OBJECTIVE To quantify the antiemetic efficacy and adverse effects of cannabis used for sickness induced by chemotherapy. DESIGN Systematic review. DATA SOURCES Systematic search (Medline, Embase, Cochrane library, bibliographies), any language, to August 2000. STUDIES 30 randomised comparisons of cannabis with placebo or antiemetics from which dichotomous data on efficacy and harm were av...

The midbrain periaqueductal gray (PAG) is a major site of cannabinoid-mediated analgesia in the central nervous system. In the present study, we examined the actions of cannabinoids on rat PAG neurons in vitro. In brain slices, superfusion of the cannabinoid receptor agonist WIN55,212-2 inhibited electrically evoked inhibitory and excitatory postsynaptic currents in all PAG neurons. The endogen...

In the last 15 years there has been a major shift in the laws governing medical use of cannabis in the United States. Corresponding with this change there has been escalating interest in the role that cannabis, commonly referred to as marijuana, and cannabinoids play in the care of patients with cancer. This review will examine cannabis' and cannabinoids' current and potential roles in cancer c...

Given the lack of effective treatments for late-onset Alzheimer's disease (LOAD) and the substantial burden on patients, families, health care systems, and economies, finding an effective therapy is one of the highest medical priorities. The past few years have seen a growing interest in the medicinal uses of cannabinoids, the bioactive components of the cannabis plant, including the treatment ...

A liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry single-laboratory validation was performed for the detection and quantification of the 10 major cannabinoids of cannabis, namely, (-)-trans-Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol, cannabidiol, cannabigerol, cannabichromene, tetrahydrocannabivarian, cannabinol, (-)-trans-Δ8-tetrahydrocannabinol, cannabidiolic acid, cannabigerolic acid, and Δ9-tetrahydrocannabino...

Cannabinoids have been shown to increase neurogenesis in adult brain, as well as protect neurons from excitotoxicity, calcium influx, inflammation, and ischemia. Recent studies have shown that synthetic cannabinoids can alleviate water maze impairments in rats treated with intracranial amyloid beta protein (Abeta); however it is unknown whether this effect is due to the cannabinoids' anti-infla...

Introduction Drug case criminal prosecution relies upon laws specifying what is and what is not legal. Underground chemists try to avoid prosecution by modifying illegal materials to produce synthetic “designer drugs” which may slip through legal loopholes. Recent designer drug targets include cathinones and cannabinoids. Cathinones and related drugs are found on the street labeled as “Bath Sal...

The cannabinoid receptors 1 and 2 (CNR1&2) are overexpressed in a variety of malignant diseases and cannabinoids can have noteworthy impact on tumor cell viability and tumor growth. Patients diagnosed with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) present with very heterogeneous disease characteristics translating into highly differential risk properties. To meet the urgent need for refinement in risk...

In recent years, cannabinoids (the active components of Cannabis sativa) and their derivatives have received considerable interest due to findings that they can affect the viability and invasiveness of a variety of different cancer cells. Moreover, in addition to their inhibitory effects on tumor growth and migration, angiogenesis and metastasis, ...

The major psychoactive constituent of Cannabis sativa, delta(9)-tetrahydrocannabinol (delta(9)-THC), and endogenous cannabinoid ligands, such as anandamide, signal through G-protein-coupled cannabinoid receptors localised to regions of the brain associated with important neurological processes. Signalling is mostly inhibitory and suggests a role for cannabinoids as therapeutic agents in CNS dis...