Class to explore medical, physiological benefits, risks of cannabis, cannabinoids

UC Davis undergraduate students can now enroll in a new science course that examines the physiological effects of cannabis on major organ systems in humans. Physiology of Cannabis (HPH 115) will provide students with an intensive overview of the health benefits and risks associated with medical and recreational marijuana usage.

The UC Davis School of Medicine faculty designed the course with the intention of educating biology, physiology or pre-med students on the effects of cannabis on the human body.

“The goal of the class is to give all of the students a very detailed understanding of how cannabis send signals in the nervous system and how they control cardiac and respiratory systems,” said Luis Fernando-Santana, the chair of the Department of Physiology and Membrane Biology at the UC Davis School of Medicine. “By understanding how that works, students will have a better understanding of how cannabis as a medical or recreational drug will impact our lives.”

Cannabis is often used to treat chronic pain and alleviate the effects of chemotherapy, according to Santana. However, the plant is often regulated and not easily accessible in every state. Medical use of marijuana is currently legal in 28 states, and recreational use is legal in eight states, including the District of Columbia.

Following the ratification of Proposition 64 in November 2016, which legalized recreational use of marijuana in California, the UC Davis School of Medicine faculty members pushed the notion of designing a class centered on the study of cannabis.

“With marijuana being approved for medical purposes in multiple states and recently with the vote in California that approved the use of marijuana for recreational purposes, we felt that it was imperative that we train our students and eventually offer courses to the general public,” Satana said.

Students enrolled in Physiology of Cannabis will analyze cannabinoids such as tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), chemical compounds secreted by cannabis plants that alleviate pain, nausea and inflammation. The class will also explore the natural cannabinoids produced by human bodies (endocannabinoids) and dangerous, man-made chemical analogs that mirror the effects of cannabis (synthetic cannabinoids).

Yu-Fung Lin, an associate professor at the UC Davis School of Medicine and the course instructor, hopes that the class will enhance students’ scientific perspectives on cannabis.

“I think it is important that we provide the opportunity to educate students about what cannabis and cannabinoids are in terms of their mechanisms and evaluate the current literature on the potential risks associated with it,” Lin said.

The Department of Physiology and Membrane Biology is currently in the works of designing a cannabis class for UC Davis medical school students, which will have a stronger emphasis on the plant’s medical relevance. In upcoming years, faculty at the School of Medicine hope to design a cannabis course intended for students of any major.

Carson Moss, a fourth-year neurobiology, physiology and behavior major, commended the School of Medicine for providing undergraduates with the opportunity to explore more focused interests.

“Ideas about the recreational and medical purposes of marijuana should be formed around facts,” Moss said. “I think educating people on topics such as this is one of the best approaches we have for these controversial topics. […] Perhaps something like this would lead to better research in the future, as well.”

Physiology of Cannabis is one of the only undergraduate courses in the nation that will intensively emphasize the study of cannabis and cannabinoids, according to Santana. As medical and recreational marijuana laws continue to adjust over time, other universities may follow in UC Davis’ footsteps.

“It’s very likely that medical and recreational marijuana will expand their presences in the United States,” Santana said. “We need to prepare professionals for it.”
Written by: Emma Sadlowski — science@theaggie.org

Collaborative project will provide a cleaner, healthier Arboretum

The thick, green Arboretum waterway is a thing of the past thanks to UC Davis professors and Arboretum staff who are launching exciting new programs to improve water health.

Andrew Fulks, the assistant director of the UC Davis Arboretum and Public Garden, is in charge of a program that will launch Feb. 27. According to Fulks, the Arboretum waterway is used as a campus stormwater drainage system and has been maintained in that sense, but not with regard to water health.

“The waterway historically has not had anybody taking care of it from a biological standpoint,” Fulks said.

The Arboretum waterway is naturally inclined to have the infamous green appearance due to environmental factors.

“In terms of how the system functions, its functioning exactly how we would expect when you have [a body of water with] solar exposure in the central valley that is stagnant,” Fulks said. “It is going to naturally grow algae.”

However, Fulks and his team have devised a plan to create a waterway that is healthy and clean.

“We needed to be able to move that water, the input source, all the way to the east end,” Fulks said. “And in order to create flow we had to have elevation change, so the elevation change is going to be these new concrete weirs and they will provide a small drop, enough to keep the water flowing.”

Their vision for the waterway would not only make the water flow, but also change the functionality of the waterway, hopefully garnering more public engagement and making it more wildlife-friendly.

There are also plans to hire an overseer and to change the banks to encourage more biodiversity. The project is expected to be completed over the course of four years in four phases, but that may change as the project advances.

Fulk encourages students to get involved, whether by coming out to watch the construction scheduled to start at the end of this month, or by getting involved in internships offered through the Arboretum.

“We are going to have a student internship […] those students will be working on designing and implementing the restoration of the banks in between the weirs,” Fulks said.

Working with Fulks is Randy Dahlgren, a distinguished professor of soil science who strives to connect the worlds of science research and education. Dahlgren has put together a group of UC Davis undergraduate interns.

“We are learning about water quality, we are learning real world skills that are important in the job, we are learning something of international important because we have waterways like this all over the developing world and in many developed areas,” Dahlgren said.

Dahlgren has worked on similar waterways in China, where he still conducts research.

“One of the things I have been doing for several years in China is looking at these nasty waterways that have no oxygen in them, life if very limited,” Dahlgren said. “[…] One of the things we starting working on there was doing a wetland restoration […] and once we got it done I went, ‘Wow, that’s the same as the Arboretum at UC Davis that I can sample on my bicycle in 30 minutes,’ so it came together for me.”

Dahlgren ran a group internship in Fall Quarter, and will offer one again in the spring in which students collect samples that provide Fulks’ team with feedback on their progress with the waterway.

“This is an opportunity for us to provide information to the restoration people on whether what they’re doing is having any value, so that’s something you often don’t know for quite a few years after you do restoration,” Dahlgren said.

Dahlgren believes that this is crucial for connecting what students learn in the classroom to real life experiences, and he hopes to have many more of these kinds of internships all over campus.

Sue Eebler, the associate dean for undergraduate academic programs in the College of Agriculture and Environmental Science and a professor of viticulture and enology, believes the project is important to the students and campus.

“It’s an experience that we value,” Eebler said. “Students are not only able to get that hands on experience, but see that right away that things that they do have an impact on their community and their surroundings.”

With the launch of this project, the Arboretum waterway that meanders through the campus has now become a symbol of UC Davis professors, students and campus staffs’ ingenuity.

“This campus is student-run and this [project] is just an extension of that,” Fulks said.
Written by: Emma Askea — science@theaggie.org

NASA scientists conduct research at McLaughlin Natural Reserve

Since the beginning of modern astronomical research, the possibility of life on other planets has been a topic of peak interest. With the goal of looking into the processes that make life possible on our planet, a group of NASA scientists have been working on a research project at the McLaughlin Natural Reserve.

The McLaughlin Natural Reserve, operated under UC Davis, is one of the 39 reserves that exist under the UC Natural Reserve System.

“The UC Natural Reserve System is a network of natural areas around California that have been set aside and protected so that people can do research, learn about natural systems and help address environmental issues,” said Kathleen Wong, principal publications coordinator at the UC Natural Reserve System.

The UC Natural Reserve system consists of a wide range of natural areas including the Bodega Marine Reserve, the Jepson Prairie Reserve, McLaughlin Natural Reserve and many more. Within these reserves, a variety of people from different institutions and universities come together to participate in various research projects.

“[The reserves] are a library of ecosystems that the University of California makes available to both students and faculty, but also the general public,” Wong said.

While McLaughlin Natural Reserve and other reserves in California are primarily utilized for research projects, one of the UC Natural Reserve System’s goals is to educate the public about nature and the world around them.

At McLaughlin Natural Reserve specifically, there are around 50 ongoing research projects. One of the most notable projects is the hunt for conditions on Earth that can be comparable to those on other planets in our solar system.

A group of NASA scientists, including Tori Hoehler, a research scientist at NASA Ames Research Center, have taken advantage of the rich serpentine soils in McLaughlin to study the types of organisms that grow there.

“The rocks [at McLaughlin Natural Reserve] undergo a process called serpentinization: a reaction between the rocks and water. This same process of serpentinization yields fluids that are rich in things like hydrogen that represent the potential for microorganisms,” Hoehler said.

Through the process of serpentinization, organisms have access to hydrogen, a compound that many microorganisms need to survive. Serpentinization also creates a highly alkaline environment that allows specific microorganisms, such as the ones living in McLaughlin, to thrive.

The amount of hydrogen and the specific environment that is formed depends on a multitude of factors, including the composition and temperature of soils.

“The specific reason why NASA is interested in this, is that this process that rocks like our mantle rocks give rise to is widespread throughout our solar system,” Hoehler said. “So this process has the potential of occurring all over the place.”

By looking at the process of serpentinization that occurs within McLaughlin Natural Reserve, scientists are able to see what conditions make life possible on Earth and apply that knowledge to other planets in the solar system.

Knowing that serpentine-like minerals do exist on planets like Mars, NASA scientists are interested in the possibility of this process occurring on other planets. This curiosity is especially sparked by the fact that many other planets in our solar system do not have easy access to sunlight. Because of this, there is a higher chance of serpentinization being a major energy source on these planets, compared to sunlight being the major energy source on Earth.

By analyzing the processes that microorganisms undergo and their interactions among each other in McLaughlin, scientists will be able to apply their gained knowledge from Earth to other planets.

Currently, research is still honing in on the microbiological aspects of McLaughlin Natural Reserve. With this research, McLaughlin now serves as a model for microbial communities that live in alkaline and serpentine-rich conditions.   

There are also many other research projects that are currently ongoing within the natural reserve system. Students and non-students have the opportunity to pose questions and conduct research within these natural reserves. The UC Natural Reserve System gives the public the opportunity to ask questions and get involved.

“All of the reserves would welcome talking to undergrads who are thinking of doing independent studies and help them figure out if doing their research in a natural landscape, such as a reserve would be something that would be rewarding to them,” said Catherine Koehler, resident director at McLaughlin Natural Reserve.

As research continues at this reserve, scientists will continue to get one step closer to figuring out the probability of life on other planets.
Written by: Molina Hauv — science@theaggie.org

Updated report cites sufficient evidence for various cancers, genetic health problems

The infamous and controversial chemical Agent Orange, used as a war tactic during the Vietnam War, may not seem familiar to students and youth of our current generation. However, its impact on human health can still be observed in today’s society.

The UC Davis Cancer Center published a 2008 study in a scientific journal entitled Cancer, with results showing that Vietnam War veterans exposed to Agent Orange have an increased risk of prostate cancer compared to those not exposed. In addition, individuals exposed developed the disease at a younger age and had more aggressive forms of the disease.

More recently, Veterans and Agent Orange: Update 2014 was released last year by The Institute of Medicine and The National Academies of Science Engineering and Medicine. The report links the toxic chemical to even more diseases such as bladder cancer and other various cancers.

“All committee members [of the updated 2014 report] are responsible for writing, reviewing and approving the papers. Our task was to evaluate if exposure could lead to cancer and if there is sufficient evidence, we can assign cause and effect,” said Erin Bell, associate professor of environmental health sciences at the University at Albany and committee member of the updated 2014 Veterans and Agent Orange report.

During the 1960s Vietnam War period, Agent Orange was the most common defoliant, used to destroy thick and dense forests in order to expose the enemy and their hiding grounds.

The notorious name came from the color of the striped barrel the chemical was shipped in. A combination of two synthetic compounds, it was contaminated during manufacture with dioxin tetrachlorodibenzo-para-dioxin (TCDD).

The International Agency for Research on Cancer classifies TCDD as a group 1 carcinogen, indicating exposure is carcinogenic and therefore capable of causing cancer. The defoliant was banned in 1970 after researchers found evidence of birth defects in lab animals exposed to it.

“When exposed to certain forms of dioxin, serious types of acne of face and skin can occur, called chloracne. This condition occurred within a shorter time period after exposure,” Bell said.

The 2008 UC Davis Cancer Center study looked at thousands of male war veterans in their sixties and reported the incidence of prostate cancer.

“Looking at prostate cancer, it is hard to study because it is so common in older men. [Linking exposure and risk is] hard to detect because you need a very large study. There was evidence for small risk, but it was consistent,” said Professor Irva Hertz-Picciotto, director of UC Davis Environmental Health Sciences Center and a professor in the Department of Health Sciences.

This study revealed that between 1988 and 2006, twice as many men exposed to Agent Orange had prostate cancer and were four times more likely to have the disease than individuals not exposed.

“The population is still affected, and there is a risk of developing diseases from an exposure that happens many years ago,” said Maarten Bosland, a professor at the University of Illinois at Chicago and committee member of the updated 2014 Veterans and Agent Orange report.

From 1962 to 1971, an estimated 20 million gallons of chemicals were sprayed over the southern half of Vietnam, contaminating the ground, all of the troops and civilian populations that were present at the time.

Upon the soldiers returning from war, many veteran advocate groups called for research and government help after noticing numerous cancer-related health issues.

“With any type of exposure, one of challenges of public health is that it that change doesn’t happen very quickly,” Bell said.

A strong push from the public and the discovery of more evidence linking Agent Orange to various diseases eventually brought change to both healthcare and environmental policy.

“These studies led to a turning point because we noticed a wide range of outcomes that were not immediately obvious from when a soldier returns from war. It prompted coverage of veterans for some long term and chronic effects,” Hertz-Picciotto said.

The congressionally mandated Veterans and Agent Orange Updates has produced significant results in assigning linkage between the chemical and human health issues.

One example is soft tissue sarcoma, a cancer that can begin in the muscles, fat, nerves and blood vessels of the body. Other diseases linked to Agent Orange include Hodgkin’s lymphoma, a cancer of the immune system affecting the white blood cells that impact the body’s ability to fight off infection, and non-Hodgkin lymphoma, where the body produces too many abnormal white blood cells.

The final and most recent update of Veterans and Agent Orange has cited suggestive evidence for bladder cancer and hypothyroidism, a condition where the body does not produce adequate amounts of thyroid hormone, impacting metabolism.

Hertz-Picciotto has chaired the National Academy of Sciences and Institute of Medicine panels on Agent Orange and Vietnam Veterans. The committee series began in 1994 and was put in place by congressional legislation that aimed to address the health effects of Vietnam War veterans exposed to Agent Orange.

“First, we have a public hearing to hear what veteran groups want to say and the issues they want to address. Then we organize how we want to proceed,” Hertz-Picciotto said.

However, veterans are not the only group of people who have been exposed to this  chemical.

“I have heard testimonies of people who handled the shipping of Agent Orange barrels, but still got exposed on the military base, not from combat,” Bosland said.

There is large portion of individuals exposed to the chemical who are often overlooked within the civilian and veteran population of Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos, where the chemical was sprayed years ago. In those areas, dioxins still remain in the soil and the population is in turn being affected to this day.

Even children born to exposed parents today are at risk for birth defects and malformations. Some children die from these unfortunate complications.

Although there is not strong evidence to link these specific disorders to Agent Orange, common issues seen are abnormal neurological and physical development, congenital heart conditions and cancerous tumors.

“We need more information for unique populations [civilians of Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos] to more fully understand how exposures may impact their health,” Bell said.

The health impacts of Agent Orange can still be seen in today’s society, not just in U.S. veterans, but to all those exposed.

“Awareness allows us to ask questions and consider all impacts when we do have these exposures,” Bell said. “It [allows] us to make decisions to minimize negative health effects.”
Written by: Shivani Kamal — science@theaggie.org