ALCOHOL REPORTS

Medical Treatment of Alcohol Dependence: A Systematic Review

2012-01-26T23:39:00.006-05:00

To summarize published data on pharmacologic treatments for alcohol dependence alone and in combination with brief psychosocial therapies that may be feasible for primary care and specialty medical settings.We conducted electronic searches of published original research articles and reviews in MEDLINE, SCOPUS, CINAHL, Embase, and PsychINFO. In addition, hand searches of reference lists of

Why should I comply? Sellers' accounts for (non-)compliance with legal age limits for alcohol sales.

2012-01-26T19:13:00.001-05:00

Availability is an important predictor of early and excessive alcohol consumption by adolescents. Many countries have implemented age limits to prevent underage purchases of alcohol. However, shop-floor compliance with these age limits appears to be problematic. This study addresses the issue of non-compliance with age limits. Which measures do vendors take to avoid underage alcohol sales

Wine and Health: A Review

2012-01-23T19:09:00.002-05:00

As indicated by epidemiological studies, regular and moderate wine consumption, particularly red wine, has been associated with health benefits. Clinical studies and work performed with animal models indicate that wine may protect against cardiovascular disease, atherosclerosis, hypertension, certain types of cancer, type 2 diabetes, neurological disorders, and metabolic syndrome.The mechanism of

APHA 140th Annual Meeting and Exposition San Francisco, CA • October 27-31, 2012

2012-01-23T18:55:00.002-05:00

2012 Annual Meeting Call for Abstracts Now OpenThe American Public Health Association is announcing the Call for Abstracts for the 2012 Annual Meeting to be held October 27-31 in San Francisco, CA. The theme is Prevention and Wellness Across the Lifespan.We encourage abstracts in all areas of public health and are also interested in abstracts that focus on the Annual Meeting theme. All abstracts

A prospective study of mortality up to eight years after starting treatment for alcohol and drug problems in Stockholm County: 2000–2008 Read More:

2012-01-23T18:32:00.006-05:00

Research indicates an association between substance use and premature death and that misuse of illicit drugs is more closely linked to mortality than alcohol misuse. Given that these studies often are based on homogeneous treatment populations, we sought to analyse long-term mortality among both alcohol and drug misusers in a representative treatment system sample by examining: (1) excess death

FASD News - 3/2012

2012-01-23T18:23:00.004-05:00

Medical News Today - No Safe Level Of Alcohol During Pregnancy The authors of a study published online on Tuesday that was designed to overcome the difficulties of obtaining accurate and reliable data in Fetal Alcohol Syndrome research, say their findings reinforce the warning that there is no safe level of alcohol consumption during pregnancy.Read moreEdmonton Journal (Canada) - Justice

A Retrospective Analysis of the Nature, Extent and Cost of Alcohol-Related Emergency Calls to the Ambulance Service in an English Region

2012-01-23T18:16:00.002-05:00

To measure the prevalence, pattern and associated financial cost of alcohol-related ambulance call outs in the North East of England using routinely collected data from the North East Ambulance Service (NEAS). A retrospective cohort study over a 1-year time period (1 April 2009 to 31 March 2010) using NEAS patient record forms. In

Mapping the Maintenance Stage of Recovery: A Qualitative Study among Treated and Non-treated Former Alcohol Dependents in Poland

2012-01-23T18:08:00.003-05:00

The study provides an in-depth qualitative understanding of the maintenance stage when recovering from alcohol dependence with a focus on the broader social context of change of addictive behaviour. It explores the recovery as a subjective process within the abstinence-oriented Polish treatment system organized on the basis of the Minnesota model and is

Interactive Influences of Neighborhood and Individual Socioeconomic Status on Alcohol Consumption and Problems

2012-01-23T17:47:00.006-05:00

To assess cross-level interactions between neighborhood and individual socioeconomic status (SES) on alcohol consumption and problems, and investigate three possible explanations for such interactions, including the double jeopardy, status inconsistency and relative deprivation hypotheses. Data from the 2000 and 2005 US National Alcohol Surveys were linked

The relationship between naloxone-induced cortisol and delta opioid receptor availability in mesolimbic structures is disrupted in alcohol-dependent s

2012-01-23T12:32:00.004-05:00

Hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis responses following naloxone administration have been assumed to provide a measure of opioid receptor activity. Employing positron emission tomography (PET) using the mu opioid receptor (MOR) selective ligand [11C] carfentanil (CFN), we demonstrated that cortisol responses to naloxone administration were negatively correlated with MOR availability.In

Widespread and sustained cognitive deficits in alcoholism: a meta-analysis

2012-01-23T12:24:00.004-05:00

The cognitive repercussions of alcohol dependence are well documented. However, the literature remains somewhat ambiguous with respect to which distinct cognitive functions are more susceptible to impairment in alcoholism and to how duration of abstinence affects cognitive recovery.Some theories claim alcohol negatively affects specific cognitive functions, while others assert that deficits

Alcohol administration attenuates hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal (HPA) activity in healthy men at low genetic risk for alcoholism, but not in high-ris

2012-01-22T23:41:00.004-05:00

Acute alcohol challenge studies in rodents and naturalistic observations in drinking alcoholics suggest that alcohol stimulates the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal (HPA) system. The literature on respective studies in healthy volunteers is more inconsistent, suggesting differential alcohol effects depending on dosage, recent drinking history, family history of alcoholism and alcohol-induced

Conference - "Can Brief Interventions change Scotland's relationship with alcohol? Developing the model for community settings."

2012-01-20T12:56:00.003-05:00

Tuesday 27th March 2012, Murrayfield Stadium, EdinburghA one day conference organised by Edinburgh Cyrenians, in association with Create Consultancy, Comic Relief, INEBRIA and Alcohol Research UK.Since the Scottish government published Changing Scotland's Relationship with Alcohol in 2008, Scotland has been setting an example worldwide in terms of political commitment and funding for the delivery

News Release - Adult Drinking Patterns Survey in Northern Ireland 2011

2012-01-20T00:17:00.006-05:00

The survey, conducted on behalf of the Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety, examines the amount people drink, when, where and what they drink and who they drink with. It also examines how drinking behaviours vary across different sections of the public, the proportion of people who binge drink, problem drinking, and perceptions of drinking. Key Findings Alcohol

System Identification to Characterize Human Use of Ethanol Based on Generative Point-Process Models of Video Games with Ethanol Rewards

2012-01-19T20:00:00.004-05:00

EMBC'11 Paper AbstractThe influence of family history and genetics on the risk for the development of abuse or dependence is a major theme in alcoholism research. Recent research have used endophenotypes and behavioral paradigms to help detect further genetic contributions to this disease.Electronic tasks, essentially video games, which provide alcohol as a reward in controlled environments and

Hospitalized Patients’ Acceptability of Nurse-Delivered Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to Treatment

2012-01-19T20:00:00.003-05:00

Inpatient healthcare providers in the United States may soon be required to offer alcohol screening, brief intervention, and referral to treatment (SBIRT) for hospital accreditation, but little is known about inpatient acceptability for SBIRT, particularly when performed by nonphysician providers such as nurses. The purpose of this study was to assess patient acceptability for and comfort

Risky Decision-Making: An fMRI Study of Youth at High Risk for Alcoholism

2012-01-19T20:00:00.001-05:00

Adolescents with a family history of alcoholism (FHP) are at risk for developing an alcohol use disorder (AUD), and some studies indicate that FHP individuals show deficits in executive functioning. The ability to make adaptive decisions is one aspect of successful executive functioning that is often measured during risk-taking tasks; however, this behavior has not been examined in FHP

Prenatal Alcohol Exposure Patterns and Alcohol-Related Birth Defects and Growth Deficiencies: A Prospective Study

2012-01-19T19:08:00.005-05:00

The physical features of fetal alcohol syndrome include smooth philtrum, thin vermillion border, short palpebral fissures, microcephaly, and growth deficiencies on weight and height. However, little is known about the specific quantities of alcohol exposure, pattern of drinking, timing of exposure, and magnitude of risk for each of these features. Using data on 992 subjects collected

Alcohol News - 3/2012

2012-01-18T22:13:00.003-05:00

Reuters - Red wine-heart research slammed with fraud charges A University of Connecticut researcher who studied the link between aging and a substance found in red wine has committed more than 100 acts of data fabrication and falsification, the university said Wednesday, throwing much of his work into doubt.Read more Helsingin Sanomat (Finland) - Just under half would approve of lower

ICAP Announces Release of Guiding Principles for Responsible Beverage Alcohol Marketing

2012-01-14T10:14:00.002-05:00

The International Center for Alcohol Policies (ICAP; www.icap.org) is pleased to announce the release of Guiding Principles for Responsible Beverage Alcohol Marketing associated with the Self-Regulation initiative of Global Actions on Harmful Drinking (www.global-actions.org).“For the first time, we now have common global standards for alcohol marketing. This represents a major step in the

Global Actions: January 11, 2012

2012-01-14T10:04:00.006-05:00

Key Recent Milestones:· Vietnam: Evaluation site visits from Channel Research were conducted January 9 and 10 in Hanoi, and January 11 in Da Nang. For more on Global Actions’ evaluation process, click here. Global Actions Spotlight: Vietnam Bus Driver Project LaunchGlobal Actions’ “Prevention and Control of Bus Drivers from Drink Driving at Bus Stations” project has successfully

Placental Hypoxia and Foetal Development Versus Alcohol Exposure in Pregnancy

2012-01-13T19:11:00.005-05:00

To examine the causes of variability in the effect of maternal drinking on the foetus, with particular reference to the pattern, frequency and duration of the period of drinking, differences in maternal, foetal andplacental metabolism of ethanol/acetaldehyde, and genetic factors. Narrative review of published studies of the pathogenesis of foetal alcohol

Roles of the Locus Coeruleus and Adrenergic Receptors in Brain-Mediated Hypothalamic–Pituitary–Adrenal Axis Responses to Intracerebroventricular Alcoh

2012-01-12T19:37:00.003-05:00

Alcohol activates the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal (HPA) axis through its actions in both the periphery and the central nervous system (CNS). The studies presented here were designed to test the CNS-specific noradrenergic mechanisms by which alcohol stimulates HPA activity in the male rat. We used an experimental paradigm in which a small, nontoxic amount (5 μl) of alcohol was slowly

Responding in a Test of Decision-Making Under Risk is Under Moderate Genetic Control in the Rat

2012-01-12T19:29:00.005-05:00

Risk-taking, measured with laboratory tasks such as the Balloon Analog Risk Task (BART), is associated with real-life manifestations of risky behaviors, which may be an important component of inherited liability to alcohol use disorders. To identify genomic factors that influence these traits, the current study (i) characterized performance of a rodent version of the BART in multiple inbred

Heritability of Level of Response and Association with Recent Drinking History in Nonalcohol-Dependent Drinkers

2012-01-12T19:22:00.004-05:00

Level of response (LR) to alcohol has been shown to be associated with the risk of developing alcohol dependence and can be measured using the self-rating of the effects of alcohol (SRE) questionnaire. This study examined the heritability of the SRE-measured LR and the relationship between LR and recent alcohol drinking history (RDH) in a predominantly African American nonalcohol-dependent

The Interpretability of Family History Reports of Alcoholism in General Community Samples: Findings in a Midwestern U.S. Twin Birth Cohort

2012-01-12T19:15:00.004-05:00

Although there is a long tradition in alcoholism research of using family history ratings, the interpretability of family history reports of alcoholism from general community samples has yet to be established. Telephone interview data obtained from a large cohort of female like-sex twins (N = 3,787, median age 22) and their biological parents (N = 2,928, assessed at twins’ median age 15)

BBC Timeshift explores the social and cultural history of drinking in Britain

2012-01-12T19:10:00.003-05:00

BBC Four's Timeshift, a documentary series into Britain's social and cultural history, featured episode 11 on 'The Rules of Drinking'. The episode is available for a further 5 days on BBC iplayer. > > > > Read More

Drinking patterns, psychological distress and quality of life in a Norwegian general population-based sample

2012-01-12T13:53:00.004-05:00

The purpose of this study was to investigate possible relationships between drinking patterns, psychological distress and quality of life (QoL) in a general population-based sample in Norway. A random sample of 4,000 Norwegian citizens, aged 18 to 79, was drawn from the National Register held by Statistics Norway. Males consumed significantly more alcohol and reported more

Multi-Level Analysis of Alcohol-Related Injury and Drinking Pattern: Emergency Department Data from 19 Countries

2012-01-12T13:18:00.004-05:00

While drinking in the event is an important factor in injury occurrence, pattern of usual drinking may also be important in risk of injury. Explored here is the relationship of an alcohol-related injury with individual usual drinking pattern. Alcohol-related injury is examined using Hierarchical Linear models, taking into account individual usual volume of consumption over the past 12

Health and economics experts clashed over the impact of introducing minimum unit pricing on alcohol, on Tuesday 10 January 2012.

2012-01-12T13:08:00.002-05:00

The Health Committee was taking evidence on the Alcohol (Minimum Pricing) (Scotland) Bill at stage one of its scrutiny. Benjamin Williamson from the Centre for Economics and Business Research told MSPs retailers stood to make windfall profits from minimum pricing "at the expense of poor consumers in Scotland." However, Dr Evelyn Gillan from Alcohol Focus

Alcohol Consumption Induces Endogenous Opioid Release in the Human Orbitofrontal Cortex and Nucleus Accumbens

2012-01-11T20:50:00.004-05:00

Excessive consumption of alcohol is among the leading causes of preventable death worldwide. Although ethanol modulates a variety of molecular targets, including several neurotransmitter receptors, the neural mechanisms that underlie its rewarding actions and lead to excessive consumption are unknown.Studies in animals suggest that release of

Overview of Alcohol Retail Policy

2012-01-11T13:06:00.003-05:00

Research has shown that one of the most promising ways to reduce risky alcohol use, whether it involves adults or minors, is to control access. Simply put, the easier it is to get alcohol, the more likely it will be used or abused. The challenge is to find which specific mechanisms will best achieve the desired impact.Given the range of problems associated with risky drinking - it is linked to an

Moderate alcohol intake during pregnancy and risk of fetal death

2012-01-11T12:21:00.004-05:00

Controversies still exist regarding the existence of a ‘safe’ level of alcohol intake during pregnancy. The aim of this study was to assess the risk of fetal death (spontaneous abortion and stillbirth) according to maternal alcohol consumption in a large Danish pregnancy cohort. A cohort study carried out within the framework of the Danish

Vital Signs: Binge Drinking Prevalence, Frequency, and Intensity Among Adults — United States, 2010

2012-01-11T00:33:00.004-05:00

Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR) January 10, 2012 / 61(Early Release);1-7Binge drinking accounts for more than half of the estimated 80,000 average annual deaths and three quarters of $223.5 billion in economic costs resulting from excessive alcohol consumption in the United States. CDC analyzed data collected in 2010 on the prevalence of binge drinking (defined as four or more

An Overview of Alcohol Testing and Interpretation in the 21st Century

2012-01-11T00:01:00.002-05:00

Ethanol analysis is the most commonly carried out drug testing in a forensic toxicology laboratory. Determination of blood alcohol concentration (BAC) is needed in a multitude of situations, including in postmortem analysis, driving under the influence (DUI) and drug-facilitated sexual assault (DFSA) cases, workplace drug monitoring, and probation

Larval Ethanol Exposure Alters Adult Circadian Free-Running Locomotor Activity Rhythm in Drosophila melanogaster

2012-01-10T23:51:00.003-05:00

Alcohol consumption causes disruptions in a variety of daily rhythms, including the sleep-wake cycle. Few studies have explored the effect of alcohol exposure only during developmental stages preceding maturation of the adult circadian clock, and none have examined the effects of alcohol on clock function in Drosophila.This study investigates developmental and behavioral correlates between larval

Dim Light Melatonin Onset in Alcohol-Dependent Men and Women Compared with Healthy Controls

2012-01-10T23:42:00.004-05:00

Sleep disturbances in alcohol-dependent (AD) individuals may persist despite abstinence from alcohol and can influence the course of the disorder.Although the mechanisms of sleep disturbances of AD are not well understood and some evidence suggests dysregulation of circadian rhythms, dim light melatonin onset (DLMO) has not previously been assessed in AD versus healthy control (HC) individuals in

Vital Signs: Binge Drinking

2012-01-10T23:33:00.004-05:00

New estimates show that binge drinking is a bigger problem than previously thought. More than 38 million U.S. adults binge drink, about 4 times a month, and on average the largest number of drinks consumed is eight. Binge drinking is defined as consuming four or more drinks for women and five or more drinks for men over a short period of time. As reported in this month’s Vital Signs, the CDC

The Case for Considering Quality of Life in Addiction Research and Clinical Practice

2012-01-10T13:30:00.002-05:00

Substance use disorders are increasingly viewed as chronic conditions, and addiction treatment services are beginning to adopt models that were developed to address other chronic conditions.These models address the impact of disease and services on the patient's overall well-being. From this perspective, treatment for addiction aims for the broad goal of recovery, which is defined as

ONDCP Recovery Update Volume 1 No. 2 December 2011

2012-01-10T13:05:00.004-05:00

A new quarterly publication from the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy's Recovery Branch.News from the Recovery BranchResearch and DataSpotlight: Recovery in the FieldComing UpRead Full Publication (PDF)

Mapping Your Recovery Journey

2012-01-10T12:50:00.003-05:00

This is a guide to help you think about what supports you will need to help you overcome your addiction to alcohol or drugs, and to help you towards a meaningful and fulfilling life.This guide is to be used in conjunction with a ‘mentor’ who has already been down the road you are travelling and who will provide you with their support and expertise.In our experience, it is this support – from the

Alcohol and sex: a cocktail for poor sexual health

2012-01-09T23:44:00.003-05:00

The impact of rising alcohol consumption on population health has become increasingly evident in recent years, with steep increases in mortality and hospital admissions arising from chronic liver disease and alcohol-related accidents. Tackling alcohol misuse has become a national priority for both government and the wider public health community.Excessive alcohol consumption has been linked with

Social demography of alcohol-related harm to children in Australia

2012-01-09T23:28:00.003-05:00

This study seeks to establish the prevalence alcohol-related harms to children (ARHC) that occur because of others’ drinking in the general population and examine how this varies by who was reported to have harmed the child and socio-demographic factors. A randomly selected cross-sectional national population telephone survey undertaken in 2008 in Australia. 1,142 adult respondents who

Involvement of nucleus accumbens dopamine D1 receptors in ethanol drinking, ethanol-induced conditioned place preference, and ethanol-induced psychomo

2012-01-09T23:12:00.003-05:00

Dopamine D1 receptor (D1R) signaling has been associated to ethanol consumption and reward in laboratory animals. Here, we hypothesize that this receptor, which is located within the nucleus accumbens (NAc) neurons, modulates alcohol reward mechanisms. To test this hypothesis, we measured alcohol consumption and ethanol-induced psychomotor sensitization and conditioned place

Alcoholism-related alterations in spectrum, coherence, and phase synchrony of topical electroencephalogram

2012-01-09T19:35:00.002-05:00

The objective of present work was to assess differences in spectrum, coherence, and phase synchrony of topical electroencephalogram (EEG) between alcohol-dependent individuals and healthy participants.Surface currents were mitigated by a common average spatial filter. Parametric spectral and coherence estimates obtained for consecutive 0.5s-long EEG fragments were generally lower for alcoholics

Interactive Effects of Approach Motivational Intensity and Alcohol Cues on the Scope of Perceptual Attention

2012-01-09T19:24:00.005-05:00

Many theoretical perspectives suggest that alcohol-related stimuli bear on attentional processes. Building upon these ideas and recent advances regarding the attention-constricting impact of approach motivational states, we predicted that mere exposure to alcohol-related images would suffice to reduce the breadth of attention among individuals who possessed a strong motivation to consume

The cardioprotective association of average alcohol consumption and ischaemic heart disease: a systematic review and meta-analysis

2012-01-09T19:18:00.003-05:00

Most but not all epidemiological studies suggest a cardioprotective association for low to moderate average alcohol consumption. The objective was to quantify the dose-response relationship between average alcohol consumption and ischaemic heart disease (IHD) stratified by sex and IHD end point (mortality vs. morbidity). A systematic search of published studies using electronic databases (

A Latent Class Analysis of Alcohol Abuse and Dependence Symptoms Among Puerto Rican Youth

2012-01-09T19:00:00.004-05:00

The study aim was to classify youths into homogenous groups based on their symptoms of Alcohol Abuse and Dependence.An NIDA-funded cross-sectional survey was administered to 622 middle and high school students in San Juan, Puerto Rico in 2000.Latent class analysis (LCA) examined the Alcohol Abuse and Dependence symptoms. Three distinct classes of drinkers were found: low (86.0% of sample),

Alcohol News - 2/2012

2012-01-09T18:53:00.004-05:00

BBC News (UK) - Two drink-free days a week needed, MPs' report says People should have at least two days a week completely clear of alcohol, a group of MPs says. It is one of the recommendations in a report by the Commons science and technology committee, which is calling for a review of all government guidelines on alcohol in the UK.Read more Wall Street Journal (Qatar) - Qatar, Unveiling

The effectiveness of an intervention in increasing community health clinician provision of preventive care: A study protocol of a non-randomised, mult

2012-01-09T18:27:00.003-05:00

The primary behavioural risks for the most common causes of mortality and morbidity in developed countries are tobacco smoking, poor nutrition, risky alcohol use, and physical inactivity. Evidence, guidelines and policies support routine clinician delivery of care to prevent these risks within primary care settings. Despite the potential afforded by community health services for the

Examining Physical Activity Levels and Alcohol Consumption: Are People Who Drink More Active?

2012-01-09T18:20:00.003-05:00

Summarize/categorize current scientific literature examining the association between alcohol consumption (AC) and levels of physical activity (PA). Electronic databases spanning education, psychology, sociology, medicine, and interdisciplinary reports. Included studies (n = 17) must be published in a peer-reviewed, English language journal; measure either AC or PA as an independent/dependent

Alcohol consumption and suicide rates in Russia

2012-01-09T18:03:00.003-05:00

To estimate the aggregate level effect of alcohol on suicide rates in Russia.Suicide is one of the main causes of premature mortality in Russia, bringing considerable losses of human lives. There is strong evidence of a crucial role of alcohol in the explanation of the high suicide rate and its profound fluctuations over the past decades in this country.Trends in alcohol consumption per capita

Adopting Local Alcohol Policies: A Case Study of Community Efforts to Regulate Malt Liquor Sales

2012-01-09T17:52:00.001-05:00

To learn how the local context may affect a city's ability to regulate alcohol products such as high–alcohol-content malt liquor, a beverage associated with heavy drinking and a spectrum of nuisance crimes in urban areas. An exploratory, qualitative case study comparing cities that adopted policies to restrict malt liquor sales with cities that considered, but did not adopt policies. Nine large

Dopamine dysregulation in a mouse model of paroxysmal nonkinesigenic dyskinesia

2012-01-09T17:42:00.002-05:00

Paroxysmal nonkinesigenic dyskinesia (PNKD) is an autosomal dominant episodic movement disorder. Patients have episodes that last 1 to 4 hours and are precipitated by alcohol, coffee, and stress. Previous research has shown that mutations in an uncharacterized gene on chromosome 2q33–q35 (which is termed PNKD) are responsible for PNKD.Here, we report the generation of antibodies specific

Dietary intake of folate and alcohol, MTHFR C677T polymorphism, and colorectal cancer risk in Korea

2012-01-09T17:32:00.004-05:00

The incidence of colorectal cancer (CRC) is increasing sharply in Korea, and evidence has suggested the role of dietary methyl supply and related polymorphisms on colorectal carcinogenesis. We investigated the association between folate and alcohol intake, methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) C677T polymorphism, and CRC risk in

Alcohol consumption and the risk of colon cancer by family history of colorectal cancer

2012-01-09T17:22:00.002-05:00

Individuals with a family history of colorectal cancer may be more susceptible to adverse effects of alcohol consumption. We investigated whether the association between alcohol consumption and colon cancer risk differed by family history of colorectal cancer. We conducted prospective studies in women and men in the Nurses’ Health Study and

Perceptions of low-risk drinking levels among Australians during a period of change in the official drinking guidelines

2012-01-09T17:11:00.003-05:00

.In 2009, the National Health and Medical Research Council released a revision of Australia's official low-risk alcohol guidelines, specifying low-risk consumption levels for both short- and long-term consumption. This study aims to assess how the general population's assessment of low-risk drinking levels compares to these guidelines and to examine whether the changes to the official

Increased body mass index modifies associations between alcohol intake and blood cholesterol profile

2012-01-09T12:39:00.003-05:00

Habitual alcohol drinking influences blood cholesterol profile, and dyslipidaemia often accompanies obesity. The aim of this study was to determine whether obesity modifies relationships between alcohol intake and blood cholesterol profile. Japanese men aged 35–60 years (n = 23 834) were divided into two groups by body mass index (BMI) (normal BMI: ≥ 18·5 and < 25 kg/m2; high BMI: ≥ 25

Different independent susceptibility markers for first-ever cerebral infarction and myocardial infarction in young patients

2012-01-09T12:20:00.003-05:00

Cerebral infarction (CI) and myocardial infarction (MI) share some common features, but there are other differences in risk factors.The aim of our study is to determine whether there are some significantly independent susceptibility markers for them.All consecutive patients between the ages of 18 and 45 years with first-ever CI and MI during 2001–2010 were recruited to participate in the

Exacerbation of alcohol-induced oxidative stress in rats by polyunsaturated fatty acids and iron load

2012-01-09T12:06:00.004-05:00

The hypothesis that excessive intake of vegetable oil containing polyunsaturated fatty acids and iron load precipitate alcohol-induced liver damage was investigated in a rat model.In order to elucidate the mechanism underlying this synergism, the serum levels of iron, total protein, serum glutamate pyruvate transaminase, liver thiobarbituric acid reactive substances, and activities of antioxidant

Increasing prices of alcohol decreases consumption: study

2012-01-09T11:31:00.003-05:00

Minimum alcohol prices in British Columbia have been adjusted intermittently over the past 20 years. The present study estimates impacts of these adjustments on alcohol consumption.Time series and longitudinal models of aggregate alcohol consumption with price andother economic data as independent variables.Setting: British Columbia (BC), Canada.Measurements: Data on alcohol prices and sales for

Do designated drivers and workplace policies effect alcohol consumption?

2012-01-08T23:43:00.004-05:00

Is there a link between designated driver usage and alcohol consumption? We hypothesize that the use of a designated driver lowers the cost of drinking which, in turn, increases alcohol consumption.We examine the effect on drinking intensity (which incorporates low levels of alcohol use) and binge drinking (which measures greater alcohol use), using a proxy for designated driver usage.If

MPs urge Government to review its sensible drinking guidelines

2012-01-08T23:32:00.003-05:00

MPs on the Science and Technology Committee conclude that greater efforts should also be focused on helping people understand the guidelines and how to use them.Report: Alcohol guidelinesInquiry: Alcohol guidelines Science and Technology CommitteeAndrew Miller MP, Chair of the committee, said:"Alcohol guidelines are a crucial tool for Government in its effort to combat excessive and problematic

Central Neuropeptide Y Modulates Binge-Like Ethanol Drinking in C57BL/6J Mice via Y1 and Y2 Receptors

2012-01-08T17:51:00.004-05:00

Frequent binge drinking has been linked to heart disease, high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, and the development of ethanol dependence. Thus, identifying pharmaceutical targets to treat binge drinking is of paramount importance.Here we employed a mouse model of binge-like ethanol drinking to study the role of neuropeptide Y (NPY). To this end, the present set of studies utilized

FASD News

2012-01-08T17:43:00.002-05:00

Telegraph.co.uk (UK) - One in 50 babies has a birth defect: research More than one in 50 babies has a birth defect – almost double the previous estimate, according to the most comprehensive report of its kind.Read more Science Network Western Australia (Australia) - Fitzroy children centre of Foetal Alcohol Disorder study ABORIGINAL organisations in Fitzroy Valley have called for research

WHO Bulletin on Global Fund conflict of interest

2012-01-08T17:37:00.003-05:00

The recent issue of Bulletin of the World Health Organization carries a round table section: "Global Fund collusion with liquor giant is a clear conflict of interest. The First article is by Richard Matzopoulos, Charles DH Parry, Joanne Corrigall, Jonny Myers, Sue Goldstein and Leslie London. They describe how the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria (Global Fund) has recently

Dihydromyricetin As a Novel Anti-Alcohol Intoxication Medication

2012-01-08T16:59:00.004-05:00

Alcohol use disorders (AUDs) constitute the most common form of substance abuse. The development of AUDs involves repeated alcohol use leading to tolerance, alcohol withdrawal syndrome, and physical and psychological dependence, with loss of ability to control excessive drinking.Currently there is no effective therapeutic agent for AUDs without major

News Release - Moderate Red Wine Drinking May Help Cut Women’s Breast Cancer Risk

2012-01-07T00:15:00.002-05:00

Drinking red wine in moderation may reduce one of the risk factors for breast cancer, providing a natural weapon to combat a major cause of death among U.S. women, new research from Cedars-Sinai Medical Center shows. The study, published online in the Journal of Women’s Health, challenges the widely-held belief that all types of alcohol consumption heighten the risk of developing breast cancer.

Impact of a healthy lifestyle on all-cause and cardiovascular mortality after stroke in the USA

2012-01-06T23:30:00.002-05:00

Little is known about the effects of a healthy lifestyle on mortality after stroke. This study assessed whether five healthy lifestyle factors had independent and dose dependent associations with all-cause and cardiovascular mortality after stroke. In a nationally representative sample of the US population (n=15 299) with

Conference - Substance misuse and older people

2012-01-06T15:34:00.004-05:00

The Royal College of Psychiatrists (RCP), in its June 2011 report; Our Invisible Addicts, highlighted the emerging problem of drug and alcohol misuse in the older population. This is likely to become a significant public health issue with the huge projected increase in the number of older people in the population and a proportion of those people who are likely to be drinking more than the weekly

Global Actions: January 4, 2012

2012-01-06T15:19:00.003-05:00

Key Recent Milestones:Vietnam: Global Actions launched drink drive capacity-building bus driver projects in December 2011 with events in Dak Lak and Khanh Hoa provinces. An education and enforcement campaign will run through January 2012. Global Actions also held a workshop on December 26 with the Vietnam Beer Alcohol Beverage Association (VBA) to revise a draft of the marketing code for wine and

National Advisory Council on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism - February 9, 2012 (Open to the Public)

2012-01-05T23:35:00.003-05:00

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICESNATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTHNATIONAL INSTITUTE ON ALCOHOL ABUSE AND ALCOHOLISMAGENDA129th Meeting of theNATIONAL ADVISORY COUNCIL ON ALCOHOL ABUSE AND ALCOHOLISMFebruary 8-9, 2012 Wednesday, February 8, 2012, 5:00 to 7:30 PM5635 Fishers LaneTerrace Level Conference RoomRockville, MD 20852 CLOSED TO PUBLIC5:00 REVIEW OF GRANT APPLICATIONS6:

Sleep Disturbance in Alcoholism: Proposal of a Simple Measurement, and Results from a 24-Week Randomized Controlled Study of Alcohol-Dependent Patient

2012-01-05T19:54:00.003-05:00

Sleep disturbance symptom (SDS) is commonly reported in alcoholic patients. Polysomnography studies suggested that acamprosate decreased SDS. We assessed this hypothesis by using data of a randomized controlled trial. As a secondary objective, we suggested and tested the validity of a simple measurement of SDS based on the Hamilton depression and anxiety

“IT RUNS IN THE FAMILY”: INTERGENERATIONAL TRANSMISSION OF HISTORICAL TRAUMA AMONG URBAN AMERICAN INDIANS AND ALASKA NATIVES IN CULTURALLY SPECIFIC SO

2012-01-05T19:42:00.003-05:00

The aim of this exploratory study, which was informed by ethnographic principles, was to better understand the intergenerational transmission of historical trauma among urban American Indians/Alaska Natives (AI/ANs) in culturally specific sobriety maintenance programs.The results of the study were organized into 3 overarching categories, which included 10 themes that emerged contextually in

Levels of explanation in psychiatric and substance use disorders: implications for the development of an etiologically based nosology

2012-01-05T18:45:00.003-05:00

The soft medical model for psychiatric illness, which was operationalized in DSM-III, defines psychiatric disorders as syndromes with shared symptoms, signs, course of illness and response to treatment. Many in our field want to move to a hard medical model based on etiological mechanisms.This essay explores the feasibility of this move and asks whether psychiatric disorders have the needed

Evidence for multiple genetic factors underlying the DSM-IV criteria for alcohol dependence

2012-01-04T22:30:00.005-05:00

To determine the number of genetic factors underlying the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition (DSM-IV) criteria for alcohol dependence (AD), we conducted structural equation twin modeling for seven AD criteria, plus two summary screening questions, in 7133 personally interviewed male and female twins from the Virginia Adult Twin Study of Psychiatric and Substance

Broad Disruption of Brain White Matter Microstructure and Relationship with Neuropsychological Performance in Male Patients with Severe Alcohol Depend

2012-01-04T12:59:00.005-05:00

In the last years, refined magnetic resonance diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) methods have become available to study microstructural alterations in the human brain. We investigated to what extent white matter tissue abnormalities are present in male patients after chronic, excessive alcohol consumption and if these alterations are correlated with

Reduction of Ethanol Consumption in Alcohol-Preferring Rats by Dual Expression Gene Transfer

2012-01-04T12:50:00.003-05:00

To mimic, in an animal model of alcoholism, the protective phenotype against alcohol consumption observed in humans carrying a fast alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH1B*2) and an inactive aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH2*2).We developed a multiple expression cassette adenoviral vector (AdV-ADH/asALDH2) encoding both a fast rat ADH and an antisense RNA against rat

Patterns of Alcohol Use in Early Adolescence Predict Problem Use at Age 16

2012-01-04T12:41:00.005-05:00

Teenagers in the UK report some of the highest rates of alcohol use in Europe. We identify patterns of alcohol use in early adolescence and relate these to hazardous and harmful alcohol use at age 16. In a UK birth cohort, we analysed repeated measures of alcohol use from age 13 to 15 in a sample of 7100 adolescents. Data on drinking frequency and typical

Do Co-morbid Anxiety Disorders Predict Drinking Outcomes in Women with Alcohol Use Disorders?

2012-01-04T12:32:00.004-05:00

It is unclear whether co-morbid anxiety disorders predict worse drinking outcomes during attempts to change drinking behavior. Studies have yielded mixed results, and have rarely examined drinking outcomes based on a specific type of anxiety disorder. Women with alcohol use disorders (AUDs) are of particular interest as they are at risk for co-morbid

Bilateral Renal Cortical Necrosis Following Binge Drinking

2012-01-04T12:15:00.003-05:00

Renal cortical necrosis (RCN) is a rare cause of acute kidney injury secondary to ischemic necrosis of the renal cortex. Acute tubular necrosis after binge drinking is usually attributed to volume depletion, idiosyncratic reaction to alcohol, rhabdomyolysis or a combination with non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. Binge drinking itself as a cause of RCN

Self-reported Life Satisfaction and Alcohol use: A 15-year follow-up of Healthy Adult Twins

2012-01-04T12:06:00.003-05:00

To study the bidirectional relationships between life satisfaction (LS) and alcohol use. Health questionnaires were administered in 1975, 1981 and 1990 to a population-based sample of healthy Finnish twins aged 18–45 at baseline (n = 14,083). These included a LS scale and three indicators for adverse alcohol use: binge drinking, passing out and high consumption

Efficacy and Safety of Pregabalin in the Treatment of Alcohol Withdrawal Syndrome: A Randomized Placebo-Controlled Trial

2012-01-04T11:59:00.004-05:00

The objective of this study was to collect preliminary data on the efficacy and safety of pregabalin in attenuating the severity of alcohol withdrawal symptoms during detoxification treatment in alcohol dependence. Forty-two alcohol-dependent patients with an alcohol withdrawal syndrome (AWS) were included in the prospective randomized double-blind

Lead and Ethanol Co-Exposure Lead to Blood Oxidative Stress and Subsequent Neuronal Apoptosis in Rats

2012-01-04T11:50:00.002-05:00

The present study was aimed at investigating chronic exposure to lead and ethanol, individually and in combination with blood oxidative stress leading to possible brain apoptosis in rats.Rats were exposed to lead (0.1% w/v in drinking water) or ethanol (1 and 10%) either individually or in combination for four months. Biochemical variables indicative of

IBA in Sexual Health Settings Resource Pack

2012-01-03T20:57:00.003-05:00

A resource pack outlining the case and key resources for delivering 'Identification and Brief Advice' (IBA) in Sexual Health Settings has been released. > > > > Read More

Alcohol use among upstate New York adults

2012-01-03T00:13:00.002-05:00

Alcohol use is common in our society; half of all American adults – 50.3 percent – consume some alcohol in a year. The percentage of U.S. adults who have had at least one binge drinking episode during the past year has increased since 2004. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, excessive alcohol use (which includes heavy and/or binge drinking) ranks third among the

DH streamlines public health social marketing for 2012

2012-01-02T23:59:00.001-05:00

The Department of Health (DH) will shortly launch public health communications for 2012, taking a 'linked behaviours' approach. It will tailor social marketing operations to follow the life course, instead of focusing on individual behaviour issues.The strategy, Changing behaviour, Improving outcomes, was published in April 2011 and aims to increase effective communication of public health issues

Does the Alcohol Make Them Do It? Dating Violence Perpetration and Drinking Among Youth

2012-01-02T23:59:00.000-05:00

Strong evidence links alcohol use to partner violence perpetration among adults, but the relation between youth alcohol use and dating violence perpetration (DVP) is not as well studied.The authors used meta-analytic procedures to evaluate current knowledge on the association between alcohol use and DVP among youth. The authors reviewed 28 studies published

Zebrafish: a model for the study of addiction genetics

2012-01-02T18:13:00.004-05:00

Drug abuse and dependence are multifaceted disorders with complex genetic underpinnings. Identifying specific genetic correlates is challenging and may be more readily accomplished by defining endophenotypes specific for addictive disorders.Symptoms and syndromes, including acute drug response, consumption, preference, and withdrawal, are potential endophenotypes characterizing addiction

Alcohol News - 1/2012

2012-01-02T13:00:00.005-05:00

The Local (Norway) - Norwegians sceptical as alcohol ads draw near With the government indicating it won’t veto a controversial EU directive, a majority of Norwegians believe alcohol ads on television will lead to more widespread alcohol abuse.Read more YLE News (Finland) - Prices rising for alcohol, soft drinks and sweets Higher taxes will mean higher prices for alcohol, sweets, ice cream

Assessment and clinical aspects of community professional care of elderly with alcohol misuse

2012-01-02T11:48:00.003-05:00

For elderly living in the community, alcohol misuse is not uncommon. Experience of professionals of social care services to face alcoholism misuse has rarely been assessed. The work of these professionals is to allow aged people to stay at home in spite of impaired physical and/or mental age-related abilities.We studied the experienced difficulties and feelings of professional caregivers for ten

Alcohol and Drugs History at the AHA Annual Convention

2012-01-02T10:44:00.006-05:00

Alcohol and Drugs History Society Friday, January 6, 2012 9:30 AM-11:30 AM Rival Notions of Respectability: Moral Injunction and Commercial Regulation in the Matter of Alcoholic DrinksAlcohol and Drugs History Society 1 Saturday, January 7, 2012 9:00 AM-11:00 AM The Press and Psychedelia: Image, Gender, and Behavior in the United States since 1945 Alcohol and Drugs History Society

The Virtuous Tax: Lifesaving and Crime-Prevention Effects of the 1991 Federal Alcohol-Tax Increase

2012-01-02T10:26:00.004-05:00

On January 1, 1991, the federal excise tax on beer doubled, and the tax rates on wine and liquor increased as well. These changes are larger than the typical state-level changes that have been used to study the effect of price on alcohol abuse and its consequences. In this paper, we develop a method to estimate some important effects of those large 1991 changes, exploiting the interstate

Chronic ethanol exposure during adolescence alters the behavioral responsiveness to ethanol in adult mice

2012-01-02T00:02:00.002-05:00

Alcohol exposure during early adolescence is believed to durably alter the behavioral properties of ethanol, increasing the likelihood of later alcohol-related disorders.The aim of the present experiments was to characterize changes in the behavioral effects of ethanol in adult female Swiss mice after a chronic ethanol exposure during adolescence, extending from postnatal day 28 to postnatal

Large-Scale Analysis of Acute Ethanol Exposure in Zebrafish Development: A Critical Time Window and Resilience

2012-01-01T23:33:00.003-05:00

In humans, ethanol exposure during pregnancy causes a spectrum of developmental defects (fetal alcohol syndrome or FAS). Individuals vary in phenotypic expression. Zebrafish embryos develop FAS-like features after ethanol exposure. In this study, we ask whether stage-specific effects of ethanol can be identified in the zebrafish, and if so, whether they allow the pinpointing of sensitive

Differential effects of polyphenols and alcohol of red wine on the expression of adhesion molecules and inflammatory cytokines related to atherosclero

2012-01-01T19:29:00.003-05:00

Few clinical studies have focused on the alcohol-independent cardiovascular effects of the phenolic compounds of red wine (RW). We aimed to evaluate the effects of ethanol and phenolic compounds of RW on the expression of inflammatory biomarkers related to atherosclerosis in subjects at high risk of cardiovascular disease.

Personality, choice of coping and T stage predict level of distress in head and neck cancer patients during follow-up

2012-01-01T19:08:00.005-05:00

The aim of the present study was to investigate to what extent TNM stage, treatment level, personality, choice of coping, mood and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) scores predicted distress as measured by general health questionnaire (GHQ) in successfully treated head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) patients.All patients younger than 80 years who had been diagnosed with

Effects of Drinking on Hospital Stays and Emergency Room Visits Among Older Adults

2012-01-01T18:51:00.004-05:00

To evaluate whether alcohol drinking influences emergency room (ER) visits or hospital admissions among adults aged 65 and older. Data from two independent national surveys are used to estimate multivariate logit models that quantify the relationship between drinking and ER visits and hospital admissions. The authors distinguish between ER visits linked to

Early Start: A Cost–Beneficial Perinatal Substance Abuse Program

2012-01-01T18:04:00.003-05:00

To conduct a cost–benefit analysis of Early Start, an integrated prenatal intervention program for stopping substance use in pregnancy.A retrospective cohort study was conducted of 49,261 women who had completed prenatal substance abuse screening questionnaires at obstetric clinics and who had undergone urine toxicology screening tests. Four study groups were compared: women screened and

A novel SNP in COMT is associated with alcohol dependence but not opiate or nicotine dependence: a case control study

2011-12-31T13:57:00.003-05:00

It is well established that COMT is a strong candidate gene for substance use disorder and schizophrenia. Recently we identified two SNPs in COMT (rs4680 and rs165774) that are associated with schizophrenia in an Australian cohort. Individuals with schizophrenia were more than twice as likely to carry the GG genotype compared to the AA genotype for both the rs165774 and rs4680 SNPs.