Strawberry Polyphenols Attenuate Ethanol-Induced Gastric Lesions in Rats by Activation of Antioxidant Enzymes and Attenuation of MDA Increase

Free radicals are implicated in the aetiology of gastrointestinal disorders such as gastric ulcer, colorectal cancer and inflammatory bowel disease. Strawberries are common and important fruit due to their high content of essential nutrient and beneficial phytochemicals which seem to have relevant biological activity on human health.

In the present study we investigated the antioxidant and protective effects of three strawberry extracts against ethanol-induced gastric mucosa damage in an experimental in vivo model and to test whether strawberry extracts affect antioxidant enzyme activities in gastric mucosa.

Strawberry extracts were obtained from Adria, Sveva and Alba cultivars. Total antioxidant capacity and radical scavenging capacity were performed by TEAC, ORAC and electron paramagnetic resonance assays. Identification and quantification of anthocyanins was carried out by HPLC-DAD-MS analyses. Different groups of animals received 40 mg/day/kg body weight of strawberry crude extracts for 10 days. Gastric damage was induced by ethanol. The ulcer index was calculated together with the determination of catalase and SOD activities and MDA contents. Strawberry extracts are rich in anthocyanins and present important antioxidant capacity.

Ethanol caused severe gastric damage and strawberry consumption protected against its deleterious role. Antioxidant enzyme activities increased significantly after strawberry extract intake and a concomitantly decrease in gastric lipid peroxidation was found. A significant correlation between total anthocyanin content and percent of inhibition of ulcer index was also found.

Strawberry extracts prevented exogenous ethanol-induced damage to rats’ gastric mucosa. These effects seem to be associated with the antioxidant activity and phenolic content in the extract as well as with the capacity of promoting the action of antioxidant enzymes. A diet rich in strawberries might exert a beneficial effect in the prevention of
gastric diseases related to generation of reactive oxygen species.


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Normative Misperceptions about Alcohol Use in a General Population Sample of Problem Drinkers from a Large Metropolitan City

Heavy drinkers tend to overestimate how much others drink (normative fallacy), at least in college samples. Little research has been conducted to evaluate whether normative misperceptions about drinking extend beyond the college population. The present study explored normative misperceptions in an adult general population sample of drinkers.

As part of a larger study, in Toronto, Canada, a random digit dialling telephone survey was conducted with 14,009 participants who drank alcohol at least once per month. Respondents with Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test of eight or more (n = 2757) were asked to estimate what percent of Canadians of their same sex: (a) drank more than they do; (b) were abstinent and (c) drank seven or more drinks per week. Respondents’ estimates of these population drinking norms were then compared with the actual levels of alcohol consumption in the Canadian population.

A substantial level of normative misperception was observed for estimates of levels of drinking in the general population. Estimates of the proportion of Canadians who were abstinent were fairly accurate. There was some evidence of a positive relationship between the respondents’ own drinking severity and the extent of normative misperceptions. Little evidence was found of a relationship between degree of normative misperceptions and age.

Normative misperceptions have been successfully targeted in social norms media campaigns as well as in personalized feedback interventions for problem drinkers. The present research solidifies the empirical bases for extending these interventions more widely into the general population.


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News Release - NIH grant will help translate addiction research into practice

A new grant will help establish a core of post-graduate addiction medicine education programs in academic medical centers throughout the United States. The National Infrastructure for Translating Addiction Research into Clinical Practice grant, awarded last month to the University at Buffalo School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, will provide about $900,000 over a two-year period. The grant was awarded by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), part of the National Institutes of Health, and strengthens the foundation for training clinicians in the emerging specialty of addiction medicine.

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Do community interventions targeting licensed venues reduce alcohol-related emergency department presentations?

Excessive alcohol consumption is related to substantial health and social order costs. Many of the harms have been identified as coming from licensed venues. Most communities struggle to find interventions that are effective, particularly in an environment of little federal government action. Furthermore, most interventions are based on little or no empirical evidence. This study aims to investigate the effect of a suite of interventions on emergency department (ED) attendances in Geelong, Australia.

This paper reports stage one findings from the Dealing with Alcohol-Related Problems in the Night-time Economy project (DANTE) and specifically examines all alcohol-related injury frequencies before to after intervention in the City of Greater Geelong of Victoria, Australia, from 2005 to 2009. Auto-regressive integrated moving average time-series were used to determine the effect of the interventions on ED attendances in Geelong.

There were 3934 triage presentations involving alcohol. Over two-thirds (68.9%) of triage presentations were male and over half (58.5%) of alcohol-related attendances occurred on the weekend. The time-series analyses indicated that ID scanners (z = 2.66, P < 0.001) and the Just Think awareness campaign (z = 4.21, P < 0.001) were significant predictors of increases in alcohol-related injury presentation rates to the ED.

Overall, the community interventions implemented have not been associated with reduced alcohol-related attendances at the ED. The findings raise questions about whether targeting the night-time economy is effective and whether interventions should instead be targeted at reducing whole-of-community alcohol consumption

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Behavioural indicators of motives for barroom aggression: Implications for preventing bar violence

To develop new strategies for preventing violence in high-risk licensed premises, we identify behavioural indicators of apparent motives for aggression in these settings and outline the implications of different motivations for prevention.

The four types of motives for aggressive or coercive acts defined by the theory of coercive actions framed the research: gaining compliance, expressing grievances/restoring justice, attaining a favourable social identity and pursuing fun/excitement. Incidents of aggression from the Safer Bars evaluation research were analysed to identify behavioural indicators of each motivation.

Compliance-motivated aggression typically takes the form of unwanted social overtures, third party intervention to stop conflicts or staff rule enforcement. Prevention strategies include keeping the aggressor's focus on compliance to avoid provoking grievance and identity motives that are likely to escalate aggression. Grievance motives are typically elicited by perceived wrongdoing and therefore prevention should focus on eliminating sources of grievances and adopting policies/practices to resolve grievances peacefully. Social identity motives are endemic to many drinking establishments especially among male patrons and staff. Prevention involves reducing identity cues in the environment, hiring staff who do not have identity concerns, and training staff to avoid provoking identity concerns. Aggression motivated by fun/excitement often involves low-level aggression where escalation can be prevented by avoiding grievances and attacks on identity.

Knowledge of behavioural indicators of motives can be used to enhance staff hiring and training practices, reduce environmental triggers for aggression, and develop policies to reduce motivation for aggression.

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In Memoriam: Robert D. Myers: Founding Editor, Alcohol: An International Biomedical Journal

Dr. Robert D. Myers, age 79, Professor Emeritus of East Carolina School of Medicine in Greenville, North Carolina, passed away at the Lehigh Hope Hospice, Lehigh, Florida, on July 16, 2011.

He was born October 25, 1931 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to the late Clarence N. and Martha L. Myers. He attended Lower Merion High School in Ardmore, Pennsylvania. He received a B.S. degree from Ursinus College in Collegeville, Pennsylvania in 1953, and M.S. and Ph.D. degrees from Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana, in 1954 and 1956 respectively. On December 20, 1953, he was united in marriage to Marjorie A. Fretz in Souderton, Pennsylvania.

In 1956, Bob and Margie moved to Hamilton, New York, where he served as an Assistant and Associate Professor at Colgate University, as well as Director of its Research Council. In 1960, he spent one year at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine in Baltimore, Maryland as a Postdoctoral Fellow in Neurophysiology. He moved his family to London, England in 1963, where he spent two years as a visiting scientist in Physiology and Pharmacology at the National Institute for Medical Research at Mill Hill; in 1969 he returned to Mill Hill as Visiting Professor of Pharmacology. In 1965, he was named Professor of Psychological and Biological Sciences at Purdue University, serving as Director of the Psychobiology and Neurobiology Programs from 1968 to 1978. In 1975 he was a visiting Professor at LaTrobe University in Melbourne, Australia. In 1978, he was appointed Professor of Psychiatry and Pharmacology at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine, in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, and from 1979 to 1987 served as Director of the Bowles Biomedical Research Laboratory at U.N.C. In 1987, he was named joint Professor of Pharmacology and Psychiatric Medicine at the East Carolina University School of Medicine in Greenville, North Carolina. He was also Director of the Research Division at E.C.U.'s Center for Alcohol and Drug Abuse Studies. In 1996, the University Board of Trustees named him Distinguished Research Professor of Pharmacology. Bob retired from E.C.U. in 1998, at age 67, as Emeritus Distinguished Research Professor of Pharmacology. Bob and Margie have been living in Fort Myers, Florida since January, 2011. > > > > Read More

News Release - TIPS Launches Alcohol Seller Training Program for Casinos

Health Communications, Inc. (HCI) today unveiled TIPS for Gaming 2.0, an alcohol server training and certification program designed specifically for casinos, riverboats, and gambling centers.

TIPS for Gaming, Version 2.0, introduces improved ways of addressing alcohol-related service concerns to casino personnel. In addition to preventing the illegal sale of alcohol, casino employees learn how to handle individuals who have had too much and keep them from harming themselves, the property, and others. Taught by certified TIPS Trainers, TIPS for Gaming 2.0 challenges casino employees to evaluate and re-evaluate the way they manage their customers. > > > > Read More

Play Hard, Shirk Hard? The Effect of Bar Hours Regulation on Absence

How government taxation and transfer policy influence labour supply behavior is well understood. Governments also regulate the timing and extent of leisure activity which may also influence labor-leisure decisions. Legislative changes in bar opening hours provide a potential quasi-natural experiment of the effect of government regulation on working effort.

This paper examines two recent policy changes, one in England/Wales and one in Spain that increased and decreased opening hours, respectively.

A robust positive causal link between opening hours and absence is demonstrated. Further evidence is provided that longer opening hours cause poorer health outcomes, particularly amongst regular bar attendees.

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Alcohol News - 43/2011

Euroalert.net (EU) - Commission stresses the need for action to protect young people from alcohol-related harm at the EU Alcohol and Health Forum

Although minimum drinking age in most EU Member states is set at 18 years old, the most recent European surveys show that half of school children aged 15 to16 years have drunk alcohol in the past month. In order to tackle this situation and take action to protect young people, experts, industry and other stakeholder have met at the the 9th plenary meeting of the European Alcohol and Health Forum held in in Brussels on 19 October.

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The Local.se (Sweden) - Queen under fire for giving kids wine

The admission that the Royal children were allowed a glass of wine at festive occasions, followed by Coca Cola, despite being under age, has sparked criticism from Swedish temperance campaigners.

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The Local (Sweden) - Teen alcohol programme has 'no effect': study

A nationwide programme aimed at tackling drinking among young people has 'no effect' at all on drinking habits, according to a new study.

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World Trademark Review (Norway) - Alcohol brand owners might be allowed to advertise on Norwegian TV

Norway is on the verge of involuntarily allowing the advertising of alcoholic beverages on television, contrary to the country’s strict alcohol policy. This change may take place as a result of pressure from the European Commission, which requested an immediate implementation of the EU ‘Television Without Frontiers’ Directive (89/552/EEC).

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Huffington Post (USA) - Excessive Alcohol Consumption Costs U.S. Economy Over $200 Billion Per Year

Heavy drinking is costing the U.S. economy more than $200 billion a year, mostly in lost workplace productivity, a U.S. health agency said on Monday.

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LiveScience.com - Recession Fuels Risky Drinking for Both Jobless and Employed

People drink more during an economic downturn, suggests a new study showing that binge drinking, drunk driving and alcohol dependence increase when times are tough.

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BBC (UK) - Avoid alcohol three days a week, doctors warn

Doctors say the government's alcohol guidelines could be improved to ensure they do not sanction daily drinking.

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MedPage Today (USA) - Medicare to Cover Alcohol, Depression Screening

Medicare will pay for annual screenings for alcohol misuse and depression, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) announced.

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Telegraph.co.uk (UK) – Two thirds of drunk teenagers given alcohol by parents‎

Officers in Newquay, Cornwall, said that when they contacted parents to tell them that they had confiscated drink from their children they were often abused and accused of spoiling the youngsters’ “fun”.

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TheGloss - ‘Drunkorexia’ Is A Growing And Terrible Trend, Say Scientists

Not eating enough and drinking too much might be a practice familiar to many slightly un-hinged urbanites, but now scientists at the University of Missouri have released a study showing just how widespread this so-called “drunkorexia” problem is, especially among young people (our future!). According to findings released on Monday, 16% of college women surveyed reported restricting food calories in order to “save them” for alcohol.

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UPI.com - Study: Music links alcohol, degrading sex

A U.S. adolescent who listens to 2.5 hours of popular music per day is heavily exposed to alcohol brands associated to degrading sex, researchers say.

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Ivanhoe - Alcohol Linked to Lung Cancer

Having a beer belly should be of least concern for alcohol users. According to three recent studies, heavy alcohol consumption is linked to a great risk of developing lung cancer, while specific ethnic groups, including African American men and Asian women, had slightly higher risks for lung cancer.

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Daily Mail (UK) - BBC blows £70,000 on alcohol and leaving parties for staff as job cuts loom

The BBC has spent £70,000 on leaving parties at exclusive restaurants for its staff and on alcohol in the past year.

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RTE.ie (Ireland) - Government plans to tackle alcohol misuse

Minister Roisin Shortall has told a seminar in Dublin that she is taking legal advice on how to tackle below-cost selling of alcohol.

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EurekAlert - Association of quantity of alcohol and frequency of consumption with cancer mortality

A paper from the National Institutes of Health in the United States has evaluated the separate and combined effects of the frequency of alcohol consumption and the average quantity of alcohol drunk per occasion and how that relates to mortality risk from individual cancers as well as all cancers. The analysis is based on repeated administrations of the National Health Interview Survey in the US, assessing more than 300,000 subjects who suffered over 8,000 deaths from cancer. The research reports on total cancer deaths and deaths from lung, colorectal, prostate, and breast cancers.

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NEWS.com.au (Australia) - Anger at Aldi's booze for a buck

DISCOUNT supermarket giant Aldi will begin stocking its shelves with $1 beers - including 80c cans of light - across New South Wales from next year, despite objections from NSW Health.

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UCSD Medical Center - Genetically Influenced Responses to Alcohol Affect Brain Activation

A study by researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine suggests that differences in brain activation in individuals with a low level of response to alcohol may contribute to their inability to recognize modest levels of alcohol intoxication.

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Medical News Today - Popular Music Linked To Top Alcohol Brands - Is Industry Exploiting Underage Drinking?

Music like rap, hip hop and R&B often contain references to branded alcoholic beverages that are commonly linked to a luxury lifestyle which degrades sexual activity, violence, wealth, partying, and the use of drugs. Researchers at the University in Pittsburgh conducted a study published online in the international journal Addiction that reports that the average U.S. adolescent is heavily exposed to alcohol references in popular music.

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NEWS.com.au (Pakistan) - Pakistan overturns ban on booze . . . for export

IT IS an Islamic republic where alcohol is forbidden to 97 per cent of the population and drinkers can face 80 lashes of the whip under holy law - but in a move set to anger religious conservatives, Pakistan is poised to become an exporter of beer.

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The Guardian (UK) - Young people want more protection from alcohol advertising, survey says

Most young people would like more protection from alcohol advertising, but under-18s do not recognise that drink logos on football shirts are a form of marketing, according to a survey.

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ABC Online (Australia) - Alcohol-free homes to be declared to reduce violence

Authorities are hoping the ability to declare any house in Western Australia an alcohol-free zone will lead to a reduction in domestic violence.

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Bend Bulletin - Drinking studies show increase

An analysis of 31 studies on alcohol drinking patterns worldwide has found that people born in North America after World War II are more likely than other groups to engage in binge drinking and develop alcoholism. Younger groups consistently consume more alcohol than older generations.

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7thSpace Interactive (Hong Kong) - Action plan launched to reduce alcohol-related harm in Hong Kong

An action plan was officially launched today (October 24) to reduce alcohol-related harm, combat the rising tide of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) and enhance the quality of life for the community.

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NATIONAL ADVISORY COUNCIL ON ALCOHOL ABUSE AND ALCOHOLISM Summary of the 127th Meeting June 8-9, 2011

The National Advisory Council on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) convened for its 127th meeting at 5:30 p.m. on June 8, 2011, at the Fishers Lane Conference Center in Rockville, Maryland, in closed session for a review of grant applications. The meeting recessed at 7:20 p.m. The Council reconvened on June 9, 2011, at 9:00 a.m. Dr. Abraham Bautista, Director, Office of Extramural Activities, presided over the closed session. In accordance with the provisions of Sections 552b(C)(6), Title 5, U.S.C. and 10(d) of Public Law 92-463, the closed session on June 8, 2011, excluded the public for the review, discussion, and evaluation of individual applications for Federal grant-in-aid funds. Dr. Kenneth Warren, Acting Director, NIAAA, presided over the Council’s open session on June 9, 2011. > > > > Read More

The effects of repeated corticosterone exposure on the interoceptive effects of alcohol in rats

Repeated and/or heightened elevations in glucocorticoids (e.g., repeated stress) can promote escalated drug-taking behaviors and induce compromised HPA axis function. Given that interoceptive/subjective drug cues are a fundamental factor in drug-taking behavior, we sought to determine the effects of exposure to repeated elevations in the glucocorticoid corticosterone (CORT) on the interoceptive effects of alcohol in rats using drug discrimination techniques.

Male Long Evans rats trained to discriminate alcohol (1 g/kg, IG) vs. water were exposed to CORT (300 μg/ml) in the home cage drinking water for 7 days. The interoceptive effects of experimenter- and self-administered alcohol were assessed and HPA axis function was determined.

The interoceptive effects of experimenter- and self-administered alcohol were blunted following
CORT. Control experiments determined that this decreased sensitivity was unrelated to discrimination performance impairments or decreased CORT levels at the time of testing and was dependent on repeated CORT exposure. Susceptibility to compromised HPA axis function following CORT exposure was suggested by an altered pattern of CORT secretion and blunted CORT response following injection of the synthetic glucocorticoid dexamethasone.

These findings present a possible behavioral mechanism for escalated alcohol drinking during episodes of heightened elevations in glucocorticoids (e.g., stress). That is, during these episodes, individuals may consume more alcohol to achieve the desired interoceptive effects. Understanding these behavioral mechanisms may lead to a better understanding of factors that promote alcoholism and alcohol abuse in at risk populations.

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Alcohol Policy, Social Context, and Infant Health: The Impact of Minimum Legal Drinking Age

The minimum legal drinking age (MLDA) was increased in the U.S. in the late 1980s in an effort to reduce intoxication-associated injuries, especially those related to motor vehicle accidents.

This paper explores distal (secondary) effects of changing MLDA on indices of infant health, and whether changes in drinking behaviors or birth composition contributed to these effects.

State- and year-fixed-effects models are used to analyze the relationship between MLDA, drinking behaviors, and birth outcomes. We studied the effects of different MLDA (age 18, 19, 20, or 21 years) when potential mothers were 14 years old by merging two population-based datasets, the Natality Detailed Files and the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System between 1985 and 2002.

A MLDA of 18 years old (when potential mothers were 14 years old) increased the prevalence of low birth weight, low Apgar scores, and premature births. Effects were stronger among children born to black women compared with white women. Moreover, a younger MLDA was associated with an increasing proportion of very young and high school dropouts for black women. Furthermore, older MLDA laws at age 14 years decreased the prevalence of binge drinking among black women.

Increasing the MLDA had longer term, distal impacts beyond the initially intended outcomes, specifically on birth outcomes (particularly among infants born to black women) as well as school drop-outs and binge drinking patterns among black young females. The older MLDA, intended initially to reduce problematic drinking behaviors, appeared to alter broader social contexts that influenced young women during their early childbearing years.


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Loss of Dopamine D2 Receptors Induces Atrophy in the Temporal and Parietal Cortices and the Caudal Thalamus of Ethanol-Consuming Mice

The need of an animal model of alcoholism becomes apparent when we consider the genetic diversity of the human populations, an example being dopamine D2 receptor (DRD2) expression levels. Research suggests that low DRD2 availability is associated with alcohol abuse, while higher DRD2 levels may be protective against alcoholism. This study aims to establish whether (i) the ethanol-consuming mouse is a suitable model of alcohol-induced brain atrophy and (ii) DRD2 protect the brain against alcohol toxicity.

Adult Drd2+/+ and Drd2−/− mice drank either water or 20% ethanol solution for 6 months. At the end of the treatment period, the mice underwent magnetic resonance (MR) imaging under anesthesia. MR images were registered to a common space, and regions of interest were manually segmented.

We found that chronic ethanol intake induced a decrease in the volume of the temporal and parietal cortices as well as the caudal thalamus in Drd2−/− mice.

The result suggests that (i) normal DRD2 expression has a protective role against alcohol-induced brain atrophy and (ii) in the absence of Drd2 expression, prolonged ethanol intake reproduces a distinct feature of human brain pathology in alcoholism, the atrophy of the temporal and parietal cortices.

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Ethanol Increases Glutamate Neurotransmission in the Posterior Ventral Tegmental Area of Female Wistar Rats

The posterior ventral tegmental area (pVTA) mediates the reinforcing and stimulating effects of ethanol (EtOH). Electrophysiological studies indicated that exposure to EtOH increased glutamate synaptic function in the VTA. This study determined the neurochemical effects of both acute and repeated EtOH exposure on glutamate neurotransmission in the pVTA.

Adult female Wistar rats were implanted with microdialysis probes in the pVTA. During microdialysis, rats received acute intraperitoneal (i.p.) injection of saline or EtOH (0.5, 1.0, or 2.0 g/kg), and extracellular glutamate levels were measured in the pVTA. The effects of repeated daily injections of EtOH (0.5, 1.0, or 2.0 g/kg) on basal extracellular glutamate concentrations in the pVTA and on glutamate response to a subsequent EtOH challenge were also examined.

The injection of 0.5 g/kg EtOH significantly increased (120 to 125% of baseline), whereas injection of 2.0 g/kg EtOH significantly decreased (80% of baseline) extracellular glutamate levels in the pVTA. The dose of 1.0 g/kg EtOH did not alter extracellular glutamate levels. Seven repeated daily injections of each dose of EtOH increased basal extracellular glutamate concentrations (from 4.1 ± 0.5 to 9.2 ± 0.5 μM) and reduced glutamate clearance in the pVTA (from 30 ± 2 to 17 ± 2%), but failed to alter glutamate response to a 2.0 g/kg EtOH challenge.

The results suggest that the low dose of EtOH can stimulate the release of glutamate in the pVTA, and repeated EtOH administration increased basal glutamate transmission in the pVTA, as a result of reduced glutamate clearance.

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Request Reprint E-Mail: zding@iupui.edu

A Review of Social Skills Deficits in Individuals with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders and Prenatal Alcohol Exposure: Profiles, Mechanisms, and Inter

Individuals gestationally exposed to alcohol experience a multitude of sociobehavioral impairments, including deficits in adaptive behaviors such as social skills.

The goal of this report is to critically review research on social skills deficits in individuals with prenatal alcohol exposure, including individuals with and without fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD).

Social deficits are found in alcohol-exposed children, adults, and adolescents with and without a clinical presentation. These deficits tend to persist across the lifespan and may even worsen with age. Social deficits in this population appear to be independent of facial dysmorphology and IQ and are worse than can be predicted based on atypical behaviors alone. Abnormalities in neurobiology, executive function, sensory processing, and communication likely interact with contextual influences to produce the range of social deficits observed in FASD.

Future investigations should strive to reconcile the relationship between social skills deficits in FASD and variables such as gender, age, cognitive profile, and structural and functional brain impairments to enable better characterization of the deficits observed in this population, which will enhance diagnosis and improve remediation.

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Request Reprint E-Mail: carmen@ualberta.ca

Chronic Ethanol Feeding Accelerates Hepatocellular Carcinoma Progression in a Sex-Dependent Manner in a Mouse Model of Hepatocarcinogenesis

  Chronic ethanol consumption increases the risk of hepatic cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). While sex differences exist in susceptibility to ethanol-induced liver damage/HCC development, little is known about the effects of ethanol on tumor progression.

Neonatal male and female mice were initiated with a single dose of diethylnitrosamine (DEN). Sixteen or 40 weeks later, animals were placed on a 10/20% (v/v) ethanol–drinking water (EtOH-DW; alternate days) regime for 8 weeks. At study end, liver tissue and serum were analyzed for liver pathology/function and cytokine expression.

DEN reproducibly induced hepatic foci/tumors in male and female mice. Ethanol diminished hepatic function and increased liver damage, but ethanol alone did not induce hepatic foci/HCC formation. In DEN-initiated EtOH-DW animals, ethanol significantly increased tumor incidence and burden, but only in male mice. Male and female mice (±DEN) demonstrated comparable blood alcohol content at necropsy, yet increased hepatic damage and diminished hepatic function/antioxidant capacity were significantly greater in males. Analysis of liver mRNA for Th1, Th2, or T-regulatory factors demonstrated significantly elevated SMAD3 in male compared to female mice in response to EtOH, DEN initiation, and DEN + EtOH-DW.

These data demonstrate male mice are more susceptible to HCC incidence and progression in the setting of chronic ethanol feeding than females. Differences in markers of hepatic immune response in male mice suggest that increased TGFβ-SMAD3 signaling may enhance promotion in this model of HCC progression, effects modulated by chronic ethanol feeding.

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Request Reprint E-Mail: iain.mckillop@carolinashealthcare.org

Our invisible addicts

Both alcohol and illicit drugs are among the top ten risk factors for mortality and morbidity in Europe and substance misuse by older people is now a growing public health problem. Between 2001 and 2031, there is projected to be a 50% increase in the number of older people in the UK. The percentage of men and women drinking more than the weekly recommended limits has also risen, by 60% in men and 100% in women between 1990 and 2006 (NHS Information Centre, 2009a). Given the likely impact of these two factors on health and social care services, there is now a pressing need to address substance misuse in older people.

This report has brought together a group of health professionals with expertise in substance misuse in older people, whose remit it has been to develop the existing knowledge base according to the following terms of reference:

• examining the nature and extent of substance misuse in older people

• identifying precipitants and complications

• highlighting best-practice guidance

• exploring training opportunities

• developing future strategy, encompassing clinical service provision and developments, training and education, research, and policy.

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Press Release - Heavy Alcohol Consumption Linked to Lung Cancer

Heavy alcohol consumption may be linked to a greater risk of developing lung cancer, while higher BMI and increased consumption of black tea and fruit are associated with lower risk of the deadly disease.

In three separate studies presented at CHEST 2011, the 77th annual meeting of the American College of Chest Physicians (ACCP), heavy alcohol consumption was related to increased risk of lung cancer, while specific ethnic groups, including African American men and Asian women, had slightly higher risks for lung cancer.

Conversely, black tea consumption was shown to reduce lung cancer risk in nonsmoking women, while higher BMI and increased fruit consumption were associated with a lower risk of lung cancer in both men and women. > > > > Read More

Sober Living Houses for Drug & Alcohol Dependence

A major challenge facing many individuals attempting recovery from substance use disorders is finding a stable living environment that supports abstinence. Sober living houses (SLHs) are alcohol- and drugfree living environments for individuals who are attempting to maintain abstinence and develop a recovery-oriented lifestyle (Polcin & Henderson, 2008). Despite research showing that living environments supportive of recovery are associated with better outcome (e.g., Braucht, et al., 1995), SLHs have been largely overlooked by policymakers and researchers. This article represents a first step toward correcting this oversight. After reviewing selected studies that show alcohol and drug use is associated with characteristics of social networks and living environments, SLHs are introduced as an underutilized resource for alcohol- and drug-free housing. The article further describes an exploratory investigation of outcomes for 245 individuals entering SLHs. We also examined factors that we considered important in predicting outcome, such as 12-Step involvement and substance use in the social network. > > > > Read More

Is Talk “Cheap”? An Initial Investigation of the Equivalence of Alcohol Purchase Task Performance for Hypothetical and Actual Rewards

Behavioral economic alcohol purchase tasks (APTs) are self-report measures of alcohol demand that assess estimated consumption at escalating levels of price. However, the relationship between estimated performance for hypothetical outcomes and choices for actual outcomes has not been determined. The present study examined both the correspondence between choices for hypothetical and actual outcomes, and the correspondence between estimated alcohol consumption and actual drinking behavior. A collateral goal of the study was to examine the effects of alcohol cues on APT performance.

Forty-one heavy-drinking adults (56% men) participated in a human laboratory protocol comprising APTs for hypothetical and actual alcohol and money, an alcohol cue reactivity paradigm, an alcohol self-administration period, and a recovery period.

Pearson correlations revealed very high correspondence between APT performance for hypothetical and actual alcohol (ps < 0.001). Estimated consumption on the APT was similarly strongly associated with actual consumption during the self-administration period (r = 0.87, p < 0.001). Exposure to alcohol cues significantly increased subjective craving and arousal and had a trend-level effect on intensity of demand, in spite of notable ceiling effects. Associations among motivational indices were highly variable, suggesting multidimensionality.

These results suggest there may be close correspondence both between value preferences for hypothetical alcohol and actual alcohol, and between estimated consumption and actual consumption. Methodological considerations and priorities for future studies are discussed.

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Request Reprint E-Mail: jmackill@uga.edu

The Effect of Alcohol Advertising on Immediate Alcohol Consumption in College Students: An Experimental Study

Survey studies have emphasized a positive association between exposure to alcohol advertising on television (TV) and the onset and continuation of drinking among young people. Alcohol advertising might also directly influence viewers’ consumption of alcohol while watching TV. The present study therefore tested the immediate effects of alcohol advertisements on the alcohol consumption of young adults while watching a movie. Weekly drinking, problem drinking, positive and arousal expectancies of alcohol, ad recall, attitude, and skepticism toward the ads were tested as moderators.

An experimental design comparing 2 advertisement conditions (alcohol ads vs. nonalcohol ads) was used. A total of 80 men, young adult friendly dyads (ages 18 to 29) participated. The study examined actual alcohol consumption while watching a 1-hour movie with 3 advertising breaks. A multivariate regression analysis was used to examine the effects of advertisement condition on alcohol consumption.

Assignment to the alcohol advertisement condition did not increase alcohol consumption. In addition, no moderating effects between advertisement condition and the individual factors on alcohol consumption were found.

Viewing alcohol advertising did not lead to higher alcohol consumption in young men while watching a movie. However, replications of this study using other samples (e.g., different countries and cultures), other settings (e.g., movie theater, home), and with other designs (e.g., different movies and alcohol ads, cumulative exposure, extended exposure effects) are warranted.

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Request Reprint E-Mail: r.koordeman@bsi.ru.nl

Alcohol Consumption and Binge Drinking Among U.S.–Mexico Border and Non-Border Mexican Americans

This paper examines differences in drinking and binge drinking between Mexican Americans living along the U.S.–Mexico border and those living in 2 metropolitan areas away from the border (Houston, Texas and Los Angeles, California).

Respondents in the non-border area (Houston and Los Angeles) constitute a multistage probability sample (N = 1,288), who were interviewed as part of the 2006 Hispanic Americans Baseline Alcohol Survey (HABLAS). Respondents in the border area (N = 1,307) constitute a household probability sample of Mexican Americans living on the U.S.–Mexico border. In both surveys, data were collected during computer-assisted interviews conducted in respondents’ homes. The HABLAS and the border sample response rates were 76 and 67%, respectively.

There were no differences between border and non-border Mexican American men in the proportion of drinkers, the proportion who binge drink at least once a year, and volume of alcohol consumption. However, within each location, there were significant differences in drinking by age, indicating that younger men drank more than men who were older. Border women showed significant differences across age-groups in the proportion of drinkers, in binge drinking, and volume of alcohol consumption, which were not seen among non-border women.

Women’s drinking seems to be more affected than men’s by their residence on or off the U.S.–Mexico border. This is seen most clearly among young women 18 to 29 years old, and it is associated with an increased proportion of drinkers, a higher volume of drinking, and an increased proportion of women who report binge drinking. Increased drinking in this group of younger women seems to be associated with drinking in Mexico.

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Portman Group: consultation on alcohol marketing code; annual Annual Alcohol Responsibility Report 2011 and panel members sought

The Portman Group, the industry's social responsibility body, has made the following recent announcements:

Consultation on alcohol marketing code

The Portman Group has announced it will review the alcohol industry’s Code of Practice on the responsible marketing of alcohol. The Group states "It is now the right time to conduct another comprehensive review to make sure there are no regulatory gaps and that the rules which govern alcohol marketing will be robust and fit for purpose going forward." Consultation documents are available here in PDF or Word formats. > > > > Read More

The Collected Ernie Kurtz,

Ernest Kurtz has been the outstanding thinker of the A.A. tradition's second generation, the one who played a constant leadership role in pushing the movement towards the highest professional standards of history writing and supplied some of its most influential interpretive concepts. His ideas are vitally important for anyone who wishes to understand A.A. history during the period following Bill Wilson's death in 1971.

As a Ph.D. student at Harvard University in the 1970's, he was the first researcher to be granted full access to the archives of Alcoholics Anonymous. The book that resulted, Not-God: A History of Alcoholics Anonymous (1979), is still the classic work on early A.A. history. His book on the spiritual life -- Ernest Kurtz and Katherine Ketcham, The Spirituality of Imperfection: Modern Wisdom from Classic Stories (1992) -- is equally well known, and has also been an enduring best seller through the years since it appeared. His work on Shame & Guilt (orig. pub. 1981, rev. ed. 2007) has given a whole new depth to the discussion of those two vital recovery issues.

This present book, containing twelve key articles written by Kurtz between 1982 and 1996, gives us an additional volume from his hand, displaying the impressive range and breadth of his thought on alcoholism, addiction, and spirituality.

Research on Alcoholics Anonymous: The Historical Context

Alcoholics Anonymous: A Phenomenon in American Religious History

Drugs and the Spiritual: Bill W. Takes LSD

"Spiritual Rather Than Religious": The Contribution of Alcoholics Anonymous

The Spirituality of William James: A Lesson from Alcoholics Anonymous

Shame in the Nineties

Commentary on "Lay Treatment"

Models of Alcoholism Used in Treatment: Contrasting A.A. and Other Models with Which it is Often Confused

Spirituality and Recovery: the Historical Journey

Whatever Happened to Twelve-Step Programs?

Why A.A. Works: The Intellectual Significance of Alcoholics Anonymous

Here's to Spuds MacKenzie!