Commentary: Functional Neuronal CB2 Cannabinoid Receptors in the CNS

Cannabinoids are the constituents of the marijuana plant (Cannabis sativa). There are numerous cannabinoids and other natural compounds that have been reported in the cannabis plant. The recent progress in marijuana-cannabinoid research include the discovery of an endocannabinoid system with specific genes coding for cannabinoid receptors (CBRs) that are activated by smoking marijuana, and that the human body and brain makes its own marijuana-like substances called endocannabinoids that also activate CBRs. This new knowledge and progress about cannabinoids and endocannabinoids indicate that a balanced level of endocannabinoids is important for pregnancy and that the breast milk in animals and humans has endocannabinoids for the growth and development of the new born. There are two well characterized cannabinoid receptors termed CB1-Rs and CB2-Rs and these CBRs are perhaps the most abundant G-protein coupled receptors that are expressed at high levels in many regions of the mammalian brain. The expression of CB1-Rs in the brain and periphery and the identification of CB2-Rs in immune cells and during inflammation has been extensively studied and characterized. However, the expression of functional neuronal CB2-Rs in the CNS has been much less well established and characterized in comparison to the expression of abundant brain CB1-Rs and functional neuronal CB2-Rs has ignited debate and controversy. While the issue of the specificity of CB2-R antibodies remains, many recent studies have reported the discovery and functional characterization of functional neuronal CB2-Rs in the CNS beyond neuro-immuno cannabinoid activity

Meaning Reconstruction in Some Selected Nigerian Drama: Character Deconstruction as Panacea

Young readers and interpreters often misinterpret and misjudge character construct in Nigerian playtexts. This is because African playwrights especially Nigeria’s have been dominated and influenced by Western playwrights and writers with the styles of character construct in their playtexts. Thus the problem of this study centres on the Euro-American perceptions of character construct on the sensibilities of Nigerian playwrights. Hence, the study aims at evolving means of interpretation of Nigerian playtexts through character deconstruction and other artistic components and compositions from the point of view of the playwrights and interpreters. Objectives of the study include: to examine the object of character construct as foundation for analysis and interpretation. To deconstruct the selected plays through analyses and appraisal of character construct and characterization. The study is hinged on the theoretical premise of Ricoeur’s theory of interpretation that made the researcher’s meaning generation possible. The study adopts content analysis approach of the qualitative research method. The findings reveal that from the African deconstruction standpoint, character construction, reconstruction and deconstruction in Nigerian drama is aimed at effective generation and communication of meaning. The study recommends that character deconstruction should be key anchor for the interpretation of contemporary Nigerian playtexts. The study concludes that cultural elements add to the construct and impart of the dramatic products. Hence, deconstruction should be applied as analytical tool for character deconstruction in contemporary Nigerian drama

Creative Ingenuity and Gender Studies in a Digital Era: A Rumination on Some Selected Playtexts

Academic discourse and scholars for decades, have shifted attention to gender issues. The area of gender discourse that most received this attention, is maltreatment and subjugation of women or the girl-child. But little or no attention has been given to the area of women battering men or wife battering husband. It is so disheartening to note that men are also subjects of maltreatment in the hands of women and cannot talk about it. Thus, many of them are dying in silence. The study aims at examining the spate at which this menace has eaten deep into the ‘flesh’ of men. The paper achieves this through the study of some playtexts that silently house the issues of women battering men and how this can be read or seen through digitalized means, especially now that the world has become a global village. In order to attain this fit, the researchers adopt the qualitative research methodology through content analysis and merging it through digital means for wider coverage of their contents. The research therefore, concludes that if playtexts are studied beyond ordinary reading, more messages and information would be found through them. The study thus, recommends that once such messages are discovered, they should be presented to the world (audience) via digital means for wider and broader viewing

Psychiatric disturbances regulate the innate immune system in CSF of conscious mice

Environment may affect brain activity through cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) only if there are regulatory molecules or cascades in CSF that are sensitive to external stimuli. This study was designed to identify regulatory activity present in CSF, better elucidating environmental regulation of brain function. By using cannulation-based sequential CSF sampling coupled with mass spectrometry-based identification and quantification of proteins, we show that the naive mouse CSF harbors, among 22 other pathways, the innate immune system as a main pathway, which was downregulated and upregulated, respectively, by acute stressor (AS) and acute cocaine (AC) administrations. Among novel processes and molecular functions, AS also regulated schizophrenia-associated proteins. Furthermore, AC upregulated exosome-related proteins with a false discovery rate of 1.0 × 10−16. These results suggest that psychiatric disturbances regulate the neuroimmune system and brain disorder-related proteins, presenting a sensitive approach to investigating extracellular mechanisms in conscious and various mouse models of psychiatric disorders

Understanding the Global Problem of Drug Addiction is a Challenge for IDARS Scientists

IDARS is an acronym for the International Drug Abuse Research Society. Apart from our scientific and educational purposes, we communicate information to the general and scientific community about substance abuse and addiction science and treatment potential. Members of IDARS are research scientists and clinicians from around the world, with scheduled meetings across the globe. IDARS is developing a vibrant and exciting international mechanism not only for scientific interactions in the domain of addiction between countries but also ultimately as a resource for informing public policy across nations. Nonetheless, a lot more research needs to be done to better understand the neurobiological basis of drug addiction – A challenge for IDARS scientists

Neurochemical and Behavioral Characterization after Acute and Repeated Exposure to Novel Synthetic Cannabinoid Agonist 5-MDMB-PICA

Since the early 2000s, herbal mixtures containing synthetic cannabinoids (SCs), broadly known as Spice/K2, have been marketed as a legal marijuana surrogate and have become very popular among adolescents. Adolescence is a critical period of development, which is associated with an increased vulnerability to the central effects of drugs. Despite growing concerns about the negative effects of the use of SCs, newly synthetized compounds are increasingly detected in drugs seized by the authorities, posing a serious threat to public health. 5F-MDMB-PICA has been recently detected and classified as a highly potent agonist of CB1 and CB2 cannabinoid receptors. Here, we first investigated the rewarding properties of 5F-MDMB-PICA in C57BL/6 adolescent and adult mice by in vivo brain microdialysis. Data showed that acute administration of a selected dose of 5F-MDMB-PICA (0.01 mg/kg i.p.) stimulates the release of dopamine in the nucleus accumbens shell of adolescent, but not of adult, mice. To further investigate the consequences of repeated exposure to this dose of 5F-MDMB-PICA, a separate group of adolescent mice was treated for 14 consecutive days and evaluated for behavioral abnormalities at adulthood, starting from 7 days after drug discontinuation. Data showed that this group of adult mice displayed an anxiety-like and compulsive-like state as revealed by an altered performance in the marble burying test. Our study suggests an alarming vulnerability of adolescent mice to the effects of 5F-MDMB-PICA. These findings provide a useful basis for understanding and evaluating both early and late detrimental effects that may derive from the use of SCs during adolescence

Impact of Agricultural Services and Training Centre Project on Tomato Farmers Livelihood in Plateau State, Nigeria

This study assessed the impact of Agricultural Services and Training Centre (ASTC) on tomato farmers’ livelihood in Plateau State, Nigeria. A multi-stage sampling procedure was used for this study. Firstly, a purposive sampling was used to select three Local Government Areas (LGA) out of each three senatorial zones and three villages from each LGAs while random and purposive sampling were used to select 206 participants in ASTC project and 206 non- participants, making a total sample size of 412 farmers in Plateau State. Questionnaire and interview schedule were used for data collection and analyzed with descriptive statistics and inferential statistics such as chow test model. The result revealed 90% and 77% males of the participants and the non-participants respectively while the females were 10% and 23% participants and the non- participants respectively. Chow test model analysis indicated a positive mean on output with F-cal value of 149.87, income, F-cal value 3.952 and level of living with F-cal value of 24.24 of the participants’ farmers in ASTC project than the non-participant farmers in the project. The output, income and level of living difference were significant at 5% level of probability which means a significant difference in output, income and level of living of farmers participating in ASTC tomato production. It was concluded that ASTC project intervention had positive impact on tomato production and livelihood of participant farmers in the study area. The study therefore recommends that the existing cooperative society included in the ASTC project be sustained in order to consolidate the achievement of the participating farmers in the scheme

Impact of Agricultural Services and Training Centre Project on Tomato Farmers Livelihood in Plateau State, Nigeria

This study assessed the impact of Agricultural Services and Training Centre (ASTC) on tomato farmers’ livelihood in Plateau State, Nigeria. A multi-stage sampling procedure was used for this study. Firstly, a purposive sampling was used to select three Local Government Areas (LGA) out of each three senatorial zones and three villages from each LGAs while random and purposive sampling were used to select 206 participants in ASTC project and 206 non- participants, making a total sample size of 412 farmers in Plateau State. Questionnaire and interview schedule were used for data collection and analyzed with descriptive statistics and inferential statistics such as chow test model. The result revealed 90% and 77% males of the participants and the non-participants respectively while the females were 10% and 23% participants and the non- participants respectively. Chow test model analysis indicated a positive mean on output with F-cal value of 149.87, income, F-cal value 3.952 and level of living with F-cal value of 24.24 of the participants’ farmers in ASTC project than the non-participant farmers in the project. The output, income and level of living difference were significant at 5% level of probability which means a significant difference in output, income and level of living of farmers participating in ASTC tomato production. It was concluded that ASTC project intervention had positive impact on tomato production and livelihood of participant farmers in the study area. The study therefore recommends that the existing cooperative society included in the ASTC project be sustained in order to consolidate the achievement of the participating farmers in the scheme