Exposure to the tsunami disaster, PTSD symptoms and increased substance use - an internet based survey of male and female residents of Switzerland
BMC Public Health 2008, 8:92

After the tsunami disaster in the Indian Ocean basin an Internet based self-screening test was made available in order to facilitate contact with mental health services. Although primarily designed for surviving Swiss tourists as well as relatives and acquaintances of the victims, the screening instrument was open to anyone who felt psychologically affected by this disaster.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the influences between self-declared increased substance use in the aftermath of the tsunami disaster, trauma exposure and current PTSD symptoms.

In women PTSD symptoms and degree of exposure, enlarged the odds of increased alcohol, pharmaceuticals and cannabis use significantly. In men the relationship was more specific: PTSD symptoms and degree of exposure only enlarged the odds of increased pharmaceutical consumption significantly. Increases in alcohol, cannabis and tobacco use were only significantly associated with the degree of PTSD symptoms.

The tsunami was associated with increased substance use. This study not only replicates earlier findings but also suggests for a gender specificity of post-traumatic substance use increase.

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Push to lift drink age to 21


Jason Dowling
March 23, 2008

RAISING the legal drinking age to 21 should be considered if attempts to curb dangerous levels of teenage drinking fail, according to the Government's top alcohol adviser.

Professor Jon Currie, chairman of the Victorian Drug and Alcohol Prevention Council, which will make recommendations soon on how the Brumby Government can deal with youth alcohol abuse, also indicated a controversial proposal to ban parents from serving alcohol to children other than their own could work in Victoria.
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Shops defy attempt to curb binge drinking

· Leak reveals bid to offset tax rise
· Supermarkets peg alcohol prices

• Gaby Hinsliff and Ben Quinn
• The Observer,
• Sunday March 23 2008

Shops are defying attempts by the government to clamp down on cheap alcohol and binge drinking, according to a leaked letter seen by The Observer

Alistair Darling, the Chancellor, raised taxes on beer, wine and spirits in his Budget following warnings from doctors that supermarkets and corner shops were selling drink too cheaply and irresponsibly. Rather than putting their prices up, however, stores are attempting to force suppliers to absorb the cost of the rise so that they can carry on aggressively price-cutting. Brewers which refuse to co-operate have been warned their contracts may not be renewed. Brewers pay the duty at source but would normally recoup the extra cost through the price they charge retailers.

A letter from one major off-licence chain to its suppliers, warns that the 'aggressive market we're all trading in' has put it under huge pressure. It says discounts in major supermarkets mean 'we are not confident the Budget will result in material increases in retail prices' or that the tax will be passed on to consumers. The letter from the Bargain Booze chain, which has 600 stores nationwide, continues: 'We will have to review the position of any brands where the retail ticket is increased in our business ... We regret to say that we cannot absorb the increases in costs that the Budget would seem to demand.' It asks suppliers to help 'by absorbing these increases within your own company'.
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Finding groups using model-based cluster analysis: Heterogeneous emotional self-regulatory processes and heavy alcohol use risk.
Developmental Psychology. 2008 Mar Vol 44(2) 481-495



Model-based cluster analysis is a new clustering procedure to investigate population heterogeneity utilizing finite mixture multivariate normal densities. It is an inferentially based, statistically principled procedure that allows comparison of nonnested models using the Bayesian information criterion to compare multiple models and identify the optimum number of clusters.

The current study clustered 36 young men and women on the basis of their baseline heart rate and heart rate variability (HRV), chronic alcohol use, and reasons for drinking. Two cluster groups were identified and labeled the high alcohol risk and normative groups.

Compared to the normative group, individuals in the high alcohol risk group had higher levels of alcohol use and more strongly endorsed disinhibition and suppression reasons for use. The high alcohol risk group showed significant HRV changes in response to positive and negative emotional and appetitive picture cues, compared to neutral cues.

In contrast, the normative group showed a significant HRV change only to negative cues.

Findings suggest that individuals with autonomic self-regulatory difficulties may be more susceptible to heavy alcohol use and use of alcohol for emotional regulation.

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Acting Surgeon General Kicks Off 1,600 Town Hall Meetings Throughout the Nation to Address the Underage Drinking Problem First Lady of Wyoming, Nancy Freudenthal, Will Host Kick-Off Meeting on Call to Action against Underage Drinking

Other Leaders Will Participate in Town Hall Meetings Nationwide

In response to the Surgeon General’s Call to Action to prevent and reduce underage drinking, more than 1,600 town hall meetings will take place all across the country in March and April 2008. These meetings are designed to raise awareness about new information on the public health risk that this problem poses as well as the steps that communities and individuals can take to combat and prevent it.

EVENT: National Kick-off: Town Hall Meeting to Address Underage Drinking Problem

WHO: Acting Surgeon General Rear Admiral Steven K. Galson, M.D., M.P.H.

First Lady of Wyoming, Nancy Freudenthal

The Honorable John Barrasso, U.S. Senator

WHEN: March 24, 2008, 6:30 pm

WHERE: Central Wyoming College

Arts Center

2660 Peck Avenue

Riverton, Wyoming 82501

Acting Surgeon General Rear Admiral Steven K. Galson, M.D., M.P.H., will join with the First Lady of Wyoming, Nancy Freudenthal, to kick off this nationwide effort at a Town Hall meeting in Wyoming on March 24, 2008. Special guest is the Honorable John Barrasso, who will speak on the topic. The meetings will provide greater insight into the nature and scope of the problem and steps for preventing it through reduced demand, availability and access. Parents and other concerned citizens will be given knowledge and tools to connect with today’s youth about the dangers of underage drinking.

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Functional Interactions of Alcohol-sensitive Sites in the N-Methyl-D-aspartate Receptor M3 and M4 Domains
J. Biol. Chem., Vol. 283, Issue 13, 8250-8257, March 28, 2008


The N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor is an important mediator of the behavioral effects of ethanol in the central nervous system. Previous studies have demonstrated sites in the third and fourth membrane-associated (M) domains of the N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor NR2A subunit that influence alcohol sensitivity and ion channel gating.

We investigated whether two of these sites, Phe-637 in M3 and Met-823 in M4, interactively regulate the ethanol sensitivity of the receptor by testing dual substitution mutants at these positions.

A majority of the mutations decreased steady-state glutamate EC₅₀ values and maximal steady-state to peak current ratios (I_ss/I_p), whereas only two mutations altered peak glutamate EC₅₀ values. Steady-state glutamate EC₅₀ values were correlated with maximal glutamate I_ss/I_p values, suggesting that changes in glutamate potency were attributable to changes in desensitization.

In addition, there was a significant interaction between the substituents at positions 637 and 823 with respect to glutamate potency and desensitization. IC₅₀ values for ethanol among the mutants varied over the approximate range 100–325 mM. The sites in M3 and M4 significantly interacted in regulating ethanol sensitivity, although this was apparently dependent upon the presence of methionine in position 823.

Molecular dynamics simulations of the NR2A subunit revealed possible binding sites for ethanol near both positions in the M domains. Consistent with this finding, the sum of the molecular volumes of the substituents at the two positions was not correlated with ethanol IC₅₀ values.

Thus, there is a functional interaction between Phe-637 and Met-823 with respect to glutamate potency, desensitization, and ethanol sensitivity, but the two positions do not appear to form a unitary site of alcohol action.

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Request Reprint E-Mail: robert.peoples@marquette.edu . ___________________________________________________________________

Prenatal Alcohol Exposure: Foetal Programming, the Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal Axis and Sex Differences in Outcome
Journal of Neuroendocrinology 20 (4) , 470–488


Prenatal exposure to alcohol has adverse effects on offspring neuroendocrine and behavioural functions. Alcohol readily crosses the placenta, thus directly affecting developing foetal endocrine organs. In addition, alcohol-induced changes in maternal endocrine function can disrupt the normal hormonal interactions between the pregnant female and foetal systems, altering the normal hormone balance and, indirectly, affecting the development of foetal metabolic, physiological and endocrine functions.

The present review focuses on the adverse effects of prenatal alcohol exposure on offspring neuroendocrine function, with particular emphasis on the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, a key player in the stress response. The HPA axis is highly susceptible to programming during foetal and neonatal development.

Here, we review data demonstrating that alcohol exposure in utero programmes the foetal HPA axis such that HPA tone is increased throughout life. Importantly, we show that, although alterations in HPA responsiveness and regulation are robust phenomena, occurring in both male and female offspring, sexually dimorphic effects of alcohol are frequently observed.

We present updated findings on possible mechanisms underlying differential effects of alcohol on male and female offspring, with special emphasis on effects at different levels of the HPA axis, and on modulatory influences of the hypothalamic–pituitary–gonadal hormones and serotonin.

Finally, possible mechanisms underlying foetal programming of the HPA axis, and the long-term implications of increased exposure to endogenous glucocorticoids for offspring vulnerability to illnesses or disorders later in life are discussed

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Request Reprint E-Mail: jweinberg@exchange.ubc.ca
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The ethanol response gene Cab45 can modulate the impairment
elicited by ethanol and ultraviolet in PC12 cells
Journal of Genetics and Genomics 2008 35 (3): 153-161



High consumption of ethanolic beverages facilitates neurodegeneration, but the mechanism of this process still remained elusive.

Sup-pression subtractive hybridization (SSH) is a technique for detection of rare transcripts. With SSH approach, we identified one ethanol response gene Cab45, which was down-regulated by ethanol with time-dependent manner in B104 cells.

The full-length sequence of Cab45 gene was obtained by 5′-RACE (5′Rapid Amplification of cDNA Ends) for the first time in rat. Based on the sequence of deduced amino acid of rat Cab45, the alignment was conducted with its counterparts in different species and displayed a high conservation. Using different tissues in rat and cell lines, Cab45 was characterized by a ubiquitous expression and differentiation dependent down-regulation.

Given that ethanol facilitates some cell differentiation, we hypothesize that Cab45 is involved in ethanol-mediated differentiation. With transient transfection, the function of Cab45 was investigated by up-regulation and down-regulation in PC12 cells. Ethanol treatment and UV exposure were conducted subsequently and cell proliferations were detected by MTT (Methyl Thiazolyl Tetrazolium) approach.

It revealed that the up-regulation of Cab45 modulated the impairment elicited by ethanol and UV in transfected cells.

As a member of new calcium binding protein family, the exact role of Cab45 still remains unclear.

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Request Reprint E-Mail: zhuyf2004@163.com
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Women targeted in drink campaign


By Toby Helm, Public Policy Editor and Rebecca Smith, Medical Editor

22/03/2008

Middle-aged women will be targeted in a hard-hitting anti-alcohol campaign after research found that just one large glass of wine per night could increase the risk of breast cancer by 60 per cent.

Up to 2,000 women every year die from breast cancer linked to drinking, with a growing number also suffering other cancers, liver damage and fertility problems.

Rising levels of alcohol consumption, particularly among the middle classes, have been blamed in part on an increase in the strength of many wines and a fashion for larger glasses, leading to confusion over how many units of alcohol each glass contains.

The Government has responded with a £10 million advertising campaign that aims to educate women about the health risks of drinking and the need to be aware of how much alcohol they are consuming.
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Plan to raise age limit for alcohol sales wins praise


BRIAN DONNELLY
March 22, 2008

Campaigners yesterday praised the Scottish Government for its "courage" in considering radical new plans to tackle alcohol abuse by upping the age limit.

However, representatives of the licensed trade industry said the proposals to raise the legal drinking age from 18 to 21, revealed in The Herald yesterday, were naive and unworkable.

The Scottish Government confirmed last night it is considering the move as part of a package to be unveiled later this year.
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Chronic ethanol exposure leads to divergent control of dopaminergic synapses in distinct target regions
Alcohol Article in Press, Corrected Proof 20 March 2008


Neuroadaptations following chronic exposure to alcohol are hypothesized to play important roles in alcohol-induced alterations in behavior, in particular increased alcohol drinking and anxiety like behavior.

Dopaminergic signaling plays a key role in reward-related behavior, with evidence suggesting it undergoes modification following exposure to drugs of abuse. A large literature indicates an involvement of dopaminergic signaling in response to alcohol.

Using a chronic inhalation model of ethanol exposure in mice, we have begun to investigate the effects of alcohol intake on dopaminergic signaling by examining protein levels of tyrosine hydroxylase and the dopamine transporter, as well as monoamine metabolites in three different target fields of three different dopaminergic nuclei.

We have focused on the dorsal lateral bed nucleus of the stria terminalis because of the reported involvement of dorsal lateral bed nucleus of the stria terminalis dopamine in ethanol intake, and the nucleus accumbens and dorsal striatum because of their dense dopaminergic innervation.

After either a chronic intermittent exposure or continuous exposure regimen, mice were killed, and tissue punches collected from the dorsal lateral bed nucleus of the stria terminalis, nucleus accumbens, and striatum for Western analysis.

Strikingly, we found divergent regulation of tyrosine hydroxylase and dopamine transporter protein levels across these three regions that was dependent upon the means of exposure.

These data thus suggest that distinct populations of catecholamine neurons may be differentially regulated by ethanol, and that ethanol and withdrawal interact to produce differential adaptations in these systems.

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Request Reprint E-Mail: thomas.kash@vanderbilt.edu
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Dissociable effects of ethanol consumption during the light and dark phase in adolescent and adult Wistar rats
Alcohol Volume 42, Issue 2, March 2008, Pages 83-89

In adolescence, high levels of drinking over short episodes (binge drinking) is commonly seen in a proportion of the population. Because adolescence is an important neurodevelopmental period, the effects of binge drinking on brain and behavior has become a significant health concern.

However, robust animal models of binge drinking in rats are still being developed and therefore further efforts are needed to optimize paradigms for inducing maximal self-administration of alcohol.

In the present experiment, 1-h limited-access self-administration sessions were instituted to model excessive drinking behavior in adolescent and adult Wistar rats. In addition to age, the involvement of sex and phase within the light/dark cycle (i.e., drinking in the light or dark) on sweetened 5% ethanol intake were also evaluated over 14 limited-access sessions using a between-groups design.

The results of the experiment showed that over 14 limited-access sessions, sweetened ethanol intake (g/kg) was significantly higher for adolescents compared to adults. Females were also found to drink more sweetened ethanol as compared to males.

Additionally, drinking in the light produced a robust increase in sweetened ethanol intake (g/kg) in adolescents, as compared to adults during the light phase and as compared to both adolescent and adult rats drinking in the dark. Furthermore, the increase in ethanol consumption observed in adolescents drinking during the light phase was dissociable from sweetened solution intake patterns.

These results identify that age, sex, and time of day all significantly influence consumption of sweetened ethanol in Wistar rats.

Knowledge of these parameters should be useful for future experiments attempting to evaluate the effects of self-administered ethanol exposure in adult and adolescent rats.

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Association study of dopamine D2, D4 receptor gene, GABAA receptor β subunit gene, serotonin transporter gene polymorphism with children of alcoholics in Korea: A preliminary study
Alcohol Volume 42, Issue 2, March 2008, Pages 77-81

The studies on the genetic risk factors of the children of alcoholics (COAs) are still in an early stage. The A1 allele of the dopamine receptor 2 gene (DRD2) may be associated with positive alcohol expectancy of the COAs. In addition, several researchers reported that the COAs might be associated with the GABA_A receptor β3 subunit gene (GABRB3) and serotonin transporter gene (5-HTTLPR).

In this study, we investigated the association of the polymorphism of the DRD2, Dopamine D4 receptor gene (DRD4), GABRB3, 5-HTTLPR with the COAs.

Twenty-two COAs and 23 age and sex-matched control children were included for the genetic study (children of nonAlcoholics; nonCOAs). All COAs aged 6–18 were recruited and selected from family of alcoholic patients in Alcohol Clinic of the University hospital.

The genotyping of the DRD2, DRD4, GABRB3, 5-HTTLPR was carried out. We used the Chi-square method for evaluating the association of genetic polymorphic allelic status with the COAs.

The frequency of the A1+ allele at DRD2 in the COAs was significantly higher than nonCOAs. Significant association between the genotype at DRD4 and the COAs was found.

The G1− alleles of the GABRB3 in COAs were significantly higher than nonCOAs.

However, no association of the polymorphic alleles of the 5-HTTLPR with the COAs was found.

We found that the children of alcoholics had a significantly increased number of risk alleles of candidate genes of alcohol drinking expectancy. Despite of several limitations, this study provides some preliminary information on the risk and protective factors associated with the COAs, which can be used as a foundation for prevention and intervention of future psychopathology.

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Request Reprint E-Mail: kacheon@dreamwiz.com or

kacheon@kd.ac.kr
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Are treated alcoholics representative of the entire population with alcohol use disorders? A magnetic resonance study of brain injury
Alcohol Volume 42, Issue 2, March 2008, Pages 67-76

Almost all we know about neurobiological brain injury in alcohol use disorders has been derived from convenience samples of treated alcoholics. Recent research has demonstrated more comorbid conditions, poorer psychosocial functioning, and higher dependence levels in treated alcoholics than in their treatment-naive counterparts.

Thus, it is not clear whether neuroimaging results from convenience samples of treated alcoholics can be generalized to the entire population with alcohol use disorders.

We compared 35 treated alcoholics at 1 week of abstinence (ALC) and 32 treatment-naive heavy drinkers (HD) on regional brain volumes and metabolite concentrations obtained by in vivo magnetic resonance at 1.5 Tesla to evaluate for potential group differences. Then, we evaluated whether comorbid cigarette smoking and common demographic and clinical variables mediated any existing neurobiological group differences.

ALC demonstrated smaller lobar gray matter volumes and thalami than HD, exacerbated by chronic smoking. Furthermore, concentrations of N-acetyl-aspartate (an accepted marker of neuronal viability), choline-containing metabolites (involved in membrane turnover), and myo-inositol (a putative marker of glial cells and osmolyte) were lower in multiple brain regions of ALC compared to HD. The lower N-acetyl-aspartate concentrations in white matter of ALC versus HD were explained by average number of drinks per month over the year preceding study. However, the other group differences were not explained by common drinking, demographic, and clinical variables (used as covariates at the same time) or by excluding participants with comorbid mood disorders.

Taken together, this suggests that the degree of brain atrophy, as well as neuronal and membrane injury in clinical samples of alcoholics cannot be generalized to the much larger population with alcohol use disorders that does not seek treatment.

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Request Reprint E-Mail: stefan.gazdzinski@ucsf.edu
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Advertisers and alcohol industry prepare for inquiry showdown



Julian Lee
March 20, 2008

THE marketing industry's peak bodies have unveiled how they plan to meet the biggest threat to the industry since the fast food advertising debate of recent years.

As a senate inquiry into alcohol advertising begins, the industry will mount a two-pronged approach, with the advertising agency peak body concentrating its efforts on talking up self-regulation for the $12 billion a year alcohol industry.

In its submission to a senate inquiry, its counterpart for advertisers will seek to attack claims that there is a link between advertising and excessive consumption of alcohol.
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Editorial - Pushing 'Alcopops'
A bad bill in Annapolis would promote teen drinking.
March 21, 2008 pg. A16

LIKE THE fruity-flavored, alcohol-laced beverages that appeal so much to the under-21 set, a bill making its way through the Maryland legislature this week may seem non-threatening but could lure more illegal novice drinkers to dangerous habits. As it is, teens are getting their hands on "alcopops" -- also called "flavored malt beverages" and "malternatives" -- thanks in large part to a current practice, which treats these drinks for sales distribution and tax purposes as beer rather than distilled spirits. The result is lower prices and easier access for underage drinkers.

That's the way the industry likes it, but Maryland Attorney General Douglas F. Gansler has issued an opinion that, under state law, these drinks are distilled spirits and should be taxed and distributed as such. The action has prompted an end-around by state lawmakers cozy with the beer and liquor industry, including Democratic Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller Jr. (D-Calvert). Their bill, passed by the Senate yesterday and now before the House, would formally define the drinks as beer, which would keep the drinks teen-friendly.

The proposed definition is blatantly dishonest. Findings by the U.S. Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau show that most of the alcohol in these flavored drinks is derived from distilled spirits. As for taxes, which generally get passed along to the buyers, the Maryland tax rate for beer is 9 cents a gallon; for distilled spirits it's $1.50 a gallon. For a six-pack, the beer tax is a nickel, but the distilled spirits tax would be 84 cents. It's well established that entry-level drinkers are sensitive to such price differences. Then there's the loss of tax revenue in a bad year for the state budget.

Ease of access to these sweet but loaded beverages -- which are cutely disguised as cola, lemonade, iced tea or fruit punch -- also depends on how they are classified. Distilled spirits can be sold only by holders of retail liquor licenses. When classified as beer, the alcohol-flavored beverages can be sold by any location holding a beer license -- convenience stores and other spots more likely to be frequented by young people. True, underage consumption of any alcohol is already against the law, and, yes, kids can find older buyers to get any drink. But why increase the ease of access? Maryland lawmakers should reflect on that question before the final vote on this bad bill.

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By Now, "Harm Reduction" Harms Both Science and the Public Health
Clinical Pharmacology & Therapeutics (2008); 83, 4, 513–514

There are few terms used in both the science and the public policy of drug abuse and addiction that are fuzzier or more controversial than "harm reduction." The most straightforward use of the term refers to public health or social policy strategies designed to reduce the negative consequences of drug abuse and addiction to an individual, his or her family, or the broader community in which addicted individuals live. For other people, however, "harm reduction" has over time become distorted into a euphemism for policies and programs that could increase drug use, such as legalization or decriminalization of drug activities. This ambiguity, coupled with the paucity of clear data on the effectiveness of most harm-reduction strategies, has led many people to hold—often with almost religious fervor—very strong positions for or against "harm reduction," however it is conceptualized. That ideology has prevented important science from being done and prevented the implementation of potentially successful social and public health strategies. This suggests that the term should be expunged from the jargon of our fields. It has taken on ideological meanings that get in the way of dealing successfully with serious drug problems around the world.
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Addiction: Damping down alcohol dependence
Nature Reviews Neuroscience 9, 251 (April 2008)

Stress is a well-known trigger of alcoholism relapse in susceptible individuals, and it has been suggested that neural systems that mediate behavioural stress responses could be targets for pharmacotherapy of alcoholism. Now, Heilig and colleagues demonstrate that antagonism of neurokinin 1 receptor (NK1R; also known as TACR1) — a receptor that is highly expressed in brain areas involved in stress responses and brain reward — effectively reduces alcohol cravings.

Previous studies have shown that genetic deletion or pharmacological blockade of NK1R dampens behavioural responses to psychological stressors. So, the authors proposed that modulation of NK1R signalling may also influence stress- and reward-related processes that are important for excessive alcohol use and relapse.
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WINE in MODERATION
A Pan-European Programme Promoting Responsibility
and Moderation in Wine Consumption




The WINE in MODERATION Programme is an initiative of the European wine sector aimed at promoting moderation and responsibility in wine consumption and contributing towards preventing excessive consumption and misuse of alcoholic beverages in Europe.

Download Background Document (PDF)
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Disordered eating and substance use in high-school students: Results from the Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System
International Journal of Eating Disorders Early View 17 Mar 2008

To examine the association between disordered eating (fasting, diet product use, and vomiting or laxative use) and use of 10 substances (cigarettes, alcohol, marijuana, cocaine, inhalants, heroin, methamphetamines, ecstasy, steroids, and hallucinogens) in a nationally representative adolescent sample.

Disordered eating was significantly associated with the use of each substance. Using effect size estimates that take base rates into consideration, for female students, associations between substance use and disordered eating were weak for all but three forms of substance use: current smoking, binge drinking, and inhalants. Among male students, strong (marijuana, steroids, and inhalants) or moderate effects (all other substances) were observed. Future research needs to focus on inhalant use and methamphetamine use in males. Increased medical attention should be directed toward adolescents who practice disordered eating behaviors because they are also at elevated risk for using cigarettes, alcohol, inhalants, methamphetamines, and steroids Read Full Abstract Request Reprint E-Mail: rstriegel@wesleyan.edu ________________________________________________________________