We shall dream again.

The “we” is We the People. Women are more than half of We the People yet have only 18% representation in the US House.

The “shall” is constitutional. Counting the people is the purpose of the decennial Census; lawmakers are then to divide by the representation ratio in Article I, Section 2, Clause 3 of the US Constitution: “The Number of Representatives shall not exceed one for every thirty Thousand, but each State shall have at Least one Representative.”

The “dream” is foundational. The representation ratio is the constitutional definition of We the People.

The “again” is time. 2016’s presidential election is not about a woman in the White House: it’s about women in the US House of Representatives. Congress always added seats (representatives) to the US House after each Census: in 1920, they suddenly stopped.

We shall dream again America ~ as it’s a heritage dream ~ one that represents all of US.

Bryan W. Brickner

Women’s Suffrage Documentary

The Cannabis Papers: A citizen’s guide to cannabinoids (2011)
By Publius 

This roundup links to seven 2014 PubMed articles on cannabinoids modulating other systems in our bodies, such as: the olfactory, endocrine, vanilloid, serotonin, opioid, dopamine, and nervous systems. There’s also a bit of systemic science ~ getting a good night’s sleep.


I. Olfactory System and CS
“Thus, CB1 receptor-dependent control of cortical feedback projections in olfactory circuits couples internal states to perception and behavior.”

The endocannabinoid system controls food intake via olfactory processes.
  Soria-Gómez E, Bellocchio L, Reguero L, Lepousez G, Martin C, Bendahmane M, Ruehle S, Remmers F, Desprez T, Matias I,
  Wiesner T, Cannich A, Nissant A, Wadleigh A, Pape HC, Chiarlone AP, Quarta C, Verrier D, Vincent P, Massa F, Lutz B,
  Guzmán M, Gurden H, Ferreira G, Lledo PM, Grandes P, Marsicano G.
  Nat Neurosci. 2014 Mar;17(3):407-15. doi: 10.1038/nn.3647. Epub 2014 Feb 9.
  PMID: 24509429 [PubMed - in process]

II. Endocrine System (Hypothalamus-pituitary axis) and CS
“Whereas the effect on 3β-HSD was counteracted by SR141716A (Rimonabant) - a selective antagonist of CB1, thus indicating a CB1 dependent modulation - the effect on cyp17 was not, suggesting a possible involvement of receptors other than CB1, probably the type-1 vanilloid receptor (TRPV1), since AEA works as an endocannabinoid and an endovanilloid as well.”

Hypothalamus-pituitary axis: an obligatory target for endocannabinoids to inhibit steroidogenesis in frog testis.
  Chianese R, Ciaramella V, Fasano S, Pierantoni R, Meccariello R.
  Gen Comp Endocrinol. 2014 Feb 21. pii: S0016-6480(14)00053-7. doi: 10.1016/j.ygcen.2014.02.010. [Epub ahead of print]
  PMID: 24566122 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

III. Vanilloid System (Schizophrenia) and CS
“Our results indicate that the schizophrenia-like behaviors displayed by SHR [Spontaneously Hypertensive Rats]  are differently altered by cannabinoid and vanilloid drugs when compared to control animals and suggest the endocannabinoid and the vanilloid systems as a potential target for the treatment of schizophrenia.”

Effects of cannabinoid and vanilloid drugs on positive and negative-like symptoms on an animal model of schizophrenia: The SHR strain.
  Almeida V, Peres FF, Levin R, Suiama MA, Calzavara MB, Zuardi AW, Hallak JE, Crippa JA, Abílio VC.
  Schizophr Res. 2014 Feb 17. pii: S0920-9964(14)00062-0. doi: 10.1016/j.schres.2014.01.039. [Epub ahead of print]
  PMID: 24556469 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

IV. Serotonin, Opioid, and Dopamine Systems and CS
“In this review we highlight the evidence for the physiological role of such constitutive GPCR [G protein-coupled receptor]   activity (in particular for cannabinoid 1, serotonin 2C and mu-opioid receptors) in the ventral tegmental area and in its output regions like the nucleus accumbens. We also address the behavioral relevance of constitutive GPCR signaling and discuss the repercussions of its abolition in dopamine-related psychiatric diseases.”

The vital role of constitutive GPCR activity in the mesolimbic dopamine system.
  Meye FJ, Ramakers GM, Adan RA.
  Transl Psychiatry. 2014 Feb 11;4:e361. doi: 10.1038/tp.2013.130.
  PMID: 24518399 [PubMed - in process]

V. Sleep, Systems and CS
“Overall, these findings demonstrate that the EC [Endo-Cannabinoid] system actively regulates cortical up-states and important features of NREM sleep such as its duration and low frequency cortical oscillations.”

Endocannabinoid Modulation of Cortical Up-States and NREM Sleep.
  Pava MJ, den Hartog CR, Blanco-Centurion C, Shiromani PJ, Woodward JJ.
  PLoS One. 2014 Feb 10;9(2):e88672. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0088672. eCollection 2014.
  PMID: 24520411 [PubMed - in process] Free PMC Article

VI. Central Nervous System and CS
“In the present study, we discovered that 2-AG significantly protects CN neurons in culture against lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced inflammatory response.”

Endocannabinoid 2-Arachidonylglycerol Protects Primary Cultured Neurons Against LPS-Induced Impairments in Rat Caudate Nucleus.
  Lu Y, Peng F, Dong M, Yang H.
  J Mol Neurosci. 2014 Feb 9. [Epub ahead of print]
  PMID: 24510751 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

VII. Nervous System (Alzheimer’s/Dementia) and CS
“The altered CB1 levels appear, rather, to be age-and/or pathology-dependent, indicating an involvement of the endocannabinoid system in AD pathology and supporting the ECS as a potential novel therapeutic target for treatment of AD.”

Altered Expression of the CB1 Cannabinoid Receptor in the Triple Transgenic Mouse Model of Alzheimer's Disease.
  Bedse G, Romano A, Cianci S, Lavecchia AM, Lorenzo P, Elphick MR, Laferla FM, Vendemiale G, Grillo C, Altieri F, Cassano
  T, Gaetani S.
  J Alzheimers Dis. 2014 Feb 4. [Epub ahead of print]
  PMID: 24496074 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

~.~
February's Video
What if Cannabinoids in Cannabis Cured Cancer & Other Diseases?

  Posted by bwb.

The Cannabis Papers: A citizen’s guide to cannabinoids (2011)
By Publius

Cancer prevention awareness and the cannabinoid system are the focus of February’s health update from Publius and The Cannabis Papers: A citizen’s guide to cannabinoids (2011). This month: PubMed science on inflammation, a unique receptor, GPR55, and the ability of one’s cannabinoid system to induce apoptosis, programmed cancer cell death.

2014 ~ Inflammation (HIV-1) and CS/GPR55
“Receptors for THC, CB1, CB2, and GPR55, are differentially expressed on multiple cell types including monocytes and macrophages, which are important modulators of inflammation in vivo and target cells for HIV-1 infection.”

Δ9-Tetrahydrocannabinol Treatment During Human Monocyte Differentiation Reduces Macrophage Susceptibility to HIV-1 Infection.
Williams JC, Appelberg S, Goldberger BA, Klein TW, Sleasman JW, Goodenow MM.
J Neuroimmune Pharmacol. 2014 Feb 23. [Epub ahead of print]
PMID: 24562630 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]


2013 ~ Alcohol, Dentric Cells and CS/GPR55
"Our results provide insights into alcohol mechanisms of DC [dentric cell] regulation and show, for the first time, that alcohol is inducing CNR2 [CB2] and GPR55 in human DCs."

Differential expression and functional role of cannabinoid genes in alcohol users.
Agudelo M, Yndart A, Morrison M, Figueroa G, Muñoz K, Samikkannu T, Nair MP.
Drug Alcohol Depend. 2013 Dec 1;133(2):789-93. doi: 10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2013.08.023. Epub 2013 Sep 5.
PMID: 24060590 [PubMed - in process]


2013 ~ Inflammation (Cancer) and CS/GPR55
“GPR55 has been shown to have a role in cancer and gastrointestinal inflammation, as well as in obesity and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM).”

A potential role for GPR55 in the regulation of energy homeostasis.
Simcocks AC, O'Keefe L, Jenkin KA, Mathai ML, Hryciw DH, McAinch AJ.
Drug Discov Today. 2013 Dec 24. pii: S1359-6446(13)00423-6. doi: 10.1016/j.drudis.2013.12.005. [Epub ahead of print] Review.
PMID: 24370891 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]


2013 ~ CS Synergistic Against Cancer
“The observed synergistic effect with cannabinoid agonists implicates an involvement of the cannabinoid system.”

Cytotoxic effect of efavirenz is selective against cancer cells and associated with the cannabinoid system.
Hecht M, Harrer T, Büttner M, Schwegler M, Erber S, Fietkau R, Distel LV.
AIDS. 2013 Aug 24;27(13):2031-40. doi: 10.1097/QAD.0b013e3283625444.
PMID: 23612009 [PubMed - in process]


2011 ~ GPR55 Driving Cancer Cell Migration
“It has now been revealed that LPI [L-α-lysophosphatidylinositol] activates GPR55, a G protein-coupled receptor that couples to G(12/13) and G(q) proteins, which direct oncogenic signalling. New evidence indicates that LPI and GPR55 are key partners in driving cancer cell proliferation and migration.”

L-α-lysophosphatidylinositol meets GPR55: a deadly relationship.
Ross RA.
Trends Pharmacol Sci. 2011 May;32(5):265-9. doi: 10.1016/j.tips.2011.01.005. Epub 2011 Mar 1.
PMID: 21367464 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]


2010 ~ Breast Cancer and CS/GPR55
“LPI and GPR55 play a role in the modulation of migration, orientation and polarization of breast cancer cells in response to the tumour microenvironment.”

A role for L-alpha-lysophosphatidylinositol and GPR55 in the modulation of migration, orientation and polarization of human breast cancer cells.
Ford LA, Roelofs AJ, Anavi-Goffer S, Mowat L, Simpson DG, Irving AJ, Rogers MJ, Rajnicek AM, Ross RA.
Br J Pharmacol. 2010 Jun;160(3):762-71. doi: 10.1111/j.1476-5381.2010.00743.x.
PMID: 20590578 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE] Free PMC Article


2006 ~ Evolution and CS/GPR55
“Within this limited number of twelve organisms, the endocannabinoid genes exhibited heterogeneous evolutionary trajectories, with functional orthologs limited to mammals (TRPV1 and GPR55), or vertebrates (CB2 and DAGLbeta), or chordates (MAGL and COX2), or animals (DAGLalpha and CB1-like receptors), or opisthokonta (animals and fungi, NAPE-PLD), or eukaryotes (FAAH).”

Evolutionary origins of the endocannabinoid system.
McPartland JM, Matias I, Di Marzo V, Glass M.
Gene. 2006 Mar 29;370:64-74. Epub 2006 Jan 23.
PMID: 16434153 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

~ posted by bwb

By Stephen Young

Distillers continue their work at Mt. Vernon, the home of George Washington, trying to make whiskey like the first US President used to make it.

As initially reported by Reason a couple years ago (and recently updated as, Celebrate George Washington’s Birthday, Drink Some Whiskey), a group using historical recipes and methods have been patiently testing ways to accurately recreate the drink that helped fuel a revolution.

I appreciate efforts to preserve history in a way that is interesting, so cheers to anyone who attempts to make history literally intoxicating.

But I propose a more family-oriented way to relive the past that gives a different sense of Washington’s entrepreneurial spirit: bring back hemp to Mt. Vernon.

As noted in The Cannabis Papers, a book I helped to write, Washington succeeded at his hemp business, and he expressed interest in it that seemed to go beyond mere profit. In his journals Washington described visiting the hemp plots regularly and seemed disappointed when he missed certain aspects of the crop’s growth.

That interest is easy to understand today: hemp was crucial to the colonies just as it was very important to a young nation. And hemp could be crucial now to the current American economy, if only it were allowed to be grown by American farmers. What better place to start a new tradition than at Mt. Vernon? Sure, the crop could be restarted at other estates of founding fathers, say Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello for example, but the first should be the first.

In the wake of discoveries about cannabinoids, hemp has even more potential uses than in the late 18th Century. Even uncultivated wild hemp, once derisively referred to as ditch weed, is now seen as life-saving medicine packed with therapeutic CBD that can stop maladies from epilepsy to cancer.

Washington played many roles with great success, such great success that he must be considered visionary. His revolutionary tactics baffled his enemies in battle. His understanding of representation aimed to ensure a continuing Republic. He put his efforts into businesses he knew would succeed. It’s clear Washington recognized the practical applications of hemp in his time, but I wouldn't be surprised if also he had some sense how important hemp would be in the future.

More Hemp from Mr. Young:

Part I ~ Government Grown: How Polo Illinois Helped Win the War

Part II ~ Government Grown: How Polo Illinois Helped Win the War

posted by bwb

Hannah Arendt is (surprise) a constitutionalist. She wouldn’t mind the tag too much – others are Marxist and feminist – German and American: she was lots of things.

Arendt (1906-1975) was trained in Europe before World War II, working with the likes of Karl Jaspers, Martin Heidegger and Walter Benjamin. She fled Germany to France in 1933: the Germans wouldn’t let her teach in their universities because she was a Jew. When the Nazis took over France in 1939, she was interned in a camp and labeled an enemy alien; soon after she escaped, making her way to the United States and New York City in 1941. Arendt became an American citizen in 1950.

The tag of constitutionalist is from Arendt’s chapter four in On Revolution (1963), “Foundation I, Constitutio Libertatis” – meaning orders (regulations) and legal status.

The Latin phrase jumped out at me; at first I thought she might be saying something negative … then I read a bit of the chapter: one page really, page 142. Arendt notes the stages of rebellion and revolution are different by contrasting the historian to the political scientist; she argues the historian looks at “the violent stage of rebellion” while the political scientist looks to “the quieter stage of revolution and constitution.”

That caught my attention: she’s saying revolution by constitution is quiet. I had to read it again – here it is:

“If, however, one keeps in mind that the end of rebellion is liberation, while the end of revolution is the foundation of freedom, the political scientist will at least know how to avoid the pitfall of the historian who tends to place his emphasis upon the first and violent stage of the rebellion and liberation, on the uprising against tyranny, to the detriment of the quieter second stage of revolution and constitution, because all the dramatic aspects of his story seem to be contained in the first stage and, perhaps, also because the turmoil of liberation has so frequently defeated the revolution.”

Arendt argues the French Revolution (1789-99) failed because it lost its way; the American Revolution (1776-83), with its “fever of constitution-making,” highlights her idea of success:

“This temptation, which befalls the historian because he is a storyteller, is closely connected to the much more harmful theory that the constitutions and fever of constitution-making, far from expressing truly the revolutionary spirit of the country, were in fact due to forces of reaction and either defeated the revolution or prevented its full development, so that – logically enough – the Constitution of the United States, the true culmination of this revolutionary process, is understood as the actual result of counter-revolution.”

Arendt refers to the US Constitution as, “the true culmination of this revolutionary process.” She is not running for office – she’s theorizing:

“The basic misunderstanding lies in the failure to distinguish between liberation and freedom; there is nothing more futile than rebellion and liberation unless they are followed by the constitution of the newly won freedom.”

Constitution again … then Arendt finishes the paragraph by quoting a founder:

“For ‘neither morals, nor riches, nor discipline of armies, nor all these together will do without a constitution’ (John Adams).”

Arendt’s On Revolution was published in 1963, the year of President Kennedy’s assassination (a moment of violence); she wrote of his death for the New York Review of Books that December: The Fate of the Union: Kennedy and After.

Arendt was born into a monarchy, fled fascism, wrote of quiet revolution by constitution, and then lived through America’s turbulent 1960s. It’s no wonder Arendt was fond of America’s revolutionaries, men like George Washington and John Adams. She knew their faults. She also knew they understood Constitutio Libertatis and lived it – just like Hannah Arendt did.

Happy Presidents Day America ~ And Happy Birthday George!

Bryan W. Brickner

The Cannabis Papers: A citizen’s guide to cannabinoids (2011)
by Publius

Here are a few recent 2013-14 findings on how cannabinoids modulate homeostasis and other systems in our bodies: the roundup links to seven recent PubMed articles on the central nervous, reproductive, neuromodulatory, limbic and opioid systems.

I. Nervous System (Alzheimer’s/Dementia) and CS
“The results confirm the constitutive role of the CB2 receptor system both in reducing amyloid plaque pathology in AD [Alzheimer’s disease] and also support the potential of cannabinoid therapies targeting CB2 to reduce Aβ; however, the results suggest that interventions may have a divergent effect on tau pathology.”

CB2 Receptor Deficiency Increases Amyloid Pathology and Alters Tau Processing in a Transgenic Mouse Model of Alzheimer's Disease.
  Koppel J, Vingtdeux V, Marambaud P, D'abramo C, Jimenez H, Stauber M, Friedman R, Davies P.
  Mol Med. 2013 Nov 8;19:357-64. doi: 10.2119/molmed.2013.00140.
  PMID: 24408112 [PubMed - in process] Free PMC Article

II. Reproductive System (Male) and CS
“Together with their receptors and metabolic enzymes, they form the "endocannabinoid system" (ECS). In male reproductive tracts, they affect Sertoli cell activities, Leydig cell proliferation, germ cell differentiation, sperm motility, capacitation, and acrosome reaction.”

The Endocannabinoid System and Spermatogenesis.
  Grimaldi P, Di Giacomo D, Geremia R.
  Front Endocrinol (Lausanne). 2013 Dec 16;4:192. eCollection 2013. Review.
  PMID: 24379805 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] Free PMC Article

III. Neuromodulatory System and CS
“Emerging findings suggest the existence of a cross-talk between hypocretinergic and endocannabinoid systems. Although few studies have examined this relationship, the apparent overlap observed in the neuroanatomical distribution of both systems as well as their putative functions strongly point to the existence of such cross-modulation.”

Cannabinoid-hypocretin cross-talk in the central nervous system : what we know so far.
  Flores A, Maldonado R, Berrendero F.
  Front Neurosci. 2013 Dec 20;7:256. eCollection 2013. Review.
  PMID: 24391536 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] Free PMC Article

IV. Limbic System (Emotions) and CS
"Based on the evidence reviewed here, we propose that the endocannabinoid system is an emotional buffer that moderates the effects of environmental context and stress on cognitive processes."

The endocannabinoid system: An emotional buffer in the modulation of memory function.
  Morena M, Campolongo P.
  Neurobiol Learn Mem. 2013 Dec 29. pii: S1074-7427(13)00266-9. doi: 10.1016/j.nlm.2013.12.010. [Epub ahead of print]
  PMID: 24382324 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

V. Central Nervous System (Nicotine/Acetylcholine) and CS
“Furthermore, it seems that there is a functional interaction between the BLA cannabinoid receptors and nicotine in producing the rewarding effects.”

Basolateral amygdala CB1cannabinoid receptors mediate nicotine-induced place preference.
  Hashemizadeh S, Sardari M, Rezayof A.
  Prog Neuropsychopharmacol Biol Psychiatry. 2014 Jan 24. pii: S0278-5846(14)00011-6. doi: 10.1016/j.pnpbp.2014.01.010. [Epub ahead of print]
  PMID: 24468643 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

VI. Homeostasis and the CS
“The endocannabinoid system is present in stress-responsive neural circuits and it is emerging as a homeostatic system.”

Regulatory role of the Cannabinoid-2  receptor in stress-induced neuroinflammation in mice.
  Zoppi S, Madrigal JL, Caso JR, García-Gutiérrez MS, Manzanares J, Leza JC, García-Bueno B.
  Br J Pharmacol. 2014 Jan 28. doi: 10.1111/bph.12607. [Epub ahead of print]
  PMID: 24467609 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

VII. Opioid System and CS
“These results enhance our understanding of the mechanisms involved in the peripheral effect of crotalphine an antinociceptive peptide, as well as the interaction between the opioid and cannabinoid systems.”

Peripheral interactions between cannabinoid and opioid systems contribute to the antinociceptive effect of crotalphine.
  Machado FC, Zambelli VO, Fernandes AC, Heimann AS, Cury Y, Picolo G.
  Br J Pharmacol. 2014 Feb;171(4):961-72. doi: 10.1111/bph.12488.
  PMID: 24460677 [PubMed - in process]

~
Bryan w. Brickner

*This post continues a theme from January 2013: the under-representation of women in the US House. It’s an updated excerpt from the introduction of my 2006 book, Article the first of the Bill of Rights: Constitutional representation – the forgotten story of We the People. The main update: in 2006 the US House was 16% women – today it’s 18%.

The founders approach to government was scientific. They had many ideas about how to build a new government, but they also had a lot of doubt. This led to debates on how to proceed, as revolutions are never clear.

The founders attempted to build a system that would protect such rights as the (now) famous, “Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness.” They also knew, when talking of citizens and representation, that there was no monopoly on how to define those three rights. Freedom is a deep well; it has also been aptly referred to as an abyss. Our revolutionaries certainly knew the abyss. Thirteen colonies do not revolt against their King and fight an eight-year civil war and not come to know the abyss. Those subjects-turned radical revolutionaries who took up arms against their law and the King of England, they had firsthand knowledge of how deep the well of human freedom ran – they lived it and then left us a blueprint: the US Constitution.

The first time I considered constitutional representation a political issue, rather than a historical one, was in graduate school at Purdue University. Before that, when I taught high school US history classes, I recall discussing the representation ratio but dismissing it; frankly, it seemed old.

Then, as a political science graduate student, I was assistanting a professor who was lecturing on the US Constitution, The Federalist Papers, and James Madison. At one point, the third clause in Article I, Section 2 entered the lecture. After class we discussed the size of a constitutional House, one based on the constitutional ratio of “one for every thirty Thousand.” The House would be huge, we agreed, but mostly we thought it impractical.

That was nearly twenty years ago. Since then I began to think of the representation ratio in constitutional, and not congressional, terms. If we were to build a new Congress based on the constitutional ratio of one for every thirty Thousand, we would have a House of Representatives of 10,000 members. This would bring dozens of groups (factions) into the constitutional process and fundamentally change Congress. For example, women won the right to suffrage with the Nineteenth Amendment (1920), but have never received their right to representation according to their numbers. Women are more than 50 percent of We the People, and yet they are represented in the current House, our 113th, with 79 Representatives, or 18 percent of the representation; that is a 32 percent under-representation of women as a group. Such under-representations of We the People create profound political, and constitutional, consequences.

Bryan W. Brickner

The Cannabis Papers: A citizen’s guide to cannabinoids (2011)
By Publius

Cervical cancer awareness and one’s cannabinoid system are the focus of this month’s health update from Publius of The Cannabis Papers: A citizen’s guide to cannabinoids (2011). January's highlighted message is the ability of one’s cannabinoid system, using the endocannabinoid anandamide, to induce apoptosis ~ programmed cancer cell death.

2004
The endocannabinoid Anandamide (arachidonyl ethanolamide) inducing apoptosis of uterine cervix cancer cells via another type of receptor ~ the vanilloid receptor-1.

Arachidonyl ethanolamide [Anandamide] induces apoptosis of uterine cervix cancer cells via aberrantly expressed vanilloid receptor-1.
Contassot E, Tenan M, Schnüriger V, Pelte MF, Dietrich PY.
Gynecol Oncol. 2004 Apr;93(1):182-8.
 

2009
The stable analogue of the endocannabinoid Anandamide, R(+)-methanandamide, inducing apoptosis in human cervical carcinoma cells.

R(+)-methanandamide-induced apoptosis of human cervical carcinoma cells involves a cyclooxygenase-2-dependent pathway.
Eichele K, Ramer R, Hinz B.
Pharm Res. 2009 Feb;26(2):346-55. doi: 10.1007/s11095-008-9748-3. Epub 2008 Oct 28.


2012
The ability of the endocannabinoid Anandamide to induce apoptosis is enhanced by blocking fatty acid amide hydrolase (FAAH).

Arachidonoyl ethanolamide [Anandamide] (AEA)-induced apoptosis is mediated by J-series prostaglandins and is enhanced by fatty acid amide hydrolase (FAAH) blockade.
Kuc C, Jenkins A, Van Dross RT.
Mol Carcinog. 2012 Feb;51(2):139-49. doi: 10.1002/mc.20770. Epub 2011 Mar 22.


2013
The cannabinoid system and omega-3/6 endocannabinoids noted for their anticancer modulation.

Cannabinoids and omega-3/6 endocannabinoids as cell death and anticancer modulators.
Brown I, Cascio MG, Rotondo D, Pertwee RG, Heys SD, Wahle KW.
Prog Lipid Res. 2013 Jan;52(1):80-109. doi: 10.1016/j.plipres.2012.10.001. Epub 2012 Oct 26.


2013
The cannabinoid system and cannabidiol inhibiting colon carcinogenesis.

Inhibition of colon carcinogenesis by a standardized Cannabis sativa extract with high content of cannabidiol.
Romano B, Borrelli F, Pagano E, Cascio MG, Pertwee RG, Izzo AA.
Phytomedicine. 2013 Dec 24. pii: S0944-7113(13)00472-8. doi: 10.1016/j.phymed.2013.11.006. [Epub ahead of print]

Posted by Bryan W. Brickner

Biblically, shall is an imperative: thou shall honor thy parents, for example. Legally, shall is also an imperative, as it conveys obligation.

The absent “shall” from Akhil Reed Amar’s book, America’s Constitution: A biography (hardcover, 2005), is not on page 76. Under the rubric “The Number of Representatives,” Amar’s text leads the reader to a falsehood; when discussing the Constitution’s representation ratio (Article I, Section 2, Clause 3), the key legal word – shall – is absent. Here is Amar’s sentence:

“Although Article I provided that the House should not ‘exceed’ one representative per thirty thousand constituents, its only minimal mandate was that each state have at least one member.”(page 76)

In Amar’s book (where shall is rendered as should), he argues that the US Constitution has no maximum and only a minimum regarding the representation of We the People in Congress; by comparison, here is what Amar is referencing – Article I and its two shalls (in bold) – the first one setting a maximum, the second a minimum for constitutional representation:

“The Number of Representatives shall not exceed one for every thirty Thousand, but each State shall have at Least one Representative.” (USC Article I, Section 2, Clause 3)

Interesting political theory moment: Amar’s absent shall is a reverse deconstruction – surprisingly, it’s post-modern, like the theories of Jacques Derrida and Jean Baudrillard, though in reverse. Instead of the usual lineup – a presence masking a basic absence – Amar’s absent “shall” is masking a basic reality: the presence of a constitutional mandate for representing We the People at the ratio of one for every thirty Thousand.

There happens to be lots of post-modern moments in Amar’s Constitution, so let’s bring James Madison, John Jay and Alexander Hamilton into the discussion next time. Amar notes the three founders (the book is over 600 pages), though he doesn’t on page 76 as required of a dissertation; instead, Amar quotes a dissenter, Patrick Henry, a founder who refused to attend the 1787 convention, and not a founder who was present in Philadelphia – like Madison, Jay or Hamilton. So we’ll do that next time – as we look to the founders and compare Amar’s theories to those in The Federalist Papers.

Bryan W. Brickner

The Cannabis Papers: A citizen’s guide to cannabinoids (2011)
by Publius

~ Here are a few recent 2013 findings on cannabinoids modulating other systems in our bodies: the roundup links to recent PubMed articles on the central nervous, circulatory, dopamine, integumentary (skin), lymphatic, and urinary systems.

I. Urinary System and CS
“Cannabinoids are reported to reduce sensory activity of isolated tissues, cause antihyperalgesia in animal studies of bladder inflammation, affect urodynamic parameters reflecting sensory functions in animal models, and appear to have effects on storage symptoms in humans.”

Cannabinoids and the endocannabinoid system in lower urinary tract function and dysfunction.
Hedlund P.
Neurourol Urodyn. 2013 Sep 23. doi: 10.1002/nau.22442. [Epub ahead of print]
PMID: 24285567 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

II. Integumentary System / Skin and CS
“Overall, these findings demonstrate that AEA [anandamide] induces cytotoxicity against human melanoma cells in the micromolar range of concentrations through a complex mechanism, which involves COX-2 and LOX-derived product synthesis and CB1 activation.”

Anticancer activity of anandamide in human cutaneous melanoma cells.
Adinolfi B, Romanini A, Vanni A, Martinotti E, Chicca A, Fogli S, Nieri P.
Eur J Pharmacol. 2013 Oct 15;718(1-3):154-9. doi: 10.1016/j.ejphar.2013.08.039. Epub 2013 Sep 13.
PMID: 24041928 [PubMed - in process]

III. Nervous System and CS
“This review will provide the reader with the foundational basic and clinical science linking the endocannabinoid system and the phytocannabinoids with their potentially therapeutic role in the management of chronic pain.”

The endocannabinoid system, cannabinoids and pain.
Fine PG, Rosenfeld MJ.
Rambam Maimonides Med J. 2013 Oct 29;4(4):e0022. doi: 10.5041/RMMJ.10129.
PMID: 24228165 [PubMed] Free PMC Article

IV. Central Nervous System / Autism and CS
“Our data indicate CB2 receptor as potential therapeutic target for the pharmacological management of the autism care.”

Cannabinoid receptor type 2, but not type 1, is up-regulated in peripheral blood mononuclear cells of children affected by autistic disorders.
Siniscalco D, Sapone A, Giordano C, Cirillo A, de Magistris L, Rossi F, Fasano A, Bradstreet JJ, Maione S, Antonucci N.
J Autism Dev Disord. 2013 Nov;43(11):2686-95. doi: 10.1007/s10803-013-1824-9.
PMID: 23585028 [PubMed - in process]

V. Circulatory and Lymphatic Systems / Bone Marrow and CS
“CBD may therefore recruit MSCs [mesenchymal stem cells] to sites of calcifying tissue regeneration and subsequently support bone regeneration via an osteoanabolic action on MSCs.”

Increase of mesenchymal stem cell migration by Cannabidiol via activation of p42/44 MAPK.
Schmuhl E, Ramer R, Salamon A, Peters K, Hinz B.
Biochem Pharmacol. 2013 Dec 1. pii: S0006-2952(13)00747-8. doi: 10.1016/j.bcp.2013.11.016. [Epub ahead of print]
PMID: 24304686 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

VI. Circulatory System and CS
“Cannabinoids also modulate the actions of vasoactive compounds including acetylcholine [nicotinic], methoxamine, angiotensin II and U46619 (thromboxane mimetic).”

Vascular targets for cannabinoids: animal and human studies.
Stanley C, O'Sullivan SE.
Br J Pharmacol. 2013 Dec 16. doi: 10.1111/bph.12560. [Epub ahead of print]
PMID: 24329566 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

VII. Dopamine System and CS
“Cannabinoids also increase dopamine release within the mesolimbic system, a neural pathway generally implicated in timing behavior.”

Cannabinoid receptor activation shifts temporally engendered patterns of dopamine release.
Oleson EB, Cachope R, Fitoussi A, Tsutsui K, Wu S, Gallegos JA, Cheer JF.
Neuropsychopharmacology. 2013 Dec 18. doi: 10.1038/npp.2013.340. [Epub ahead of print]
PMID: 24345819 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

~bwb~