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A Rare Case Of Acute Pancreatitis Associated With Cannabinoids Consumption, Mays Abdulazeez, Michael Perez, Alejandro Hidalgo Parada, Rani Rabah, Greity Dominguez, Rowel Perez Vargas, Jose Cano, Jesus Garza-Tamez, Sunand Kallumadanda

Research Symposium

Introduction: Acute pancreatitis is an inflammatory condition of the pancreas characterized by abdominal pain and elevated levels of pancreatic enzymes in the blood. Acute pancreatitis is a leading gastrointestinal cause of hospitalization in the United States. Several conditions are associated with acute pancreatitis, of which gallstones and chronic alcohol use disorder account for approximately two-thirds of the cases. Others, including smoking, hypertriglyceridemia, infections, trauma, drugs, malignancy, scorpion stings, hypercalcemia, endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP), opioids, angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors, macrolides, diuretics, statins, and cannabis have also been associated with acute pancreatitis. Cannabis is the most widely used recreational drug worldwide, with …

A Case Of Cannabis Smoking Induced Leukocytosis, Ramiro A. Rodriguez Jr., Rukayat Akande, Nevin Varghese

Research Colloquium

Background: Leukocytosis relates to infections, malignancies, stress response, and multiple intoxicants. Like other intoxicants, cannabis smoking can result in a persistent leukocytosis. Here we report a case of cannabis-induced leukocytosis.

Case Presentation: A 20-year-old Hispanic female with a history of anxiety disorder presented with 3-days of nausea, vomiting, and colicky abdominal pain. She endorsed heavy marijuana smoking as self-medication and compulsive hot showers for symptom relief. She was admitted for oral intake intolerance, concerning for cannabis hyperemesis syndrome. Her history demonstrated multiple admission for cannabis hyperemesis syndrome during which she demonstrated a leukocytosis which improved with abstinence of marijuana. Her …

Characterization Of Childhood Trauma, Hippocampal Mediation And Cannabis Use In A Large Dataset Of Psychosis And Non-Psychosis Individuals, Elisabetta C. Del Re, Walid Yassin, Victor Zeng, Sarah Keedy, Ney Alliey-Rodriguez, Elena Ivleva, Scott Hill, Nicole Rychagov, Jennifer E. Mcdowell, Jeffrey R. Bishop

School of Medicine Publications and Presentations

Background

Cannabis use (CA) and childhood trauma (CT) independently increase the risk of earlier psychosis onset; but their interaction in relation to psychosis risk and association with endocannabinoid-receptor rich brain regions, i.e. the hippocampus (HP), remains unclear. The objective was to determine whether lower age of psychosis onset (AgePsyOnset) is associated with CA and CT through mediation by the HP volumes, and genetic risk, as measured by schizophrenia polygene scores (SZ-PGRS).

Methods

Cross-sectional, case-control, multicenter sample from 5 metropolitan US regions. Participants (n = 1185) included 397 controls not affected by psychosis (HC); 209 participants with bipolar disorder type-1; …

A Narrative Review Of The Lesser Known Medications For Treatment Of Restless Legs Syndrome And Pathogenetic Implications For Their Use, Paul Gerardo Yeh, Karen Spruyt, Lourdes M. Delrosso, Arthur S. Walters

Physician Assistant Studies Faculty Publications and Presentations

Background: There are several well-known treatments for Restless Legs Syndrome (RLS), including dopamine agonists (pramipexole, ropinirole, rotigotine), anticonvulsants (gabapentin and its analogs, pregabalin), oral or intravenous iron, opioids and benzodiazepines. However, in clinical practice, treatment is sometimes limited due to incomplete response or side effects and it is necessary to be aware of other treatment options for RLS, which is the purpose of this review.

Methods: We performed a narrative review detailing all of the lesser known pharmacological treatment literature on RLS. The review purposefully excludes well-established, well-known treatments for RLS which are widely accepted as treatments for …

The Impact Of Poly-Traumatization On Treatment Outcomes In Young People With Substance Use Disorders, Sidsel Karsberg, Morten Hesse, Michael Mulbjerg Pedersen, Ruby Charak, Mads Uffe Pedersen

Psychological Science Faculty Publications and Presentations

Background: It is believed that clients with psychological trauma experiences have a poor prognosis with regard to treatment participation and outcomes for substance use disorders. However, knowledge on the effect of the number of trauma experiences is scarce.

Methods: Using data from drug use disorder (DUD) treatment in Denmark, we assessed the impact of having experienced multiple potentially traumatic experiences on DUD treatment efficacy. Baseline and follow-up data from 775 young participants (mean age = 20.2 years, standard deviation = 2.6) recruited at nine treatment centers were included in analyses.

Results: Analyses showed that participants who were exposed multiple trauma …

Verbal Memory Performance And Reduced Cortical Thickness Of Brain Regions Along The Uncinate Fasciculus In Young Adult Cannabis Users, Nina Levar, Alan N. Francis, Matthew J. Smith, Wilson C. Ho, Jodi M. Gilman

School of Medicine Publications and Presentations

Introduction: Memory impairment is one of the most commonly reported effects of cannabis use, especially among those who initiate use earlier, perhaps due to the effects of delta-9- tetrahydrocannabinol on cannabinoid (CB1) receptors in the brain. Studies have increasingly investigated whether cannabis use is associated with impairments in verbal memory, and with alterations in brain structures underlying verbal memory. The uncinate fasciculus (UF), a long-range white matter tract, connects regions with densely localized CB1 receptors that are important in verbal memory. This study investigated the impact of cannabis use on UF structures and its association with memory performance in young …

The Genetic Basis Of The Comorbidity Between Cannabis Use And Major Depression, Karen Hodgson, Laura Almasy, Emma E. M. Knowles, Jack W. Kent Jr., Joanne E. Curran, Thomas D. Dyer, Harald H. H. Goring, Rene L. Olvera, Mary D. Woolsey, Ravindranath Duggirala, Peter T. Fox, John Blangero, David C. Glahn

School of Medicine Publications and Presentations

Background and aims—While the prevalence of major depression is elevated amongst cannabis users, the role of genetics in this pattern of comorbidity is not clear. This study aimed to estimate the heritability of cannabis use and major depression, quantify the genetic overlap between these two traits, and localize regions of the genome that segregate in families with cannabis use and major depression.

Design—Family-based univariate and bivariate genetic analysis.

Setting—San Antonio, Texas, USA

Participants—Genetics of Brain Structure and Function study (GOBS) participants: 1,284 Mexican-Americans from 75 large multi-generation families and an additional 57 genetically unrelated spouses.

Measurements …