Please use this link to access this publication. Abstract Recent years have yielded significant advances in our understanding of microglia, the immune cells of the central nervous system (CNS). Microglia are key players in CNS development, immune surveillance, and the maintenance of proper neuronal function throughout life. In the healthy brain, homeostatic microglia have a unique molecular signature. In neurological diseases, microglia become activated and adopt distinct transcriptomic signatures, including disease-associated microglia (DAM) implicated in neurodegenerative disorders. Homeostatic microglia synthesise the endogenous cannabinoids 2-arachidonoylglycerol and anandamide and express the cannabinoid receptors CB1 and CB2 at constitutively low levels. Upon activation, microglia significantly increase their synthesis of endocannabinoids and upregulate their expression of CB2 receptors, which promote...

Please use this link to access this publication. Abstract Objective To examine the efficacy and safety of medical cannabis in benign essential blepharospasm (BEB). Methods This is a prospective, double-blind, placebo-controlled study. All consecutive adult BEB patients who had been treated with BTX-A injections without success between 3/2019 and 2/2020 were recruited. The study patients were randomly allocated into a treatment and a control (placebo) group in a 1:1 ratio. The treatment group used cannabis drops and the control group used cannabis oil drops during the first 6 weeks of the study, and both groups were treated with the medical cannabis drops during the...

Please use this link to access this publication. Abstract Objectives We hypothesized that prenatal cannabis exposure (PCE) would be associated with increased attention problems and altered neurocognition in young adolescents. Methods Data were obtained from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD study®), a cohort of approximately 12,000 children. Presence or absence of PCE after knowledge of pregnancy was measured by caregiver report. All participants with PCE (N = 224) were included and compared to two control groups; those matched on tobacco and alcohol exposure and those without prenatal tobacco or alcohol exposures. Outcomes were measured with the ABCD baseline assessment when participants were 9–10...

Please use this link to access this publication. Abstract Rationale Cannabis is one of the most prevalent substances used by tobacco smokers and, in light of the growing list of states and territories legalizing cannabis, it is expected that co-use of cannabis and nicotine will escalate significantly and will lead to continuing challenges with tobacco use. Objectives This study was conducted to examine the interactive effects of chronic cannabis and nicotine use on adrenocortical, cardiovascular, and psychological responses to stress and to explore sex differences in these effects. Methods Participants (N = 231) included cannabis-only users, nicotine-only users, co-users of both substances, and a non/light-user comparison...

Please use this link to access this publication. Abstract Chronic pain is associated with mental and physical health difficulties and is prevalent among veterans. Cannabis has been put forth as a treatment for chronic pain, and changes in laws, attitudes, and use patterns have occurred over the past 2 decades. Differences in prevalence of nonmedical cannabis use and cannabis use disorder (CUD) were examined across 2 groups: veterans or nonveterans and those reporting or not reporting recent pain. Data from the National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions-III (2012-2013; n = 36,309) were analyzed using logistic regression. Prevalence differences (PDs) for 3 cannabis...

Please use this link to access this publication. Abstract Introduction: Between 2013 and 2019, Illinois limited cannabis access to certified patients enrolled in the Illinois Medical Cannabis Program (IMCP). In 2016, the state instituted a fast-track pathway for terminal patients. The benefits of medicinal cannabis (MC) have clear implications for patients near end-of-life (EOL). However, little is known about how terminal patients engage medical cannabis relative to supportive care. Methods: Anonymous cross-sectional survey data were collected from 342 terminal patients who were already enrolled in (n = 19) or planning to enroll (n = 323) in hospice for EOL care. Logistic regression models compare patients in...

Please use this link to access this publication. Abstract Objective A dysbalance of the immune system in schizophrenia has been largely described but few studies have investigated the impact of cannabis use on inflammatory markers in patients with schizophrenia. The objective of our study was to investigate the impact of cannabis use on high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP), fibrinogen levels and leucocytic formula in patients with schizophrenia. Methods: Thirty-eight acutely ill inpatients with schizophrenia were included. Patient hsCRP, fibrinogen levels, leukocytic formula and urinary cannabis were measured at baseline and after four weeks of treatment. Results: After four weeks of cannabis cessation (as confirmed by...

Please use this link to access this publication. Abstract Objective To determine whether cannabis users have different pain scores after gynaecologic oncology surgery than non-cannabis users. Methods A retrospective chart review was completed for 654 patients who underwent gynaecologic oncology surgery during a 2-year period. The primary outcome was postoperative pain at 12 and 36 hours after surgery using an 11-point pain scale. Secondary outcomes included opioid consumption, length of hospital stay, opioid side effects, and sleep disturbance. Results Of all patients included in this study, 64 used cannabis and 590 did not. Propensity score matching and list-wise deletion identified 57 matched pairs. Pain scores were significantly higher at 12 hours (P <...

Please use this link to access this publication. Abstract Background Cannabis is associated with risk of acute coronary syndrome in observational studies. However, its association with prevalent coronary artery disease (CAD) remains unclear. We hypothesized that cannabis use is associated with prevalent CAD. Methods This analysis included 12,543 participants (age 39.3 ± 11.6 years, 48.8% male, 35.3% Caucasians) from The National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). Cannabis use was self-reported. Prevalent CAD was defined by physician diagnosis. The association between cannabis use and CAD was tested for using multivariable logistic regression. Results About 53.1% (n = 6,650) of participants were ever cannabis users...

Please use this link to access this publication. Abstract Context This scoping review examines the current research on the effect of cannabis upon pain intensity in spinal cord injury (SCI) pain. Chronic pain is a significant secondary condition following SCI, and traditional treatments (e.g. opioids, NSAIDs) are often criticized for providing inadequate relief. As a result, there is increasing interest in and use of cannabis and cannabinoid-based medications as an alternative means of pain control. Objective The purpose of this review was to examine the scientific evidence on the effect of cannabis/cannabinoids upon pain intensity in SCI by mapping the current literature. Methods Two...