Site update

Posted on August 26, 2020 by Pete

Hey, gang. There have been a number of automatic upgrades recently, including WordPress and php, and hence some of usual features may have broken. The recent comments widget on the right stopped working and I had to replace it with another one that gives less information (but at least it’s something).

Let me know if there’s anything else not working properly.

Thanks!

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9 Responses to Site update

  1. Servetus says:
    August 26, 2020 at 6:40 pm

    ARDS completely prevented by treatment of THC:

    Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS), when caused by a bacterial toxin known as Staphylococcal enterotoxin, can be completely prevented by treatment with Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), a cannabinoid found in the cannabis plant. This exciting finding, recently published in the highly cited British Journal of Pharmacology, also suggests a possible treatment for ARDS caused by COVID-19. […]

    The incidence of ARDS in the United States is 78.9 per 100,000 persons/year and the mortality rate is 38.5 percent. When inhaled, Staphylococcal enterotoxin can cause ARDS by activating immune cells to produce massive amounts of cytokines leading to “cytokine storm,” which can cause the lungs and other organs to fail, often resulting in death. This immune process is similar to that seen in patients with severe COVID-19 who are admitted to the hospital and develop ARDS accompanied by cytokine storm, which leads to respiratory and multi-organ failure. These studies therefore raise the exciting possibility of using cannabinoids to treat ARDS seen in COVID-19 patients.

    These studies also showed that Staphylococcal enterotoxin alters the microbiome in the lungs leading to the emergence of pathogenic microbiota. But THC helps this symptom too, by promoting beneficial bacteria that suppress inflammation thereby preventing the damage to the lungs. […]

    “Acute respiratory distress syndrome is triggered by a variety of etiologic agents. Currently, there are no FDA-approved drugs to treat ARDS because of which the mortality rate is close to 40 percent. Our studies suggest that THC is highly effective to treat ARDS and thus, clinical trials are critical to investigate if this works,” said Mitzi Nagarkatti.

    “Cytokine storm is a huge clinical issue which leads to multiorgan failure and often death. It is also seen in COVID-19 patients, and there are no effective treatment modalities against this syndrome. We have been working on cannabinoids for over 20 years and found that cannabinoids such as THC are highly anti-inflammatory. Thus, our studies raise the exciting suggestion to test THC against ARDS seen in COVID-19 patients,” said Prakash Nagarkatti.

    The Nagarkatti laboratory has performed decades of pioneering studies on cannabinoids. In fact, their studies on the use of another cannabinoid derived from the cannabis plant, cannabidiol (CBD), to treat autoimmune hepatitis have been well-recognized in the field and have led to FDA approval of CBD as an orphan drug to treat this disorder.

    The Nagarkatti Laboratory has published extensively to demonstrate that cannabinoids are potent anti-inflammatory agents that can be used safely to treat a variety of inflammatory and autoimmune diseases such as multiple sclerosis, colitis, hepatitis and the like. […]

    AAAS Public News Release: UofSC researchers reveal how THC may treat acute respiratory distress syndrome

    Related Journal Article: Protective Effects of Δ9‐Tetrahydrocannabinol Against Enterotoxin‐induced Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome is Mediated by Modulation of Microbiota

  3. Son of Sam Walton says:
    September 6, 2020 at 7:23 am

    The MORE act would ultimately remove cannabis from the 1961 U.N. Single laws and this will be a step forward in global cannabis legalization, while reducing billions from organized crime, gangs, and terrorists. Plus it will reinvigorate a global rejuvenation in hemp, even in places where it wasn’t banned. A major oil spill off the coast of Mauritania could use hemp as a mop plant . . . with vast swaths planted within yards from the beach. The MORE act will save nations a small fortune from needless law enforcement, corrections, court costs, and other administrative fees.

    Imagine if ISIS could no longer move hashish into lands where cannabis became decriminalized, naturally saving the U.S. tens of millions in defense budget from that organization alone. With cannabis becoming legal, the ghetto will have no excuse but to become a % better for her inhabitants and not just in America. It means African war lords will have fewer funds to feed their local battles and temporal regimes. Pakistan will play less chess in Afghanistan, plus Russia will have less ‘assassin’ money for the heads of American troops . . . don’t think Putin won’t fund his needs with dope the way the CIA has done. It’s cheaper for Russian taxpayers that way and it means they have less than zero say in that money management.

    And with the MORE act, the State with the least restrictive Medical Marijuana program will be the first to find the omega ingredient in cannabis that will cure the bulk of cancer and other maladies for new drugs (wishful thinking on my part).

    • Son of Sam Walton says:
      September 6, 2020 at 8:03 am

      Mauritius, not the other place for the oil spill. I have no idea why this whole time I thought it as the country south of the Western Sahara.

  4. Great Harry's Ghost! says:
    September 8, 2020 at 1:27 pm

    High Times not so high anymore? I’m kinda outta the loop these days on such things

    How Legal Weed Destroyed a Counterculture Icon

  6. Servetus says:
    September 10, 2020 at 12:48 pm

    Cannabis use does not increase pain sensitivity when used medicinally for pain relief:

    10-SEP-2020 — A recent study examining pain among cannabis users suggests that–unlike long-term opioid use–regular cannabis use does not appear to increase pain sensitivity. […]

    Interest in the use of cannabinoids to help with chronic pain relief has accelerated over the past decade, Michelle St. Pierre explains, noting that a recent survey of medical cannabis patients reported that more than half used cannabis for pain relief. That’s despite recent reviews which suggest the effectiveness of cannabinoid therapies for chronic pain is mixed.

    “This study should come as good news to patients who are already using cannabis to treat pain,” says co-author Zach Walsh, who leads the UBC Therapeutic Recreational and Problematic Substance Use Lab which hosted the study. “Increases in pain sensitivity with opioids can really complicate an already tough situation; given increasing uptake of cannabis-based pain medications it’s a relief that we didn’t identify a similar pattern with cannabinoids.” […]

    “There is a different effect from opioid users; sustained use of opioids can make people more reactive to pain. We wanted to determine if there was a similar trend for people who use cannabis frequently,” says St. Pierre. “Cannabis and opioids share some of the same pain-relief pathways and have both been associated with increases in pain sensitivity following acute use.”

    The risk of addiction, overdose and opioid-induced hyperalgesia–where someone becomes more sensitive to pain–are major issues when it comes to using opioids to manage chronic pain, St. Pierre says. A patient with hyperalgesia might then increase their dosage of the opioid to manage the pain, further increasing the risk of addiction. […]

    UBC Public News Release: New UBCO study examines pain tolerance among cannabis users

    Original Publication: No Evidence of Altered Reactivity to Experimentally Induced Pain Among Regular Cannabis Users

  7. Son of Sam Walton says:
    September 11, 2020 at 9:25 am

    Had I only went to Iraq, I’d simply be on High Times and grazing on the grass with the rest of the sheep. But working in a CIA camp brought me to this site. So, to celebrate 9/11, the reason why high school graduates from 2001 would volunteer, I’m going to smoke two hash infused blunts of equal weight, a big bowl filled with flower and concentrates and then take a big pull off a nice Sativa joint before dropping into the ground and pulverizing it into the dirt.

    And yes, I will say it: Donald Trump is a Muslim Terrorist sympathizer because of his relationship with Vladimir Putin and how Putin offers drug money to pay for the assassinations of American troops in Afghanistan. Don’t believe Putin uses drug money, then check out his biker boyfriend from Chechnya . . . all fearsome outlaw biker gangs are the same.

    If the drug scheduling still stands as it is with all drugs, I will not vote for the large Teutonic orange in the White House . . . many a Roman had been butchered in the SWAMPS–Bogs, led by a German given high command over Roman armies.

  8. Servetus says:
    September 15, 2020 at 5:12 pm

    Cannabinoids may be helpful in preventing colon cancer:

    15-SEP-2020 — Inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) such as Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis are caused by unrestrained inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract. Patients with IBD are at a higher risk of developing colorectal cancer. In a recent study published in iScience by authors from the University of South Carolina, it was shown that treatment with Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), a cannabinoid found in the cannabis plant, prevented the development of colon cancers in mice. It was shown that THC suppressed inflammation in the colon, preventing the onset of cancers caused by a carcinogen. […]

    The incidence of IBD is increasing globally. This suggests that the risk of cancers that are linked to IBD also are going to increase. In fact, the risk of colon and rectal cancers is increasing at an alarming rate among young and middle-aged adults in the United States and the cause remains unknown. Thus, understanding the mechanisms of IBD and developing effective drugs to prevent IBD and associated cancers are crucial.

    “The fact that we were able to show that treatment with THC prevents inflammation in the colon and at the same time inhibits the development of colon cancer supports the notion that inflammation and colon cancer are closely linked. Thus, in patients who are at a higher risk of developing colon cancer, THC or other anti-inflammatory agents may be benefical,” says Prakash Nagarkatti.

    The Nagarkattis are world-renowned for their work studying the anti-inflammatory properties of cannabinoids. The cannabinoids act through two receptors known as CB1 and CB2. The CB1 receptor is expressed in the brain where THC activation causes psychoactive effects. The second receptor, CB2, is expressed mainly on the immune cells, meaning that activation of CB2 receptors does not trigger psychoactivity.

    “Our results showed that THC was acting through CB2 receptors, which is exciting and suggests that compounds that activate CB2 and cause no psychoactive effects may be beneficial to prevent IBD and colon cancer,” said Mitzi Nagarkatti.

    AAAS Public News Release: University of South Carolina study reveals how cannabinoids may be useful to prevent colon cancer

    Original Publication: Activation of Cannabinoid Receptor 2 Prevents Colitis-Associated Colon Cancer through Myeloid Cell De-activation Upstream of IL-22 Production

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