This Months Medi/science News From I.a.c.m.

[shug]

***Science: Alzheimer's disease

Researchers of the University of Naples in Italy found that the

natural cannabidiol (CBD) protected nerve cells against the

toxicity caused by amyloid-beta. Amyloid-beta peptide plays an

important role in Alzheimer's disease, since increased brain levels

of amyloid-beta are supposed to result in aggregation of this

protein to form "plaques" found in the brain of sufferers of

Alzheimer's disease. Earlier research already had shown that the

endocannabinoids anandamide and noladin ether prevent the

toxicity of amyloid-beta. (Source: Iuvone T, et al. J Neurochem.

2004 Apr;89(1):134-41.)

***Science: Male fertility

According to a study by researchers of the Institut Marqués of

Barcelona the quality of male sperm was not affected by the use

of drugs. They analysed 1,005 sperm samples of men living in

Barcelona and 279 samples of men from La Coruña. A number of

possible influences on sperm quality were investigated. The

highest influence on sperm quality was observed with frequency

of ejaculations. The more ejaculations the better. Men who used

drugs had a higher ejaculation frequency (4.1 per week) than the

average male population (3.1 per week). (Source: Las drogas no

afectan a la calidad del esperma, http://www.bahiademalaga.com)

***USA: Conneticut

A bill that will allow sick people to grow cannabis for medicinal

purposes passed the Legislature's Judiciary Committee by 24 to

15. The bill is nearly identical to a measure that was approved by

them same committee last year but failed to pass Conneticut's

House of Representatives. This year's bill decreases the number

of plants that can be grown from six plants to five and would

require the plants be grown in a secure, indoor area. (Source:

Associated Press of 15 March 2004)

***Science: Heroin

Exposure to rats with THC did not increase their liking of heroin,

researchers from Baltimore (USA) showed. Rats that previously

received THC subsequently self-administered significantly more

heroin than other rats. However, the maximum effort rats would

exert to receive an injection was not altered by THC pre-

exposure. Researchers noted that the results "offer no support for

the hypothesis that pre-exposure to THC alters heroin's efficacy

as a reinforcer". (Source: Solinas M, et al

Neuropsychopharmacology 2004 [Electronic publication ahead of

print])

***Science: Cancer

Several cannabinoids, among them anandamide and THC were

shown to accelerate proliferation of cancer cells. Researchers of

the Max-Planck-Institute of Biochemistry in Martinsried

(Germany) exposed different cancer cells (glioblastoma cells and

lung carcinoma cells) with these cannabinoids, resulting in

accelerated cell proliferation of the cancer cells. These results

contradict research form other groups that found cannabinoids to

reduce cancer growth by causing programmed cell death. (Hart S,

et al. Cancer Res 2004;64(6):1943-50.)