Red meat and alcohol 'raise the risk of cancer'
Denis Campbell, health correspondent
Sunday October 28, 2007
The Observer


Eating red meat and drinking alcohol in even small quantities increases the risk of developing cancer, a group of world renowned scientists will warn this week.

People should minimise their consumption of both in order to safeguard their health, the biggest inquiry ever undertaken into lifestyle and cancer will recommend.

In addition, the millions of people who are now obese are running as great a risk of getting cancer as smokers do, a major global report by the World Cancer Research Fund will also warn.

The findings from a panel of 21 experts in diet, nutrition and public health will reopen the controversy about the role that red meat such as beef, pork and lamb and alcoholic drinks play in causing cancer, and how much it is safe to consume. The livestock and drink industries are likely to object fiercely to the report. But the experts, who have spent five years producing the document, insist their recommendations are based on the most up-to-date, accurate and credible scientific and medical research evidence available worldwide.
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Electrophysiological Responses to Affective Stimuli in Southwest California Indians: Relationship to Alcohol Dependence
J. Stud. Alcohol Drugs 68: 813-823, 2007





Native Americans have some of the highest rates of alcohol abuse and dependence, yet potential risk factors associated with the problem drinking seen in some tribes remain relatively unknown.

The present investigation evaluated associations between the P350 and P450 components of the event-related potential (ERP) elicited by affective stimuli and potential vulnerability factors associated with risk of alcohol dependence in Southwest California (SWC) Indian adults.

P450 amplitudes were significantly reduced in participants who met lifetime Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Third Edition, Revised, criteria for alcohol dependence in centroparietal leads. In contrast, participants who met personal lifetime criteria for affective disorder were found to have higher P350 and P450 amplitudes in frontal leads. Neither P350 nor P450 component amplitudes were significantly altered based on a family history of alcohol dependence, a personal history of antisocial personality disorder/conduct disorder, or the presence of drug dependence other than alcohol.

These findings suggest, in this select population, that P450 amplitudes are selectively affected by both alcohol dependence and affective disorder.

However, reductions in P450 amplitude were restricted to those participants with alcohol dependence, confirming that it may be an important putative endophenotype for genetic studies of that disorder in this high-risk population.

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Request Reprint E-Mail: criado.jose@scrippshealth.org
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The DYD-RCT protocol: an on-line randomised controlled trial of an interactive computer-based intervention compared with a standard information website to reduce alcohol consumption among hazardous drinkers
BMC Public Health 2007, 7:306, 26 Ocfober 2007

Excessive alcohol consumption is a significant public health problem throughout the world. Although there are a range of effective interventions to help heavy drinkers reduce their alcohol consumption, these have little proven population-level impact. Researchers internationally are looking at the potential of Internet interventions in this area.

In a two-arm randomised controlled trial, an on-line psychologically enhanced interactive computer-based intervention is compared with a flat, text-based information web-site. Recruitment, consent, randomisation and data collection are all on-line.

The primary outcome is total past-week alcohol consumption; secondary outcomes include hazardous or harmful drinking, dependence, harm caused by alcohol, and mental health. A health economic analysis is included.

This trial will provide information on the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of an on-line intervention to help heavy drinkers drink less. Trial registration: International Standard Randomised Controlled Trial Number Register ISRCTN31070347

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Shape deformation of the insula in alcoholics: reduction of left-right asymmetry.
Neuroreport. 18(17):1787-1791, November 19, 2007.



We have investigated shape deformation of the insula to get a viewpoint of how chronic alcohol consumption affects the perisylvian region and compared the deformity pattern between the left and right hemisphere.

A landmark-based structural and surface shape analysis of the insula was performed in 20 patients with alcohol dependence and 20 controls matched for age.

The shape analysis revealed that the left and right insula follow distinct shape deformation patterns, which resulted in the reduction of left-right asymmetry. The shape deformity was most prominent in the central part of both insula.

Our findings indicate that the right and left hemisphere are both affected but shows distinct patterns of deformation in alcohol dependence.


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Request Reprint E-Mail: : keen@yumc.yonsei.ac.kr
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CAADAC Press Release: The War on Addiction: Untrained, Unskilled and Unethical Counselors Jeopardize Lives, Health and Recovery

October 25, 2007

The California Association of Alcoholism and Drug Abuse Counselors, CAADAC, has reviewed, The War on Addiction: Untrained, Unskilled and Unethical Counselors Jeopardize Lives, Health and Recovery, which was released today by the Justin Foundation. CAADAC President Bob Tyler considers the report to be an alarming reminder of California’s failure to adequately protect addicts seeking addiction treatment in the state and urgently requests that state law makers and regulators respond with reforms that will address the problems brought out by the report.

“The atrocities in this report are further evidence of the lack of adequate safeguards in state law and regulations governing this critical profession.” said Tyler. “The legislature must step in to ensure that all those suffering from the life-threatening diseases of alcohol and drug addiction receive treatment from counselors who have adequate training and experience. We need to act now so such tragedies can be minimized. It is unfortunate that current regulation allows someone with no education or training to hang out a shingle and treat this disease behind closed doors in a private practice setting.”

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Report - The War on Addiction
Justin Foundation October 2007





Inadequate Regulation, Standards and Oversight Allow Untrained, Unskilled and Unethical Counselors To Jeopardize Lives, Health and Recovery

California has some of the lowest standards in the nation for substance abuse treatment professionals and little focus on improving the quality of rehabilitation services for the more than 200,000 Californians who seek help every year with their drug and alcohol addictions.

The Justin Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to assisting individuals and families affected by drug abuse, reviewed public records to document the problems in California’s residential treatment facilities and found untrained, unskilled and unethical treatment staff:

• Contributed to clients’ deaths

• Risked clients’ health

• Violated clients’ rights

• Endangered the public

• Jeopardized the recovery of the very people they were supposed to help.

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Report: Drug counselors lack skills

MARTINEZ: Assembly bill would set guidelines for voluntary training of rehab center staff members

By Bruce Gerstman

STAFF WRITER

10/26/2007

Too many drug treatment counselors in California are unskilled, unethical and uneducated, according to a report released today by a Danville-based drug treatment organization.

The Justin Foundation, an organization that helps families affected by drug use, determined that 40 percent of patient deaths in state-licensed drug and alcohol treatment centers over seven years were caused by failures by counselors.

"For most Californians, rehab is not the glitzy, star-studded yoga retreat portrayed in celebrity magazines," the organization's founder, Cathie Smith, said Thursday. "Rehab with unskilled or unethical counselors can be harmful and, in some cases, deadly."

The foundation announced its study at a news conference in Martinez to support a bill introduced by Assemblyman Mark DeSaulnier, D-Concord.
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Contributor: Don Phillips

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Drunks are literally legless

October 27, 2007

Getting "rolling drunk" may have more to do with muscle damage than alcohol's effect on the brain, an academic claims.

Dr Simon Worrall, from the University of Queensland's School of Molecular and Microbial Sciences, has told a health symposium in Perth alcohol abuse not only affects the liver and brain, but also the heart and other muscles.

Dr Worrall said while the impact of alcohol on the liver and brain had been thoroughly examined by researchers over many decades, attention was turning to what it does to muscles.
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Nick Clegg: 'Classify alcohol as a drug'
By Rachel Sylvester

27/10/2007

Interview

It is said that Nick Clegg is clever, charming and ambitious.

He speaks five languages - "six if you count human", his friends like to boast.

He has a high-flying wife, two young children and a glamorous circle of friends - this week, he met Halle Berry at a premiere for Sam Mendes' latest film, at school he acted opposite Helena Bonham Carter and in his youth he toured America with the Theroux brothers.

So why on earth, at the age of 40, does he want to be leader of the Liberal Democrats, the poisoned chalice of politics?

"I'm a liberal," he says. "I find the phoniness about social justice in David Cameron's Conservatives deeply irritating, but equally I find the authoritarian tendencies of the New Labour Government absolutely abhorrent. The creed of liberalism has the best solutions to the contemporary anxieties people have."
. . . . . . . .

Drugs, though, he says must be much better controlled.

He wants the classification system torn up and controlled by an independent body, rather than politicians. "We've had one home secretary after another trying to grab headlines by suddenly pronouncing that x drug has to be a different category, but politicians shouldn't second guess what should be an evidence-based debate," he says.

"It's left the categorisation of drugs in a total mess." Controversially, he thinks legal drugs, including alcohol, should be included in any new classification system. If you're interested in reducing harm, you need to revisit the spectrum of drugs, both legal and illegal and categorise them according to the evidence…

A lot of the experts will tell you that alcohol abuse is as destructive to family and community cohesion as some illegal drugs."

There could be a new category "for drugs which are legal but have certain warnings attached to them," he adds.
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Read Full Interview

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A Comparison of Factors Associated With Substance-Induced Versus Independent Depressions
Volume 68, 2007 > Issue 6: November 2007





This article expands on the results from a 1997 report from the Collaborative Study on the Genetics of Alcoholism (COGA), using a new phase of the protocol to evaluate the prevalence and characteristics of substance-induced and independent major depressive episodes (MDEs) in a population of alcoholics and nonalcoholics.

The two MDE groups were similar in age, marital status, and religion; but those with substance-induced depressions (Group 2) were more likely to be original alcoholic probands, be males, be nonwhite, and have less education. They were also more likely to have alcohol, drug, or antisocial personality diagnoses and to report higher maximum drinks.

In addition, only Group 2 subjects reported an elevated family history of alcohol diagnoses compared with the nondepressed Group 3. Subjects with independent MDEs were different from the comparison Group 3 regarding the family histories of independent MDEs. However, symptoms during the worst depressive episode were quite similar across Groups 1 and 2.

This study corroborates a high rate of substance-induced MDEs among alcoholics, with these disorders explaining about half of the lifetime depressive episodes. The results also support the validity of the distinction between substance-induced and independent depressions regarding external validators of gender, substance-use patterns, and family histories of independent MDEs.

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Request Reprint E-Mail: mschuckit@ucsd.edu
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Corpus callosum abnormalities associated with greater externalizing behaviors in subjects at high risk for alcohol dependence
Psychiatry Research: Neuroimaging Article in Press, Available online 25 October 2007.



Subjects at high risk for alcoholism have a greater propensity for externalizing behaviors and brain volume reductions of possible neurodevelopmental origin. Morphometric deficits in the corpus callosum (CC), which might reflect this neurodevelopmental abnormality, have been reported in other externalizing disorders such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, but not in subjects at high risk for alcoholism.

The objective of the current study was to evaluate the CC morphometry in subjects at high risk for alcoholism. Magnetic resonance images of the CC in high-risk subjects (n = 20) were compared with those of low-risk subjects matched to the high-risk subjects for age, sex, and handedness (n = 20).

Mid-sagittal areas of the CC, genu, body, isthmus and splenium were measured based on Witelson's method with good inter- and intra-rater reliability. Externalizing behaviors were assessed using the Semi-Structured Assessment for Genetics of Alcoholism-II. Total CC, genu and isthmus areas were significantly smaller in high-risk than low-risk subjects after controlling for age and intracranial area.

The total externalizing symptoms score had a significant negative correlation with genu and isthmus areas. Smaller CC areas and their negative association with externalizing behaviors may represent yet another marker of susceptibility to alcoholism in high-risk subjects.

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Request Reprint E-Mail: gvs@nimhans.kar.nic.in
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Premeditated aggression is associated with serum cholesterol in abstinent drug and alcohol dependent men
Psychiatry Research Article in Press, Available online 3 October 2007.

Relationships between aggressive subtypes and lipids were explored in 18 adult males undergoing treatment for substance dependence.

A positive association was observed between a measure of premeditated aggression and total cholesterol.

This was in contrast to an inverse association between lower cholesterol and higher impulsivity and anxiety.

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Request Reprint E-Mail: ConklinSM@UPMC.Edu

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Age at onset of substance abuse: A crucial covariate of psychopathic traits and aggression in adult offenders
Psychiatry Research Volume 153, Issue 2, 31 October 2007, Pages 195-198




To examine age at onset of substance abuse in relation to other factors of relevance to criminalTbehavior, we compared Life History of Aggression (LHA) scores, traits of psychopathy according to the Psychopathy Checklist — Revised (PCL-R), and violent recidivism in 100 violent offenders with early (before the age of 18) versus late onset of abuse or dependence.

The duration of abuse did not correlate with the LHA and PCL-R scores or with violent recidivism, but the age at onset correlated strongly with all these factors and also remained their strongest correlate in multivariate models including childhood-onset attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder, conduct disorder, and drug abuse as covariates.

Strong mathematical associations with aggression, psychopathy, and recidivism pointed to age at onset of substance abuse as a marker of possible complications that require preventive social, educational and medical measures.

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Request Reprint E-Mail: henrik.anckarsater@skane.se ___________________________________________________________________

Press Release - Dealing with stress as a treatment for alcohol abuse
Public release date: 26-Oct-2007

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- A researcher at the University at Buffalo's Research Institute on Addictions (RIA) is initiating a study of "mindfulness-based stress reduction," a technique often used in behavioral medicine for stress reduction but not before as an adjunct in the treatment of alcohol use disorders.

"By adapting and applying mindfulness-based stress reduction or MBSR in alcoholism treatment, we hope to develop an increased ability to cope with stress and enhanced psychological well-being among alcohol-dependent individuals,” said Gerard J. Connors, Ph.D. “For people who often deal with stress in their lives by turning to alcohol, this could be a very positive alternative.”
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NDP call for booze warning
Fri, October 26, 2007

By ALAN FINDLAY

All bottles of booze in Canada should include labels warning of potentially harmful consequences, according to an NDP MP and a fetal alcohol syndrome group.

New Democrat Judy Wasylycia-Leis and the Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder Group of Ottawa called on the federal government to impose the rule in order to prevent more children from being born with brain injuries that will impair them for life.

"Simple, cost-effective means to get a warning out to all women that when you drink, if you're pregnant, it could lead to birth defects, specifically fetal alcohol syndrome or fetal alcohol spectrum disorder," said Winnipeg North MP Wasylycia-Leis.
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Contributor: Peggy Seo Oba

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Computational selection and prioritization of candidate genes for Fetal Alcohol Syndrome
BMC Genomics 2007, 8:389 25 October 2007

Fetal alcohol syndrome is a serious global health problem and is observed at high frequencies in certain South African communities. Although in utero alcohol exposure is the primary trigger, there is evidence for genetic- and other susceptibility factors in FAS development. No genome-wide association or linkage studies have been performed for FAS, making computational selection and -prioritization of candidate disease genes an attractive approach.

10174 Candidate genes were initially selected from the whole genome using a previously described method, which selects candidate genes according to their expression in disease-affected tissues. Hereafter candidates were prioritized for experimental investigation by investigating criteria pertinent to FAS and binary filtering. 29 Criteria were assessed by mining various database sources to populate criteria-specific gene lists. Candidate genes were then prioritized for experimental investigation using a binary system that assessed the criteria gene lists against the candidate list, and candidate genes were scored accordingly.

A group of 87 genes was prioritized as candidates and for future experimental validation. The validity of the binary prioritization method was assessed by investigating the protein-protein interactions, functional enrichment and common promoter element binding sites of the top-ranked genes.

This analysis highlighted a list of strong candidate genes from the TGF-beta, MAPK and Hedgehog signalling pathways, which are all integral to fetal development and potential targets for alcohol's teratogenic effect. We conclude that this novel bioinformatics approach effectively prioritizes credible candidate genes for further experimental analysis.

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How much is too much? Drinking, you and your mates

For many young people, drinking alcohol is a part of life. But how much do you know about how alcohol affects your body – both now and later on? How can you help reduce the risks to your personal safety when you drink? This leaflet will help you make choices about how much you drink.

It tells you how alcohol can affect you, explains how you can stay safe when drinking and explains what to do if someone is in trouble after drinking too much. It’s not about stopping drinking. It’s more about making sure it plays a positive part in your day-to-day life.

Download How much is too much? Drinking, you and your mates - updated October 2007 (PDF, 344K
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How much is too much? Drinking and you

This booklet explains the effects of alcohol on your health and on your social, home and work life. It tells you the number of units in popular alcoholic drinks so you can keep tabs on what you’re drinking. And the back pages give useful advice and contact details if you want to cut down or get support.

Download How much is too much? Drinking and you - updated October 2007 (PDF, 291K)
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The Genetic and Psychosocial Factors Affecting the Change of Drinking Behavior of Male College Students.
J Korean Neuropsychiatr Assoc. 2007 Jul;46(4):357-364. Korean.

This study aimed to determine the general predictive factors of change in drinking behavior and to provide materials for preventing drinking problems during early adulthood through examining genetic and psychosocial factors affecting the change of drinking behavior in college students.

D allele (ALDH2) was found to reduce the degree of drinking and suppress problematic drinking, and C allele (TPH) had a suppression effect on problematic drinking. Drinking motive had a direct effect on the degree of drinking and problematic drinking. Negative cognitive expectancy had a direct effect on problematic drinking.

Authors found some factors affecting the change of alcohol drinking behavior in college students and confirmed that there were hierarchies of significance among these factors. These may be applicable as variables for predicting drinking behavior in early adulthood.

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Request Reprint E-Mail: silee@chungbuk.ac.kr
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Head to Head

Is it all right for women to drink small amounts of alcohol in pregnancy? No

Vivienne Nathanson, director of professional activities, Nicky Jayesinghe, deputy head of science, George Roycroft, senior policy executive

British Medical Association, London WC1H

Correspondence to: V Nathanson

The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence draft guidance on drinking during pregnancy has added to confusion about safety. Pat O'Brien believes that telling women to abstain is overly paternalistic on current evidence, but Vivienne Nathanson and colleagues argue that this is the safest message

The latest government advice in England says that pregnant women and women trying to conceive should avoid alcohol. A new BMA report, Fetal alcohol spectrum disorders, agrees, recommending that abstinence is the only safe policy for women who are pregnant or planning a pregnancy.¹ This view is shared by the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists² and the World Health Organization.³ In the United States, the surgeon general recommends that women who are pregnant or who may become pregnant should abstain from consuming alcohol.⁴

Request Reprint E-Mail: info.public@bma.org.uk
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Head to Head

Is it all right for women to drink small amounts of alcohol in pregnancy? Yes

Pat O'Brien, obstetric consultant

Institute for Women's Health, University College London Hospitals, London WC1E 6AU

The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence draft guidance on drinking during pregnancy has added to confusion about safety. Pat O'Brien believes that telling women to abstain is overly paternalistic on current evidence, but Vivienne Nathanson and colleagues argue that this is the safest message

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below.

Until May of this year, the Department of Health advised pregnant women in England not to drink "more than one to two units of alcohol once or twice a week." Since then, both the department and the British Medical Association have changed their stance;^{1 2} pregnant women are now told to avoid alcohol completely. There is no new evidence so why the change?

Fetal alcohol syndrome is a serious condition and is clearly a consequence of heavy alcohol intake during pregnancy.³ Although rare (128 cases in England in 2002-3), it is the leading cause of non-genetic intellectual disability in the Western world. The incidence of the broader range of fetal alcohol spectrum disorders is more difficult to determine, for various reasons, including difficulty in diagnosis, under-reporting, and confounding.⁴

Request Reprint E-Mail: patrick.obrien@uclh.nhs.uk
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Pregnant women told to keep off alcohol
By Lucy Cockcroft

26/10/2007

Pregnant women should abstain from drinking alcohol or risk damaging the health of their child, a leading medical expert warns today.

The advice will cause confusion among expectant mothers, who were told only two weeks ago by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (Nice), which issues public health guidance, that it was safe to indulge in one small glass of wine a day.

While it is accepted that excessive alcohol consumption is detrimental to the health of a foetus, the effects of moderate drinking are still in question.

In May, the Department of Health changed its advice from recommending no more than two small glasses of wine once or twice a week to urging pregnant women not to drink at all.

Then the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists added its voice, claiming there was still no firm evidence that low-level alcohol consumption adversely affected the long-term health of a child.

Today's advice against drinking comes in the influential British Medical Journal.

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How do Quantities Drunk Per Drinking day and the Frequencies of Drinking those Quantities Contribute to Self-reported Harm and Positive Consequences?
Alcohol and Alcoholism Advance Access published online on August 31, 2007



This article examines how quantities drunk per drinking day (dose) and the frequency of drinking those quantities affect self-reported harm and positive consequences at the individual and population level.

Respondents who reported frequent drinking at very high doses (13 drinks and above for men, 8 and above for women) were in a league of their own with respect to the risk of harm. At the population level, the dose of 8–12 drinks accounted for most problems among men, and doses of 5–7 and 3–4 drinks among women. No gain in positive consequences was attached to drinking beyond the dose of 5–7 drinks among men and 3–4 drinks among women.

The dose level at which the population-level risk was the highest was lower than the level at which the individual-level risk was the highest, due to a greater prevalence of drinking the lesser quantities.

Future studies should pay more attention to the separate effects of dose as well as the frequency of drinking the particular doses per occasion at the individual level, and also, as to how the prevalence of these drinking patterns contributes to the population-level risk.

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Request Reprint E-Mail: pia.makela@stakes.fi

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Different Drinking Patterns for Women and Men with Alcohol Dependence with and without Alcoholic Cirrhosis
Alcohol and Alcoholism Advance Access published online on October 17, 2007




The aim of our study was to investigate if there were differences in drinking patterns in patients with alcohol dependence (AD), with or without cirrhosis.

Women drank less than men. Women with AC reported 9,198 drinks as binge drinking compared to 25,890 drinks for women with AD without liver cirrhosis , Women with AC reported 14,009 drinks of alcohol consumed during their lifetime compared to 45,658 drinks consumed by men with AC . Women with AD had drunk 5.8 DDD, and men had 8.5 DDD . Both women and men with AC had significantly fewer DDD compared to men and women with AD without cirrhosis, 4.4 drinks for women and 6.2 for men with AC.

Patients with AC seem to be predisposed to the hepatotoxic effects of alcohol- and the affected women seem to be even more sensitized. Binge drinking, rather than continuous drinking, does not seem to be especially associated with the development of cirrhosis. That women had drunk less alcohol during binge drinking further emphasizes this.

<sup>Read Full Abstract


Request Reprint E-Mail:</sup> knut.stokkeland@hsf.gotland.se
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Brief Alcohol Interventions: Do Counsellors' and Patients' Communication Characteristics Predict Change?
Alcohol and Alcoholism Advance Access published online on October 17, 2007

To identify communication characteristics of patients and counsellors during brief alcohol intervention (BAI) which predict changes in alcohol consumption 12 months later.

Patient communication characteristics (ability to change) during BAI significantly predicted the weekly drinking quantity in the multiple linear regression model. There were significant differences for some of the counsellor skills in bivariate analyses but not in the multiple regression model adjusting for patients' talk characteristics. Changes in heavy drinking showed no significant association with patient or counsellor skills in the multiple linear regression model.

Findings indicate that the more the patient expresses ability to change during the intervention, the more weekly alcohol use decreases. The role of the counsellor during the interaction, and influence on the outcomes was not clearly established. Implications for BAI and related research are discussed.

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Request Reprint E-Mail: Jacques.Gaume@chuv.ch

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Substance Use and Abuse in First-Episode Psychosis: Prevalence Before and After Early Intervention
Schizophrenia Bulletin 2007 33(6):1354-1363







Despite the high prevalence of substance abuse among first-episode psychosis (FEP) populations, few studies examine whether early intervention (EI) improves substance abuse.

To examine the prevalence and pattern of substance use and abuse among an FEP sample over 12 months.

A total of 200 participants (80.0% males; mean age 24 years) entered the study: 183 participants completed all the assessments at baseline, 131 participants completed all the assessments at 12 months.

At baseline, the findings showed similar prevalence rates between the FEP sample and the general sample for lifetime cannabis use and hazardous alcohol use but significantly different prevalence rates for lifetime hallucinogen and cocaine use .

At 12 months, the prevalence rates for drug abuse , hazardous alcohol use , and concurrent drug abuse and hazardous alcohol use were significantly lower than at baseline.

Substance use and abuse decreased significantly after 12 months of EI services; EI services may be able to detect and to reduce substance use among FEP patients before it becomes a more serious disorder.

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Request Reprint E-Mail: archies@mcmaster.ca
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Emergence of NMDAR-independent long-term potentiation at hippocampal CA1 synapses following early adolescent exposure to chronic intermittent ethanol: Role for sigma-receptors
Hippocampus Early View 24 October 2007


Adolescent humans who abuse alcohol are more vulnerable than adults to the development of memory impairments. Memory impairments often involve modifications in the ability of hippocampal neurons to establish long-term potentiation (LTP) of excitatory neurotransmission; however, few studies have examined how chronic ethanol exposure during adolescence affects LTP mechanisms in hippocampus.

We investigated changes in LTP mechanisms in hippocamal slices from rats exposed to intoxicating concentrations of chronic intermittent ethanol (CIE) vapors in their period of early-adolescent (i.e., prepubescent) or late-adolescent (i.e., postpubescent) development.

Analysis of presynaptic function during NMDAR-independent LTP induction demonstrated increased presynaptic function via a -receptor-dependent mechanism in slices from early-adolescent CIE-exposed animals.

By contrast, CIE exposure after puberty onset in late-adolescent animals produced decrements in LTP levels.

The identification of a role for -receptors and neuroactive steroids in the development of NMDAR-independent LTP suggests an important pathway by which hippocampal synaptic plasticity, and perhaps memory, may be uniquely altered by chronic ethanol exposure during the prepubescent phase of adolescent development.

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Request Reprint E-Mail: sabetij@scripps.edu
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Interview - Lifestyle 'source of health inequalities'

Published: Tuesday 23 October 2007

Professor Witold A. Zatonski was the leader of a three year EU-funded project (June 2004-2007) called Closing the Gap , which studied health inequalities between the EU-15 and the ten new eastern member states.

What are the main results of your project?

We found out what we expected, which is that huge gaps in health exist between eastern and western countries. This gap is characterised by a much higher mortality rate for CDV [cardiovascular] diseases in eastern European countries. This is certainly very strongly connected to access to related medical services but also to lifestyle factors. Tobacco smoking, diet and alcohol seem to be essential factors with regard to decreasing mortality from CDV diseases.

The second big problem in eastern Europe, especially in the Baltic countries (Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia), or the EU 3, is death from injuries. This is not connected to any medical conditions, so you can't improve the situation by improving the health infrastructure or better access to medicine. This is connected to social policy, safety, regulation of alcohol control and education of people. These countries have a huge burden coming from injuries. We need to have some country-specific programmes to control this problem.

One of the big challenges in the EU is alcohol policy. Drinking patterns vary a lot across the EU, from modest regular consumption to occasional binge drinking. There are some studies that show that a modest regular intake of alcohol is good for your health but binge drinking until intoxication is always harmful for health, in particular with regard to injuries but also CDV diseases.
. . . . . . .

Read Full Interview

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Alcohol poisoning in Russia and the countries in the European part of the former Soviet Union, 1970–2002
The European Journal of Public Health 2007 17(5):444-449;







To investigate the phenomenon of alcohol poisoning in Russia and the countries in the European part of the former Soviet Union in the period 1970–2002.

In 1970, the alcohol poisoning rates in the countries in this region were exceptionally high in comparative terms. Rates continued to rise in the late Soviet period in all the countries, only falling in the period following Gorbachev's anti-alcohol campaign. Mortality from alcohol poisoning became more common amongst women during the study period.

In post-Soviet society alcohol poisoning mortality is occurring on an unprecedented scale although there may be some divergence in trends between the Slavic and Baltic countries which had mirrored each other in the Soviet period. Extremely high poisoning rates are probably explained by a combination of the volume of alcohol being consumed, what exactly is drunk and how it is being drunk. The consumption of illicitly produced alcohol in the post-Soviet period may also be contributing to the high mortality rates.

Acute alcohol poisoning has now reached unprecedented rates in parts of the ex-USSR with worrying trends among men as well as among women. Effective action by the governments concerned is now essential.

<sup>Read Full Abstract

Request Reprint E-Mail:</sup> andrew.stickley@sh.se
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Drink or Two a Day May Help Lungs

WEDNESDAY, Oct. 24 (HealthDay News) -- When it comes to your lungs, a couple of drinks a day may help keep the doctor away, researchers report.

Though considerable evidence has mounted that a daily dose of alcohol helps the heart, this study suggests the same may be true for lung function -- even for smokers.

"This is the biggest study that's ever looked at the possible protective effect of alcohol involving the lung," noted study author Dr. Stanton T. Siu, chief of pulmonary medicine at Kaiser Permanente Hospital in Oakland, Calif.
. . . . . . .

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Marital Status and Substance Abuse Treatment Admissions, 2005

Highlights:

• Based on SAMHSA's 2005 Treatment Episode Data Set (TEDS), 52% of the substance abuse treatment admissions aged 25 to 44 had never married, 28% were formerly married, and 20% were currently married.

• Based on the 2000 Census for persons aged 25 to 44 in the nation as a whole, 25% had never married, 14% were formerly married, and 61% were currently married.

• Substance abuse treatment admissions who had never married (44%) were more likely than those were formerly (39%) or currently married (36%) to report daily use of their primary substance.

• Substance abuse treatment admissions who had never married were more likely to have extensive treatment histories and less likely to be entering substance abuse treatment for the first time than other substance abuse treatment admissions aged 25 to 44 in 2005.

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Comparing the Perceived Seriousness and Actual Costs of Substance Abuse in Canada

This paper documents and analyzes the divergence between the perceived seriousness and actual social costs associated with various substances in Canada using public opinion data collected from the Canadian Addiction Survey (CAS) in 2004 (Racine et al., in press), and a 2006 study estimating the social costs of various substances in 2002 (Rehm et al., 2006).

The first section presents background information on the psychological, institutional and socio-cultural factors that can lead to either the amplification or attenuation of perceptions of risk in society.

The next two sections present data on perceived seriousness and the social costs of substance abuse for comparison.

The last section develops a discussion of the implications of this analysis for substance abuse policy in Canada.

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Comment - Drinking up

Do "safe limits" for drinking have a firm scientific basis?

From The Times

October 24, 2007

Sir, Many Times readers will have enjoyed their weekend all the more as a result of the allegation that safe limits for drinking, developed in 1987, have “no firm scientific basis whatsoever” (report, Oct 20).

However, this is far from the case. Twenty years ago we knew that there is wide individual variation in sensitivity to alcohol, probably largely genetically determined. In the future we may be able to quantify an individual’s risk of cirrhosis, suicide or alcohol dependence from his or her genes, but until then the only way to avoid harm reliably is to stick to these clear and still valid limits.
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Six-week fetal alcohol course offered
By Journal staff Tuesday, October 23, 2007


Behavior Management Systems will offer a six-week group series designed especially for Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder children ages 5 through 11, their birth, foster or adoptive parents and those who suspect their child may have alcohol-related prenatal brain damage.

The course will meet from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesdays, Sept. 25 through Oct. 30, at the Behavior Management Systems office, 350 Elk St. The series will be divided into a children’s group and the parenting team. Teri Murray, a former member of the South Dakota FASD Task Force, and Nora Boesem, an adoptive mother of six FASD children, will facilitate the parents’ group in education, supportive discussions and training. The children’s group, led by Janet Kuske and Julie Babbe, will work on developmental and behavioral issues.
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Contributor: Peggy Seo Oba
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Stores Giving Out Free Alcohol Samples?

WTMJ-TV and JSOnline.com

Oct 24, 2007

Maybe it's their way of apologizing for a budget that's more than 110 days late. Wisconsin lawmakers quietly slipped a provision into the overdue budget that allows liquor and grocery stores to hand out free samples of hard liquor.
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The association between DRD2/ANKK1, 5-HTTLPR gene, and specific personality trait on antisocial alcoholism among Han Chinese in Taiwan
Am J Med Genet Part B Published Online 19 October 2007


Cloninger suggested that type II alcoholism was associated with higher novelty seeking and less harm avoidance behaviors, which was similar to antisocial alcoholism.

Most previous studies have failed to recruit subjects that have antisocial personality disorder without alcoholism due to the high coexisting likelihood of having antisocial personality disorder with alcoholism in the majority of the examined populations. Thus, recruitment of individuals with antisocial non-alcoholism (antisocial personality disorder) served as an important control group in examining Cloninger's hypothesis.

Due to the documented protective effects against alcoholism of ALDH2*1/*2 or *2/*2 genotype among the Han Chinese population, we recruited antisocial non-alcoholics from the Han Chinese population in Taiwan to verify Cloninger's hypotheses.

We found that the antisocial alcoholism group scored higher on the novelty seeking behavior than did the antisocial non-alcoholism group, but no difference was observed on the harm avoidance dimension between these two groups.

In the novelty seeking scores, after stratification of DRD2 TaqI A genotypes, only a significant difference in 5-HTTLPR polymorphisms between antisocial alcoholics and antisocial non-alcoholics was found, indicating an interaction between DRD2 TaqI A1+ (include A1/A1 or A1/A2) and 5-HTTLPR S/S genotype.

However, no significant difference was found in the harm avoidance personality trait between these two groups of Han Chinese in Taiwan.

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Request Reprint E-Mail: rblu@mail.ncku.edu.tw
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