 | Research: Medical Cannabis Research |
 Two items on the latest research from Norml News Autumn 2004.
marijuana compound increases cell survival Italy: Administration of cannabidiol (CBD), a non-psychoactive compound in marijuana, increased survival in cultured rat cells, according to clinical trial data published in the April issue of the Journal of Neurochemistry. "Treatment of the cells with cannabidiol ... significantly elevated cell survival," researchers at the University of Naples concluded. "Our results indicate that cannabidiol exerts a combination of neuroprotective, antioxidative and anti-apoptotic effects (associated with the programmed cell death of malignant cells) against [induced] toxicity." Authors further speculated that CBD's anti-oxidative effects may play a potential role in combating Alzheimer's disease.
A 1999 report by the National Academy of Sciences' Institute of Medicine concluded that marijuana's neuroprotective qualities are the "most prominent" of its potential therapeutic applications. The Israeli pharmaceutical company Pharmos expects to have results by the end of this year from a multi-country Phase III study of the effectiveness of the synthetic marijuana derivative Dexanabinol to treat brain damage resulting from Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) and/or stroke. joints EASE HIV-RELATED PAIN Marijuana relieves the pain experienced by people suffering nerve damage from HIV infection, according to a pilot study. Diffuse nerve pain, or polyneuropathy, is a problem for many people with HIV infection, and new research confirms that cannabis-like compounds may be effective for treating neuropathic pain. In a trial, 16 HIV-positive patients with neuropathy were given joints from the pharmacy at San Francisco General Hospital for seven days. Twelve of the 16 patients achieved 30% reduction of pain - considered a clinically meaningful amount of pain relief. A new trial with participants randomised to receive marijuana or a placebo has now begun.
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