Michelle Smith, Author at Society of Cannabis Clinicians

Cancer, Misc

Phytochemical characterization and cytotoxic potential of extracts from roots and inflorescences of Cannabis sativa L. cv. Eletta Campana

Cannabis roots have been used in folk medicine for millennia and as nutrient storage systems, contain compounds that may have medicinal value. Despite this, cannabis roots have generally received little attention compared to cannabis flowers, leaves and seeds and were for a long time considered just a waste product. In this paper, for the first time, the extracts of dried roots and in- florescences of Cannabis sativa L. cv Eletta Campana, were chemically investigated in order to compare their metabolite content. The obtained results highlighted a profile rich in fatty acids in the roots and cannabinoids in the inflorescences. Other components such as monoterpenes, sesquiterpenes, diterpenes and triterpenes were also detected. The extracts were also evaluated in terms of cytotoxic activity by using a panel of cancer cell lines derived from different histotypes including melanoma (A375, M14), colon (HCT116, HT29), breast (MDAMB231, MCF7) and non- small cell lung cancer (H1299, A549). Although both extracts significantly reduced the cancer cell viability, the inflorescence extract was more potent. Furthermore, the latter induced a comparable response in all tested cancer cell lines, while melanoma and non-small cell lung cancer were the most sensitive histotypes to the root extract treatment.

October 27, 2023 by Michelle Smith

Misc

Inconsistency in the Composition of the Smoke of a Cannabis Cigarette as Smoking Progresses: Results, Mechanism, and Implications. Cannabis and Cannabinoid Research.

The efficacy of cannabis treatment is determined by the active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) of the ingested composition. Despite smoking predominancy in cannabis treatment, very little is known regarding its yield and provision rate of cannabis APIs. Ten experiments were performed, studying changes in APIs content during smoking, using a designated smoking machine. APIs content was evaluated via analysis of a cigarette’s residuals and of the smoke composition; cannabinoid and terpene content were assessed.

October 25, 2023 by Michelle Smith

Misc, Pain

Perceptions and Preoccupations of Patients and Physicians Regarding Use of Medical Cannabis as an Intervention Against Chronic Musculoskeletal Pain: Results from a Qualitative Study

Explore perceptions and preoccupations regarding use of medical cannabis against chronic musculoskeletal pain, among patients and physicians. Qualitative study using interviews with patients and physicians, based on the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB). The study was conducted in Quebec, Canada, in spring 2020. We included 27 adult patients and 11 physicians (GPs, anesthesiologists, psychiatrists, and a rheumatologist); the mean age of patients was 48.2 years; 59.3% of patients and 36.4% of physicians were women; 59.3% of patients used no medical cannabis at the time of study; 45.5% of physicians had never authorized it.

October 25, 2023 by Michelle Smith

Epilepsy, Misc

Real-Life experience with purified cannabidiol treatment for refractory epilepsy: A multicenter retrospective study

Drug-resistant epilepsy (DRE) significantly affects the development and quality of life of children and young adults. To describe the effectiveness and safety of purified cannabidiol (CBD) in children and young adults with DRE. A retrospective analysis of medical records of 139 children and young adults (54.7% female, median age 12.0 years) with DRE treated with purified CBD from 2018-2022 at 5 medical centers in Israel.

October 25, 2023 by Michelle Smith

Misc

The relationship between cannabis and anorexia nervosa: a scoping review

Relapse rates in Anorexia Nervosa (AN) remain high, warranting exploration of further treatments. Cannabinoid agonists are of interest as they have shown successful outcomes in the treatment of associated conditions, such as post-traumatic stress disorder. This scoping review explores the endocannabinoid system (ECS), benefits/harms/null effects of cannabinoid treatment, and harms of cannabis use in AN. PubMed, PsycINFO, Cochrane, and Web of Science were searched for studies published between 2010 and August 2023, with human participants that explored the ECS, cannabinoid treatment, or cannabis use, and included 1 or more keywords for both cannabis and AN in the title and or abstract. Reports describing secondary anorexia, reports not available in English, grey literature, reports combining data from AN with other conditions, and reports only reporting the prevalence of cannabis abuse/dependence were excluded. Data were extracted from 17 reports (n = 15 studies). For the ECS, outcomes included genetics such as allele expression related to the ECS, cannabinoid receptor availability, and circulating levels of endocannabinoids. For benefits/harms/null effects of cannabinoid treatment, outcomes included changes in weight, eating disorder (ED) symptoms, physical activity (PA), and hormones. For harms of cannabis use, outcomes included genetics related to cannabis use disorder and associations between cannabis use and ED symptoms.

October 25, 2023 by Michelle Smith

Misc

Health-related quality of life in patients accessing medicinal cannabis in Australia: The QUEST initiative results of a 3-month follow-up observational study

Time perception received growing interest in psychiatry for its psychopathological implications. Cannabis use can cause a subjective experience of temporal perception alteration and increases the risk of emergence of mental illnesses such as psychotic and mood disorders. In this framework, we systematically reviewed the findings regarding the clinical, cognitive, and neurobiological correlates of time alterations due to cannabis consumption. According to preclinical results, cannabis exerts a dose-dependent time overestimation, associated with motor inhibition and circadian alterations. Clinical results reported that cannabis impair time estimation and time reproduction abilities, causing subjective temporal fragmentation and depersonalization symptoms. The alteration of timing mediated by cannabis use might depend on a dopaminergic indirect action and on structural, functional, and metabolic alterations of the cerebello-thalamo-cortical circuit. Despite the potential interest, however, only few studies explored the link between cannabis-induced alterations of time processing and psychiatric symptoms.