Cannabis and symptoms of PMS and PMDD

Cannabis has been found to alleviate a wide array of medical symptoms, including those that overlap with physical and emotional symptoms of premenstrual syndrome (PMS) and premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD), including insomnia, irritability, depression, and joint pain. Little work has addressed the use of cannabis as a treatment for PMS or PMDD or the role of women’s cannabis treatment expectancies as a predictor of consumption. Women who reported having experienced PMS and PMDD and endorsed lifetime cannabis use (N?=?145), completed an online survey assessing their frequency of cannabis use, PMS/PMDD symptoms, expectancies of cannabis-induced relief from symptoms, as well as cannabis-related problems. Women were found to hold meaningful expectancies that cannabis would treat all PMS/PMDD symptoms, except for overeating/food cravings. Cannabis treatment expectancies were positively associated with PMS/PMDD symptoms and with monthly cannabis use, and were negatively associated with cannabis-related problems. Research should further examine the relationship of cannabis treatment expectancies with individuals’ cannabis use, as findings indicate the potential for these expectancies to serve a punitive or protective role in the development of cannabis-related problems. Increased research on how cannabis might ameliorate symptoms of PMS and PMDD could help establish an alternative treatment plan that offers relief with fewer negative side effects.     

Contact area affects frequency-dependent responses to vibration in the peripheral vascular and sensorineural systems

Repetitive exposure to hand-transmitted vibration is associated with development of peripheral vascular and sensorineural dysfunctions. These disorders and symptoms associated with it are referred to as hand-arm vibration syndrome (HAVS). Although the symptoms of the disorder have been well characterized, the etiology and contribution of various exposure factors to development of the dysfunctions are not well understood. Previous studies performed using a rat-tail model of vibration demonstrated that vascular and peripheral nervous system adverse effects of vibration are frequency-dependent, with vibration frequencies at or near the resonant frequency producing the most severe injury. However, in these investigations, the amplitude of the exposed tissue was greater than amplitude typically noted in human fingers. To determine how contact with vibrating source and amplitude of the biodynamic response of the tissue affects the risk of injury occurring, this study compared the influence of frequency using different levels of restraint to assess how maintaining contact of the tail with vibrating source affects the transmission of vibration. Data demonstrated that for the most part, increasing the contact of the tail with the platform by restraining it with additional straps resulted in an enhancement in transmission of vibration signal and elevation in factors associated with vascular and peripheral nerve injury. In addition, there were also frequency-dependent effects, with exposure at 250 Hz generating greater effects than vibration at 62.5 Hz. These observations are consistent with studies in humans demonstrating that greater contact and exposure to frequencies near the resonant frequency pose the highest risk for generating peripheral vascular and sensorineural dysfunction.     

People,Pets, and Parasites: One Health Surveillance in Southeastern Saskatchewan

Residents of remote and Indigenous communities might experience higher exposure to some zoonotic parasites than the general North American population. Human sero-surveillance conducted in two Saulteaux communities found 113 volunteers exposed as follows: Trichinella (2.7%), Toxocara canis (4.4%), Echinococcus (4.4%), and Toxoplasma gondii (1.8%). In dogs, 41% of 51 fecal samples were positive for at least one intestinal parasite, 3% of 77 were sero-positive for Borrelia burgdorferi, and 21% of 78 for T. gondii. Echinococcus exposure was more likely to occur in non-dog owners (odds ratio [OR]: 11.4, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.2–107, P = 0.03); while T. canis was more likely to occur in children (ages 4–17) (OR: 49, 95% CI: 3.9–624; P = 0.003), and those with a history of dog bites (OR: 13.5, 95% CI: 1.02–179; P = 0.048). Our results emphasize the use of dogs as sentinels for emerging pathogens such as Lyme disease, and the need for targeted surveillance and intervention programs tailored for parasite species, cultural groups, and communities.     

Ethical dilemmas during international clinical rotations in global health settings: Findings from a training and debriefing program

Purpose: This study describes the impact of an open-access, case-based global health ethics workshop and describes the breadth of dilemmas faced by students to inform future interventions.

Methods: Eighty-two medical students who undertook electives at 16 international sites between 2012 and 2015 received web-based surveys at three time points, incorporating quantitative and free-text probes of knowledge, skills, and attitudes related to global health clinical ethics dilemmas. Sixty students (73%) completed the pre-workshop survey, 38 (46%) completed the post-workshop survey, and 43 (52%) completed the post-trip survey.

Results: Analysis demonstrated improvement following the workshop in self-rated preparedness to manage ethical dilemmas abroad, identify ways to prepare for dilemmas, engage support persons, and manage related emotions (all comparisons, p?Conclusions: This analysis describes an ethics curriculum that prepares students to face ethical dilemmas during international clinical rotations. It broadens the representation of the dilemmas that students face, and highlights areas for curricular focus and optimization of on-site and post-trip student support resources.     

Influenza Virus Infection in Nonhuman Primates

To determine whether nonhuman primates are infected with influenza viruses in nature, we conducted serologic and swab studies among macaques from several parts of the world. Our detection of influenza virus and antibodies to influenza virus raises questions about the role of nonhuman primates in the ecology of influenza.