The prevalence of cannabis use disorders in people who use medicinal cannabis: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: The prevalence of cannabis use disorders (CUDs) in people who use cannabis recreationally has been estimated at 22%, yet there is a dearth of literature exploring CUDs among people who use medicinal cannabis. We aimed to systematically review the prevalence of CUDs in people who use medicinal cannabis. METHODS: In our systematic review and meta-analysis, we followed PRISMA guidelines and searched three databases (PsychInfo, Embase and PubMed) to identify studies examining the prevalence of CUDs in people who use medicinal cannabis. Meta-analyses were calculated on the prevalence of CUDs. Prevalence estimates were pooled across different prevalence periods using the DSM-IV and DSM-5. RESULTS: We conducted a systematic review of 14 eligible publications, assessing the prevalence of CUDs, providing data for 3681 participants from five different countries. The systematic review demonstrated that demographic factors, mental health disorders and the management of chronic pain with medicinal cannabis were associated with an elevated risk of CUDs. Meta-analyses were conducted on the prevalence of CUDs. For individuals using medicinal cannabis in the past 6-12 months, the prevalence of CUDs was 29% (95% CI: 21-38%) as per DSM-5 criteria. Similar prevalence was observed using DSM-IV (24%, CI: 14-38%) for the same period. When including all prevalence periods and using the DSM-5, the prevalence of CUDs in people who use medicinal cannabis was estimated at 25% (CI: 18-33%). CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of CUDs in people who use medicinal cannabis is substantial and comparable to people who use cannabis for recreational reasons, emphasizing the need for ongoing research to monitor the prevalence of CUDs in people who use medicinal cannabis.

How COVID-19 stole Christmas: How the pandemic shifted the calculus around social media Self-Disclosures.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, social media use increased significantly, and news media also reported increased levels of social shaming for behaviors that were now deemed high-risk for spreading or contracting the virus. This study examines how this pandemic-afflicted environment changed what and how individuals disclosed online during the 2020 holiday season. Using data collected at two time periods in December 2020 from Facebook and Instagram users, the data show that social calculus constructs comprise most of the significant predictors for online self-disclosure; evaluation apprehension is also a significant moderator. In a post-hoc analysis with 2019 disclosure data, this study finds that most of the significant predictors of behavior arise from privacy calculus, providing evidence of a shift in the salient predictors of online self-disclosure. The implications of this research to businesses and future research directions are discussed.

Inside out and outside in: How the COVID-19 pandemic affects self-disclosure on social media.

As social distancing and lockdown orders grew more pervasive, individuals increasingly turned to social media for support, entertainment, and connection to others. We posit that global health emergencies - specifically, the COVID-19 pandemic - change how and what individuals self-disclose on social media. We argue that IS research needs to consider how privacy (self-focused) and social (other-focused) calculus have moved some issues outside in (caused by a shift in what is considered socially appropriate) and others inside out (caused by a shift in what information should be shared for the public good). We identify a series of directions for future research that hold potential for furthering our understanding of online self-disclosure and its factors during health emergencies.

Postnatal knockout of beta cell insulin receptor impaired insulin secretion in male mice exposed to high-fat diet stress.

The presence of insulin receptor (IR) on insulin-secreting beta cells suggests an autocrine regulatory role for insulin in its own signalling. Congenital beta cell-specific IR knockout (ßIRKO) mouse studies have demonstrated the development of age-dependent glucose intolerance. We investigated the role of beta cell IR signalling specifically during postnatal life following undisturbed prenatal pancreatic development and maturation. We utilized a tamoxifen-inducible mouse insulin 1 promoter (MIP) driven Cre recombinase IR knockout mouse model (MIP-ßIRKO) to achieve partial knockout of IR in islets and determine the functional role of beta cell IR in adult mice fed a control normal diet (ND) or 60% high-fat diet (HFD). At 24 weeks of age, MIP-ßIRKO ND mice maintained glucose tolerance, insulin release, and unchanged beta cell mass when compared to control ND mice. In contrast, 24-week-old MIP-ßIRKO mice demonstrated significant glucose intolerance and lower insulin release after 18 weeks of HFD feeding. A reduction in beta cell soluble N-ethylmaleimide-sensitive factor attachment protein receptor (SNARE) protein expression, phosphorylated AktS473 and P70S6K1T389, and glucose transporter 2 (GLUT2) expression were also identified in MIP-ßIRKO HFD islets. Overall, the postnatal knockout of beta cell IR in HFD-fed mice resulted in decreased expression of beta cell glucose-sensing and exocytotic proteins and a reduction in intracellular signalling. These findings highlight that IR expression in the adult islet is required to maintain beta cell function under hyperglycemic stress.

Ambient-temperature co-digestion of low-solids municipal and industrial waste mixtures: Insights from molecular analyses.

The performance of ambient temperature anaerobic co-digestion was investigated for mixtures of six substrates: canned tomato and salsa waste, portable toilet waste, septic tank waste, winery waste, beer and cider waste, and fats, oils, and grease (FOG). Laboratory semi-continuous reactor studies and molecular biological analyses revealed that beer/winery, and tomato/FOG/winery/beer mixtures resulted in the best performance in terms of biogas production (515 and 371 mL CH4/g VS, respectively) and methanogenic populations. A portable toilet/septage mixture resulted in the overall poorest performance and inhibition of microbial activity was evident. Average methane content was ~70% for all mixtures tested. The findings of this study reveal that healthy methanogen populations were present, further supporting the feasibility of biogas production via the novel feedstock mixtures in ambient temperature lagoons. Implications: Disposal of septic tank waste and other high chemical oxygen demand (COD) 10 industrial food processing waste at a small wastewater treatment plant is uncommon, because it can upset the treatment process and requires additional power for treatment. Ambient-temperature covered lagoon digesters can be an alternative low-cost technology for co-digestion of these recalcitrant waste streams while generating bioenergy. The results of this study demonstrated that there is potential for implementation of unheated covered lagoon digester systems 15 for conversion of liquid wastes for production of renewable biomethane while eliminating the need to treat these wastes at a wastewater treatment plant.