Mental health symptom severity in cannabis using and non-using Veterans with probable PTSD.

BACKGROUND: Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is a disabling illness suffered by many Veterans returning from war. Some Veterans believe that cannabis may be therapeutic for PTSD. The purpose of this study was to better understand the association between cannabis use and PTSD symptoms. METHODS: The study was a matched case-control cross-sectional evaluation of the psychiatric and sociocultural associations of cannabis use in Veterans with probable PTSD. Patient self-report measures were examined comparing cannabis users (cases) to non-users (controls) who were case-matched on age and gender. RESULTS: Results indicated that there were no significant differences between cases and controls in mean PTSD Checklist-Civilian version (PCL-C) scores (59.2 and 59.1, respectively). There was also no association between PTSD scores and frequency of cannabis use. It was also observed that cases were more likely to be non-Caucasian, financially challenged, and unmarried. LIMITATIONS: The sample is a convenience sample of Veterans being referred for a clinical assessment and therefore, sampling biases may limit the generalizability of the results to other populations including Veterans not seeking health care in the Veterans Affairs (VA) system. CONCLUSIONS: The results do not support the theory that cannabis use would be associated with less severe PTSD symptoms. Results do suggest important sociocultural differences in cannabis users compared to controls.

Responsivity to two odorants, androstenone and amyl acetate, and the affective impact of odors on interpersonal relationships.

Substantial variation exists in the importance of olfaction in influencing individuals' preferences, yet the sources of this variation remain elusive. The authors explored responsivity to 2 odorants as 1 potential source. Participants (N = 258) completed the Affective Impact of Odor Scale and were assessed for responsivity to the putative human pheromone androstenone and amyl acetate. Results showed a significant relationship between odorant responsivity and self-reports of the influence of odors. People able to smell androstenone more commonly reported odors as having a negative effect on interpersonal relationships than did people anosmic to androstenone, whereas responsivity to amyl acetate was associated with positive effects of odors on relationships. Responsivity to certain odorants may be an important factor affecting human social interactions.

The effect of aerial parts of Echinacea on the circulating white cell levels and selected immune functions of the aging male Sprague-Dawley rat.

Echinacea is one of the most widely used over-the-counter herbal preparations that purport to "improve immune system function", especially when taken as a short course of therapy (6-8 weeks). Since many purchasers are older individuals, a double-blind, placebo-controlled study was performed to investigate whether Echinacea could affect total and differential white cell counts, phagocytic activity and interleukin (IL-2) levels in 12-month-old, healthy, male Sprague-Dawley rats when administered over an 8-week period. Echinacea (50 mg/kg of aerial parts) mixed with peanut butter or peanut butter alone was fed to 16 rats, which were receiving regular food and water ad libitum. Cell counts and immune functions were determined on rat tail vein blood on a weekly basis. Echinacea significantly increased circulating total white cell counts during the first 2 weeks of administration, and IL-2 levels during the final 5 weeks of the study period (p<0.05). Differential counts were altered during the entire 8-week study, with mononuclear cells significantly increased to the detriment of granulocytes (p<0.05). No such changes were observed in animals given peanut butter alone. No difference was observed in phagocytic function between animals given Echinacea or peanut butter alone. These studies suggest that aerial components of Echinacea affect both mononuclear cell levels and circulating IL-2 levels in older animals.

Copulatory patterns of primates as viewed in broad mammalian perspective.

The goals of this review are to classify the patterns of copulatory behavior displayed by various species of primates, to compare them to the patterns of nonprimate mammalian species, and to search for correlates of the various patterns. Copulatory patterns are classified in relation to the presence or absence of four defining attributes: a lock, thrusting during intromissions, multiple intromissions, and multiple ejaculations. Literature on copulation in 67 primate species is reviewed, and a tentative classification is proposed for 33 primate species. Although neither social organization nor genital morphology provides a fully satisfactory relationship, there are indications that variations in copulatory behavior are related to variations in genital morphology.