Monday, December 3, 2012

Alcohol News - 49/2012

News2Biz (Latvia) - LATVIA: Stricter regulations for alcohol retail

The Latvian Saeima has supported new alcohol retail regulations. Although alcohol still can be purchased from 18 years, now the buyers aged 18-25 will have to present an ID to the cashier without being asked to do so.

Lunaticg Banknote (Latvia) - Latvia new coin bring controversy

Latvia new coin bring controversy when their own country health ministry write a protest letter to Bank of Latvia that the new coin is just a way to advertise alcohol. The Cupro-nickel coin was released earlier this month for Latvia solstice festival, where people will drink beers for the celebrations.

ERR News (Estonia) - 'Dry Days' Contemplated as Part of National Alcohol Policy

More details have emerged regarding the Social Affairs Ministry's vision of a national alcohol policy, painting a picture of a sharp change of course toward increased restrictions.

IOGT (Sweden) - Sweden calls for an end to alcohol advertising on national television

Today alcohol advertising is broadcasted on several Swedish TV channels even though there is a clear prohibition against alcohol advertising on radio and TV. By broadcasting from the UK, TV channels, so far, have managed to circumvent Swedish legislation.

GRETTE (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, which may take place as a result of pressure from the EU Commission, would have a significant impact for owners of alcohol brands.

HaberMonitor (Denmark) - Excessive alcohol consumption of young people revolted NGOs in Denmark

Despite all the measures implemented in Denmark recently mitigated with a kind of alcohol consumption, non-governmental organizations (NGOs) brought to the point of rebellion.

BBC News (UK) - EC voice opposition to Scotland's alcohol price plan

Scotland's plans for minimum pricing on alcohol are a disproportionate response to the country's drink problems, the European Commission has said.

Fox News - Drug, alcohol abuse tied to early-life strokes

Younger adults who suffered a stroke were often smokers or had abused drugs or alcohol, according to a U.S. study that looked at over 1,000 patients.

Herald Scotland (Scotland) - Police issue alcohol warning to drivers

The Association of Chief Police Officers in Scotland (Acpos) said that, while they support Scottish Government proposals to reduce the alcohol limit, people who plan to get behind the wheel should not drink any alcohol at all.

Wall Street Journal (USA) - After-Hours Prohibition: U.S. Military Tightens Drinking Rules in Japan

The U.S. military in Okinawa has now prohibited all personnel from consuming alcohol while off base and restricted purchases of alcohol on base, according to a statement released over the weekend.

Irish Health (Ireland) - Alcohol kills someone every seven hours

There are more retail outlets in Ireland where you can purchase alcohol than fruit, vegetables or milk, a public health specialist has said.

The Australian (Australia) - Police launch nationwide crackdown on alcohol-related violence

REVELLERS who refuse to leave a pub or a club or fail to obey police orders will be hit with minimum $550 on-the-spot fines as part of the biggest crackdown on alcohol-related violence in Australia's history.

IcelandReview (Iceland) - Higher Benefits and Tariffs on Alcohol and Tobacco

The Government of Iceland is planning to boost revenue for the treasury by ISK 8.3 billion (USD 66 million, EUR 51 million) next year, such as by higher tariffs on alcohol and tobacco. These actions are to finance the increase in child benefits, among other issues.

BBC (Scotland) - Scots drink deaths fall but rates still high, says NHS

Alcohol-related deaths in Scotland have fallen, but the rate is still one of the highest in western and central Europe, an NHS report has said.

ABC Local (Australia) - Winemakers strategy to combat anti-alcohol lobby

The Winemakers Federation has a fresh strategy to combat health messages that alcohol is bad for us. The Federation is aniticipating sustained volleys from a committed anti-alcohol lobby.

Science World Report - Excess alcohol can have lasting effects on brain: Research

Using fly larvae as models, a new study reveals how overuse of alcohol can cause lasting changes in the brain even after alcohol abuse stops. In this study, the fly larvae were fed alcohol- spiked food for a period of days and they noticed how the larvae grew dependent on the spirit.'

Independent Online (South Africa) - Sex, drugs, booze up students’ HIV risk

More high school pupils are having sex, drinking alcohol and taking drugs before going to university – putting themselves at risk of contracting HIV and Aids, a local study has revealed.

Irish Times (Ireland) - 15% off-sales alcohol tax proposed

Publicans have urged the Government to introduce a 15 per cent tax on off-licence alcohol sales in the budget.

WA today (Australia) - Alcohol warning labels by 2014: parliamentary inquiry

Health warning labels will be added to alcohol products and advertisements by January 2014 if the federal government adopts a recommendation by a parliamentary inquiry.

Times of India (India) - More Indian women dependent on alcohol

The 33-year-old married woman from Chandigarh had never imagined that her excessive clubbing and partying would one day push her to the brink of suicide. But it did.

Examiner.com - Fetal alcohol syndrome affects on brain defined in new study

Researchers at the department of radiology at Jagiellonian University in Krakow Poland presented the most extensive definition to date of the affects on developing baby's brains by their mother’s consumption of alcohol during pregnancy at the November 25, 2012, session of the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA).

Wall Street Journal (South Korea) - As South Korea Tackles Drinking Culture, Samsung Sets Guidelines

After kicking off the night guzzling soju, a rice-based liquor, over grilled pork or raw fish, he and his co-workers would move on to a pub or karaoke lounge, occasionally past midnight.

Kyiv Post (Ukraine) - Alcohol price rise comes into effect

The increase in the floor wholesale and retail prices of some type of alcohol foreseen in cabinet resolution No. 1017 took effect from November 26, 2012.

ITV News (Wales) - Minimum alcohol price plans don't go far enough - Welsh Government

Responding to the UK Government's plans to impose a minimum price for alcohol of 45p per unit, a Welsh Government spokesperson said:

CBS News - Alcohol in "Flight" puts trademark laws in focus

The use of brand-name beer and liquor in a hit movie about an alcoholic pilot has brought product placement practices into new focus.

The Daily Telegraph - Drink brands attract underage followers on Facebook

ALCOHOL companies are turning to social media to encourage teenagers to drink. A study has found that brands popular among youths are increasingly harnessing sites like Facebook to broaden their reach.

Fars News Agency (UK) - Alcohol Second Cause of Early Death in UK

Findings of a recent study blamed alcohol as the primary cause of liver disease and second cause of early death in the UK.

Statesman Journal - Kids need parents, not drinking buddies

Loud pulsing music muffles the sound of young voices. Teens clutching cups of beer are dancing, nestled in dark corners, or passed out on couches. Where are the parents?

Technorati - Women are Dying to Drink like Men

The English Chief Medical officer has warned that women are damaging their health by trying to drink like men. Prof Dame Sally Davies, chief medical officer for England said women are damaging their livers and putting themselves at risk for alcohol abuse, obesity and a whole host of other problems.

MarketWatch (Canada) - Canada Needs Minimum Alcohol Prices to Reduce Harm: New Research Series

New alcohol pricing research upholds the call for minimum pricing and confirms that changes to price policy can reduce alcohol-related harm in Canada.

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Monitoring and Evaluating Scotland’s Alcohol Strategy. 2nd Annual Report.

NHS Health Scotland has been tasked by the Scottish Government to lead the evaluation of Scotland's alcohol strategy through the Monitoring and Evaluating Scotland’s Alcohol Strategy (MESAS) work programme. There is a commitment to providing annual reports from MESAS and in March 2011 the first annual report (the baseline report) was published.

The current report is the second annual report and provides an update of Scotland’s alcohol strategy, the evaluation plan and the analyses of price, consumption, affordability and alcohol-related harms detailed in the baseline report. Additionally, this report presents findings from the evaluation of the implementation of Alcohol Brief Interventions (ABIs) in selected settings.

Read Full Report (PFD)

Saturday, December 1, 2012

Craving is being considered for inclusion in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM) DSM-5. However, little is known of its genetic underpinnings — specifically, whether genetic influences on craving are distinct from those influencing DSM-IV alcohol dependence.

Analyses were conducted in a sample of unrelated adults ascertained for alcohol dependence (N = 3976). Factor analysis was performed to examine how alcohol craving loaded with the existing DSM-IV alcohol dependence criteria. For genetic analyses, we first examined whether genes in the dopamine pathway, including dopamine receptor genes (DRD1, DRD2, DRD3, DRD4) and the dopamine transporter gene (SLC6A3), which have been implicated in neurobiological studies of craving, as well as alpha-synuclein (SNCA), which has been previously found to be associated with craving, were associated with alcohol craving in this sample. Second, in an effort to identify novel genetic variants associated with craving, we conducted a genomewide association study (GWAS). For variants that were implicated in the primary analysis of craving, we conducted additional comparisons — to determine if these variants were uniquely associated with alcohol craving as compared with alcohol dependence. We contrasted our results to those obtained for DSM-IV alcohol dependence, and also compared alcohol dependent individuals without craving to non-dependent

Twenty-one percent of the full sample reported craving alcohol. Of those reporting craving, 97.3% met criteria for DSM-IV alcohol dependence with 48% endorsing all 7 dependence criteria. Factor analysis found a high factor loading (0.89) for alcohol craving. When examining genes in the dopamine pathway, single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in DRD3 and SNCA were associated with craving (p < 0.05). There was evidence for association of these SNPs with DSM-IV alcohol dependence (p < 0.05) but less evidence for dependence without craving (p > 0.05), suggesting that the association was due in part to craving. In the GWAS, the greatest evidence of association with craving was for a SNP in the integrin alpha D (ITGAD) gene on chromosome 7 (rs2454908; p = 1.8 × 10^{− 6}). The corresponding p-value for this SNP with DSM-IV alcohol dependence was similar (p = 4.0 × 10^{− 5}) but was far less with dependence without craving (p = 0.02), again suggesting the association was due to alcohol craving. Adjusting for dependence severity (number of endorsed criteria) attenuated p-values but did not eliminate association.

Craving is frequently reported by those who report multiple other alcohol dependence symptoms. We found that genes providing evidence of association with craving were also associated with alcohol dependence; however, these same SNPs were not associated with alcohol dependence in the absence of alcohol craving. These results suggest that there may be unique genetic factors affecting craving among those with alcohol dependence.

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Request Reprint E-Mail: arpana@wustl.edu

Thursday, November 29, 2012

Trends in Substance Abuse Preceding Stroke Among Young Adults

Approximately 5% of strokes occur in adults aged 18 to 44 years. Substance abuse is a prevalent risk factor for stroke in young adults. We sought to identify trends in substance abuse detection among stroke patients.

Using a population-based design, we sought to identify all patients aged 18 to 54 years experiencing a stroke (ischemic or hemorrhagic) in the Greater Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky Study region during 1993 to 1994, 1999, and 2005. Demographic and clinical characteristics and substance use data were obtained retrospectively from chart review and adjudicated by physicians.

The number of young patients identified with a stroke increased from 1993 to 1994 (297) to 2005 (501). Blacks (61% vs 51%; The trend was significant for illegal drug use (3.8% in 1993 vs 19.8% in 2005) and ever smoking (49% in 1993 vs 66% in 2005). Documentation of both cocaine and marijuana use increased over time. In 2005, half of young adults with a stroke were current smokers, and 1 in 5 abused illegal drugs.

Substance abuse is common in young adults experiencing a stroke. The observed increase in substance abuse is contributing to the increased incidence of stroke in young adults. Patients aged younger than 55 years who experience a stroke should be routinely screened and counseled regarding substance abuse.

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Request Reprint E-Mail: kisselbm@ucmail.uc.edu

Taxing for health

Taxing products that harm health has long been part of the public health's armamentarium to reduce the impact of harmful corporate practices. As the global economic crisis continues and the austerity mentality feeds government hunger for new sources of support, politicians look for streams of revenue that can win public support. Recent media coverage of several political debates about taxes designed to promote health illustrate the potential and pitfalls of this strategy. > > > > Read More

Global Actions November 28, 2012

Key Recent Milestones:

· Mexico: Global Actions met with the National Chamber for the Tequila Industry in Guadalajara, Jalisco. Approximately 30 members of the tequila chamber were in attendance. ICAP’s Denise Bussio gave a presentation on the WHO Global Strategy, and Global Actions Country Manager Mariana Guerra presented the drink driving project in Puebla, followed by a question and answer session.

Global Actions in Focus: Progress in Colombia

Global Actions Colombia completed phase one of the “Patrullero Project” drink driving awareness and training series in the cities of Quibdo and Chia.

A “Don’t Drink and Drive” seminar was held on November 14 and 15, 2012 in Quibdo. Mayor-In-Charge Jose Oscar Cordoba welcomed 254 participants including representatives from the Quibdó Director of External Cooperation, Office of the Mayor, the Quibdo Police Force, the Secretaries of Health, Mobility, Transit, and Education, faculty and students of the Universidad Tecnologica del Chocó, hospital administrators, and the Quibdo Job Training Authority (SENA).

Post-workshop evaluations showed a 35% increase in knowledge of Alcohol Basics, Colombian Drink Drive Laws, Traffic Statistics, and Alcohol Consumption Patterns. A follow-up meeting to plan future cooperation is set for mid-December in Quibdo.

On November 17, Chía Mayor Guillermo Varela convened a ceremony for police and transit officials to recognize those who completed phase one of Project Patrullero. Participants included Chia police officers, Chia Secretary of Mobility & Transit officials, and members of the Chía Fire and First Aid Service.

At the ceremony, Global Actions Country Manager Mario Alberto Lleras signed an Agreement of Cooperation with Chía Secretary of Mobility Daniel Santana and presented two laptop computers to aid operations at sobriety checkpoints.

“Global Actions advisors visited sobriety checkpoints in September 2012 and observed the need for license verification capability,” said Lleras. “The computers will improve efficiency and increase the number of driver inspections at future checkpoints.”

What’s Happening Next:

· Nigeria: Global Actions Nigeria will complete the blood alcohol concentration (BAC) testing of petrol tanker drivers along the Lagos-Apapa and Abuja-Lakoja roads in December 2012. This campaign is part of the drink driving initiative in Nigeria.

Press Release - $182.5 Billion Alcohol Tax Proposed to President Obama

Alcohol Justice presented President Barack Obama, Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner and key Congressional budget leaders with a plan today to raise up to $182.5 billion in new revenue over the next 10 years. The proposal’s key element – a substantial alcohol tax for beer, wine and spirits – has the potential to fill 11.8% of the $1.55 trillion new revenue portion of the President’s stated $4 trillion deficit reduction goal.

“Alcohol taxes should at least reimburse the federal government for the cost of alcohol-related health and public safety services,” stated Bruce Lee Livingston, Executive Director/CEO of Alcohol Justice in his letter to the nation’s budget leaders.

Alcohol Justice released a detailed economic analysis of four scenarios for alcohol tax increases, starting from $11.9 billion new revenues over ten years by simply adjusting alcohol taxes for inflation. At the high end, Alcohol Justice strongly recommends increasing taxes a dime per drink on spirits, 15 cents for beer, and 18 cents for wine, totaling $183.5 billion when indexed for inflation. Since 1991 the federal government has lost $57 billion in revenues for failing to index alcohol taxes to inflation. The proposal also promotes taxing beer and wine like spirits, based on ethyl alcohol proof volume, a public health improvement that links taxes to harm.

“We’ll fall off the fiscal cliff without a beer barrel tax increase,” Livingston added. “We believe the $182.5 billion in new revenue is a fair contribution to deficit reduction that will help us avoid more onerous taxes or spending cutbacks. We would bet President Obama and Congressional leaders a case of non-alcoholic cider that any poll will show beer taxes more favorable than eliminating the mortgage deduction or gutting Medicare.”

A peer-reviewed study of alcohol harm estimated that alcohol consumption annually costs American society $223.5 billion (2006 estimate), of which government’s cost is $94.2 billion. The article, published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine in 2011, shows alcohol is unlike other commodities because it causes harm to the general public and costs to government through its consumption. > > > > Read More

The virtuous tax: Lifesaving and crime-prevention effects of the 1991 federal alcohol-tax incre

The last time that federal excise taxes on alcoholic beverages were increased was 1991. The changes were larger than the typical state-level changes that have been used to study price effects, but the consequences have not been assessed due to the lack of a control group.

Here we develop and implement a novel method for utilizing interstate heterogeneity to estimate the aggregate effects of a federal tax increase on rates of injury fatality and crime.

We provide evidence that the relative importance of alcohol in violence and injury rates is directly related to per capita consumption, and build on that finding to generate estimates.

A conservative estimate is that the federal tax (which increased alcohol prices by 6% initially) reduced injury deaths by 4.5%, (6,480 deaths), in 1991, and had a still larger effect on violent crime.

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larger effect on violent crime.

Wednesday, November 28, 2012

Canada Needs Minimum Alcohol Prices to Reduce Harm: New Research Series

New alcohol pricing research upholds the call for minimum pricing and confirms that changes to price policy can reduce alcohol-related harm in Canada.

Written by Gerald Thomas, Senior Research and Policy Analyst with the Canadian Centre on Substance Abuse (CCSA), the alcohol pricing series examines drinking trends in Canada, the retail environment, and existing price policies in six provinces. It endorses the price policy recommendations first proposed in the 2007 report, Reducing Alcohol-Related Harm in Canada: Toward a Culture of Moderation, which provides the framework for Canada’s national alcohol strategy.

“Addressing alcohol-related harm in Canada requires a targeted approach aimed at the regular heavy and high-risk drinkers, as well as a population-wide approach to address the large number of people who sometimes drink in risky ways,” explained Mr. Thomas.

Research has shown that price policies can reduce alcohol consumption and correspondingly the likelihood of injuries, violence, cancers and even death.

One of the reports’ key recommendations is for the provinces and territories to consistently implement minimum alcohol pricing to remove inexpensive sources of alcohol from the market. While some provinces have had minimum pricing in place for decades, implementation of this policy is not consistent across Canada. > > > > Read More

Modular exchange of substrate-binding loops alters both substrate and cofactor specificity in a member of the aldo-keto reductase superfamily

Substrate specificity in the aldo-keto reductase (AKR) superfamily is determined by three mobile loops positioned at the top of the canonical (α/β)₈-barrel structure. These loops have previously been demonstrated to be modular in a well-studied class of AKRs, in that exchanging loops between two similar hydroxysteroid dehydrogenases resulted in a complete alteration of substrate specificity (Ma,H. and Penning,T.M. (1999) Proc. Natl Acad. Sci. USA, 96, 11161–11166).

Here, we further examine the modularity of these loops by grafting those from human aldose reductase (hAR) into the hyperthermostable AKR, alcohol dehydrogenase D (AdhD), from Pyrococcus furiosus.

Replacement of Loops A and B was sufficient to impart hAR activity into AdhD, and the resulting chimera retained the thermostability of the parent enzyme. However, no active chimeras were observed when the hAR loops were grafted into a previously engineered cofactor specificity mutant of AdhD, which displayed similar kinetics to hAR with the model substrate dl-glyceraldehyde.

The non-additivity of these mutations suggests that efficient turnover is more dependent on the relative positioning of the cofactor and substrate in the active site than on binding of the individual species.

The ability to impart the substrate specificities of mesostable AKRs into a thermostable scaffold will be useful in a variety of applications including immobilized enzyme systems fobioelectrocatalysis and fine chemical synthesis.

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Request Reprint E-Mail: sbanta@columbia.edu

Tuesday, November 27, 2012

Theta event-related synchronization is a biomarker for a morbid effect of alcoholism on the brain that may partially resolve with extended abstinence

Analyzing the induced (non-stimulus-phase-locked) EEG activity elicited by targets in a three-condition visual oddball task, Fein and colleagues have shown increased theta band event-related synchronization (ERS) in two different samples of long-term abstinent alcoholics (LTAA) compared with age- and gender-comparable controls.

The theta ERS effect in alcoholics was also shown to be independent of, and opposite in direction to, the reduced amplitude evoked (stimulus-phase-locked) activity typically found in alcoholics and those at genetic risk of developing alcoholism.

This study extends these findings by applying time-frequency analysis to target stimulus event-related EEG to compare evoked and induced theta activity in 43 LTAA and 72 nonalcoholic controls with a group of 31 alcoholics who just recently initiated abstinence from alcohol (between 6- and 15-week abstinent; referred to as short-term abstinent alcoholics, STAA).

Results demonstrated that (1) evoked theta power was reduced to the same degree in STAA and LTAA compared with nonalcoholic control participants, while (2) induced theta activity, measured by theta ERS, was increased in both STAA and LTAA relative to controls, but was also increased in STAA relative to LTAA. The STAA and LTAA groups did not differ on measures of alcohol use severity or family history of alcohol problems.

These results, coupled with previous findings that show a relationship between stronger theta ERS and increased memory load and attention allocation, suggest that increased theta ERS may be a biomarker for a detrimental effect of chronic alcohol abuse on the brain – a detriment that may recover, at least partially, with extended abstinence.

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Alcohol pricing

We will introduce a minimum unit price for alcohol.

The availability of cheap alcohol has been a key contributing factor in the development of this country's binge-drinking culture.

The government will no longer tolerate the sale of heavily discounted alcohol which leads to irresponsible behaviour and unacceptable levels of crime and health harms.

Alcohol has been so heavily discounted that it is now possible to buy a can of lager for as little as 20p and a two litre bottle of cider for £1.69

Reduce alcohol consumption

Minimum unit pricing will tackle the issue of excessive alcohol consumption and heavily discounted alcohol sold in supermarkets and off-licences. This approach aims to reduce alcohol consumption and curb practices such as 'pre-loading' before a night out.

We will consult on this proposal and a ban on multi-buy discounts in the forthcoming months. We will update these pages when more information is available. > > > > Read More

The minimal evidence for minimum pricing

In a new Adam Smith Institute report released today, statistician John C. Duffy and ASI fellow Christopher Snowdon assess the Sheffield Alcohol Policy Model, the basis for minimum alcohol pricing policy. Their findings are summarized here:
1. The Conservative Party and the Scottish National Party have both stated their intention of introducing a minimum floor price for alcohol, levied at around 50p per unit. Advocates of minimum pricing claim that the policy will significantly reduce alcohol consumption and the problems associated with hazardous drinking.
2. Estimates of how minimum pricing will affect health outcomes have overwhelmingly come from a single computer model—the Sheffield Alcohol Policy Model. This paper argues that the model is based on unreasonable assumptions which render its figures meaningless.
3. Amongst the problems with the Sheffield model is its false assumption that heavy drinkers are more likely to reduce their consumption of alcohol as a result of a price rise. Its calculations are based on controversial beliefs about the relationship between per capita alcohol consumption and rates of alcoholrelated harm. Its assumptions about the relationship between price and c

onsumption have frequently been refuted by real world evidence.
4. The Sheffield model provides figures without estimates of error and ignores statistical error in the alcohol-harm relationship. Data is drawn from different populations and applied to England and Scotland as if patterns of consumption and harm are the same in all countries. When data is not available, the model resorts to what is essentially numerology. Insufficient data is provided for the model to be recreated and tested by third parties.
5. The model ignores the likely effects of minimum pricing on the illicit alcohol trade, it disregards the health benefits of moderate drinking and fails to take account of the secondary poverty created by regressive price rises. The decline in alcohol consumption seen in Britain in recent years has not led to the outcomes predicted by the model.
6. We conclude that predictions based on the Sheffield Alcohol Policy Model are entirely speculative and do not deserve the exalted status they have been afforded in the policy debate.

Download the report.

Per-capita Alcohol Consumption and All-cause Male Mortality in Australia, 1911–2006

Given the variety of relationships found between alcohol consumption and health using individual data (both negative and positive), the likely impact of changes in population-level alcohol consumption on health at the population level is not clear. This paper uses historical data from 1911 to 2006 to assess the relationship between changes in per-capita alcohol consumption on total male mortality in Australia.

A longitudinal aggregate study using Australian per-capita alcohol consumption and mortality data from 1911 to 2006. Analysis is undertaken using autoregressive integrated moving average time-series methodigs.

Per-capita pure alcohol consumption has a snificant association with male all-cause mortality, with an increase (decrease) of 1 l per-capita per year associated with a 1.5% increase (decrease) in male mortality (controlling for female mortality and smoking rates). The association between per-capita consumption and mortality was significant for all age groups, with a particularly strong effect among 15–29 year olds.

These results place Australia in the group of countries for which a positive association between per-capita alcohol consumption and total mortality can be demonstrated. Thus, despite the beneficial effects of alcohol consumption on health found in many studies, increases in consumption at the population level in Australia are associated with declines in population health. Thus, per-capita alcohol consumption in Australia is a significant contributor to rates of male mortality, particularly among young adults, suggesting an interaction between per-capita consumption and risky episodic drinking. The policies aiming to reduce population-level alcohol consumption and episodic risky drinking have the potential to substantially improve population-health outcomes in Australia, particularly among young men.

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Request Reprint E-Mail: michaell@turningpoint.org.au

Alcohol-Induced Changes in Cerebral Blood Flow and Cerebral Blood Volume in Social Drinkers

Although it is known that alcohol has vasoactive properties, previous studies have not investigated the relationship between cerebral blood flow (CBF) and cerebral blood volume (CBV) after alcohol consumption. The aim of this study was to investigate effects of alcohol on CBF and CBV, both globally and regionally, in social drinkers.

The method of choice was dynamic susceptibility contrast magnetic resonance imaging (DSC-MRI). Eight males were scanned twice on two separate days; once after consumption of alcohol (blood-alcohol concentration (BAC) of 0.08%) and once sober.

The results showed an average increase of CBF after alcohol consumption, both in grey matter (GM) and in white matter (WM), with a CBF_{BAC of 0.08%}/CBF_baseline ratio of 1.2. Regional increases in CBF were seen in areas close to where the large brain-feeding blood vessels enter the brain, in the thalamus region and in the frontal brain regions. The lowest CBF changes were seen in the occipital brain regions. There was also an increase in CBV after alcohol consumption, in particular across WM regions.

In conclusion, a BAC of 0.08% causes both an average increase in global and regional CBF. There was stronger correlation between alcohol-induced changes in CBF and CBV in WM than in GM, suggesting the vasculature in the WM to be relatively more affected than the GM. Simultaneous measurements of CBF and CBV after acute alcohol intoxication in social drinkers are important in basic human neuroscience research to elucidate and understand brain physiology in the presence of exogenous neuro-pharmaceutical manipulations.

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Request Reprint E-Mail: hilde.stokvold.gundersen@hib.no

Genotype Modulates Age-Related Alterations in Sensitivity to the Aversive Effects of Ethanol: An 8 Inbred Strain Analysis of Conditioned Taste Aversion

Adolescent individuals display altered behavioral sensitivity to ethanol, which may contribute to the increased ethanol consumption seen in this age-group. However, genetics also exert considerable influence on both ethanol intake and sensitivity.

Thus far there is little research assessing the combined influence of developmental and genetic alcohol sensitivities.

Sensitivity to the aversive effects of ethanol using a conditioned taste aversion (CTA) procedure was measured during both adolescence (P30) and adulthood (P75) in 8 inbred mouse strains (C57BL/6J, DBA/2J, 129S1/SvImJ, A/J, BALB/cByJ, BTBR T⁺tf/J, C3H/HeJ, and FVB/NJ).

Adolescent and adult mice were water deprived, and subsequently provided with access to 0.9% (v/v) NaCl solution for 1h. Immediately following access mice were administered ethanol (0, 1.5, 2.25, 3g/kg, ip). This procedure was repeated in 72h intervals for a total of 5 CTA trials.

Sensitivity to the aversive effects of ethanol was highly dependent upon both strain and age. Within an inbred strain, adolescent animals were consistently less sensitive to the aversive effects of ethanol than their adult counterparts. However, the dose of ethanol required to produce an aversion response differed as a function of both age and strain.

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Request Reprint E-Mail: slboehm@iupui.edu

News Release - Detox Facility Can Be Good Alternative to ER

Certain very inebriated patients may be safely transported by emergency medical service (EMS) ambulance crews to a detoxification center rather than the ER, with minimal adverse events. A study of a protocol for pre-hospital evaluation and disposition of uncomplicated inebriates was published online Wednesday in Annals of Emergency Medicine (“EMS Triage and Transport of Intoxicated Individuals to a Detoxification Facility Instead of an Emergency Department”).

“Widespread use of this type of protocol has the potential to provide significant financial savings for the U.S. health care system,” said lead study author David Ross, DO FACEP, an emergency physician with Penrose-St.Francis Health Services and medical director of American Medical Response in Colorado Springs, Colo. “This population is very frequently transported to the ER by EMS or police, consuming a disproportionate share of resources and contributing to ER overcrowding. A detoxification center is a good alternative to the ER for certain intoxicated patients who just need an appropriately staffed facility to ‘dry out.’ Our research suggests that EMS personnel can identify patients who are safe for this alternative destination.”

Between 2003 and 2005, EMS providers in Colorado evaluated inebriated patients using a 29-item checklist to determine whether patients could safely be transported to a detoxification center instead of the emergency department by paramedics. The checklist was developed by EMS officials, emergency physicians, emergency nurses and detoxification center personnel. The criteria that most commonly excluded patients from being taken to the detoxification center were inability to walk and unwillingness to cooperate with a physical exam. > > > > Read More

Prevention and Therapy of Alcohol Withdrawal on Intensive Care Units: Systematic Review of Controlled Trials

Alcohol withdrawal syndrome (AWS) occurs in 16 to 31% of intensive care unit (ICU) patients after cessation of sedation. There exist many preventive and therapeutic strategies, but no systematic review (SR) has been published on this topic so far. We aimed to perform a synopsis of all controlled trials of AWS prevention and therapy in ICU published between 1971 and 30 March 2011 following the “Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses” (PRISMA) statement.

We performed a MEDLINE search with the terms “alcohol” AND “ICU” as well as “alcohol withdrawal” AND “intensive care.” All publications that matched our eligibility criteria were analyzed according to our predefined criteria.

We identified 6 controlled trials about AWS prevention and 8 about AWS therapy in ICUs. For AWS prevention, benzodiazepines (BZO), ethanol (EtOH), and clonidine were evaluated as single agents, and BZO, clonidine, clomethiazol and haloperidol were studied in drug combinations. All evaluated single agents and combinations were found to be effective for AWS prevention. Clomethiazol was found to be associated with a higher tracheobronchitis rate and thus disadvised for critically ill patients. For AWS therapy, BZO, gamma-hydroxybutyric acid (GHB), and clomethiazol were evaluated in randomized controlled trials as single agents and phenobarbital, clonidine, and haloperidol as adjuncts. All evaluated regimens were found to be effective for AWS therapy. Overall, in the ICU, BZO were found to be superior to GHB and clomethiazol regarding safety and efficacy. Furthermore, 4 cohort trials with historical control groups evaluated the effect of the implementation of a standardized protocol of BZO therapy for AWS in ICUs. All of these 4 studies found better outcome for the intervention groups.

Based on the evidence of this SR, EtOH or BZO can be advised for AWS prevention on ICU patients with alcohol dependence, but EtOH is not allowed for therapy of AWS. AWS therapy should be standardized and based on symptom-triggered BZO administration. Alpha2-agonists and haloperidol should be added for autonomic and productive psychotic symptoms.

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Request Reprint E-Mail: Claudia.spies@charite.de

Alcohol News - 48/2012

Deccan Herald - Alcohol during pregnancy may alter brain structure in babies

Alcohol exposure during foetal development can change brain structure and metabolism in babies, according to a new study which used various imaging techniques.

BNN News (Latvia) - Experts: illegal alcohol combating brings results

Alcohol excise tax has been collected in the amount of 60.8 million LVL in the last nine months. This is 3% or 1.8 million LVL more than there was collected in the same period of last year. This was affected by both the summer 2012 realized excise tax rate increase of 6% and the stabilization of the consumption of legally produced alcohol.

The Independent (UK) - Cabinet split over plans for levy on alcohol

Moves to introduce minimum pricing for alcohol face a backlash from the drinks industry, economists and even Cabinet ministers.

Newcastle Herald (Australia) - Scipione 'frightened' by number of alcohol-related fatalities

NSW Police Commissioner Andrew Scipione has hit out after a weekend marred by numerous booze-fuelled incidents, including several deaths in the state.

The FINANCIAL - New test to help heavy drinkers reduce alcohol intake

Researchers at the University of Liverpool have developed a computer-based test that could help heavy drinkers reduce their alcohol consumption.

Wall Street Journal (USA) - Alcohol Firms Go Quirky When Marketing Holiday Gift Sets

Consumers in the market for a nearly $4,000 mixology set, a bottle of wine sold with matching make-up, or even a liquor bottle strapped to a bike are in luck this holiday season, as firms tackle those looking for an unusual gift.

Examiner.com - Alcohol and automotive industries create the most engagement on Facebook

Social media networking platforms like Facebook are an important destination to reach new customers for practically any industry. In recent report released by Socialbakers, an analysis looked at pages with more than 10,000 Fans for the third quarter with Alcohol and Automotive related companies as the leaders for engagement on the site.

Telegraph.co.uk (UK) - 'Rising tide' of liver disease due to obesity, alcohol and infections, Prof Dame Sally Davies warns

England is facing a rising tide of fatal liver disease, the Chief Medical Officer has warned, fuelled by obesity, alcohol and preventable infections.

Prague Daily Monitor (Chech Republic) - Police to have new device to check alcohol bottles in field

The Czech police will have a device with which to easily find out in the field whether a bottle may contain poisonous methyl alcohol without opening it, deputy police president Vaclav Kucera said Thursday.

Daily Nation (Kenya) - Alcohol abuse blamed for poor performance in the public service

Alcohol abuse is to blame for poor performance, lack of concentration and safety risk in the public sector, Rift Valley PC Osman Warfa said on Monday.

TopNews United States (Australia) - World’s Biggest Alcohol reduction Project

An ambitious plan, considered to be the largest till date, is said to be most rigorous one when it comes to reducing alcohol consumption in Australia. The project was launched by Kevin Humphries, Minister for Mental Health Minister for Healthy Lifestyles.

South China Morning Post (China) - Drinks makers hit by tainted alcohol claims

All liquor drinks in China contain some levels of toxic plasticisers, China’s leading alcohol association said on Monday, after tests found quantities of plasticiser up to 260 per cent over the recommended limit in a popular brand of Chinese liquor.

TVNZ (New Zealand) - Push for warning labels on alcohol

Coroner JP Ryan's call for all alcohol products to carry health warnings is being supported by Alcohol Healthwatch.

Kyiv Post (Ukraine) - Lawmakers up excise tax on alcohol and cigarettes

The Verkhovna Rada, Ukraine's parliament, has increased excise tax on beer, alcoholic beverages and tobacco. A total of 234 MPs voted for such a decision on Tuesday.

Herald.ie (Ireland) - Cancer and strokes give Irish women worst health in EU

IRISH women have one of the worst health records in Europe with huge numbers affected by heart disease, cancers and strokes. Females from Ireland are more likely to die from preventable diseases than their counterparts in Europe. And researchers put this down to high alcohol and cigarette consumption among women here.

IcelandReview (Iceland) - Half of Icelandic Teens Never Tried Drugs or Alcohol

More 16-year-olds in Iceland have never tried drugs or alcohol than in other European countries, or 40 percent, according to a new Europe-wide research report. Albania ranked second on the list with 32 percent, Fréttablaðið reports.

3News NZ (New Zealand) - Alcohol groups scoff at industry promotion

Groups wanting tougher alcohol laws say a social media campaign from the alcohol industry is a marketing exercise designed to increase booze sales.

FRANCE 24 (Philippines) - Philippines closer to tobacco, alcohol tax hike

The Philippines has moved closer to raising tobacco and alcohol taxes, the government said on Wednesday after the Senate passed a bill aimed at weaning millions of smokers off the habit.

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