'MyDrinkaware' online alcohol resource; alcohol and calorie link overlooked

Drinkaware, the industry funded alcohol awareness charity, has developed a new resource MyDrinkaware. According to a press release it is designed to:

"...help consumers better understand the effects of drinking alcohol on their health and all-round wellbeing, – an easy-to-use online unit calculator and drink diary. The tool provides personalised feedback on risk levels based on consumers’ alcohol consumption and shows data in units, calories and spend. For instance, the tool equates alcohol intake into 'burger’ equivalents – with a pint of 4% beer or two double gin and tonics comparable to around one burger. MyDrinkaware also lets people set spending and lifestyle goals and gives tips on how to reach these."

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News Release - Brewers want more dialogue over Scottish drinks’ policy, says BBPA: European Brewery Convention, Glasgow 2011

At a major European conference on the brewing industry which opened this morning in Glasgow, a leading industry figure has raised concerns over key aspects of Scottish alcohol policy and called for a new dialogue with the SNP government over key issues.   > > > >   Read More

Alcohol misuse, sexual risk behaviour and adverse sexual health outcomes: evidence from Britain's national probability sexual behaviour surveys

Evidence for relationships between alcohol misuse, sexual risk behaviour and adverse sexual health outcomes exists from both population-level data and studies undertaken in specific groups. We examine changes in these associations using representative data from two consecutive surveys. 

Probability surveys conducted in 1990/91 and again in 2000/01 involving interviews with British residents aged 16–44. 

The proportion reporting being drunk as their main reason for first heterosexual intercourse increased from 2.5% among those born in 1946–49 to 6.4% of those born in 1980–84. These respondents were more likely to report intercourse before 16, that sex had occurred too soon, and contraception non-use. Usual alcohol consumption in excess of recommended limits (‘heavy drinkers’) was more common among those reporting larger partner numbers and unprotected sex with 2+ partners/past year but not with STD clinic attendance/diagnosis. Male heavy drinkers were more likely to report sexual function problems and female heavy drinkers using emergency contraception. The magnitude of these relationships did not significantly increase between 1990/91 and 2000/01. 

In Britain, sexual risk behaviours and some adverse sexual health outcomes continue to be associated with excess alcohol consumption. These findings support addressing the link between alcohol misuse and sexual health in health services and through broader health promotion. 

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Request Reprint E-Mail:  cmercer@gum.ucl.ac.uk  

Changes in Alcohol Consumption and Subsequent Risk of Type 2 Diabetes in Men

The objective of this study was to investigate the association of 4-year changes in alcohol consumption with a subsequent risk of type 2 diabetes. 

We prospectively examined 38,031 men from the Health Professionals Follow-Up Study who were free of diagnosed diabetes or cancer in 1990. Alcohol consumption was reported on food frequency questionnaires and updated every 4 years. 

A total of 1,905 cases of type 2 diabetes occurred during 428,497 person-years of follow-up. A 7.5 g/day (approximately half a glass) increase in alcohol consumption over 4 years was associated with lower diabetes risk among initial nondrinkers (multivariable hazard ratio [HR] 0.78; 95% CI: 0.60–1.00) and drinkers initially consuming <15 g/day (HR 0.89; 95% CI: 0.83–0.96), but not among men initially drinking ≥15 g/day (HR 0.99; 95% CI: 0.95–1.02; P_interaction < 0.01). 

A similar pattern was observed for levels of total adiponectin and hemoglobin A_1c, with a better metabolic profile among abstainers and light drinkers who modestly increased their alcohol intake, compared with men who either drank less or among men who were already moderate drinkers and increased their intake. 

Likewise, compared with stable light drinkers (0–4.9 g/day), light drinkers who increased their intake to moderate levels (5.0–29.9 g/day) had a significantly lower risk of type 2 diabetes (HR 0.75; 95% CI: 0.62–0.90). 

Increases in alcohol consumption over time were associated with lower risk of type 2 diabetes among initially rare and light drinkers. This lower risk was evident within a 4-year period following increased alcohol intake. 

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Request Reprint E-Mail:   michel.joosten@wur.nl.   

Disruption of Functional Connectivity of the Default-Mode Network in Alcoholism

The default mode network (DMN) comprises brain structures maximally active at rest. Disturbance of network nodes or their connections occurs with some neuropsychiatric conditions and may underlie associated dysfunction. DMN connectivity has not been examined in alcoholism, which is marked by compromised DMN nodes and impaired spatial working memory.

To test whether performance would be related to DMN integrity, we examined DMN functional connectivity using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data and graph theory analysis. 

We assumed that disruption of short paths between network nodes would attenuate processing efficiency. 

Alcoholics and controls were scanned at rest and during a spatial working memory task. 

At rest, the spontaneous slow fluctuations of fMRI signals in the posterior cingulate and cerebellar regions in alcoholics were less synchronized than in controls, indicative of compromised functional connectivity. 

Graph theory analysis indicated that during rest, alcoholics had significantly lower efficiency indices than controls between the posterior cingulate seed and multiple cerebellar sites. 

Greater efficiency in several connections correlated with longer sobriety in alcoholics.

During the task, on which alcoholics performed on par with controls, connectivity between the left posterior cingulate seed and left cerebellar regions was more robust in alcoholics than controls and suggests compensatory networking to achieve normal performance. 

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Request Reprint E-Mail: edie@stanford.edu

Effects of acute ethanol on corticotropin-releasing hormone and β-endorphin systems at the level of the rat central amygdala

The endogenous opioid and corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH) systems, present in the central amygdala (CeA), are implicated in alcohol consumption. 

The purpose of this study is to investigate the hypothesis that, in CeA, alcohol stimulates CRH release, which then stimulates β-endorphin release. 

Rats were unilaterally implanted with a guide cannula to aim microdialysis probes in CeA. Experiment 1: rats received an intraperitoneal (IP) injection of various ethanol doses (0.0, 2.0, 2.4, or 2.8 g ethanol/kg body weight) and microdialysates were sampled at 30-min intervals to determine the effects over time of acute alcohol on the extracellular CRH concentrations in CeA. Experiment 2: phosphate-buffered saline, CRH, or CRH receptor (CRHR) antagonists (antalarmin or anti-sauvagine-30) was microinjected into CeA followed by a saline or 2.8 g/kg ethanol IP injection to determine the effects of CRHR activation or blockade in CeA on the basal and alcohol-stimulated release of β-endorphin. CRH and β-endorphin dialysate contents were determined using specific radioimmunoassays. 

Acute alcohol induced a delayed increase in the extracellular CRH levels in CeA. Behavioural data showed no difference in locomotion between alcohol- and saline-treated rats. However, a transient increase in grooming was observed which did not correspond with alcohol-induced changes in CRH. Local CRH microinjections increased the extracellular β-endorphin concentrations in CeA. CRHR1 and CRHR2 blockade with microinjections of antalarmin and anti-sauvagine-30, respectively, attenuated the alcohol-induced increase of extracellular β-endorphin in CeA. 

Acute alcohol exerts indirect actions on CRH release and induced interactions of the CRH and β-endorphin systems in CeA.



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Request Reprint E-Mail:   christina.gianoulakisd@mcgill.ca

Alcohol News - 21/2011

Helsingin Sanomat (Finland) - Hockey team's drunken antics lead to official talking-to

The Finnish Lions ice hockey team, welcomed home on Monday by 100,000 adoring fans as they brought with them Finland's second IIHF World Championship trophy, have come in for criticism in some quarters over the state of serious leglessness displayed by some players and staff on their arrival back on home soil.

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YLE News (Finland) - Finns Drinking Less, But More Often

New research shows that while the trend in Finnish drinking habits is moving towards the European norm, the Finns still tend to drink more with the intent of getting intoxicated than do, for example, the French.

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The Local.se (Sweden) - Alcoholism linked to family drinking: study

Having a relative with an alcohol problem increases the risk of an individual developing alcoholism, a new Swedish study published on Tuesday has shown.

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Times of India - Alcohol has as many calories as pure fat

"The study conducted by UK alcohol awareness charity Drinkaware revealed that many dieters are unwittingly undoing all their good work by accompanying their meal with a favorite drink," reports the Daily Mail.

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Hindustan Times - Alcohol hinders verbal learning

For college students, binge drinking could take a heavy toll in the classroom, according to a new study. Researchers at the University of Santiago of Compostela in Spain revealed that students who drank heavily — more than five alcoholic drinks for men and four for women on one occasion — scored lower on a verbal learning test than students who didn’t binge drink.

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USA Today (Spain) - Study: Binge drinking tied to memory loss in college students

A new Spanish study links binge drinking in college students to a lowered ability to remember lists of words, although the research doesn't prove alcohol is at fault and the drinkers did fine on a separate memory test.

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Online Social Media - Facebook Friends Match Mentions of Alcohol

Now we want to bring you news of a rather intriguing study, which shows that the amount of Facebook friends that college guys have, appears to match the amount of references to alcohol they make on their Facebook profiles.

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U.S. News & World Report - Some More Sensitive to Effects of Alcohol, Study Finds

People who are more sensitive to the rewarding effects of alcohol may be at increased risk for greater consumption of alcohol and for alcoholism, researchers report.

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Ottawa Citizen (Canada) - Street alcohol program saves millions

As backward as it might sound, one of the city's most innovative programs to help street drunks is the managed-alcohol program run jointly by the Shepherds of Good Hope and Ottawa Inner City Health Inc., which takes medicine to the needy, where they need it.

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swissinfo.ch (Switzerland) - Tests curb underage alcohol sales

Sales of alcohol to underage drinkers are going down, but one in four underage teenagers is still able to buy alcohol at shops and restaurants.

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ABC Online (Australia) - Ads aim to sweeten new alcohol laws

The Northern Territory Government says an advertising campaign is being launched this week to prepare Territorians for new alcohol laws.

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BBC News (Scotland) - Scottish Borders minimum alcohol price support move

The administration of Scottish Borders Council is seeking support for moves to set a minimum unit price for alcohol.

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Focus Taiwan News Channel - Researchers identify blood pressure-alcohol link in East Asian genes

Researchers from Taiwan and six other countries have identified five previously unknown genetic variants that influence blood pressure among populations of East Asian ancestry, Academia Sinica, the nation's highest research institute, said Friday.

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Wall Street Journal - SABMiller Profit Boosted by Africa, Asia

SABMiller PLC, maker of Grolsch, Peroni Nastro Azzuro and Miller Lite, on Thursday said net profit rose on volume growth in emerging markets, cost-cutting and some price increases, but the global brewer cautioned that the outlook for inflation and the pace of recovery in Europe and North America is uncertain.

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Press TV (Germany) - Binge drinking affect many in Germany

Germany is burdened with 1,3 million alcoholics, and one in five citizen has an alcohol problem, costing health insurance companies and the government up to 40 billion euros a year.

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Surveillance Report #91 - Trends in Underage Drinking in the United States, 1991-2009

This surveillance report, prepared by the Alcohol Epidemiologic Data System (AEDS), National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), presents data on underage drinking for 1991–2009. 

This is the fourth of a series of reports to be published every two years on underage drinking and related attitudes and risk behaviors. Data for this series are compiled from three separate nationally representative surveys: the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH), the Monitoring the Future (MTF) survey, and the Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS). 

The following are highlights of trends from 1991 through 2009. 

Prevalence of use

• Although there are marked differences in absolute values of estimates, and estimates show different patterns of increase and decrease over the time period evaluated, the trends across all three survey data sources show an overall decline in the prevalence of alcohol consumption in the past 30 days between 1991 and 2009. In 2009 27.1 percent of youth ages 12–20 reported consuming alcohol in the past 30 days (NSDUH).
  
• Throughout this period, rates of underage drinking remained highest among non-Hispanic whites, followed by Hispanics and non-Hispanic blacks. Rates were also higher among youth not enrolled in school as compared with those enrolled in school (NSDUH), although rates among college students remained higher than among non-college students (data not shown).

Drinking patterns

• The median age of initiation of drinking alcohol has increased slightly from 13.65 years in 1991–1993 to 14.22 years in 2007–2009 (NSDUH). In addition, there has been a gradual decline in the proportion of youth reporting initiating drinking at age 12 years or younger (NSDUH, YRBS). 
  
• Over the course of the study period, males have maintained higher average frequency, quantity, and volume of consumption in the past 30 days than females, although gender differences are small or nonexistent at the youngest ages. In 2007–2009, youth ages 12–20 reported drinking on a mean of 5.71 days in the past 30 days. They consumed an average of 4.81 drinks on the days that they drank, amounting to an average total of 33.8 drinks in the past 30 days (NSDUH). 
  
• According to NSDUH, overall rates of binge drinking have increased among 12- to 20-year-olds between 1993 and 2002, from 12.1 to 19.1 percent, but have trended down in the last few years. Data from the secondary school–based surveys (MTF and YRBS), however, show an overall decline in binge drinking rates during this time period; the recent downward trends appear to have started in 1999 (MTF) and possibly as early as 1997 (YRBS).

Alcohol-related attitudes

• The trends for alcohol-related attitudes show a gradual shift in youth attitudes towards underage drinking, with a decrease during the 1990s, particularly in the early 1990s, in the percentage of youth strongly disapproving of others regularly consuming alcohol or binge drinking, and in the percentage of those who consider regular or binge drinking a great risk (MTF). In the 2000s, these trends have largely been reversed.

Alcohol-related risk behaviors

• Between 1991 and 2009 trends from the YRBS show an overall decline in the prevalence of secondary school youth driving while under the influence of alcohol, whereas NSDUH data trends show an increase in prevalence between 1995 and 2002 . The difference is due to the large increase in rates among 18- to 20-year-olds—from 15.6 percent in 1995 to 22.2 percent in 2002—whereas rates among younger youth remained relatively stable (NSDUH). Declines in prevalence since 2003 in NSDUH data, however, depict a similar downward trend as observed in YRBS data.

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Alcohol and the Hispanic Community

Hispanics are the largest and most rapidly growing ethnic group in the United States, making up about 16 percent of the population, or more than 50 million people. Research shows that drinking patterns among Hispanics are different from those of non-Hispanic Whites and other ethnic or racial groups. Understanding these differences can help prevention, intervention, and treatment programs better serve the Hispanic community. 

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Press Release - The Four Loko Effect

The popular, formerly caffeinated, fruity alcoholic beverage, Four Loko, has been blamed for the spike in alcohol-related hospitalizations, especially throughout college campuses.

Initially, caffeine was deemed the culprit and the Food and Drug Administration ordered all traces of caffeine to be removed from Four Loko and all other similar beverages. However, according to an upcoming evaluation in Perspectives on Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science, caffeine might not be the primary cause of the spike in hospitalizations.

“Four Loko didn’t have the extraordinary intoxicating effect because of caffeine, but rather because of the phenomenon of situational specificity of tolerance”, says Shepard Siegel of McMaster University, who wrote the article to highlight the importance of unusual cues related to alcohol tolerance.

The situational specificity of tolerance implies that alcohol will have a greater effect if administered in the presence of unusual cues, rather than in familiar settings typically associated with the drug. It has been known, at least since the time of Ivan Pavlov that our bodies prepare for food when it is time to eat, or when we smell the food cooking, or when other stimuli signal that we will soon be presented with a meal. More recently, it has also been determined that we similarly prepare for a drug.   > > > >    Read More

Hospital Clínic heads the ALICE RAP project to redefine the concept of addiction in EU

ALICE RAP is a new dynamic trans-disciplinary EU project which aims is to help policy makers "re-think and re-shape" current and future approaches to the huge human and economic costs of addictions and lifestyles in Europe. This project is supported by the Catalan Ministry of Health and coordinated from the Hospital Clínic of Barcelona by Dr. Antoni Gual, head of the Hospital Clínic of Barcelona Addictions Unit. This Unit holds a broad range of expertise in the management of addictions and undertakes a number of research projects devoted to strengthening scientific and social knowledge on this topic, such as the European projects AMPHORA and ODHIN. This time, the initiative goes far beyond alcohol, and will investigate addiction in its broadest sense, including all types of substance problems and even internet gaming and gambling. 

Over the next five years the 'Addictions and Lifestyles in Contemporary Europe Reframing Addictions Project' (ALICE RAP) will weave the work of over 100 scientists from 67 institutions in 25 countries into a integrated evidence base for informed policy action. The research programme includes a wide range of different quantitative and qualitative scientific disciplines stretching across the humanities and social sciences and the biological and medical sciences.

ALICE RAP aims to critically examine and analyse currently fragmented research and strengthen scientific evidence to inform a new dynamic platform for public and political dialogue and debate on current and alternative approaches to addictions. 

The project formally started 1st April 2011, and its kick-off meeting will take place in Cosmo Caixa, Barcelona, 23-27 May. ALICE RAP is a 10 million Euro project co-financed by the 7th Framework Programme of the European Commission, and coordinated by a team in the Hospital Clinic of the University of Barcelona.    > > > >   Read More

An evaluation of the narrowing gender gap in DUI arrests.

Although males account for the vast majority of those convicted of driving under the influence of alcohol and/or other drugs (DUI), female DUI convictions have increased over the past two decades. 

In this study, we examined the ratio of males-to-females who were court-mandated between the years 1992 and 2008 to attend the Mississippi Alcohol Safety Education Program (MASEP), a DUI intervention program in Mississippi. The data for this study came from MASEP records; the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS); the Uniform Crime Reports (UCR); the Treatment Episode Data Set (TEDS); the National Household Travel Survey (NHTS); and National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), an agency within the US Department of Transportation. Augmented Dickey–Fuller (ADF) tests were used to assess the nature (i.e., convergence, divergence, or stability) of this trend and to identify predictors. 

The results showed that, over the 17-year period, the gender gap in DUI convictions, self-reported history of prior arrest, official drug arrests, and substance abuse treatment admissions has narrowed considerably. 

Results from the autoregressive integrated moving average (ARIMA) models show that three factors account for increases in the proportion of women mandated to attend MASEP: self-reported arrest prior to the DUI conviction, female admissions to substance abuse treatment, and annual miles driven. 

Changes in both women's behavior and law enforcement practices have increased female exposure to DUI arrests and narrowed the gender gap in DUI convictions.



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Request Reprint E-Mail: angela.robertson@ssrc.msstate.edu  

Cloning, expression and characterization of alcohol dehydrogenases in the silkworm Bombyx mori

Alcohol dehydrogenases (ADH) are a class of enzymes that catalyze the reversible oxidation of alcohols to corresponding aldehydes or ketones, by using either nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD) or nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADP), as coenzymes. 

In this study, a short-chain ADH gene was identified in Bombyx mori by 5'-RACE PCR. This is the first time the coding region of BmADH has been cloned, expressed, purified and then characterized. The cDNA fragment encoding the BmADH protein was amplified from a pool of silkworm cDNAs by PCR, and then cloned into E. coli expression vector pET-30a(+). The recombinant His-tagged BmADH protein was expressed in E. coli BL21 (DE3), and then purified by metal chelating affinity chromatography. 

The soluble recombinant BmADH, produced at low-growth temperature, was instrumental in catalyzing the ethanol-dependent reduction of NAD⁺, thereby indicating ethanol as one of the substrates of BmADH.

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Alcohol and Maternal Uterine Vascular Adaptations During Pregnancy—Part I: Effects of Chronic In Vitro Binge-Like Alcohol on Uterine Endothelial Nitric Oxide System and Function

  Pregnancy-induced utero-placental growth, angiogenic remodeling, and enhanced vasodilation are all partly regulated by estradiol-17β-mediated activation of endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) and nitric oxide (NO) production. However, very little is known about the effects of alcohol on these maternal utero-placental vascular adaptations during pregnancy and its potential role in the pathogenesis of fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASDs). In this study, we hypothesized that in vitro chronic binge-like alcohol will decrease uterine arterial endothelial eNOS expression and alter its multisite phosphorylation activity state via disruption of AKT signaling. To study the direct effects of alcohol on uterine vascular adaptations, we further investigated the effects of alcohol on estradiol-17β-induced uterine angiogenesis in vitro.

Uterine artery endothelial cells were isolated from pregnant ewes (gestational day 120 to 130; term = 147), fluorescence-activated cell sorted, validated, and maintained in culture to passage 4. To mimic maternal binge drinking patterns, cells were cultured in the absence or presence of a lower (LD) or higher dose (HD) of alcohol in a compensating sealed humidified chamber system equilibrated with aqueous alcohol for 3 hours on 3 consecutive days. Immunoblotting was performed to assess expression of NO system-associated proteins and eNOS multi-site phosphorylation. Following this treatment paradigm, control and binge alcohol-treated cells were passaged, grown for 2 days, and then treated with increasing concentrations of estradiol-17β (0.1, 1, 10, 100 nM) in the absence or presence of LD or HD alcohol to evaluate estradiol-17β-induced angiogenesis index using BrdU proliferation assay.

LD and HD binge-like alcohol decreased uterine arterial eNOS expression (p = 0.009). eNOS multisite phosphorylation activation state was altered: P⁶³⁵eNOS was decreased (p = 0.017), P¹¹⁷⁷eNOS was not altered, and P⁴⁹⁵eNOS exhibited an inverse U-shaped dose-dependent relationship with alcohol. LD and HD alcohol decreased the major eNOS-associated protein cav-1 (p < 0.001). However, the commonly implicated AKT pathway did not correlate with eNOS posttranslational modifications. Assessment of uterine vascular adaptation via angiogenesis demonstrated that alcohol abrogated the dose-dependent proliferative effects of estradiol-17β and thus blunted angiogenesis.

Thus, the maternal uterine vasculature during pregnancy may be vulnerable to chronic binge-like alcohol. Altered eNOS multisite phosphorylation also suggests that alcohol produces specific effects at the level of posttranslational modifications critical for pregnancy-induced uterine vascular adaptations. Finally, the alcohol and estradiol-17β data suggest a negative impact of alcohol on estrogen actions on the uterine vasculature.


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Request Reprint E-Mail: ramadoss@wisc.edu 

Effects of Alcoholism and Continued Abstinence on Brain Volumes in Both Genders

Alcohol abuse has detrimental effects on cerebral function, metabolism, and volume. Some of these effects were found to be at least partially reversible with continued abstinence. Furthermore, it has been reported that there are different effects of alcohol on brain volumes for women compared with men, but the results concerning the interaction between alcohol dependence and gender are inconsistent. 

With this study, we aimed to further investigate this question by examining the global gray matter (GM) and white matter (WM) changes as well as regional and local GM changes detected by voxel-based morphometry (VBM) in male and female alcoholic patients a few weeks after detoxification and the corresponding changes in a subgroup of these patients 3 months later.

A total of 50 patients, consecutively admitted for alcohol withdrawal treatment, participated in this study and were followed up for at least 3 months into abstinence. High-resolution structural images were processed with SPM8 using an optimized VBM protocol.

Global cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) volume was increased and WM and GM volume decreased equally in male and female patients. A gender by diagnosis interaction was found neither for global nor for regional volumes or VBM data. VBM whole brain analysis yielded a significant GM volume loss in the patient group in the cingulate gyrus and the insula in both hemispheres. Region of interest analysis for the initial and 3 months follow-up scans yielded significant gains in regional volumes, particularly the cingulate gyrus and the insula in the group of abstinent patients, whereas no volume change at all is found in the patients who had relapsed.

Our study confirms widespread cerebral volume loss in recently detoxified alcoholics. The effects of alcohol dependence seem to have equally adverse effects on brain morphometry in males and females.



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Request Reprint E-Mail:   traute.demirakca@zi-mannheim.de  

Dissociation Between Affective and Cognitive Empathy in Alcoholism: A Specific Deficit for the Emotional Dimension

Emotional impairments constitute a crucial and widely described dimension of alcoholism, but several affective abilities are still to be thoroughly explored among alcohol-dependent patients. This is particularly true for empathy, which constitutes an essential emotional competence for interpersonal relations and has been shown to be highly impaired in various psychiatric states. The present study aimed at exploring empathic abilities in alcoholism, and notably the hypothesis of a differential deficit between emotional and cognitive empathy.

Empathy abilities were evaluated among 30 recently detoxified inpatients diagnosed with alcohol dependence and 30 paired healthy controls, using highly validated questionnaires (Interpersonal Reactivity Index [J Pers Soc Psychol44:113] and Empathy Quotient [J Autism Dev Disord34:163]). Correlational analyses were performed to evaluate the links between empathy scores and psychopathological measures (i.e., depression, anxiety, interpersonal problems, and alexithymia).

When psychiatric comorbities are controlled for, alcoholism is not associated with a general empathy deficit, but rather with a dissociated pattern combining impaired emotional empathy and preserved cognitive one. Moreover, this emotional empathy deficit is not associated with depression or anxiety scores, but is negatively correlated with alexithymia and the severity of interpersonal problems.

At the theoretical level, this first observation of a specific deficit for emotional empathy in alcoholism, combined with the exact inverse pattern observed in other psychiatric populations, leads to a double-dissociation, which supports the notion that emotional and cognitive empathy are 2 distinct abilities. 

At the clinical level, this deficit calls for considering emotional empathy rehabilitation as a crucial concern in psychotherapy.



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Request Reprint E-Mail: pierre.maurage@uclouvain.be  

Age Differences in the Expression of Acute and Chronic Tolerance to Ethanol in Male and Female Rats

Ontogenetic differences in response to ethanol (EtOH) challenge have been observed under a variety of circumstances, including varying reports of developmental differences in the expression of tolerance to EtOH. The purpose of the present experiment was to further explore potential differences in acute (AT) and chronic (CT) tolerance expression between adolescent and adult, male and female Sprague–Dawley rats, using the social interaction test.

AT and CT to the social suppressing effects of a moderate dose of EtOH was assessed in adolescent and adult rats following intraperitoneal injections of 2.0 g/kg EtOH or saline daily for 10 days. At test, adults and adolescents were challenged with 1.0 or 1.25 g/kg EtOH, respectively, with AT and CT assessed at 5 and 25 minutes postinjection using ratios of impairment to brain ethanol concentrations (BrECs) at each time period (CT) and within-session declines in impairment relative to BrECs (AT).

In adolescents, 10 days of EtOH pre-exposure resulted in evidence of CT at 25 minutes postinjection, perhaps associated with an enhanced expression of AT. Among adults, signs of CT were seen at 5 minutes postinjection in adults, and may reflect neuroadaptations unassociated with AT, as with evidence of tolerance emerging only in adult control animals repeatedly exposed to saline injection prior to EtOH challenge on test day. Sex differences in tolerance expression were not observed at either age.

Our results show ontogenetic differences between adolescents and adults in the short- and long-term neuroadaptations that they express in response to repeated perturbations with EtOH. 


Together these findings add age of exposure and time of testing within the intoxication period as critical variables to be considered when exploring the complex relationship between AT and CT.



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Request Reprint E-Mail:  mmorale2@binghamton.edu   

Greater Discounting of Delayed Rewards in Young Adults with Family Histories of Alcohol and Drug Use Disorders: Studies from the Oklahoma Family Health Patterns Project

Increased discounting of delayed rewards may be a premorbid characteristic and possible risk factor for alcohol and other drug use disorders; however, previous studies have found no or minimal differences in delay discounting in individuals at risk for substance use disorders based on family history. It is possible that increased delay discounting may be more closely associated with antisocial traits, evident in a subset of individuals with positive family histories of alcohol and drug use disorders, and that previous studies were underpowered for detecting subtle to modest overall group differences.

In this study, we compared 143 young adults with family histories of alcohol and other drug use disorders (FH+) and 155 young adults with no such histories (FH−) on delay discounting and subsequently examined how delay discounting was related to antisocial traits and other selected psychological and demographic variables.

The FH+ group discounted delayed rewards more than the FH− group. Subsequent analyses revealed that increased delay discounting was correlated with having more parents and grandparents with alcohol and drug use disorders, more antisocial traits, more depressive tendencies and lower IQs, and lower income. After controlling for all these relationships, more antisocial traits and lower IQ still predicted greater delay discounting, and subsequent analysis revealed that the greater delay discounting in the FH+ group was mediated by this group’s greater number of individuals with antisocial traits.

FH+ individuals who discount delayed rewards more may be at increased risk for developing alcohol and other drug use disorders; however, additional descriptive studies and longitudinal studies are needed.



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acheson@uthscsa.edu

   

Lmo Genes Regulate Behavioral Responses to Ethanol in Drosophila melanogaster and the Mouse

Previous work from our laboratory demonstrated a role for the Drosophila Lim-only (dLmo) gene in regulating behavioral responses to cocaine. 

Herein, we examined whether dLmo influences the flies’ sensitivity to ethanol’s sedating effects. We also investigated whether 1 of the mammalian homologs of dLmo, Lmo3, is involved in behavioral responses to ethanol in mice.

To examine dLmo function in ethanol-induced sedation, mutant flies with reduced or increased dLmo expression were tested using the loss of righting (LOR) assay. To determine whether mouse Lmo3 regulates behavioral responses to ethanol, we generated transgenic mice expressing a short-hairpin RNA targeting Lmo3 for RNA interference-mediated knockdown by lentiviral infection of single cell embryos. 

Adult founder mice, expressing varying amounts of Lmo3 in the brain, were tested using ethanol loss-of-righting-reflex (LORR) and 2-bottle choice ethanol consumption assays.

We found that in flies, reduced dLmo activity increased sensitivity to ethanol-induced sedation, whereas increased expression of dLmo led to increased resistance to ethanol-induced sedation. In mice, reduced levels of Lmo3 were correlated with increased sedation time in the LORR test and decreased ethanol consumption in the 2-bottle choice protocol.

These data describe a novel and conserved role for Lmo genes in flies and mice in behavioral responses to ethanol. These studies also demonstrate the feasibility of rapidly translating findings from invertebrate systems to mammalian models of alcohol abuse by combining RNA interference in transgenic mice and behavioral testing.




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Request Reprint E-Mail:  alasek@gallo.ucsf.edu  

Ethanol Impairs Differentiation of Human Adipocyte Stromal Cells in Culture

Bioinformatic resources suggest that adipose tissue expresses mRNAs for alcohol dehydrogenases (ADHs) and ALDH2, and epidemiological studies indicate that heavy alcohol use reduces adipose tissue mass. 

We therefore characterized the expression of alcohol metabolizing enzymes in human, rat and mouse adipose tissue, preadipocytes, and adipocytes, the ability of adipocytes to metabolize ethanol, and the effects of ethanol on differentiation of human adipose stromal cells (hASCs).

Adipose tissue, preadipocytes, and adipocytes were collected from rodents or from humans undergoing bariatric surgery. hASCs were differentiated in vitro using standard methods. Gene expression and cellular differentiation were analyzed by Western blotting, RT-PCR, and microscopy.

Class I ADH was expressed in human > mouse > rat adipose tissue, whereas ALDH2 was high in all samples. ADH, catalase, and ALDH2 were induced during differentiation of hASCs. The presence of 50 mM ethanol markedly reduced the differentiation of hASCs; this effect was associated with inhibition of expression of transcription factors required for differentiation, but did not depend on the ability of the cells to metabolize ethanol.

Human adipose tissue expresses alcohol oxidizing enzymes. The presence of ethanol at physiologically relevant concentrations inhibits differentiation of hASCs. Ethanol could alter adipose tissue biology, inducing a form of acquired lipodystrophy, which is consistent with epidemiological studies.




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Request Reprint E-Mail:  dcrabb@iupui.edu    

Ethanol Induces Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress in the Developing Brain

.Ethanol exposure during brain development causes profound damages to the central nervous system (CNS). The underlying cellular/molecular mechanisms remain unclear. 

The endoplasmic reticulum (ER) is involved in posttranslational protein processing and transport. The accumulation of unfolded or misfolded proteins in the ER lumen triggers ER stress, which is characterized by translational attenuation, synthesis of ER chaperone proteins, and activation of transcription factors. Sustained ER stress ultimately leads to cell death. ER stress is implicated in various neurodegenerative processes.

Using a third trimester equivalent mouse model of ethanol exposure, we tested the hypothesis that ethanol induces ER stress in the developing brain. Seven-day-old C57BL/6 mice were acutely exposed to ethanol by subcutaneous injection and the expression of ER stress-inducible proteins (ERSIPs) and signaling pathways associated with ER stress were examined.

Ethanol exposure significantly increased the expression of ERSIPs and activated signaling pathways associated with ER stress; these include ATF6, CHOP/GADD153, GRP78, and mesencephalic astrocyte-derived neurotrophic factor as well as the phosphorylation of IRE1α, eIF2α, PERK, and PKR. The ethanol-induced increase in ERSIPs occurred within 4 hours of ethanol injection, and levels of some ERSIPs remained elevated after 24 hours of ethanol exposure. Ethanol-induced increase in phosphorylated eIF2α, caspase-12, and CHOP was distributed in neurons of specific areas of the cerebral cortex, hippocampus, and thalamus.

Our finding indicates that ethanol induces ER stress in immature neurons, providing novel insight into ethanol’s detrimental effect on the developing CNS.




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Preventing Disparities in Alcohol Screening and Brief Intervention: The Need to Move Beyond Primary Care

The alcohol treatment field has focused on promoting screening and brief intervention (SBI) in medically based settings, particularly primary care. 

In this Commentary, we consider the potential unintended consequences for disparities in access to care for alcohol problems. 

National data show significant racial/ethnic and socioeconomic differences in the rates at which at-risk drinkers and persons with alcohol use disorders come into contact with primary care providers. This suggests that implementing SBI in mostly primary care settings could inadvertently widen the gap in alcohol-related health disparities. 

To ensure that all populations in need benefit from this evidence-based treatment, SBI should be considered and adapted for a wider range of service venues, including Federally Qualified Health Centers and venues frequented by racial/ethnic minorities and the uninsured.

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Assessing the costs to the NHS associated with alcohol and obesity in Wales

£73m is the cost of obesity to the NHS in Wales, according to an academic study commissioned by the Welsh Assembly Government, the first time such a figure has been calculated.

The study, by academics from Swansea University’s College of Human and Health Sciences, also estimated that the cost of excessive alcohol consumption to the Welsh NHS to be between £69.9m and £73.3m.

The findings show that the NHS in Wales spends over a £1m a week on treating health problems caused by alcohol misuse and another £1m each week on treating obesity. But the study also cautions that the true cost of both obesity and excess alcohol consumption to the Welsh NHS could be higher.  > > > >  Read More

Improving accuracy in recording alcohol consumption: a survey in Greater Manchester

The Greater Manchester Public Health Practice Unit worked with and commissioned the Centre for Public Health at Liverpool John Moores University to conduct a high specification survey on alcohol consumption across Greater Manchester in order to obtain an accurate picture of current quantities of alcohol consumed and provide a baseline for evaluating future trends.


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Moderate Alcohol Consumption and the Risk of Mortality

There has been a growing consensus that moderate consumption of alcohol is associated with a lower risk of mortality and that this association is probably causal. 

However, a recent review article 

has raised a serious challenge to this consensus. In short, it determined that most prior research in this area committed serious misclassification errors; furthermore, among those studies that were free of these misclassification errors, no support for a protective role of alcohol consumption was found. 

This article reexamines the issue using prospective data for more than 124,000 persons interviewed in the U.S. National Health Interview Surveys of 1997 through 2000 with mortality follow-up through 2002 using the Linked Mortality File. The study involves about 488,000 person-years. 

Controlling for a variety of covariates, this study finds that compared with nondrinkers, those who consume a moderate amount of alcohol have lower all-cause and CHD mortality. 

The fact that the current study has taken care to avoid the pitfalls of some earlier studies and still finds that those who consume a moderate amount of alcohol have lower all-cause mortality and CHD mortality lends credence to the argument that the relationship is causal. 

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