Cannabidiol, a safe and non-psychotropic ingredient of the marijuana plant Cannabis sativa, is protective in a murine model of colitis.

Authors: Francesca Borrelli, Gabriella Aviello, Barbara Romano, Pierangelo Orlando, et al
Journal of Molecular Medicine, November 2009

Inflammatory bowel disease affects millions of individuals; nevertheless, pharmacological treatment is disappointingly unsatisfactory. Cannabidiol, a safe and non-psychotropic ingredient of marijuana, exerts pharmacological effects (e.g., antioxidant) and mechanisms (e.g., inh…

If cannabis caused schizophrenia–how many cannabis users may need to be prevented in order to prevent one case of schizophrenia? England and Wales calculations.

Authors: Matt Hickman, Peter Vickerman, John Macleod, Glyn Lewis, Stan Zammit, et al
Addiction, November 2009

BACKGROUND: We consider how many cannabis users may need to be prevented in order to prevent one case of schizophrenia or psychosis [defined as number needed to prevent (NNP)]. METHOD: Calculation for England and Wales using best available estimates of: incidence of schizophre…

Synthetic cannabinoid receptor agonists inhibit tumor growth and metastasis of breast cancer.

Authors: Zahida Qamri, Anju Preet, Mohd W. Nasser, Caroline E. Bass, Gustavo Leone, et al
Molecular Cancer Therapeutics, November 2009

Cannabinoids have been reported to possess antitumorogenic activity. Not much is known, however, about the effects and mechanism of action of synthetic nonpsychotic cannabinoids on breast cancer growth and metastasis. We have shown that the cannabinoid receptors CB1 and CB2 ar…

Cannabinoids for Tourette’s Syndrome.

Authors: Adrienne Curtis, Carl E Clarke, Hugh E Rickards
Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, 7 October 2009

BACKGROUND: Gilles de la Tourette Syndrome (GTS) is a developmental neuropsychiatric disorder characterised by the presence of chronic motor and phonic tics. Drugs currently used in the treatment of GTS either lack efficacy or are associated with intolerable side effects. Ther…

Inhibition of human tumour prostate PC-3 cell growth by cannabinoids R(+)-Methanandamide and JWH-015: involvement of CB2.

Authors: N. Olea-Herrero, D. Vara, S. Malagarie-Cazenave, I. Díaz-Laviada
British Journal of Cancer, 15 September 2009

BACKGROUND: We have previously shown that cannabinoids induce growth inhibition and apoptosis in prostate cancer PC-3 cells, which express high levels of cannabinoid receptor types 1 and 2 (CB(1) and CB(2)). In this study, we investigated the role of CB(2) receptor in the anti…

Assessing the impact of cannabis use on trends in diagnosed schizophrenia in the United Kingdom from 1996 to 2005.

Authors: Martin Frisher, Ilana Crome, Orsolina Martino, Peter Croft
Schizophrenia Research, September 2009

A recent systematic review concluded that cannabis use increases risk of psychotic outcomes independently of confounding and transient intoxication effects. Furthermore, a model of the association between cannabis use and schizophrenia indicated that the incidence and prevalen…

The endocannabinoid system of the skin in health and disease: novel perspectives and therapeutic opportunities.

Authors: Tamás Bíró, Balázs I. Tóth, György Haskó, Ralf Paus, Pál Pacher
Trends in Pharmacological Sciences, August 2009

The newly discovered endocannabinoid system (ECS; comprising the endogenous lipid mediators endocannabinoids present in virtually all tissues, their G-protein-coupled cannabinoid receptors, biosynthetic pathways and metabolizing enzymes) has been implicated in multiple regulat…

Synthetic delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (dronabinol) can improve the symptoms of schizophrenia.

Authors: Glenn Schwarcz, Basawaraj Karajgi, Richard McCarthy
Journal of Clinical Psychopharmacology, June 2009

We are reporting improvement of symptoms of schizophrenia in a small group of patients who received the cannabinoid agonist dronabinol (synthetic Delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol). Before this report, cannabinoids had usually been associated with worsening of psychotic symptoms. I…

The emerging role of the endocannabinoid system in cardiovascular disease.

Authors: Pál Pacher, Sabine Steffens
Seminars in Immunopathology, June 2009

Endocannabinoids are endogenous bioactive lipid mediators present both in the brain and various peripheral tissues, which exert their biological effects via interaction with specific G-protein-coupled cannabinoid receptors, the CB(1) and CB(2). Pathological overactivation of t…

Differential expression of functional cannabinoid receptors in human bladder detrusor and urothelium.

Authors: Vikas Tyagi, Brian J. Philips, Ruthie Su, Marc C. Smaldone, Vickie L. Erickson, et al
The Journal of Urology, April 2009

PURPOSE: Although cannabinoid receptor expression has been demonstrated in human brain and other peripheral neuronal tissues, definitive expression of these receptors in the human bladder has not been reported. Consequently we investigated the expression of functional cannabin…

Cannabinoid hyperemesis syndrome: clinical diagnosis of an underrecognised manifestation of chronic cannabis abuse.

Authors: Siva P. Sontineni, Sanjay Chaudhary, Vijaya Sontineni, Stephen J. Lanspa
World Journal of Gastroenterology, 14 March 2009

Cannabis is a common drug of abuse that is associated with various long-term and short-term adverse effects. The nature of its association with vomiting after chronic abuse is obscure and is underrecognised by clinicians. In some patients this vomiting can take on a pattern si…

The use of a synthetic cannabinoid in the management of treatment-resistant nightmares in posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

Authors: George A. Fraser
CNS Neuroscience & Therapeutics, Winter 2009

This is the report of an open label clinical trial to evaluate the effects of nabilone, an endocannabinoid receptor agonist, on treatment-resistant nightmares in patients diagnosed with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). METHODS: Charts of 47 patients diagnosed with PTSD an…