Review of the effects of Cannabis on mental and physiological functions: justification for an intensive and comprehensive programme for the health of the Caribbean people

This paper draws on scientific work done in the English-speaking Caribbean in an attempt to assess the specific effects of the chronic use of Cannabis on psychological and physiological processess. Evidence is reviewed concerning the interaction of this psychotomimetic compound on cognitive functioning and the possible sequelae of altered mental states giving rise to psychopathology. The physiological work evaluates studies relating to Cannabis smoke and lung function. In addition, the work reveals some exciting findings of the impact of Cannabis on the reproductive process. The implications of these findings are discussed in view of our knowledge of the chronic use of Cannabis in Jamaica, and focusses attention on the long-term effects of this substance in the context of the abusing population

Test for autonomic function to establish the norm: a useful tool for evaluation in various clinical disorders

Little information is available regarding the responses of the Jamaica population to the Valsalva manoeuvre (VM), a test to investigate the integrity of the autonomic nervous system (ANS). This study is aimed at investigating the cardiac automonic control in the Jamaican population, to explore the range of responses and to establish the norm. Such an explorative investigation provides an important tool to uncover autonomic dysfunction in psychosomatic, cardiopulmonary, metabolic and neural disorders. Fifity male and fifty female Jamaicans, who were apparently healthy and did not indulge in any drug use and smoking, are asked to perform the VM in a semirecumbent position. A tachograph (Grass model) and standard electrocardiographic leads are used for the graphic presentation of the subjects' beat-to-beat heart changes. The Valsava ratio (VR) is calculated by dividing maximum tachicardia and maximum bradicardia during the VM. The mean VR for the female (2.41 ñ 0.18) is greater than for the male (1.63 ñ 0.27) p < 0.001). Female subjects exhibit a higher basal hearth rate (88 ñ 6 as aginst 77 ñ 7 in the male) and a greater magnitude of bradycardia (33 as against 4 in the male). The values for VR are above the minimum of 1.5 proposed in the literature. Relatice roles of the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems may differ in the male and the female subjects, thus accounting for a higher VR in the female. This test is simple, safe, noninvasive and reproducible and is useful to detect the abnormal autonomic function in various conditions, including states of pregnancy and stress

Effect of hippocampal lesion on estrus cycle and estrus activity in rats.

Dorsal hippocampal lesions in adult female rats leads to alteration in the estrus cycle with preponderance of estrus phase. The activity of the animals after the lesion increases, but it remains coupled with post lesion estrus cycle.

Influence of stress on oxygen consumption and rectal temperature in parabiotic albino rats.

Stress can alter the functional status of the animal through a chain of complex interactions. In this work, influence of stress on oxygen consumption and rectal temperature was studied in parabiotic albino rats, to show the possibility of involvement of humoral factors. Stress has resulted in fall in rectal temperature and increase or decrease in oxygen consumption even when one animal of the pair was subjected to stress, suggesting involvement of humoral factor(s).

Interaction of allylisothiocyanate with bovine serum albumin.

The interaction of allylisothiocyanate with bovine serum albumin was monitored by fluorescence titration. The interaction was weak with an apparent association constant of 2 × 102. The interaction was unaffected in the pH range of 5·0 to 8·3 and by NaCl. However, the addition of dioxane upto 4% increased the value of the association constant. N-Methyl bovine serum albumin and bovine serum albumin with sulphydryl groups blocked had the same affinity for allylisothiocyanate suggesting that amino and sulphydryl groups may not be involved in the interaction. Polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and estimation of available lysine suggested that there were perhaps two types of groups involved in the interaction of allylisothiocyanate with bovine serum albumin.