Readable research linked to original sources
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Browse normalized, publication-ready research with direct links to its evidence and source.
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Readable research linked to original sources
Browse normalized, publication-ready research with direct links to its evidence and source.
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Readable research linked to original sources
Browse normalized, publication-ready research with direct links to its evidence and source.
71 articles
Newest firstIntroduction Cannabis is one of the most widely used psychoactive substances and is associated with negative consequences affecting physical and mental health, cognition, quality of life, functional outcomes, employment, and interpersonal relationships. The impact of cannabis use varies between individuals and is not necessarily related to consumption quantity or frequency. This variability underscores the importa…
Open article record in new tab ↗Purpose The global burden of chronic health conditions is significant. Medicinal cannabis (MC) is a legalised treatment option for patients with chronic health conditions in some countries. Health-related quality of life (HRQL) is an important patient-reported outcome across all chronic health conditions. We aimed to determine how studies of MC therapy justify, measure, and report HRQL, and assess the current evid…
Background Opioids are the mainstay of cancer-related pain management but are limited by adverse effects and clinical complexity. Cannabinoids have been proposed as adjunctive, opioid-sparing agents, yet their impact on opioid consumption in cancer patients remains uncertain. Methods This systematic review and meta-analysis was conducted according to PRISMA 2020 guidelines and registered in PROSPERO (CRD4202511759…
Background Epidemiological evidence suggests associations between substance use disorders and risk of stroke, but whether these are due to confounding or are true causal relationships remains uncertain. Aims To meta-analyze the observational evidence on illicit substance use and stroke risk and apply Mendelian randomization (MR) to evaluate potential causal effects of substance dependence on stroke subtypes. Metho…
Open article record in new tab ↗BackgroundSubstance use initiation in adolescence is influenced by both genetic and environmental factors; however, large-scale genetic studies often treat initiation as a binary outcome and underuse longitudinal timing information. MethodsWe conducted time-to-event (survival) genome-wide association analyses (GWAS) of initiation for four outcomes--alcohol, nicotine, cannabis, and any substance use--using longitud…
Open article record in new tab ↗BackgroundHuman papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination is a key strategy for cervical cancer elimination. In Cameroon, HPV vaccine was introduced into the expanded program on immunization in 2020. However, synthesized evidence on vaccine acceptability is needed to guide policy. This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to estimate the pooled prevalence of HPV vaccine awareness, willingness to vaccinate, recommendat…
Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in ESKAPE pathogens represents a major global health threat. Although these organisms are well established as causes of healthcare-associated infections, aquatic environments may function as reservoirs and transmission pathways for resistance. This systematic review aimed to estimate the prevalence of AMR in ESKAPE pathogens isolated from water and wastewater and to compare resistanc…
Chronic pain is increasingly conceptualized within a stress-related framework. However, it remains unclear whether chronic pain and prototypical stress-related conditions—such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)—share common neurobiological substrates. To this end, we conducted a pre-registered transdiagnostic meta-analytic study of gray matter volume alterations in chronic pain (60 studies) and PTSD (20 stud…
Open article record in new tab ↗Objective Cannabinoids, present in Cannabis sativa, modulate the signaling and receptor expression of the endocannabinoid system (ECS), potentially impacting various skin conditions. However, current evaluations of their clinical effectiveness remain largely descriptive. This study aimed to quantitatively assess the effectiveness of cannabinoids, including Cannabis sativa extracts, in treating dermatologic disorde…
Background Cannabis is one of the most commonly used drugs globally, although its legal status varies across regions. Public support for its decriminalization has increased, but gaps in our understanding of the health consequences of cannabis use remain, particularly related to its impact on mental health. This article provides an updated systematic review and meta-analysis (previous being Lev-Ran et al., ) lookin…
Open article record in new tab ↗Background Ischemic stroke is an acute neurological disorder with limited treatment options. Medical cannabinoids (MCs), primary bioactive compounds extracted from cannabis plants, have shown therapeutic prospects for ischemic stroke. This study integrates bibliometrics and meta-analysis to comprehensively summarize the research landscape of MCs in cerebral ischemia and thoroughly investigate their role and potent…
Open article record in new tab ↗Background Rates of suicide mortality and substance use have increased globally. We updated and extended existing systematic reviews of the association between substance use and suicide. Methods This systematic review and meta-analysis explored the association between substance use and suicide mortality in peer reviewed, longitudinal cohort studies published from 2003 through 2024. Risk of bias was assessed using…
Open article record in new tab ↗Purpose of the review As cancer survival rates are increasing, alternative treatments to improve quality of life, such as cannabinoids, are gaining attention. Although cannabinoids are widely used to manage cancer-related symptoms, clear guidelines are lacking. This systematic review and meta-analysis assessed the safety and efficacy of cannabinoids in the management of symptoms among cancer patients. The study pr…
Open article record in new tab ↗As a wide group of medicines, the effectiveness and safety of 'medical cannabis' products is likely to vary in relation to product-specific dimensions such as potency, dosage, route of administration, and cannabinoid composition. Systematic reviews can perform a crucial role in analysing and synthesising the outcomes of medical cannabis interventions found in empirical research. We analysed 23 contemporary systema…
Open article record in new tab ↗Cannabis use is highly prevalent in people with schizophrenia and is related to adverse clinical outcomes, including relapse and hospitalization. However, the relationship between cannabis and suicide remains inconclusive. This study aimed to systematically review and meta-analyze the relationship between cannabis use and suicide-related outcomes in people with schizophrenia. A comprehensive search of Medline, Emb…
Open article record in new tab ↗Background Growing bodies of evidence suggest that cannabis may play a significant role in both oncological palliative care and as a direct anticarcinogenic agent, but classification as a Schedule I substance has complicated research into its therapeutic potential, leaving the state of research scattered and heterogeneous. This meta-analysis was conducted to determine the scientific consensus on medical cannabis'…
Open article record in new tab ↗There is consistent evidence that brief interventions can be effective in preventing and reducing alcohol use, but support for their effects on illicit drug use is more limited. This meta-analysis expands prior research by testing whether brief drug interventions (BDIs) delivered in general medical settings reduce cannabis consumption and severity across post-intervention follow-up periods and explores potential h…
Open article record in new tab ↗Background Reviews on cannabis use have been conducted in high-income countries, but limited data exist in Sub-Saharan Africa. In Nigeria, cannabis use is widespread, but systematic reviews summarizing the available data to generate robust evidence that can facilitate interventions have not been conducted. This systematic review and meta-analysis synthesized results from studies highlighting the patterns, prevalen…
Open article record in new tab ↗Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a pervasive neurodegenerative disorder characterized by chronic neuroinflammation; current interventions primarily offer symptomatic relief. Cannabidiol (CBD), a non-psychoactive phytocannabinoid, exhibits multi-target therapeutic potential due to its established anti-inflammatory and neuroprotective properties. While growing interest exists, the evidence regarding CBD's effects on AD-r…
Open article record in new tab ↗BackgroundPostoperative delirium (POD) is a frequent and severe complication associated with increased morbidity, mortality, and healthcare costs. Effective preoperative risk stratification is crucial for prevention. The C-reactive protein/albumin ratio (CAR), an accessible biomarker that reflects both systemic inflammation and nutritional status, shows promise for POD prediction. However, the overall diagnostic p…