Marijuana Legislation: Identifying the Impact on the Oral Healthcare Provider

Objectives/Aims: Since the mid-2000s, the United States has seen a surge in legislation involving the legalization of marijuana, both recreationally and medicinally. The relaxed laws translated into an increase of marijuana consumption and thereby a potential increase in the number of patients a provider will see that are cannabis users. The purpose of this review is to illustrate how the providers begin to see pathologies related to cannabis use more frequently, and how they will need to be prepared for ways this can be addressed. Additionally, oral healthcare providers will face ethical dilemmas and legal challenges when treating patients and their ability to give informed consent. Methods: Research reviewed in this paper was compiled from scholarly articles and peer-reviewed journals, including PubMed and CINAHL, published within the last five years. Studies were analyzed on the impact legalization and decriminalization laws have had on marijuana use. Additional research reviewed numerous pathologies related to marijuana use in the dental cavity. Results: Based on current proposals, it is expected that 40 states will legalize marijuana by the end of 2020. Studies conducted in states such as Oregon, Colorado and Alaska have shown an increase in marijuana usage since legalization has occurred. Research reviewed showed multiple conditions related to marijuana use. Periodontitis, xerostomia, oral cancer, and staining are several of the associated pathologies. Conclusion: Research suggests an anticipated increase of marijuana users in states that will soon pass legalization. Studies have also shown that there is a higher prevalence of pathologies of the oral cavity in cannabis users versus non cannabis users. The oral healthcare provider will treat more pathologies related to cannabis use and deal with the legal challenges presented to them surrounding informed consent.https://scholarscompass.vcu.edu/denh_student/1016/thumbnail.jp

Coherent vs incoherent interlayer transport in layered metals

The magnetic-field, temperature, and angular dependence of the interlayer magnetoresistance of two different quasi-two-dimensional (2D) organic superconductors is reported. For $\kappa$-(BEDT-TTF)$_2$I$_3$ we find a well-resolved peak in the angle-dependent magnetoresistance at $\Theta = 90^\circ$ (field parallel to the layers). This clear-cut proof for the coherent nature of the interlayer transport is absent for $\beta$''-(BEDT-TTF)$_2$SF$_5$CH$_2$CF$_2$SO$_3$. This and the non-metallic behavior of the magnetoresistance suggest an incoherent quasiparticle motion for the latter 2D metal.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figures. Phys. Rev. B, in pres

Can hibernators sense and evade fires? Olfactory acuity and locomotor performance during deep torpor.

Increased habitat fragmentation, global warming and other human activities have caused a rise in the frequency of wildfires worldwide. To reduce the risks of uncontrollable fires, prescribed burns are generally conducted during the colder months of the year, a time when in many mammals torpor is expressed regularly. Torpor is crucial for energy conservation, but the low body temperatures (T b) are associated with a decreased responsiveness and torpid animals might therefore face an increased mortality risk during fires. We tested whether hibernators in deep torpor (a) can respond to the smell of smoke and (b) can climb to avoid fires at T bs below normothermic levels. Our data show that torpid eastern pygmy-possums (Cercartetus nanus) are able to detect smoke and also can climb. All males aroused from torpor when the smoke stimulus was presented at an ambient temperature (T a) of 15 °C (T b ∼18 °C), whereas females only raised their heads. The responses were less pronounced at T a 10 °C. The first coordinated movement of possums along a branch was observed at a mean T b of 15.6 °C, and animals were even able to climb their prehensile tail when they reached a mean T b of 24.4 °C. Our study shows that hibernators can sense smoke and move at low T b. However, our data also illustrate that at T b ≤13 °C, C. nanus show decreased responsiveness and locomotor performance and highlight that prescribed burns during winter should be avoided on very cold days to allow torpid animals enough time to respond

Eastern Temperate Forests

Human activity in the last century has led to a substantial increase in nitrogen (N) emissions and deposition. This N deposition has reached a level that has caused or is likely to cause alterations to the structure and function of many ecosystems across the United States. One approach for quantifying the level of pollution that would be harmful to ecosystems is the critical loads approach. The critical load is dei ned as the level of a pollutant below which no detrimental ecological effect occurs over the long term according to present knowledge. The objective of this project was to synthesize current research relating atmospheric N deposition to effects on terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems in the United States and to identify empirical critical loads for atmospheric N deposition. The receptors that we evaluated included freshwater diatoms, mycorrhizal fungi and other soil microbes, lichens, herbaceous plants, shrubs, and trees. The main responses reported fell into two categories: (1) biogeochemical, and (2) individual species, population, and community responses. The range of critical loads for nutrient N reported for U.S. ecoregions, inland surface waters, and freshwater wetlands is 1 to 39 kg N ha-1 y-1. This broad range spans the range of N deposition observed over most of the country. The empirical critical loads for N tend to increase in the following sequence for different life forms: diatoms, lichens and bryophytes, mycorrhizal fungi, herbaceous plants and shrubs, trees. The critical loads approach is an ecosystem assessment tool with great potential to simplify complex scientii c information and effectively communicate with the policy community and the public. This synthesis represents the i rst comprehensive assessment of empirical critical loads of N for ecoregions across the United States

The coupling of low-level auditory dysfunction and oxidative stress in psychosis patients.

Patients diagnosed with schizophrenia often present with low-level sensory deficits. It is an open question whether there is a functional link between these deficits and the pathophysiology of the disease, e.g. oxidative stress and glutathione (GSH) metabolism dysregulation. Auditory evoked potentials (AEPs) were recorded from 21 psychosis disorder patients and 30 healthy controls performing an active, auditory oddball task. AEPs to standard sounds were analyzed within an electrical neuroimaging framework. A peripheral measure of participants' redox balance, the ratio of glutathione peroxidase and glutathione reductase activities (GPx/GR), was correlated with the AEP data. Patients displayed significantly decreased AEPs over the time window of the P50/N100 complex resulting from significantly weaker responses in the left temporo-parietal lobe. The GPx/GR ratio significantly correlated with patients' brain activity during the time window of the P50/N100 in the medial frontal lobe. We show for the first time a direct coupling between electrophysiological indices of AEPs and peripheral redox dysregulation in psychosis patients. This coupling is limited to stages of auditory processing that are impaired relative to healthy controls and suggests a link between biochemical and sensory dysfunction. The data highlight the potential of low-level sensory processing as a trait-marker of psychosis

Optimal use of time dependent probability density data to extract potential energy surfaces

A novel algorithm was recently presented to utilize emerging time dependent probability density data to extract molecular potential energy surfaces. This paper builds on the previous work and seeks to enhance the capabilities of the extraction algorithm: An improved method of removing the generally ill-posed nature of the inverse problem is introduced via an extended Tikhonov regularization and methods for choosing the optimal regularization parameters are discussed. Several ways to incorporate multiple data sets are investigated, including the means to optimally combine data from many experiments exploring different portions of the potential. Results are presented on the stability of the inversion procedure, including the optimal combination scheme, under the influence of data noise. The method is applied to the simulated inversion of a double well system.Comment: 34 pages, 5 figures, LaTeX with REVTeX and Graphicx-Package; submitted to PhysRevA; several descriptions and explanations extended in Sec. I

Bosentan therapy for chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension. A national open label study assessing the effect of Bosentan on haemodynamics, exercise capacity, quality of life, safety and tolerability in patients with chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (BOCTEPH-Study).

we performed an open-label national study to evaluate the effects of Bosentan on haemodynamics, exercise capacity, quality of life, safety and tolerability in patients with chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH). fifteen patients with CTEPH not eligible or waiting for surgery were enrolled. The primary endpoint was the change in pulmonary vascular resistance (PVR). Secondary endpoints included quality of life (measured by the Minnesota living with heart failure questionnaire, MLHF), 6 minute walk distance (6MWD), World Health Organization (WHO) functional class, Borg dyspnoea scale, plasma endothelin, serum values of disease severity such as uric acid, N-terminal-pro brain natriuretic peptide (NTproBNP), C-reactive protein measured by a highly sensitive method (CRPs) and other serum and haemodynamic parameters. after six months of treatment with bosentan, the PVR decreased from 852 (319) to 657(249) dyn*s*m-5 (p = 0.02). Quality of life considerably improved from a mean total score of 48(14) to 35(17) (p = 0.003) with improvements in the physical (from 25(5) to 17(7)) and emotional (from 11(6) to 6(5)) subscores (p = 0.005 and 0.011), respectively. The 6MWD improved from 389(78) to 443(79) meters (p = 0.005). 4 patients (27%) improved and 11 patients (73%) maintained their WHO class with no deterioration during the six months of bosentan treatment (p = 0.02). Uric acid serum levels declined from 525(145) to 453(151) micromol/l (p = 0.006), NTproBNP and CRPs declined insignificantly. Endothelin serum levels increased from 4.3(1.5) to 5.9(2.2) pg/ml (p = 0.025). Patients tolerated the treatment well, and there were no severe adverse events or deaths. this open-label study suggests a beneficial effect of bosentan therapy not only on pulmonary haemodynamics, but also on quality of life and exercise capacity for patients with severe CTEPH

Evidence for structural and electronic instabilities at intermediate temperatures in κ\kappa-(BEDT-TTF)2_{2}X for X=Cu[N(CN)2_{2}]Cl, Cu[N(CN)2_{2}]Br and Cu(NCS)2_{2}: Implications for the phase diagram of these quasi-2D organic superconductors

We present high-resolution measurements of the coefficient of thermal expansion $\alpha (T)=\partial \ln l(T)/\partial T$ of the quasi-twodimensional (quasi-2D) salts $\kappa$-(BEDT-TTF)$_2$X with X = Cu(NCS)$_2$, Cu[N(CN)$_2$]Br and Cu[N(CN)$_2$]Cl. At intermediate temperatures (B), distinct anomalies reminiscent of second-order phase transitions have been found at $T^\ast = 38$ K and 45 K for the superconducting X = Cu(NCS)$_2$ and Cu[N(CN)$_2$]Br salts, respectively. Most interestingly, we find that the signs of the uniaxial pressure coefficients of $T^\ast$ are strictly anticorrelated with those of $T_c$. We propose that $T^\ast$ marks the transition to a spin-density-wave (SDW) state forming on minor, quasi-1D parts of the Fermi surface. Our results are compatible with two competing order parameters that form on disjunct portions of the Fermi surface. At elevated temperatures (C), all compounds show $\alpha (T)$ anomalies that can be identified with a kinetic, glass-like transition where, below a characteristic temperature $T_g$, disorder in the orientational degrees of freedom of the terminal ethylene groups becomes frozen in. We argue that the degree of disorder increases on going from the X = Cu(NCS)$_2$ to Cu[N(CN)$_2$]Br and the Cu[N(CN)$_2$]Cl salt. Our results provide a natural explanation for the unusual time- and cooling-rate dependencies of the ground-state properties in the hydrogenated and deuterated Cu[N(CN)$_2$]Br salts reported in the literature.Comment: 22 pages, 7 figure