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First atomic-level image of the human 'marijuana receptor' unveiled

The new insights into the human cannabinoid receptor 1 (CB1) will provide an essential tool for understanding why some molecules related to THC have unexpectedly complex and sometimes harmful effects. The findings also have the potential to guide drug design for pain, inflammation, obesity, fibrosis and other indications. The new study, published by the journal  Cell , was led by a quartet of scientists: TSRI's Laura Bohn, Northeastern University's Alexandros Makriyannis, Shanghai Tech University's Zhi-Jie Liu and Raymond C. Stevens (also of the University of Southern California). At the beginning of the study, the team struggled to produce a crystal form -- needed to obtain data to recreate the high-resolution structure -- of the receptor bound with AM6538, a stabilizing a molecule that blocks the receptor's action. "The CB1 receptor proved as challenging for crystallization as it did for understanding its functional regulation and signaling," said ...

Fake IDs are a red flag for problem behaviors

In a sample of more than 5,000 college students, individuals with a fake ID were systematically matched with individuals without a fake ID. The groups were compared on five outcome measures: frequent binge drinking, alcohol-related problems, arrests, marijuana use, and hard drug use. Results showed that the "fake ID effect" was driven both by traits linked to acquiring a fake ID and the alcohol access associated with having a fake ID. The authors speculate that fake IDs may provide impulsive individuals with additional means and opportunity for problematic behaviors they might not have otherwise engaged in. The authors also suggest that a focus be placed less less on punitive actions taken after the fact and more on preventative measures such as decreasing the likelihood that at-risk students will obtain a fake ID in the first place. for more information visit our product website: Buy Cenforce Professional Online 

New effort aims to prevent surgery-related opioid addiction across Michigan

With a new $1.4 million per year, five-year grant from the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, and equal funding from U-M, the team today launches an initiative to help medical teams across the state care for surgical patients' pain -- without setting those patients up for new chronic opioid use, misuse and addiction. Named the Michigan Opioid Prescribing Engagement Network , or Michigan-OPEN, the effort aims to cut in half both the amount of opioids prescribed to Michigan surgical patients, and the number of patients who still use opioids many months after surgery. Michigan-OPEN will tap into existing networks of hundreds of doctors, nurses and hospitals across Michigan that work together to improve surgical care. It's based in the U-M Medical School and Institute for Healthcare Policy and Innovation. The team will help members of 12 such networks understand and use best practices for pain control in their patients, including the wisest use of opioid pain...

Drug use in business bathrooms in New York City surveyed

A previous survey of 440 drug injectors in NYC conducted in 2015 by the Injection Drug Users Health Alliance found nearly two-thirds (60%) of active injectors surveyed reported using public locations, such as public bathrooms, in the last three months for injections. "While there are a growing number of syringe exchange programs (SEP) across the U.S. that provide people who inject drugs (PWID) with sterile injecting equipment," said Dr. Brett Wolfson-Stofko, PhD, the lead author and a post-doctoral fellow at the Behavioral Sciences Training in Drug Abuse Research (BST) program at the New York University Rory Meyers College of Nursing (NYU Meyers), "they are not authorized to offer a safe and sanitary space for injection. As a result, many tend to inject in public bathrooms." Public injection has been associated with a variety of health risks and risk behaviors such as syringe sharing, overdose, abscesses, endocarditis, rushed injection, incarceration, and the ...

Mixing energy drinks, alcohol may affect adolescent brains like cocaine

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The variety of extremely caffeinated merchandis e has elevated dramatically previously few years. Amongst these merchandise, extremely caffeinated vitality drinks are essentially the most closely marketed and bought, which has resulted in elevated incidences of co-consumption of vitality drinks with alcohol. Credit score: © Viacheslav Negovskiy / Fotolia Consuming extremely caffeinated alcoholic drinks triggers adjustments within the adolescent mind just like taking cocaine, and the results final into maturity as an altered capability to take care of rewarding substances, in accordance with a Purdue College research. Richard van Rijn, an assistant professor of medicinal chemistry and molecular pharmacology, appeared on the results of extremely caffeinated vitality drinks and extremely caffeinated alcohol in adolescent mice. These alcohol research can't be carried out in adolescent people, however adjustments seen in mouse brains wit...

Teenagers influenced by video games with alcohol, smoking content

Experts from the UK Centre for Tobacco and Alcohol Studies at The University of Nottingham have carried out the first ever analysis of best-selling video games to find out the extent to which the games include this content and to assess the link between playing the games and drinking and smoking behaviour. They found that teenagers who play video games featuring alcohol and tobacco references appeared to be directly influenced because they were twice as likely to have tried smoking or drinking themselves. The research examined the content of 32 UK best-selling video games of 2012/2013 and carried out a large online survey of adolescents playing games with alcohol and tobacco content. An analysis of 'cut scenes' uploaded by gamers to YouTube from the five most popular games was also carried out. All the games studied were from the genres of stealth, action adventure, open world, shooter and survival/horror because they involve avatars that look and act like real people. ...

People trying quit smoking don't always focus on tobacco cessation

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UBC's Heather Gainforth holds a nicotine inhaler, a well-liked software with folks attempting to give up smoking. Credit score: Picture courtesy of College of British Columbia Okanagan campus Fifty per cent of statements made by people who smoke throughout counselling classes designed to assist them cease don't have anything to do with quitting, a UBC research has discovered. The research, which targeted on conversations smoking cessation counsellors in the UK had with their purchasers, additionally discovered the 50 per cent of statements that did relate to quitting largely targeted on medical aids comparable to smoking cessation medicine, nicotine patches or inhalers. "These findings might point out that folks attempting to give up want time to speak about a wide range of matters to really feel comfy speaking with their practitioner about smoking," says Heather Gainforth, an assistant professor of well being and train ...