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Title: Smoking marijuana is dangerous. It can dull the brain of HIV patients
Source:
Hindustan Times
URL Source: http://www.hindustantimes.com/fitne ... ry-O6lrToP5OqjKa5IOMLLSWK.html
Published: Nov 2, 2017
Author: Staff
Post Date: 2017-11-07 06:46:40 by Gatlin
Keywords: None
Views: 1038
Comments: 16
A new study has showed that more frequent current marijuana use is associated with a measure of cognitive dysfunction. Weed smokers, beware. Previous studies have already linked smoking up to psychological problems and increased risk of stroke and heart failure. Now, a new study has linked marijuana use with cognitive dysfunction in people with HIV infection who have an alcohol or other drug use disorder. While researchers at Boston University School of Public Health (BUSPH), Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM), and Boston Medical Center (BMC) did not detect effects of lifetime cumulative exposure, the study showed that more frequent current marijuana use was associated with a measure of cognitive dysfunction on the Medical Outcomes Study HIV Health Survey cognitive function scale. Co-author Richard Saitz noted that people with HIV infection have many reasons to have cognitive dysfunction, from the virus itself to medications for HIV infection and related conditions, particularly as they age. “They also have symptoms like chronic pain and mental health symptoms, and use of marijuana, medically or recreationally, may seem like an option to consider. But at least among people with substance use disorders, it appears to have detrimental effects on cognitive function.” “Few, if any, studies have examined the combined effects that alcohol use and marijuana use may have on cognition in PLWH,” the authors wrote. “Such an understanding could contribute to efforts to reduce harmful substance use and prevent clinical consequences, particularly in an era in which ‘moderate’ drinking is at times discussed in terms of possible beneficial effects, and in which marijuana is discussed as a relatively safe and even therapeutic substance.” The researchers conducted cross-sectional regression analyses on 215 HIV-infected adults diagnosed with substance disorder, based on the current Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (fourth edition). There were no effects detected of alcohol or past marijuana exposure on cognitive function, nor did there appear to be any evidence for synergistic effects on cognition. Furthermore, neither alcohol nor marijuana appeared to affect simple tests of memory or attention. The authors postulated that such effects were not detected, even though they are expected at the least with heavy alcohol use, because of multiple other exposures and comorbid health conditions that participants had. The study is published in Substance Abuse.
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Begin Trace Mode for Comment # 15.
#6. To: Gatlin (#0)
Not a large enough sample to be conclusive. HIV often involves mental decline even without using recreational drugs. It's a bogus study. A lot of HIV studies are bogus.
what makes you an expert to determine this?
Just reading. Here's one. NYPost, 2013: Professor admits faking AIDS vaccine to get $19M in grants Then you have the faked twin studies and the studies about a genetic cause of homosexuality by dissecting diseased AIDS patients (less than a hundred as I recall), etc.
On the other hand, I do find it interesting that: I also find this linked listing of observational studies and clinical trials to be very interesting. All studies and trials are related to the research effort to cure HIV i infection, mainly derived from the clinicaltrials.gov online registry. I would call these listings a lot of positive studies and trials. None can be called bogus that I see….do you see any bogus ones?
QuackWatch: AIDS-Related Quackery and Fraud
There are no replies to Comment # 15. End Trace Mode for Comment # 15.
Top • Page Up • Full Thread • Page Down • Bottom/LatestThe researchers conducted cross-sectional regression analyses on 215 HIV-infected adults diagnosed with substance disorder, based on the current Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (fourth edition).
#8. To: Tooconservative (#6)
A lot of HIV studies are bogus.
#12. To: Gatlin (#8)
#14. To: Tooconservative, A K A Stone (#12)
A lot of HIV studies [trials] are bogus.
I would need to know how you categorize a lot before I could ever begin to agree with you. 
#15. To: Gatlin (#14)
Replies to Comment # 15.
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