Book review: Black wind, white snow: the rise of Russia’snew nationalism by Charles Clover

In Black Wind, White Snow: The Rise of Russia’s New Nationalism, Charles Clover traces an intellectual history of ‘Eurasianism’, a theory of Russian national identity based on the idea of a primordial Eurasian civilisation, as a means of understanding contemporary Russian politics. This is a meticulously researched and engagingly written book, finds Ed Pertwee, deserving of a wide readership

Donald Trump, the anti-Muslim far right and the new conservative revolution

This article explores the “counter-jihad”, a transnational field of anti-Muslim political action that emerged in the mid-2000s, becoming a key tributary of the recent far-right insurgency and an important influence on the Trump presidency. The article draws on thematic analysis of content from counter-jihad websites and interviews with movement activists, sympathizers and opponents, in order to characterize the counter-jihad’s organizational infrastructure and political discourse and to theorize its relationship to fascism and other far-right tendencies. Although the political discourses of the counter-jihad, Trumpian Republicanism and the avowedly racist “Alt-Right” are not identical, I argue that all three tendencies share a common, counterrevolutionary temporal structure. Consequently, like “classical” Italian Fascism and German National Socialism, they can be seen as historically and contextually-specific forms of “revolutionary conservatism”

Green Crescent, Crimson Cross: the transatlantic 'Counterjihad' and the new political theology

This thesis explores the EuroAmerican ‘counterjihad’, a transnational field of antiMuslim political action that has grown significantly since it first became visible in the mid-late 2000s. Its key symptoms have included ‘Defence Leagues’ and ‘Stop Islamisation’ groups in various national contexts, grassroots mobilisations against mosques and minarets, campaigns to ‘ban the burqa’, as well as a very wide network of antiMuslim online spaces. The thesis argues that the counterjihad can be seen as a transnational political movement, and its discursive, aesthetic, organisational and tactical repertoires are all critically explored. It will be shown that the heterogeneous political tendencies that constitute the counterjihad are united by a shared narrative of Western crisis, decline and impending catastrophe; several overlapping conspiratorial narratives that attempt to explain this predicament; and, finally, a spectrum of compensatory political projects that seek to reinvigorate a sense of Western civilizational and white ethnic identity in a post-Cold War context where those identities are increasingly contested. The thesis also argues that the counterjihad is one aspect of a more general phenomenon: the striking reemergence in ‘late’ modernity of a number of ‘countermodern’ or ‘traditionalist’ political theologies. These new political theologies overlap with, but are not identical to, the ones that flourished during the long crisis of ‘classical’ European modernity in the early twentieth century (notably, ‘classical’ Italian Fascism and German National Socialism). Finally, the thesis considers the sociopolitical conditions that have fostered the reemergence of such phenomena today

The phytocannabinoid, Δ(9) -tetrahydrocannabivarin, can act through 5-HT1 A receptors to produce antipsychotic effects

Funded by: •GW Pharmaceuticals Acknowledgements: The authors wish to thank Mrs Lesley Stevenson for technical support and Dr John Raymond, Dr Keith Parker and Dr Ethan Russo for providing human 5-HT1A CHO cells. This research was supported by a grant from GW Pharmaceuticals to M. G. C. and R. G. P.Peer reviewedPostprin

Increasing levels of the endocannabinoid 2-AG is neuroprotective in the 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine mouse model of Parkinson's disease

Date of Acceptance: 28/07/2015 The authors are grateful to the staff of the Medical Research Facility for their help with the animal care. This work was supported by the NHS Endowment fund 09/03 and the Wellcome Trust (WT080782MF). We thank Merck & Co. Inc., Rathway NJ, USA for the supply of DFU.Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Donald Trump, the anti-Muslim far right and the new conservative revolution

This article explores the “counter-jihad”, a transnational field of anti-Muslim political action that emerged in the mid-2000s, becoming a key tributary of the recent far-right insurgency and an important influence on the Trump presidency. The article draws on thematic analysis of content from counter-jihad websites and interviews with movement activists, sympathizers and opponents, in order to characterize the counter-jihad’s organizational infrastructure and political discourse and to theorize its relationship to fascism and other far-right tendencies. Although the political discourses of the counter-jihad, Trumpian Republicanism and the avowedly racist “Alt-Right” are not identical, I argue that all three tendencies share a common, counterrevolutionary temporal structure. Consequently, like “classical” Italian Fascism and German National Socialism, they can be seen as historically and contextually-specific forms of “revolutionary conservatism”

Cannabis sativa and the endogenous cannabinoid system: therapeutic potential for appetite regulation

The herb Cannabis sativa (C. sativa) has been used in China and on the Indian subcontinent for thousands of years as a medicine. However, since it was brought to the UK and then the rest of the western world in the late 19th century, its use has been a source of controversy. Indeed, its psychotropic side effects are well reported but only relatively recently has scientific endeavour begun to find valuable uses for either the whole plant or its individual components. Here, we discuss evidence describing the endocannabinoid system, its endogenous and exogenous ligands and their varied effects on feeding cycles and meal patterns. Furthermore we also critically consider the mounting evidence which suggests non‐tetrahydrocannabinol phytocannabinoids play a vital role in C. sativa‐induced feeding pattern changes. Indeed, given the wide range of phytocannabinoids present in C. sativa and their equally wide range of intra‐, inter‐ and extra‐cellular mechanisms of action, we demonstrate that non‐Δ9tetrahydrocannabinol phytocannabinoids retain an important and, as yet, untapped clinical potential

Topical and Systemic Cannabidiol Improves Trinitrobenzene Sulfonic Acid Colitis in Mice

Background/Aims: Compounds of Cannabis sativa are known to exert anti-inflammatory properties, some of them without inducing psychotropic side effects. Cannabidiol (CBD) is such a side effect-free phytocannabinoid that improves chemically induced colitis in rodents when given intraperitoneally. Here, we tested the possibility whether rectal and oral application of CBD would also ameliorate colonic inflammation, as these routes of application may represent a more appropriate way for delivering drugs in human colitis. Methods: Colitis was induced in CD1 mice by trinitrobenzene sulfonic acid. Individual groups were either treated with CBD intraperitoneally (10 mg/kg), orally (20 mg/kg) or intrarectally (20 mg/kg). Colitis was evaluated by macroscopic scoring, histopathology and the myeloperoxidase (MPO) assay. Results: Intraperitoneal treatment of mice with CBD led to improvement of colonic inflammation. Intrarectal treatment with CBD also led to a significant improvement of disease parameters and to a decrease in MPO activity while oral treatment, using the same dose as per rectum, had no ameliorating effect on colitis. Conclusion: The data of this study indicate that in addition to intraperitoneal application, intrarectal delivery of cannabinoids may represent a useful therapeutic administration route for the treatment of colonic inflammation. Copyright (C) 2012 S. Karger AG, Base

Inverse agonism at cannabinoid receptors

Abstract There are at least two types of cannabinoid receptor, CB 1 and CB 2 , both G protein coupled. CB 1 receptors are expressed predominantly at nerve terminals and mediate inhibition of transmitter release. CB 2 receptors are found mainly on immune cells, one of their roles being to modulate cytokine release. Endogenous ligands for these receptors (endocannabinoids) also exist. These discoveries have prompted the development of CB 1 -and CB 2 -selective agonists and antagonists. The latter include the CB 1 -selective SR141716A and LY320135 and the CB 2 -selective SR144528 and AM630, all of which appear to be inverse agonists. Indeed, antagonists without inverse agonist activity have yet to be developed. As most experiments directed at investigating inverse agonism at cannabinoid receptors have been performed with SR141716A, this review focusses on this agent. It presents evidence that the endocannabinoid system is tonically active and that this activity can stem both from ongoing release of endocannabinoids and from the presence of constitutively active CB 1 receptors. Thus, SR141716A seems to induce some inverse cannabimimetic effects by opposing responses to endogenously released endocannabinoids and other such effects by decreasing tonic activity induced by constitutively active CB 1 receptors. The interaction of SR141716A with constitutively active receptors is discussed in terms of ''two-state'' and ''three-state'' models.