“The objective of this prospective, open-label study was to determine the long-term effect of medicinal cannabis treatment on pain and functional outcomes in subjects with treatment-resistant chronic pain.
The treatment of chronic pain with medicinal cannabis in this open-label, prospective cohort resulted in improved pain and functional outcomes, and significant reduction in opioid use.
The results suggest long-term benefit of cannabis treatment in this group of patients…”
“Treatment of cancer is a significant challenge in clinical medicine, and its research is a top priority in chemical biology and drug discovery. Consequently, there is an urgent need for identifying innovative chemotypes capable of modulating unexploited drug targets.
The transient receptor potential (TRPs) channels persist scarcely explored as targets, despite intervening in a plethora of pathophysiological events in numerous diseases, including cancer.
Both agonists and antagonists have proven capable of evoking phenotype changes leading to either cell death or reduced cell migration.
Among these, natural products entail biologically pre-validated and privileged architectures for TRP recognition.
Furthermore, several natural products have significantly contributed to our current knowledge on TRP biology. In this Tutorial Review we focus on selected natural products, e.g. capsaicinoids, cannabinoids and terpenes, by highlighting challenges and opportunities in their use as starting points for designing natural product-inspired TRP channel modulators.
Importantly, the de-orphanization of natural products as TRP channel ligands may leverage their exploration as viable strategy for developing anticancer therapies.
Finally, we foresee that TRP channels may be explored for the selective pharmacodelivery of cytotoxic payloads to diseased tissues, providing an innovative platform in chemical biology and molecular medicine.”
“Nicotine, the main psychoactive component of tobacco, and (-)-Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the main psychoactive ingredient in cannabis, play major roles in tobacco and marijuana dependence as reinforcers of drug-seeking and drug-taking behavior.
Drugs that act as inverse agonists of cannabinoid CB1 receptors in the brain can attenuate the rewarding and abuse-related effects of nicotine and THC…
Recently-developed CB1-receptor neutral antagonists may provide an alternative therapeutic approach to nicotine and cannabinoid dependence.
These findings point to CB1-receptor neutral antagonists as a new class of medications for treatment of both tobacco dependence and cannabis dependence.”
“This review discusses advances in the understanding of the mechanisms of status epilepticus and its current treatment approaches.
A new definition and classification of status epilepticus was proposed, which is expected to improve treatment and stimulate research. A better understanding of the failure of seizure suppressing mechanisms and the initiation of self-sustaining seizures begins to translate into the clinical arena.
Drugs, such as allopregnanolone, cannabinoids, sec-butylpropylacetamide and valnoctamide, may better target these seizure-perpetuating mechanisms.
The concept of combinatorial treatments has further developed, but yet trials in humans are lacking. A new prognostic outcome-score and electroencephalography-criteria for nonconvulsive status epilepticus are ready for clinical use. Alternative routes, such as intranasal or buccal, have been explored in a number of trials suggesting that intramuscular midazolam is at least as effective as intravenous lorazepam and buccal or intranasal midazolam is at least as effective as rectal diazepam.
Despite progress in basic science, translation into the clinical field remains difficult. There is hope, that the two large phase III studies in the established and refractory status that started recruitment in 2015 will better inform the clinicians in this emergency situation.”
“Glaucoma is an irreversible blinding eye disease which produces progressive retinal ganglion cell (RGC) loss. Intraocular pressure (IOP) is currently the only modifiable risk factor, and lowering IOP results in reduced risk of progression of the disorder.
The endocannabinoid system (ECS) has attracted considerable attention as a potential target for the treatment of glaucoma, largely due to the observed IOP lowering effects seen after administration of exogenous cannabinoids.
However, recent evidence has suggested that modulation of the ECS may also be neuroprotective.
This paper will review the use of cannabinoids in glaucoma, presenting pertinent information regarding the pathophysiology of glaucoma and how alterations in cannabinoid signalling may contribute to glaucoma pathology.
Additionally, the mechanisms and potential for the use of cannabinoids and other novel agents that target the endocannabinoid system in the treatment of glaucoma will be discussed.”
“The functional significance of cannabinoids in ocular physiology and disease has been reported some decades ago.
In the early 1970s, subjects who smoked Cannabis sativa developed lower intraocular pressure (IOP). This led to the isolation of phytocannabinoids from this plant and the study of their therapeutic effects in glaucoma.
The main treatment of this disease to date involves the administration of drugs mediating either the decrease of aqueous humour synthesis or the increase of its outflow and thus reduces IOP. However, the reduction of IOP is not sufficient to prevent visual field loss.
Retinal diseases, such as glaucoma and diabetic retinopathy, have been defined as neurodegenerative diseases and characterized by ischemia-induced excitotoxicity and loss of retinal neurons. Therefore, new therapeutic strategies must be applied in order to target retinal cell death, reduction of visual acuity, and blindness.
The aim of the present review is to address the neuroprotective and therapeutic potential of cannabinoids in retinal disease.”
“Tourette syndrome (TS) is a complex neurodevelopmental condition marked by tics and frequently associated with psychiatric comorbidities. While most cases are mild and improve with age, some are treatment-refractory.
Here, we review strategies for the management of this population. We begin by examining the diagnosis of TS and routine management strategies.
We then consider emerging treatments for refractory cases, including deep brain stimulation (DBS), electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS), and novel pharmacological approaches such as new vesicular monoamine transporter type 2 inhibitors, cannabinoids, and anti-glutamatergic drugs.”
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26875502
http://www.thctotalhealthcare.com/category/tourettes-syndrome/
“Cannabinoids have shown to have a variety effects on body systems. Through CB1 and CB2 receptors, amongst other, they exert an effect by modulating neurotransmitter and cytokine release.
Current research in the role of cannabinoids in the immune system shows that they possess immunosuppressive properties. They can inhibit proliferation of leucocytes, induce apoptosis of T cells and macrophages and reduce secretion of pro-inflammatory cytokines.
In mice models, they are effective in reducing inflammation in arthritis, multiple sclerosis, have a positive effect on neuropathic pain and in type 1 diabetes mellitus.
They are effective as treatment for fibromyalgia and have shown to have anti-fibrotic effect in scleroderma.
Studies in human models are scarce and not conclusive and more research is required in this field.
Cannabinoids can be therefore promising immunosuppressive and anti-fibrotic agents in the therapy of autoimmune disorders.”
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26876387
http://www.thctotalhealthcare.com/category/autoimmune-disease/
“In the United States, nearly 44,000 people are diagnosed with oral or pharyngeal cancer annually. The life expectancy for those who are diagnosed have a survival rate of 57% after five years. Among them, oral cancer can be classified as benign or malignant tumors and is diagnosed at several stages in the development: premalignant conditions, premalignant lesions, and malignant cancer. The early signs of oral cancer often go unnoticed by the individual and are often discovered during routine dental examinations. Early detection and treatment may help to increase patient survival rates. The most widely used treatments for oral cancer include surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy-alone or in combination.
Preclinical and clinical evidence for the use of green tea, raspberry, asparagus, and cannabis extracts is discussed in this review. Diet changes, supplementation with antioxidants, high-dose vitamin C therapy, and cannabinoid use have been suggested to decrease cancer cell replication and increase chance of remission.
Early detection and lifestyle changes, including the use of dietary supplements in at-risk populations, are critical steps in preventing and successfully treating oral cancer. The main evidence for supplement use is currently in cancer prevention rather than treatment.
Further research, determination, and mechanism of action for bioactive compounds such as epigallocatechin, epicatechin-3-gallate, and Bowman-Birk inhibitor concentrate, through in vitro, in vivo, and clinical trials need to be completed to support the use of natural products and their effectiveness in preventative care and supporting therapeutic approaches.” http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26863913
http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.3109/19390211.2015.1122693?journalCode=ijds20
“Currently, the pharmacotherapy of schizophrenia is still associated with significant side effects and high rates of treatment resistance, causing a great deal of suffering to patients and their caregivers. Developing safe interventions able to prevent the emergence of full-blown psychosis would therefore represent a major advance.
Cannabidiol (CBD) is a non-psychotomimetic compound of Cannabis sativa that presents antipsychotic properties in animal models and humans.
However, despite the growing evidence of CBD’s neuroprotective effects and therapeutic application in schizophrenia, so far no study has addressed its potential as a preventive intervention.”
http://www.schres-journal.com/article/S0920-9964(16)30060-3/abstract