Aims

To support the free and open dissemination of research findings and information on alcoholism and alcohol-related problems. To encourage open access to peer-reviewed articles free for all to view.

For full versions of posted research articles readers are encouraged to email requests for "electronic reprints" (text file, PDF files, FAX copies) to the corresponding or lead author, who is highlighted in the posting.

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Wednesday, July 3, 2013

Interventions for reducing alcohol consumption among general hospital inpatient heavy alcohol users: A systematic review




There is growing interest in pro-active detection and provision of interventions for heavy alcohol use in the general hospital inpatient population. We aimed to determine, from the available evidence, the effectiveness of interventions in reducing alcohol consumption among general hospital inpatient heavy alcohol users.


The following databases were searched for completed and on-going randomised and non-randomised controlled studies published up to November 2012: MEDLINE; C2-SPECTR; CINAHL; The Cochrane Library; Conference Proceedings Citation Index: Science; EMBASE; HMIC; PsycInfo; Public Health Interventions Cost Effectiveness Database (PHICED); and ClinicalTrials.gov. Studies were screened independently by two reviewers. Data extraction was performed by one reviewer and independently checked by a second.

Twenty-two studies which met the inclusion criteria enrolled 5307 participants in total. All interventions were non-pharmacological and alcohol focused. Results from single session brief interventions and self-help literature showed no clear benefit on alcohol consumption outcomes, with indications of benefit from some studies but not others. However, results suggest brief interventions of more than one session could be beneficial on reducing alcohol consumption, especially for non-dependent patients. No active intervention was found superior over another on alcohol consumption and other outcomes.

Brief interventions of more than one session could be beneficial on reducing alcohol consumption among hospital inpatients, especially for non-dependent patients. However, additional evidence is still needed before more definitive conclusions can be reached.


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Request Reprint E-Mail:       noreen.mdege@york.ac.uk

Help seeking for drug and alcohol problems among adults age 50 and older: A comparison of the NLAES and NESARC surveys




Due to population aging and generational changes in alcohol and drug use, substance use disorders and treatment need are projected to increase among adults over 50. We analyzed data from two national surveys conducted 10 years apart [(NLAES (1991–1992) and NESARC (2001–2002)] to explore changes in help-seeking for alcohol and drug problems among adults over age 50.

Data were pooled on help seeking for substance related problems, sociodemographic and clinical variables, and services type (i.e., formal and informal). Differences between the surveys were assessed, and help seeking among those under age 50 was compared to younger individuals; changes in the sociodemographic and clinical correlates of help seeking among those over age 50 were examined.

Among those 50 and older, rates of lifetime help seeking for any substance problem were higher in NESARC than NLAES, and percentages of those considering but not getting help were also higher in NESARC. Among those 50+, rates of past-year help seeking for drug use were higher in NESARC, but among those with lifetime substance use disorders, help seeking rates for alcohol and any substance were lower in the NESARC. Older help seekers in the NESARC were less likely to be White, more likely to be low income, and more likely to be current or former drug users than NLAES help seekers.

This study documents increased rates of help seeking for substance related problems among those 50 and older and identifies cohort differences in profile of past-year help seekers.


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Request Reprint E-Mail:     sacco@ssw.umaryland.edu    

Tuesday, July 2, 2013

Disruption of alcohol-related memories by mTORC1 inhibition prevents relapse




Relapse to alcohol abuse is an important clinical issue that is frequently caused by cue-induced drug craving. Therefore, disruption of the memory for the cue-alcohol association is expected to prevent relapse. It is increasingly accepted that memories become labile and erasable soon after their reactivation through retrieval during a memory reconsolidation process that depends on protein synthesis.

Here we show that reconsolidation of alcohol-related memories triggered by the sensory properties of alcohol itself (odor and taste) activates mammalian target of rapamycin complex 1 (mTORC1) in select amygdalar and cortical regions in rats, resulting in increased levels of several synaptic proteins.

Furthermore, systemic or central amygdalar inhibition of mTORC1 during reconsolidation disrupts alcohol-associated memories, leading to a long-lasting suppression of relapse.

Our findings provide evidence that the mTORC1 pathway and its downstream substrates are crucial in alcohol-related memory reconsolidation and highlight this pathway as a therapeutic target to prevent relapse.


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

Cortical activation of accumbens hyperpolarization-active NMDARs mediates aversion-resistant alcohol intake





Compulsive drinking despite serious adverse medical, social and economic consequences is a characteristic of alcohol use disorders in humans. Although frontal cortical areas have been implicated in alcohol use disorders, little is known about the molecular mechanisms and pathways that sustain aversion-resistant intake.

Here, we show that nucleus accumbens core (NAcore) NMDA-type glutamate receptors and medial prefrontal (mPFC) and insula glutamatergic inputs to the NAcore are necessary for aversion-resistant alcohol consumption in rats.

Aversion-resistant intake was associated with a new type of NMDA receptor adaptation, in which hyperpolarization-active NMDA receptors were present at mPFC and insula but not amygdalar inputs in the NAcore. Accordingly, inhibition of Grin2c NMDA receptor subunits in the NAcore reduced aversion-resistant alcohol intake.

None of these manipulations altered intake when alcohol was not paired with an aversive consequence.

Our results identify a mechanism by which hyperpolarization-active NMDA receptors under mPFC- and insula-to-NAcore inputs sustain aversion-resistant alcohol intake.


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

Monday, July 1, 2013

Alcohol News - 26/2013

 
 
 
 
 
University of Iceland (Iceland) - The financial crash reduced smoking and alcohol consumption
“The study aims to find out whether and how the economic crash influenced alcohol and tobacco consumption, specifically considering changes in the labour market, i.e. the reduction in the number of work hours and lowering of real income. Such labour market changes can influence health behaviour, i.e. how people invest in their present and future health,” says Þórhildur Ólafsdóttir, Doctoral Student of economics on a study that forms part of her doctoral thesis.
Daily Mail (Denmark) - People who have more than two alcoholic drinks a day may be TWICE as likely to die after surgery
People who have more than two alcoholic drinks a day are more likely to suffer complications after surgery than light drinkers. Infections and slow wound healing were the most common complications associated with heavy drinking, according to lead author Marie Eliasen of the National Institute of Public Health at the University of Southern Denmark in Copenhagen.
Jyllands Posten (Denmark) - Ferry operator revises alcohol policies after booze-related death
Fjord Line has moved to curb the drinking culture on its ferries after a young man died of alcohol poisoning while he was being held in detention on one of its vessels in April.
Sverige Radio (Sweden) - Sweden’s alcohol monopoly challenged
Buying wine online may get easier in Sweden. That's if grocery chain City Gross has its way. It wants to join forces with wine delivery service Winefinder to offer home deliveries to customers who order wine over the internet.
YLE.fi (Finland) - Finnish food and drink pricier than EU average
Statistics Finland reports that a comparison of prices made in the spring of 2012 showed that Finnish prices were 19 percent higher than the EU average. In the European Union, Denmark has the highest price level while Poland is the cheapest.
Reitingi Latvijas (Latvia) - Saeima adopts in the final reading law amendments to reduce consumption of alcoholic beverages by young people
On Thursday, 20 June, the Saeima in the third and final reading supported amendments to the Handling of Alcoholic Beverages Law to limit the consumption of alcoholic beverages among children and young people.
BBC News (Wales) - Online shopping children drink worry, says Alcohol Concern Cymru
Significant numbers of children and young people in Wales are using online supermarket grocery services in order to buy alcohol, warns Alcohol Concern Cymru.
TVNZ (New Zealand) - Alcohol 'akin to asbestos in cancer stakes' – expert
New Zealand's excessive drinking culture is causing cancers with abysmally low survival rates, oncology experts say.
Medical Daily (USA) - A Third Of Kids Taste First Sips Of Alcohol As Early As Age 8, Study Says
In a study following adolescents from the Pittsburgh area, the majority kids admitted to trying alcohol before 18 years old, with 37 percent sipping alcohol as young as age 8, a study finds.
GlobalPost (Spain) - Spain raises taxes on alcohol, tobacco
The Spanish government, which is struggling to cut one of the eurozone's largest public deficits during a double-dip recession, on Friday raised taxes on tobacco and alcohol, except wine and beer.
Perth Now (Australia) - Push by health advocates to ban alcohol advertising online to protect children
HEALTH advocates want the Federal Government to ban the advertising of alcohol and other harmful products on websites that attract children.
Huffpost - Are Alcohol-Fuelled Arguments Ruining Your Friendships And Relationships?
We’ve all been there – you’ve both had a few too many drinks and somehow you end up rowing with your partner or your friend about the most inane thing. When it happens once in a while, it’s not too much of a concern, but when it starts happening regularly, you may need to do a stock take of whether alcohol is ruining your relationships.
Scientific American - Boozy Memory Blocking Reduces Risk of Relapse among Alcohol Abusers
Wiping out drinking-associated memories could help those with alcohol problems to stay sober, suggests a study in rats.
Daily Mail (UK) - Sunbathing and alcohol cause cancer rates to soar: Unhealthy lifestyles blamed for huge rises in past decade
Sunbathing has been blamed for a massive surge in cancer rates over the past ten years. Cancers caused by unhealthy lifestyles, such as drinking and smoking, have seen a rise of up to two-thirds in the last decade, official figures show.
Peru this Week (Peru) - Teenagers say it’s easy to buy alcohol in Peru
The last public opinion survey conducted by the Center for Education and Prevention of Drugs and Alcohol Abuse (Cedro) scared many parents in Peru. According to the survey four out of five youngster age 12 to 18 said it is easy for them to buy alcohol and cigarettes in this country.
IOL (South Africa) - This is your brain on alcohol
The human brain does not stop developing until a person’s mid-twenties – meaning heavy use of alcohol under the age of 21 can damage necessary growth processes.
Stuff.co.nz (New Zealand) - Sinking lid proposed in new alcohol policy
A sinking-lid for off-licence liquor outlets could be on the cards for the Hauraki district as part of its council's first local alcohol policy.
Irish Independent (Ireland) - Too much alcohol will grind the body to a halt
We are a nation of complicit drinkers: Sure, go on, have another one! At any triathlon or road race, the prospect of racing within your own age group is always fun if you're not a contender for the podium. Usually it's a shoe-in for a prize if you're running in the bottom 18-19 and 20-24 age groups as they are always direly underrepresented.
Glasgow Evening Times (Wales) - Glasgow's poor are smoking and drinking less
PEOPLE in the most deprived areas of Greater Glasgow's health board are smoking and drinking less and eating healthier than a decade ago.
Edinburgh Evening News (Scotland) - Fears pensioners ‘drinking themselves to death’
PENSIONERS in Scotland are drinking themselves to death as doctors try to combat an “epidemic” of alcohol abuse amongst the elderly.
 
 

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Alcoholism Causes Alveolar Macrophage Zinc Deficiency and Immune Dysfunction

 
 
Alcohol use disorders cause oxidative stress in the lower airways and increase susceptibility to pneumonia and lung injury. Currently, no therapeutic options exist to mitigate the pulmonary consequences of alcoholism. 
 
We recently determined in an animal model that alcohol ingestion impairs pulmonary zinc metabolism and causes alveolar macrophage immune dysfunction. The objective of this research is to determine the effects of alcoholism on zinc bioavailability and alveolar macrophage function in human subjects.   
 
We recruited otherwise healthy alcoholics (n=17) and matched control subjects (n=17) who underwent bronchoscopy for isolation of alveolar macrophages, which were analyzed for intracellular zinc, phagocytic function, and surface expression of granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor receptor; all three of these indices are decreased in experimental models. 
 
Alcoholic subjects had normal serum zinc, but significantly decreased alveolar macrophage intracellular zinc levels : 718 (41) vs. 948 (25) RFU/cell;  bacterial phagocytosis [adjusted means (se): 1027 (48) vs. 1509 (76) RFU/cell;  and expression of granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor receptor beta subunit : 1471 (42) vs. 2114 (35) RFU/cell;. Treating alveolar macrophages with zinc acetate and glutathione in vitro increased intracellular zinc levels and improved their phagocytic function. 
 
These novel clinical findings provide evidence that alcohol abuse is associated with significant zinc deficiency and immune dysfunction within the alveolar space and suggest that dietary supplementation with zinc and glutathione precursors could enhance airway innate immunity and decrease the risk for pneumonia or lung injury in these vulnerable individuals.
 
 
 
 
Request Rerprint E-Mail:   amehta4@emory.edu 

Quantification of Ethyl Glucuronide in Hair: Effect of Milling on Extraction Efficiency




The objective of the study was to provide conclusive evidence for the effect of particle size reduction as by milling on the extractable content of ethyl glucuronide (EtG) of hair samples.

A number of real case hair samples and two pooled hair materials with EtG contents in the range of 10–30 pg/mg were systematically compared with regard to the extraction yield of EtG after cutting to 2–3 mm length and pulverization with a ball mill. After the respective treatment the samples were submitted to aqueous extraction followed by quantification of EtG using HPLC-MS/MS.                    

It was unequivocally demonstrated that milling of hair samples prior to aqueous extraction significantly increases the extractable EtG content compared with cut hair. The effect ranged between 137 and 230% and was seen to occur regardless of the extent of pulverization. Cooling of samples was not necessary to prevent partial degradation of EtG during the grinding procedure.                    

The options currently employed at choice in analytical practice (cutting or milling) were seen to significantly affect the extractable amount of EtG in hair. This is suspected to influence the degree of equivalence of quantification results obtained in different laboratories as well as their respective classification of a test subject's drinking behaviour on the basis of currently recommended cut-off values.


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Request Reprint E-Mail:    roland.becker@bam.de

Participation of Catalase in Voluntary Ethanol Consumption in Perinatally Low-Level Lead-Exposed Rats

 
Environmental lead (Pb) exposure and alcohol abuse pose significant public health problems for our society. One of the proposed mechanisms of action of the developmental neurotoxicant Pb is related to its ability to affect antioxidant enzymes, including catalase (CAT). Ethanol's (EtOH) motivational effects are postulated to be mediated by the CAT-dependent acetaldehyde generated in the brain. The current study sought to investigate the role of this enzyme in the elevated EtOH intake previously reported in perinatally Pb-exposed rats.
 
Thirty-five-day-old male Wistar rats exposed to 220 ppm Pb during gestation and lactation were offered escalating EtOH solutions (2 to 10%) or water, 2 h/d for 28 days. Once baseline 10% EtOH intake was achieved, they were injected with (i) saline (SAL), (ii) 3-amino 1,2,4 triazole (aminotriazole [AT], a CAT inhibitor, 250 mg/kg intraperitoneally [i.p.], 5 hours before the last 8 EtOH intake sessions), or (iii) 3-nitropropionic acid (3NPA; a CAT activator, 20 mg/kg subcutaneously [s.c.], 45 minutes before the last 4 EtOH intake sessions). Rats were then sacrificed, blood collected, and brain regions harvested for CAT activity determination. Additional studies evaluated EtOH intake and CAT activity in response to 10 and 30 mg/kg 3NPA. Both 3NPA and AT were evaluated for striatal cytotoxicity.
 
We observed that AT pretreatment blunted the increased EtOH intake, as well as the elevated CAT activity in blood, cerebellum, and hippocampus evidenced in the developmentally Pb-exposed rats that have consumed EtOH. Conversely, 20 mg/kg 3NPA further increased voluntary EtOH intake in these animals as compared with controls, concomitantly with a slight elevation in CAT activity both in blood and in the striatum, associated with no changes in striatal cytotoxicity.
 
These results suggest a participation of CAT, and possibly acetaldehyde, in Pb-induced high EtOH intake, and open up new avenues to elucidate the mechanism that underlies the Pb and EtOH interaction.


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Request Reprint E-Mail:    mvirgoli@fcq.unc.edu.ar

Global Ethanol-Induced Enhancements of Monoaminergic Neurotransmission: A Meta-Analysis Study



Numerous studies use in vivo microdialysis as a quantification method for studying dynamical alterations of extracellular neurotransmitter concentrations in specific brain regions of various species following acute and chronic administration of ethanol (EtOH). A major focus of these investigations is the EtOH-induced effects on the neurochemistry of forebrain regions, particularly dose-dependent neuroadaptive changes of monoamine systems.
 
Here, we performed a meta-analysis on published data sets of in vivo microdialysis measurements to assess the concentration-dependent effects of EtOH on monoamine levels within 19 distinct brain regions in adult rats, which were identified as major components of a neurocircuitry for modeling drug effects. In total, data sets of 210 research articles (7,407 rats) were analyzed.
 
The analysis of the basal values of noradrenaline, serotonin, and dopamine in those regions indicated hardly any dependencies on gender, strain, or state of consciousness. However, the acute administrations of EtOH (intraperitoneal 0.25 to 2.5 g/kg) appear to increase the level of monoamines globally and independent of the brain sites up to 270% of the basal concentrations. Moreover, a peak time average of approximately 40 minutes suggests an optimal time interval of maximal 240 minutes length to completely study the effects of different doses of EtOH within the framework of microdialysis experiments. The analysis further revealed a positive correlation between the magnitude of increase (peak % baseline) of local extracellular monoamine concentrations and the applied doses of EtOH, while the temporal occurrence of the EtOH-induced peaks in the concentrations (peak time) was mostly negatively correlated.
 
Our results provide a universal database and framework for the optimal design of future in vivo microdialysis and in silico experiments in neurochemistry and pharmacology.


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Request Reprint E-Mail:     hamid.noori@zi-mannheim.de

Circadian Genes Differentially Affect Tolerance to Ethanol in Drosophila


There is a strong relationship between circadian rhythms and ethanol (EtOH) responses. EtOH consumption has been shown to disrupt physiological and behavioral circadian rhythms in mammals (Alcohol Clin Exp Res 2005b, 29, 1550). The Drosophila central circadian pacemaker is composed of proteins encoded by the per, tim, cyc, and Clk genes. Using Drosophila mutant analysis, we asked whether these central components of the circadian clock make the equivalent contribution toward EtOH tolerance and whether rhythmicity itself is necessary for tolerance.
 
We tested flies carrying mutations in core clock genes for the capacity to acquire EtOH tolerance. Tolerance was assayed by comparing the sedation curves of populations during their first and second sedation. Animals that had acquired tolerance sedated more slowly. Movement was also monitored as the flies breathe the EtOH vapor to determine if other facets of the EtOH response were affected by the mutations. Gas chromatography was used to measure internal EtOH concentration. Constant light was used to nongenetically destabilize the PER and TIM proteins.
 
A group of circadian mutations, all of which eliminate circadian rhythms, do not disrupt tolerance identically. Mutations in per, tim, and cyc completely block tolerance. However, a mutation in Clk does not interfere with tolerance. Constant light also disrupts the capacity to acquire tolerance. These lines did not differ in EtOH absorption.
 
Mutations affecting different parts of the intracellular circadian clock can block the capacity to acquire rapid EtOH tolerance. However, the role of circadian genes in EtOH tolerance is independent of their role in producing circadian rhythmicity. The interference in the capacity to acquire EtOH tolerance by some circadian mutations is not merely a downstream effect of a nonfunctional circadian clock; instead, these circadian genes play an independent role in EtOH tolerance.


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Request Reprint E-Mail:     NSAtkinson@austin.utexas.edu

Sunday, June 30, 2013

Global Ethanol-Induced Enhancements of Monoaminergic Neurotransmission: A Meta-Analysis Study


Numerous studies use in vivo microdialysis as a quantification method for studying dynamical alterations of extracellular neurotransmitter concentrations in specific brain regions of various species following acute and chronic administration of ethanol (EtOH). A major focus of these investigations is the EtOH-induced effects on the neurochemistry of forebrain regions, particularly dose-dependent neuroadaptive changes of monoamine systems.
 
Here, we performed a meta-analysis on published data sets of in vivo microdialysis measurements to assess the concentration-dependent effects of EtOH on monoamine levels within 19 distinct brain regions in adult rats, which were identified as major components of a neurocircuitry for modeling drug effects. In total, data sets of 210 research articles (7,407 rats) were analyzed.
 
The analysis of the basal values of noradrenaline, serotonin, and dopamine in those regions indicated hardly any dependencies on gender, strain, or state of consciousness. However, the acute administrations of EtOH (intraperitoneal 0.25 to 2.5 g/kg) appear to increase the level of monoamines globally and independent of the brain sites up to 270% of the basal concentrations. Moreover, a peak time average of approximately 40 minutes suggests an optimal time interval of maximal 240 minutes length to completely study the effects of different doses of EtOH within the framework of microdialysis experiments. The analysis further revealed a positive correlation between the magnitude of increase (peak % baseline) of local extracellular monoamine concentrations and the applied doses of EtOH, while the temporal occurrence of the EtOH-induced peaks in the concentrations (peak time) was mostly negatively correlated.
 
Our results provide a universal database and framework for the optimal design of future in vivo microdialysis and in silico experiments in neurochemistry and pharmacology.

Time-course of behavioural changes induced by ethanol in zebrafish (Danio rerio)


The zebrafish has been proposed for the study of the effects of ethanol on the vertebrate brain. Behavioural tests have been successfully employed in the phenotypical characterization of these effects. However, the short scale (minute to minute) time course of ethanol induced changes of zebrafish behaviour has not been analyzed.

The current study alleviates this need using a 2 × 3 chronic × acute ethanol exposure experimental design. We first expose zebrafish to ethanol chronically using a dose escalation procedure in which fish are kept in a final concentration of 0.5% vol/vol ethanol for 10 days while control fish receive identical dosing procedures but no ethanol. Subsequently, we expose zebrafish for 1 h to an acute dose of ethanol (0.00, 0.50, or 1.00% vol/vol) and monitor their behaviour throughout this period. We quantify the mean and within-individual temporal variance of distance travelled, distance from bottom and angular velocity using video-tracking, and establish temporal trajectories of ethanol induced behavioural changes in zebrafish.

For example, we find fish of the highest acute dose group previously not exposed to chronic ethanol to exhibit an inverted U shaped temporal trajectory in distance travelled (biphasic alcohol effect).

We find this response to be blunted after chronic ethanol exposure (development of tolerance). We also describe an acute ethanol withdrawal induced increase in angular velocity.

We conclude that temporal analysis of zebrafish behaviour is a sensitive method for the study of chronic and acute ethanol exposure induced functional changes in the vertebrate brain.


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Request Reprint E-Mail:    robert_gerlai@yahoo.com

Online Conference on Digital Alcohol Marketing 2013


Developments in digital alcohol marketing have gone rapidly as alcohol marketers adapt to keep up with the latest trends and technologies. Consequently, there is a need for up-to-date evidence based policy measures.

To ring the alarm bell, close the gap in the literature and publicize much needed policy recommendations, EUCAM is dedicating its first online conference on the subject of digital alcohol marketing. The conference will result in the publication of the EUCAM Manifesto on Digital Alcohol Marketing. NGOs, policy officials and scientists are welcome to participate.
    > > > >  Read More

GAPC2013 - - - Alcohol, Civil Society and Public Health: From Local and National Action to Global Change


The next Global Alcohol Policy Conference (GAPC) that will be held on October 7-9 in Seoul (Republic of Korea) aims to promote evidence-based alcohol policy through cross sector participation free from commercial interest and advance the implementation of the Global Strategy to Reduce Harmful Use of Alcohol at national and sub-national level.

The GAPC 2013 is co-hosted by the Global Alcohol Policy Alliance, Ministry of Health & Welfare, Seoul City, and Samyook University.


Conference Website