Pharmacology and drug interactions of cannabinoids

Cannabinoids include a variety of substances, of which cannabidiol (CBD) is the main substance investigated for the treatment of epilepsy, and this will be the focus in the present review. CBD preparations exist in various forms. There are significant differences in quality control regarding content and reproducibility for an approved drug versus herbal preparations. Cannabidiol has challenging pharmacological properties, and pharmaceutical and pharmacokinetic aspects will depend on the formulation or preparation of a certain product. This article will focus on the characteristics, pharmacokinetic challenges, and interactions of standardised CBD‐containing drugs based on evidence from clinical and pharmacokinetic studies.     

SH reactivity of cigarette smoke and its correlation with carcinogenic effects on hamster lung cultures

Summary After hamster lung cultures were exposed repeatedly to puffs of fresh smoke from 7 types of cigarettes containing variable amounts of particulate and gas vapour phase components, atypical growth and/or malignant cell transformation were observed within a period of 3–6 months. A positive correlation was demonstrable between high SH reactivity and high NO content of the gas vapour phase and malignant transformation. There was no positive correlation for the other analyzed components of the smoke, including tar content.

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SH-Reaktivität von Zigarettenrauch und ihre Korrelation mit karzinogenen Wirkungen auf die Hamster-Lungenkultur

Zusammenfassung Die wiederholte Berauchung von Hamster-Lungenzellkulturen mit frischem Rauch von 7 Zigarettenarten mit unterschiedlichen Mengen Teilchenphase- und Gas-Dampf-Phase-Komponenten führte innerhalb eines 3–6monatigen Zeitraumes zu atypischem Wachstum und/oder bösartigen Zellveränderungen. Zwischen hoher SH-Reaktivität sowie hohem NO-Gehalt der Gas-Dampf-Phase und bösartigen Veränderungen wurde eine positive Korrelation nachgewiesen, während die anderen untersuchten Rauchkomponenten, darunter der Teergehalt, keine positive Korrelation zeigten.

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Réactivité au SH de la fumée de cigarettes et sa correlation avec les effets carcinogènes sur les cultures du poumon d'hamsters

Résumé L'exposition de cultures cellulaires de poumons d'hamsters à la fumée fraîche de 7 types de cigarettes avec quantités variables des facteurs chimiques de la phase particulaire et de la phase vapeur-gaz a resulté après une période de 3–6 mois dans une croissance atypique et/ou dans une transformation cellulaire maligne. Une corrélation positive a été démontrée entre une haute réactivité SH ainsi qu'une haute teneur en NO de la phase gaz-vapeur et la transformation maligne. Il n'y avait aucune correlation positive avec les autres facteurs chimiques analysés, dont la tenue en goudron.

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Technical assistance.     

Fluoride Sensitivity of Cells from Different Organs

Abstract The fluoride sensitivity of cells released from rat livers and kidneys by collagenase perfusion was investigated by measuring effect on protein synthesis rate in vitro. Both cell types were sensitive to fluoride with clear concentration/effect relationships. Significant difference in sensitivity for fluoride between the cell types was found, with the kidney cells being the most sensitive type.     

Primary and secondary mucosal melanoma of the small intestine – a clinical,pathological, and genetic nationwide survey of Danish patients between 1980 and 2014

The aim of this study was to describe the epidemiology, symptomatology, pathology, genetics, and treatment of primary and metastatic small intestine melanoma in a national Danish cohort. All Danish patients diagnosed with small intestinal melanoma during the period 1980–2014 were included. For each patient, clinical data along with available pathology report and tissue was registered. Targeted next‐generation sequencing (NGS) of known hotspots in 50 oncogenic genes was performed. Twenty patients with small intestinal melanoma were retrieved. Eight of these were primary melanomas. The median age was 66 years for primary melanoma patients and 58 years for secondary melanoma patients. The male/female ratio (M/F) was 3:1 for primary melanoma and 1:1 for secondary melanoma. The median time of survival was 3.5 months and 9 months for primary and secondary melanoma patients, respectively. NGS of primary tumours showed polymorphisms in the HRAS, PI3KCA, and JAK3 genes. Primary mucosal melanoma of the small intestines is a very rare disease, with an incidence of 0.04 cases/million/year in Denmark. Patients aged 59–70 years with abdominal symptoms should make the clinician consider a small bowel melanoma as a differential diagnosis. The prognosis ranged from less than a month to 183.6 months.     

Health and well-being profiles of older European adults

The purpose of the present study was to identify health and well-being typologies among a sample of older European adults. Further, we examined various demographic, social, and health behaviour characteristics that were used to discriminate between such groups. The participants were 1,381 community-dwelling adults aged 65 years and above (M age = 73.65; SD = 7.77) from six European Union (EU) countries who completed self-reported questionnaires. Hierarchical cluster analysis was initially conducted followed by a k means analysis to confirm cluster membership. Four clusters were identified and validated: ‘good health and moderate functioning’ (38.40%), ‘moderate health and functioning’ (30.84%), ‘obese and depressed’ (20.24%) and ‘low health and functioning’ (10.51%). The groups could be discriminated based on age, gender, nationality, years of education, social isolation and health behaviours (alcohol consumption and walking behaviour). The results of the study demonstrate heterogeneity with regard to the relationships between the variables examined. The information can be used in targeting older Europeans for health promotion interventions.