, and a revocation of your driving privileges.

What to Do If You or Your Loved One is Abusing Alcohol

If you or your loved one is experiencing any issues with alcohol, it is important to reach out to a licensed professional. You can partake in counseling, therapy, or other medical treatments. Remember that you’re not alone and that you can change your lifestyle or situation.

Sep 24, 2018 @ 3:33 pm

The information on MedicalResearch.com is provided for educational purposes only, and is in no way intended to diagnose, cure, or treat any medical or other condition. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health and ask your doctor any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. In addition to all other limitations and disclaimers in this agreement, service provider and its third party providers disclaim any liability or loss in connection with the content provided on this website.

Cannabinoid Drugs May Slightly Increase Pain Threshold

Posted on September 20, 2018 by Marie Benz MD FAAD

MedicalResearch.com Interview with:
Martin De Vita, MS
Doctoral Candidate
Clinical Psychology Department
Syracuse University

MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings?

Response: Despite widely held beliefs that cannabis is effective for pain relief, experimental trials have produced mixed results. As result, the analgesic properties of cannabinoid drugs have remained poorly understood. We aimed to clarify these findings by extracting data from every available experimental pain study and analyzing the results as a whole. We found that numerous aspects of pain were being influenced in different ways. We found that cannabinoid drugs did not significantly reduce the intensity of experimental pain, but they did produce small-sized reductions in pain unpleasantness. Cannabinoids produced significant analgesic effects on pain threshold and tolerance. There was no significant effect of cannabinoids on mechanical hyperalgesia. Continue reading →

Cannabis Users Have Increased Neural Activity, Even at Rest

Posted on September 17, 2018 by Marie Benz MD FAAD

MedicalResearch.com Interview with:

Dr. Filbey

Dr. Francesca M. Filbey PhD
Professor
Program Head, Cognition and Neuroscience PhD
Bert Moore Chair in BrainHealth
UT Dallas

MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings?

Response: The cannabis literature has generally focused on changes in brain function when engaged in a task. We were interested in examining whether these differences are present when not engaged in a task (i.e., during resting state) to understand baseline functional organization of the brain. Changes to baseline functional organization may reflect changes in brain networks underlying cognition. We also wanted to investigate whether specific brain waves, as measured by electroencephalography (EEG), are associated with measures of cannabis use, such as craving.

Continue reading →

More Than 2 Million High School Students Have Used Marijuana in an E-Cigarette

Posted on September 17, 2018 by Marie Benz MD FAAD

MedicalResearch.com Interview with:

Dr. Trivers

Katrina Trivers, PhD, MSP
Lead author and lead epidemiologist
Office on Smoking and Health
CDC

MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study?

Response: Although we’ve seen considerable declines in the use of regular cigarettes among U.S. youth over the past several decades, the tobacco product landscape is evolving, and the use of other tobacco products have become increasingly popular. For example, as of 2014, e-cigarettes have become the most commonly used tobacco product among US youth. During 2011-2015, e-cigarette use increased 900% among U.S. high school students before declining in 2016. No change was observed in 2017, with about 2 million youth, including 12% of high school students and 3% of middle school students, reporting they had used e-cigarettes in the past 30 days.

This is a public health concern because the use of any form of tobacco product is unsafe among youth, irrespective of whether it’s smoked, smokeless, or electronic. The U.S. Surgeon General has concluded that the aerosol emitted from e-cigarettes is not harmless. It can contain harmful ingredients, including nicotine, carbonyl compounds, and volatile organic compounds known to have adverse health effects. The nicotine in these products is of particular concern given that nicotine exposure during adolescence can cause addiction and can harm the developing adolescent brain.

In recent years, many youth have also been using other psychoactive substances in e-cigarettes, including cannabinoids and other illicit drugs. This could have been fueled, in part, by shifts in the social acceptability and access to cannabis as several states have or are considering legalized cannabis sales for adults. A previous CDC study found that in 2015, almost 1 in 3 students reported using e-cigarettes with non-nicotine substances. However, it wasn’t possible to identify what exactly those substances were based on the question. Given the high concurrent use of tobacco and other substances, including cannabis, a more detailed question was added to a future survey to assess the use of cannabis in e-cigarettes among U.S. youth. This study presents the findings from that question.

Continue reading →

Addiction Withdrawal Treatment Using Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation

Posted on September 13, 2018 by Marie Benz MD FAAD

MedicalResearch.com Interview with:

Crystal meth – illicit methamphetamine hydrochloride

Ti–Fei Yuan, PhD
School of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Nanjing University, Nanjing, China
Shanghai Key Laboratory of Psychotic Disorders, Shanghai Mental Health Center, Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
Co-innovation Center of Neuroregeneration, Nantong University, Nantong, Jiangsu, China
Guangdong-Hongkong-Macau Institute of CNS Regeneration, Ministry of Education CNS Regeneration Collaborative Joint Laboratory, Jinan University, Guangzhou, China
School of Psychology, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing, China

MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings?

Response: Addiction is causing serious challenge to public health. Few drugs can treat or even alleviate addiction.

In recent years, non-invasive brain stimulation has been used to modulate craving responses in different types of drug addicts (heroin, methamphetamine, cocaine), and to prevent smoking or alcohol abuse.

However it is unknown if brain stimulation can also help addicts get rid of the aversive symptoms in the early withdrawal period.

The present study is to our knowledge, the first trial to alleviate drug withdrawal symptoms and associated insomnia with non-invasive transcranial magentic stimulation. Continue reading →

Patient-Reported Symptom Relief Following Medical Cannabis Consumption

Posted on September 13, 2018 by Marie Benz MD FAAD

MedicalResearch.com Interview with:

Jacob M. Vigil, PhD
Department of Psychology
University of New Mexico

MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study?

Response: For the past several years we have been using observational research designs as a means to overcome some of the logistical and legal barriers for conducting patient outcomes medical cannabis research. In partnership with the software developers of the Releaf App which currently is the largest repository of user-entered information on the consumption and effects of cannabis use in the United States, we have been able to measure how patients choose to consume cannabis and the effects of those choices in real-time. Since its release in 2016, the commercially developed Releaf App has been the only publicly available, incentive-free patient educational software program designed for recording how individual cannabis usage sessions correspond to immediate changes in symptom intensity levels and experienced side effects.

Continue reading →

Larger Number of Benzodiazepine Pills in Initial Prescription Associated With Long Term Use

Posted on September 10, 2018 by Marie Benz MD FAAD

MedicalResearch.com Interview with:

Dr. Gerlach

Lauren B. Gerlach, D.O.
Clinical Lecturer
Department of Psychiatry
University of Michigan

MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study?

Response: In this study we used data from the Supporting Seniors Receiving Treatment and Intervention or SUSTAIN program. The program provides a supplement to a Pennsylvania medication coverage program for low-income older adults. It provides behavioral health and case management services by phone across the state. This included detailed interviews to screen for mental health issues including anxiety, depression, sleep issues, and pain, as well as analysis of prescription records and other clinical data.

Among older adults prescribed a new benzodiazepine prescription by a non-psychiatric provider, we determined how many then went on to long-term use of the medication and what patient and clinical characteristics predicted long-term use over the following year.

Continue reading →

Adolescents Face Large Addiction-Treatment Gap

Posted on September 10, 2018 by Marie Benz MD FAAD

MedicalResearch.com Interview with:

Dr. Hadland

Scott E. Hadland, MD, MPH, MS
Assistant Professor of Pediatrics
Boston Medical Center / Boston University School of Medicine

MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study?

Response: Amidst a worsening overdose epidemic in the United States, adolescents and young adults have not been spared. Although evidence-based medications like buprenorphine, naltrexone, and methadone are recommended for adolescents and young adults, the extent to which youth receive these medications — and whether these medications help retain youth in addiction treatment — isn’t yet known.

Continue reading →

Opioid Prescriptions Drop After 2016 CDC Guidelines Released

Posted on August 29, 2018 by Marie Benz MD FAAD

MedicalResearch.com Interview with:

Dr. Gery Guy

Gery P. Guy Jr., PhD, MPH
Senior Health Economist
Division of Unintentional Injury
CDC

MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study?

Response: In response to the increasing harms and adverse outcomes from prescription opioids, the CDC released the Guideline for Prescribing Opioids for Chronic Pain in March 2016. The CDC Guideline recommends evidence-based practices for opioid use for patients age 18 years and older in primary care settings in treating chronic pain outside of active cancer treatment, palliative care, and end-of-life care.

This report analyzed the temporal changes in opioid prescribing following the release of the CDC Guideline.

Continue reading →

Breast Milk Can Contain THC From Cannabis For Almost a Week

Posted on August 27, 2018 by Marie Benz MD FAAD

MedicalResearch.com Interview with:

cannabis

Christina Chambers, PhD, MPH
Principal investigator
Professor in the Department of Pediatrics
UC San Diego School of Medicine
Drector of clinical research at Rady Children’s Hospital
San Diego

MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings?

Response: Although cannabis is one of the most common recreational drugs used by pregnant and breastfeeding women, there is little current research regarding potential exposure of the breastfed infant. As a result, pediatricians are lacking concrete evidence to help support advice to breastfeeding mothers who use cannabis. This is particularly important as cannabis products available today are substantially more potent than products available in years past.

Our group in the Department of Pediatrics at the University of California San Diego (UCSD) Center for Better Beginnings was interested in first determining how much if any of the ingredients in cannabis actually transfer into breastmilk and how long these metabolites might stay in the milk after the mom’s last use. We invited mothers who are participating in our UCSD Human Milk Research Biorepository from across the U.S. and Canada to respond to questions about use of cannabis products over the previous 14 days and to provide a breast milk sample.

Fifty mothers participated in the study. Samples were analyzed by investigators from the UCSD Skaggs School of Pharmacy.

Our major finding was that low, but measurable levels of THC, the main psychoactive ingredient in cannabis, were found in about 2/3 of the samples. Although the number of hours after mother’s last use of cannabis that THC was still measurable varied widely, the longest time since mother’s last use that THC was still present was about 6 days. Continue reading →

Heavy Alcohol Use Early in Life Linked to Aggressive Prostate Cancer

Posted on August 23, 2018 by Marie Benz MD FAAD

MedicalResearch.com Interview with:

Dr. Emma Allott

Emma H. Allott, PhD
Research Assistant Professor of Nutrition
UNC GILLINGS SCHOOL OF GLOBAL PUBLIC HEALTH
University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill

MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings?

Response: Prostate cancer development may span decades. In addition, the prostate grows rapidly during puberty and therefore may be particularly susceptible to dietary or lifestyle factors during this time.

Our study found that heavier alcohol intake earlier in life, as well as higher cumulative alcohol intake across the lifespan, was associated with an increased odds of being diagnosed with an aggressive (clinically significant) prostate cancer in later life. However, current alcohol intake at the time of prostate cancer diagnosis was unrelated to tumor aggressiveness.

Continue reading →

Accelerated Aging Seen on Brain Imaging with Schizophrenia and Cannabis Use

Posted on August 22, 2018 by Marie Benz MD FAAD

MedicalResearch.com Interview with:

Dr. Daniel Amen

Dr. Daniel G. Amen MD
Amen Clinics, Inc., Founder
Costa Mesa, CA

MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings?

Response: In the largest known brain imaging study, scientists evaluated 62,454 brain SPECT (single photon emission computed tomography) scans of more than 30,000 individuals from 9 months old to 105 years of age to investigate factors that accelerate brain aging.

SPECT was used to determine aging trajectories in the brain and which common brain disorders predict abnormally accelerated aging. It examined these functional neuroimaging scans from a large multi-site psychiatric clinic from patients who had many different psychiatric disorders, including bipolar disorder, schizophrenia and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Researchers studied 128 brain regions to predict the chronological age of the patient.

Older age predicted from the scan compared to the actual chronological age was interpreted as accelerated aging. The study found that a number of brain disorders and behaviors predicted accelerated aging, especially schizophrenia, which showed an average of 4 years of premature aging, cannabis abuse (2.8 years of accelerated aging), bipolar disorder (1.6 years accelerated aging), ADHD (1.4 years accelerated aging) and alcohol abuse (0.6 years accelerated aging). Interestingly, the researchers did not observe accelerated aging in depression and aging, which they hypothesize may be due to different types of brain patterns for these disorders.

Continue reading →

Brain Circuits in Compulsive Alcohol Drinkers Identified

Posted on August 22, 2018 by Marie Benz MD FAAD

MedicalResearch.com Interview with:

Dr. Grodin

Erica Grodin, Ph.D.
Postdoctoral Fellow
Dept. of Psychology and Psychiatry
University of California

MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings?

Response: The hallmark of addictive disorders, including alcohol use disorder, is drug use that continues despite negative consequences. This pattern of use is referred to as “compulsive” and is one of the major barriers to treating addiction. We don’t yet fully understand what brain regions are responsible for compulsive alcohol use.

Our study used a neuroimaging method called functional magnetic resonance imaging which allows us to see which areas of the brain are more active when an individual is performing a task. To investigate what brain regions are involved in compulsive alcohol seeking, we designed a task during which study participants could try to earn alcohol and food points at the risk of receiving a negative consequence, an electric shock. Study participants were light drinkers (men who drank <15 drinks/week and women who drank <10 drinks/week) and heavy drinkers (men who drank ≥20 drinks/week and women who drank ≥15 drinks/week).

We found that heavy drinking individuals were more likely to try to earn alcohol points that were paired with a potential negative consequence than light drinkers were. This behavior of compulsive alcohol seeking was associated with increased brain activation in the medial prefrontal cortex, anterior insula, and ventral and dorsal striatum. Continue reading →

Illicit Drug Use Spikes During Special Events

Posted on August 21, 2018 by Marie Benz MD FAAD

MedicalResearch.com Interview with:
Bikram Subedi, PhD
Assistant Professor of Analytical Chemistry
Murray State University, Murray KY

MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings?

Response: The USA is one of the major consumers of diverse neuropsychiatric and illegal drugs, and recently declared a national public health emergency on opioid abuse. Law enforcement typically utilized conventional methods of determining drug consumption rate which are based on survey questionnaire, hospital admissions, drug-related crime statistics, and self-reported information. Conventional methods typically underestimate the actual consumption rate of drugs.

Our new approach of determining consumption rates of drugs in community is time and cost effecting and comprehensive. Based on levels of drugs quantified from raw sewage, the per capita consumption rates of several illicit drugs including methamphetamine, amphetamine, cocaine, and THC in two communities of Western Kentucky (similar population and only ~50 miles apart) were significantly different. During special events such as July 4^th and 2017 solar eclipse, the consumption rates were found even higher. The consumption rate of methamphetamine was among one of the highest ever reported in the country. Continue reading →

Understanding How Energy Drinks Plus Alcohol May Increase Risky Behavior

Posted on August 21, 2018 by Marie Benz MD FAAD

MedicalResearch.com Interview with:
Barbara D. Fontana
Laboratory of Experimental Neuropsychobiology,
Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
Natural and Exact Sciences Center
Graduate Program in Biological Sciences
Toxicological Biochemistry, Federal University of Santa Maria,
Santa Maria, Brazil

MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings?

Response: Our research group has been working with taurine and alcohol association for a long time. The background for this study is around increased consumption of molecules present in energy drinks frequently used as mixers for alcoholic beverages. Taurine is one of the most abundant molecules found in energetic drinks and has a neuromodulatory role in brain. In this context, we explore the effects of taurine associated to alcohol. Thus, as result we observed that this association exacerbate risky choices and reduces social cohesion in zebrafish, having a negative impact in social and fear-related behavior.

Continue reading →

Pregabalin Linked To Increased Risk for Opioid-Related Deaths

Posted on August 21, 2018 by Marie Benz MD FAAD

MedicalResearch.com Interview with:

Tara Gomes

Tara Gomes, MHSc
Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute, St Michael’s Hospital,
The Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences
Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy
Department of Health Policy, Management, and Evaluation
University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study?

Response: Pregabalin is a medication increasingly being prescribed to manage pain, however there is emerging evidence that this drug may increase one’s risk of opioid overdose when prescribed with opioids.

Continue reading →

Brain Imaging Reveals How Prolonged Intermittent Cannabis Can Induce Memory Deficits

Posted on August 18, 2018 by Marie Benz MD FAAD

MedicalResearch.com Interview with:

Ana Maria Sebastião, PhD
Professor of Pharmacology and Neurosciences
Director Institute of Pharmacology and Neurosciences, Faculty of Medicine and
Francisco Mouro, PhD
Unit of Neurosciences, Institute of Molecular Medicine
University of Lisbon, Portugal

MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings?

Response: There is pressing need to comprehend how cannabinoid exposure impacts brain functioning. While cannabinoid-related research has increased exponentially in the last decade, the mechanisms through which cannabinoids affect brain functioning are still elusive. Specifically, we need to know how prolonged cannabinoid exposure affects important cognitive processes, such as memory, and also find the roots of those effects. This is particularly relevant considering that several countries have already approved cannabis-based medicines.

In this sense, our work sheds new light into the mechanisms underlaying the memory-deficits provoked by a continuous exposure to a cannabinoid drug. More precisely, using brain imaging techniques, we found that long-term exposure to a synthetic cannabinoid drug impairs the ability of key brain regions involved in learning and memory to communicate with each other. Our data points to the necessity of considering cannabinoid actions in a broader perspective, including brain circuitry and communication. Continue reading →

Study Identifies How Medical Marijuana May Ease IBD Symptoms

Posted on August 14, 2018 by Marie Benz MD FAAD

MedicalResearch.com Interview with:

Dr. McCormick

Beth A. McCormick, Ph.D.
Professor and Vice Chair | Department of Microbiology & Physiological Systems
Founding Executive Director | University of Massachusetts Center for Microbiome Research
Board of Editors | Gastroenterology
University of Massachusetts Medical School
Worcester, MA 01655

MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings?

Response: There has been extensive, but to date mostly anecdotal, support for a beneficial role for cannabinoids and cannabis-derived agents to provide benefit for symptoms in individuals suffering from intestinal inflammatory disease (IBD).

Our studies have provided one possible rationale for these previous findings: that there is a constitutively active efflux system at the luminal surface of cells that line the intestine that pumps out one class of lipids of the family known as endocannabinoids. In doing so, the intestine floods this surface with these endocannabinoids in a manner that counteracts the actions of a particular potent stimulators of intestinal inflammation that appears to be over-active in certain forms of IBD. This is most significant because a number of cannabinoids and cannabis-derived agents can mimic the actions of this class of endocannabinoids. Moreover, while cannabinoids and endocannabinoids have been shown to provide anti-inflammatory actions, these studies have identified one mechanism used by the body to localize and focus this protective function at a critical site where pro-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory events intersect, providing new insights into how to treat that imbalance in these process that occurs in certain forms of IBD.

Therefore, there is the immediate opportunity to use this research to identify new therapeutic strategies to treat individuals suffering from IBD that could include either agents extracted from marijuana plants or novel molecules selected based upon superior properties made obvious by this newly defined mechanism.

Continue reading →

Wisdom Tooth Extraction Can Lead To Persistent Opioid Use

Posted on August 9, 2018 by Marie Benz MD FAAD

MedicalResearch.com Interview with:

Dr. Harbaugh

Calista Harbaugh, MD
House Officer, General Surgery
Clinician Scholar, National Clinician Scholars Program
Research Fellow, Michigan Opioid Prescribing Engagement Network
University of Michigan

MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings?

Response: Wisdom tooth extraction is one of the most common procedures among teens and young adults, with more than 3.5 million young people having wisdom teeth pulled every year.

This procedure is commonly paired with a prescription for opioid pain medication. As the opioid epidemic sweeps the nation, we must pay attention to the long term effects of opioid prescribing for even routine procedures. This is particularly important for wisdom tooth extraction where there is evidence that opioid pain medications may be no more effective than anti-inflammatories alone.

Using commercial insurance claims, we evaluated the association between receiving an opioid prescription with wisdom tooth extraction and developing new persistent opioid use in the year after the procedure. We found nearly a 3-fold increase in odds of persistent opioid use, attributable to whether or not an opioid was prescribed. This translates to nearly 50,000 young people developing new persistent opioid use each year from routine opioid prescribing for wisdom tooth extraction.

Continue reading →

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Category Archives: Addiction

Recreational Cannabis Linked to Acute Pancreatitis

Fentanyl Strips Can Prevent Opioid Overdoses

More Liquor Stores, More Crime

Outbreak of Synthetic Cannabinoid–Associated Bleeding Disorders in Illinois

Gender Nonconformity Strongly Associated With Substance Abuse Among Male Students

The Impact of Alcohol Abuse and Dependency

Cannabinoid Drugs May Slightly Increase Pain Threshold

Cannabis Users Have Increased Neural Activity, Even at Rest

More Than 2 Million High School Students Have Used Marijuana in an E-Cigarette

Addiction Withdrawal Treatment Using Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation

Patient-Reported Symptom Relief Following Medical Cannabis Consumption

Larger Number of Benzodiazepine Pills in Initial Prescription Associated With Long Term Use

Adolescents Face Large Addiction-Treatment Gap

Opioid Prescriptions Drop After 2016 CDC Guidelines Released

Breast Milk Can Contain THC From Cannabis For Almost a Week

Heavy Alcohol Use Early in Life Linked to Aggressive Prostate Cancer

Accelerated Aging Seen on Brain Imaging with Schizophrenia and Cannabis Use

Brain Circuits in Compulsive Alcohol Drinkers Identified

Illicit Drug Use Spikes During Special Events

Understanding How Energy Drinks Plus Alcohol May Increase Risky Behavior

Pregabalin Linked To Increased Risk for Opioid-Related Deaths

Brain Imaging Reveals How Prolonged Intermittent Cannabis Can Induce Memory Deficits

Study Identifies How Medical Marijuana May Ease IBD Symptoms

Wisdom Tooth Extraction Can Lead To Persistent Opioid Use