Knowledge and Perceptions of PharmD Students on Opioid Use and Misuse.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to measure the knowledge and perceptions of the student pharmacists toward opioid use and misuse. METHODS: This survey included student pharmacists from the first, second, and third years who participated voluntarily and anonymously. Differences in knowledge and perceptions among participants' responses were analyzed by comparing responses using the χ2 test. RESULTS: A total of 138 student pharmacists participated in the survey. All 3 class years reported that the most common age for opioid abuse and addiction is 18-25 years. The top reasons for opioid misuse were identified as easy access to drugs (82%), health conditions (85%), lack of knowledge (83%), and experimentation (82%). Over half of the students believed that healthcare providers, pharmaceutical companies, friends, and the community all have a shared responsibility in addressing opioid misuse. The majority of the student pharmacists also believed that education is the most effective way to combat opioid misuse. CONCLUSION: The student pharmacists at the University of Maryland Eastern Shore School of Pharmacy had a strong understanding of the dangers of opioid misuse. They identified 18-25 years as the age range most susceptible to opioid misuse. They also identified the most common reasons for opioid misuse, with some disagreement about whether prescription pills or street drugs were the main cause. However, the majority of students agreed that education is the most effective way to address opioid misuse. These findings highlight the need for ongoing education and awareness about the risks of opioid misuse and the role of education in addressing this public health crisis.

Cannabis Unveiled: An Exploration of Marijuana's History, Active Compounds, Effects, Benefits, and Risks on Human Health.

Marijuana, also known as cannabis, is a psychoactive drug that comes from the Cannabis plant. Marijuana can be smoked, vaporized, or consumed through edibles in a variety of ways. Perception changes, changes in mood, and problems with coordination are all possible side effects. Marijuana is used for both recreational and medical purposes to treat a variety of health conditions. The literature review on the effects of marijuana on the human body has increased in recent years as more states legalize its use. It is important to investigate the benefits and harmful effects of marijuana on individuals due to the widespread use of cannabis-derived substances like marijuana for medical, recreational, and combined purposes. The paper will review different aspects of marijuana in 4 main domains. A thorough discussion of marijuana's definition, history, mechanism of action, pharmacokinetics, and effects on human cells will be given in the first domain. The second domain will concentrate on marijuana's negative effects, while the third domain will look at marijuana's possible positive impacts, such as its usage in controlling multiple sclerosis, treating obesity, lowering social anxiety, and managing pain. The fourth domain will concentrate on marijuana's effects on anxiety, educational attainment, and social consequences. Additionally, this paper also will provide a highlight of the history of marijuana use and governmental legislation, both of which play a significant role in determining how the public views marijuana. In conclusion, this paper provides a comprehensive review of marijuana's effects, which may be of interest to a large readership. This review adds to the continuing discussion about the use of marijuana by analyzing the data that is currently available about the possible advantages and disadvantages of marijuana usage.

Pharmacy Students' Knowledge, Attitudes, and Awareness Toward Marijuana Use.

Introduction: The aim of this study was to assess the knowledge, attitudes, and awareness of pharmacy students toward marijuana use. Methods: Pharmacy students were asked to complete a survey that assess students' knowledge, attitudes, and awareness toward marijuana use. This study also compared students' awareness about the harmful effects of marijuana in comparing with alcohol and smoking tobacco. Participants were asked about the possibilities of marijuana-induced cancer and addiction. Results: Twenty-three percent of pharmacy students reported having used marijuana at some point in their lives. In comparison with tobacco and alcohol, most of the students agreed that tobacco (49%) and alcohol (42%) are more harmful than marijuana (P < .0001). More than sixty percent of students considered marijuana as an addictive substance (P < .02). A 45% of students opposed the possibility of marijuana-induced cancer. Thirty-six percent of the students agreed that marijuana should be legalized for both medical and recreational use with a similar percentage of the students (30 - 32%) believed that marijuana should be legalized for medical use only. Conclusion: With the prevalence of marijuana use and discrepancy among pharmacy students' responses regarding knowledge, attitudes, and awareness pharmacy schools need to adopt educational activities about the benefits and risks of marijuana.

Skin capillary density changes in normal pregnancy and pre-eclampsia.

BACKGROUND: Many abnormalities are known to occur in the microcirculation in essential hypertension, including reduction in capillary density or rarefaction. Peripheral vasodilatation and angiogenesis are critical components of the physiological adaptation in normal pregnancy. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the hypothesis that defective angiogenesis, reflected in capillary rarefaction, may be implicated in the clinical syndrome of pre-eclampsia. METHODS: We used intravital capillary video-microscopy to study functional (baseline) and structural (after maximization with venous congestion) skin capillary density in 22 healthy normotensive pregnant women and compared our findings with those in 22 non-pregnant age-matched healthy controls and 11 women whose pregnancies were complicated by pre-eclampsia. RESULTS: We found that both functional and structural capillary density increased during normal pregnancy. Capillary density in pre-eclamptic women was significantly lower both at baseline and after maximization. Skin capillary density appeared to be inversely correlated with blood pressure during pregnancy and in pre-eclampsia. CONCLUSIONS: A low capillary density may account, in part, for the failure of blood pressure to decrease in pre-eclamptic pregnancies, and may reflect the maladaptive cardiovascular response that is part of the pre-eclampsia syndrome.