|
|
|
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
 Latest
Addiction Medical and Health News Headlines
|
|
Addiction Medical and Health News Headlines
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
All Recent Addiction Medical News Headlines |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Prevention of "risky" drinking among students at a brazilian university
(Source: Alcohol and Alcoholism)...
POSTED 08/22/2008 at 11:00 PM --
|
Peer-group and price influence students drinking along with planned behaviour
(Source: Alcohol and Alcoholism)...
POSTED 08/22/2008 at 11:00 PM --
|
Beat the booze--a comprehensive guide to combating drink problems in all walks of life. by edmund tirbutt and helen tirbutt
(Source: Alcohol and Alcoholism)...
POSTED 08/22/2008 at 11:00 PM --
|
Out of it--how cocaine killed my brother. by clare campbell, hodder, and stoughton
(Source: Alcohol and Alcoholism)...
POSTED 08/22/2008 at 11:00 PM --
|
Patterns of binge drinking at an international nightlife resort
Aims: The aim of this study was to compare the patterns of substance use in young Danes while holidaying in the Bulgarian holiday resort of Sunny Beach (SB) to their patterns of substance use in Denmark. Methods: Data were collected from visitors to SB in 2007 (n = 1011). Information on alcohol and drug use was surveyed using a short questionnaire. Findings: Most individuals surveyed were regular drinkers in Denmark, and the use of most illicit drugs was rare. Patterns of substance use in SB revealed heavy drinking was common, both in adolescents and young adults. Conclusions: International nightlife resorts provide a context for excess in drug use and alcohol use. Alcohol poses a potentially severe threat to the short- and long-term health of young tourists, but little attention has been paid to form interventions targeting binge drinking in nightlife resorts. (Source: Alcohol and Alcoholism)...
POSTED 08/22/2008 at 11:00 PM --
|
Patterns of alcohol consumption and related behaviour in great britain: a latent class analysis of the alcohol use disorder identification test (audit)
Aims: Attempts have been made to develop typologies to classify different types of alcoholism. However, limited research has focused on classifications to describe general patterns of alcohol use in general population samples. Methods: Latent class analysis was used to create empirically derived behaviour clusters of alcohol consumption and related problems from the Alcohol Use Disorder Identification Test (AUDIT) based on data from a large stratified multi-stage random sample of the population of Great Britain. Multinomial logistic regression was performed to describe these resultant classes using both demographic variables and mental health outcomes. Results: Six classes best described responses in the sample data. Three were heavy consumption groups, one with multiple negative consequences, one experiencing alcohol-related injury and social pressures to cut down and an additional class with memory loss. There was one moderate class with few negative consequences, and finally two mild consumption groups, one with alcohol-related injury and social pressure to cut down and one with no associated problems. Conclusions: Alcohol use in Great Britain can be hypothesized as reflecting six distinct classes, four of which follow a continuum of increased consumption leading to increased dependence and related problems and two that do not. Differences between alcohol use classes are apparent with reduced risk of depressive episode in moderate classes and an increased risk of anxiety disorders for the highest consumers of alcohol. (Source: Alcohol and Alcoholism)...
POSTED 08/22/2008 at 11:00 PM --
|
Alcohol abuse among english and french psychiatric referrals from accident and emergency departments
(Source: Alcohol and Alcoholism)...
POSTED 08/22/2008 at 11:00 PM --
|
Using the temperament and character inventory (tci) to predict outcome after inpatient detoxification during 100 days of outpatient treatment
Aims: The aim was to evaluate TCI (Temperament and Character Inventory) scales in identifying personality traits for predicting adherence to outpatient treatments and the relapse of alcohol consumption by alcoholic patients. Methods: Follow-up of 89 alcoholic patients during the 100-day outpatient treatment after their release from the hospital detoxification unit. The detoxification treatment and the follow-up take place in the same hospital unit. Results: Of the patients, 34.8% abandoned the treatment and 31.5% relapsed. The patients who abandoned treatment had lower scores on the Cooperativeness scale. The length of time until the abandonment of the treatment was greater for those with scores >50 for the Self-directedness or Cooperativeness scales. Patients with scores >50 on the Persistence scale were more often abstinent; however, they took the same time to relapse. Conclusions: Higher scores on the TCI personality scales of Persistence, Self-directedness and Cooperativeness predict a better therapeutic evolution, especially with regard to adherence during outpatient treatment after detoxification. (Source: Alcohol and Alcoholism)...
POSTED 08/22/2008 at 11:00 PM --
|
Automated measurement of carbohydrate-deficient transferrin using the bio-rad %cdt by the hplc test on a varianttm hplc system: evaluation and comparison with other routine procedures
Aims: In this study, we evaluated the new %CDT by the HPLC method (Bio-Rad, Germany) on a VariantTM HPLC system (Bio-Rad), checked the correlation with well-known methods and calculated the diagnostic value of the test. Methods: Intra-run and day-to-day precision values were calculated for samples with extreme serum transferrin concentrations, high trisialotransferrin and interfering conditions (haemolysed, lactescent and icteric samples). The method was compared with two routine procedures, the %CDT TIA (Bio-Rad, Hercules, CA, USA) and the CapillarysTM CDT (Sebia, France). A total of 350 clinical sera samples were used for a case-control study. Results: Precision values were better in high CDT and medium CDT pools than in low CDT pools. The serum transferrin concentration had no effect on CDT measurement, except in samples with serum transferrin <1 g/L. Haemolysis was the only interfering situation. The method showed high correlation (r2 > 0.95) with the two other methods (%CDT TIA and CZE %CDT). The global predictive value of the test was >0.90 at 1.9% cut-off. Conclusions: These results demonstrate that the %CDT by the HPLC test is suitable for CDT routine measurement; the results from the high-throughput VariantTM system are well correlated with other methods and are of high diagnostic value. (Source: Alcohol and Alcoholism)...
POSTED 08/22/2008 at 11:00 PM --
|
Circadian phenotype in patients with the co-morbid alcohol use and bipolar disorders
Aims: Alcohol misuse is associated with bipolar disorder. Abnormalities in the circadian clockwork play a role in the pathogenesis of bipolar disorder. Alcohol intake is likely to affect the circadian phenotype. We aimed at analysing the behavioural trait of the preference to morning or evening hours for the daily activities in bipolar disorder patients with or without the co-morbid alcohol use. Methods: Our nationwide sample of families included patients with bipolar disorder born during 1940–1969 having at least one hospitalization due to bipolar disorder during 1969–1991 and their first-degree relatives. All the 148 participants were interviewed using the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV Axis I Disorders and assessed using the Morningness–Eveningness Questionnaire whose factor matrix applying for the maximum likelihood principle was calculated for the first time. Results: Patients with the co-morbid alcohol use disorder were more of the morning type as compared with patients with bipolar disorder only. Conclusions: Co-morbid patients preferred more the morning hours for their daily activities, indicative of alcohol consumption having an effect on the circadian clock. (Source: Alcohol and Alcoholism)...
POSTED 08/22/2008 at 11:00 PM --
|
Influence of liver biopsy on abstinence in alcohol-dependent patients
Background: Liver biopsy indication for the evaluation of alcoholic liver disease is controversial. Our aim was to investigate the influence of the biopsy on the patients’ motivation for abstinence. Methods: We retrospectively analysed, in a population of 324 patients hospitalized for alcohol withdrawal, the impact of liver biopsy on the following clinical outcomes: rapid loss to follow-up (immediately after hospital discharge), early relapse (< 3 months) and long-lasting abstinence (> 12 months). The biopsy was performed in 136 patients who had liver enzymes perturbations. Hepatic lesions were graded as mild (isolated steatosis and/or non-bridging fibrosis), moderate (bridging fibrosis and/or moderate alcoholic hepatitis) or severe (cirrhosis and/or marked alcoholic hepatitis) in 66 (48%), 41 (30%) and 29 (21%) cases, respectively. Results: In univariate analysis, patients who had a liver biopsy were less likely to be rapidly lost to follow-up (12% versus 27%, P = 0.003) but had a lower rate of long-term abstinence (20% versus 34%, P = 0.025). In multivariate analysis, age was the only factor significantly associated with clinical outcome: older patients had higher rate of long-term abstinence (OR = 1.041; P = 0.010). Among patients who had a biopsy, those with severe hepatic lesions had a lower rate of rapid relapse than those with moderate or mild lesions (32% versus 68% and 56%, P = 0.018) but the rate of long-term abstinence was similar in the three groups. Conclusion: This observational study does not support the notion that liver biopsy has a significant influence on the maintenance of alcohol abstinence in patients with alcoholic liver disease. (Source: Alcohol and Alcoholism)...
POSTED 08/22/2008 at 11:00 PM --
|
Relationships between alcohol-related memory association and changes in mood: systematic differences between high- and low-risk drinkers
Heavy alcohol use is common in undergraduates and is associated with health-risk behaviors, negative consequences, and increased risk for future alcohol dependence. Alcohol-related memory associations (AMAs) and mood changes are independently related to student drinking, but more research on how these variables interact is needed. Aims: To examine (i) how AMAs predict drinking behavior after accounting for depression, and (ii) how changes in negative and positive mood predict AMAs among low- and high-risk drinkers. Methods: Positive and negative moods were manipulated using a musical mood induction procedure immediately prior to completion of memory association measures. A bootstrapped structural equation model was tested, permitting a sampling distribution free of the requirement of normality. Results: Negative mood changes predicted AMAs in high-risk drinkers but not in low-risk drinkers, and the opposite was found for positive mood changes. Conclusion: The negative mood–AMA association appeared related to risky drinking, and these subtle implicit cognitive processes may warrant a special focus in intervention programs for high-risk drinkers. (Source: Alcohol and Alcoholism)...
POSTED 08/22/2008 at 11:00 PM --
|
Alcohol induces relaxation of rat thoracic aorta and mesenteric arterial bed
Aims: The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of alcohol on rat artery and its underlying mechanism. Methods: The tension of isolated Sprague-Dawley rat thoracic aortic rings and the pressure of rat mesenteric arterial beds perfused with different concentrations of alcohol (0.1–7.0) were measured. Results: At resting tensions, alcohol caused a concentration-dependent relaxation on endothelium-denuded aortic rings precontracted with KCl (6x10–2 mol/L) or phenylephrine (PE, 10–6 mol/L), and this effect was most evident on rings at a resting tension of 3 g. Alcohol induced much less vasodilation on endothelium-intact rings. Alcohol inhibited the CaCl2-induced contraction of endothelium-denuded aortic rings precontracted with KCl or PE. Incubation of rings with dantrolene (5x10–5 mol/L), a ryanodine receptor blocker, or 2-aminoethyl diphenylborinate (7.5x10–5 mol/L), an IP3 receptor blocker, attenuated the vasodilating effect of alcohol on rings precontracted with PE. Alcohol also concentration-dependently relaxed rat mesenteric arterial beds precontracted with KCl (6x10–2 mol/L) or PE (10–5 mol/L), which was more potent on endothelium-denuded than on endothelium-intact beds. Conclusions: Alcohol has a vasodilating effect on rat artery depending on the resting tension. Both extracellular and intracellular Ca2+ mobilization of vascular smooth muscle cells are involved in the vascular effect of alcohol. (Source: Alcohol and Alcoholism)...
POSTED 08/22/2008 at 11:00 PM --
|
The drosophila homolog of jwa is required for ethanol tolerance
Aims: Alcohol abuse poses a serious public health problem, and repeated ingestion can produce tolerance, leading to dependence and addiction. However, the mechanisms underlying alcohol tolerance and addiction are not fully understood. Drosophilae have been employed as a suitable model to study the molecular mechanisms underlying ethanol tolerance. JWA, a newly identified microtubule-binding protein, was shown to regulate cell stress responses, transportation of intracellular excitatory amino acids, and the MAPK signal transduction pathway. The JWA mouse homologue addicsin, was postulated to play a role in the development of morphine tolerance and dependence. This study was designed to determine whether JWA participates in ethanol tolerance in Drosophila. Methods: The jwa homologous gene in Drosophila, CG10373 (djwa) was cloned and the anti-djwa and cDNA-djwa transgenic fly strains, which exhibit a reduced and elevated djwa expression respectively were constructed. Real-time PCR was used to measure the djwa levels in the resulting fly strains. Rapid tolerance experiments including inebriation exposure and recovering assay were employed. Results: The djwa and the human jwa genes share a significant sequence similarity. Their genomic nucleotide and deduced amino acid sequence identities are 41.4% and 53.6%, respectively. In inebriation tests, the wild type w1118 flies and the cDNA-djwa flies acquired ethanol tolerance after several exposures whereas the anti-djwa flies did not. Conclusions: The JWA genes are evolutionarily conserved. The djwa function is required for acquiring ethanol tolerance in Drosophila. JWA is likely a novel molecule playing an important role in ethanol tolerance and drug addiction. Our results present a new direction for research related to alcohol tolerance and addiction. (Source: Alcohol and Alcoholism)...
POSTED 08/22/2008 at 11:00 PM --
|
Interleukin-10 gene polymorphism is associated with alcoholism but not with alcoholic liver disease
Aims: To determine whether the functional polymorphism –592C>A of the interleukin (IL)-10 gene (IL10) influences the development of alcoholic liver disease or alcoholism in alcoholic Spanish subjects. Methods: The –592C>A IL10 polymorphism was analyzed by the polymerase chain reaction and digestion with restriction enzymes in 257 male alcoholics [161 without alcoholic liver disease and 96 with alcoholic liver cirrhosis (ALC)] and 100 male healthy controls. Results: We found no association between the –592C>A IL10 polymorphism and ALC. Meta-analysis combining this result and data from previous studies failed also to show any significant association between this polymorphism and alcoholic liver disease. However, the frequency of allele A carriers (CA and AA genotypes) was significantly higher in alcoholic patients (defined as patients with abuse or dependence of alcohol) than in healthy controls. Conclusion: The –592C>A IL10 polymorphism is not related to the risk of ALC. Nevertheless, our study shows that alcoholism is associated with an excess of allele A carriers in alcoholic patients. (Source: Alcohol and Alcoholism)...
POSTED 08/22/2008 at 11:00 PM --
|
Association between the stin2 vntr polymorphism of the serotonin transporter gene and treatment outcome in alcohol-dependent patients
Aims: The aim of this study was to investigate the potential association between functional polymorphisms of dopaminergic [dopamine receptor D2 (DRD2), dopamine receptor D3 (DRD3) and dopamine transporter (SLC6A3)] and serotonergic [serotonin 2A receptor (HTR2A) and serotonin transporter (SLC6A4)] genes and treatment outcome in alcohol-dependent patients. Methods: A total of 90 Spanish Caucasian alcohol-dependent outpatients (ICD-10 criteria) were enrolled in the study. The association between genotypes and drinking outcomes was measured over 6 months of treatment. Biomarkers of alcohol consumption, as well as alcohol consumption and its consequences, craving, disability and quality of life, were assessed. Based on those measures, we created a composite secondary measure to globally assess treatment outcome in alcoholism. Results: No association was found between DRD2, DRD3, SLC6A3 or HTR2A gene variants and treatment outcome. However, SLC6A4 STin2 12/12 carriers showed poor 6-month time point treatment outcome [32.8% in the good outcome group versus 64.0% in the poor outcome group, 2 (df) = 7.20 (1), corrected P = 0.042, OR (95% CI) = 0.27 (0.10–0.72)]. Nevertheless, independent analysis of each treatment group reveals that the excess of 12/12 carriers in the poor outcome group was only found in the naltrexone-treated group [24.1% versus 64.7% 2 (df) = 7.41 (1), corrected P = 0.042, OR (95% CI) = 0.17 (0.05–0.64)]. In the whole sample, the L-10 repeats haplotype (5-HTTLPR-STin2 VNTR) is associated with good outcome (LRT = 3.88, df = 1, P = 0.049). Conclusions: Our findings suggest that functional polymorphism of the SLC6A4 gene may have an influence on treatment outcome in alcohol-dependent patients. (Source: Alcohol and Alcoholism)...
POSTED 08/22/2008 at 11:00 PM --
|
Visiting america: notes from an alcohol-focused study tour made in 1961
Aims This paper has as its focus a study tour made by the author in 1961. Diary notes are used to capture a historical moment in the evolution of alcohol studies. The paper will argue for the continuing value today of such experiences in support of career development and the building of 'the field'.Data sources Diary notes and personal recollection.Findings The United States was at the time more active than the United Kingdom in its response to alcohol problems. There was, however, a disjunction between the elite American research world and the world of action, which was not informed greatly by research. For the most part, treatment services and prevention strategies seemed driven by opinion rather than by evidence. But at the level of serious scientific endeavour there was opportunity to meet influential figures including Seldon Bacon, Morris Chafetz, Milton Gross, Ebbe Curtis Hoff, Harris Isbell, E. M. Jellinek, Mark Keller, Benjamin Kissen, Robert Strauss, Wolf Schmidt and Abraham Wikler, who generously made their time available.Conclusions These diary notes provide a snapshot of a field of endeavour at a critical stage of transition from uninformed assumptions towards establishment of a research base which can inform public action. The visit was of tangible value to the visitor in several different identified ways. Such an experience is inevitably time-bound and personal, but there are general conclusions to be drawn as to the benefits which will be derived from early travel opportunities in a field such as alcohol studies, which is all too easily culture-bound in its horizons and assumptions. Alcohol science needs to be more reflective on its history and the mechanisms that help to make it happen. (Source: Addiction)...
POSTED 08/22/2008 at 11:00 PM --
|
The role of gabra2 in alcohol dependence, smoking, and illicit drug use in an australian population sample
Background: Multiple studies have shown that genetic variation in the [alpha]-2 subunit of the gamma-aminobutyric acid type A (GABAA) receptor (GABRA2) is associated with risk for alcohol dependence. Recent reports have suggested that GABRA2 may exert its influence on dependence through factors such as sensitivity to alcohol's intoxicating effects and that GABRA2 may also contribute to a common underlying genetic vulnerability to both alcohol and drug dependence. The present study tested for association between GABRA2 and alcohol dependence, smoking, and illicit drug use within the Australian population.Methods: We genotyped 11 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) within or flanking GABRA2 in 4597 subjects (34.6% males) from 2618 families comprising 814 monozygotic pairs, 1177 dizygotic pairs, and 627 twins whose co-twin did not participate. Family-based association tests were conducted for binary and quantitative measures of alcohol dependence, smoking, and cannabis and other illicit drug use.Results: We observed evidence of association (p < 0.05) between multiple GABRA2 SNPs and quantitative measures of alcohol dependence, including symptom scores and principal component factor scores from the 9 criteria for DSM-IV alcohol dependence, in the opposite direction to that previously reported. In contrast, GABRA2 was not associated overall with dichotomous measure of alcohol dependence nor with smoking, cannabis, or illicit drug use.Conclusions: The GABRA2 allelic associations found in clinical case[ndash]control studies have detectable but minor effects on DSM-defined alcohol dependence in the general community. Systematic comparisons of allelic effects on alcohol dependence in clinical cases and in the general community are required. (Source: Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research)...
POSTED 08/22/2008 at 11:00 PM --
|
Report: depictions of smoking in movies influence young people
Researchers are emphasizing the importance of a new government report that they say demonstrates for the first time a causal link between tobacco use in movies and smoking behaviors in the population. (Source: Alcohol, Tobacco and Other Drugs News)...
POSTED 08/22/2008 at 02:04 PM --
|
Study finds alcohol may compromise fertility in young women
A study of Australian twins has found that women with alcohol dependence tended to have children later in life than other women, suggesting possibly damaging effects of alcohol on fertility. (Source: Alcohol, Tobacco and Other Drugs News)...
POSTED 08/22/2008 at 01:57 PM --
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
IMPORTANT NOTICE:
The information provided on this site is intended for your general knowledge only and is not a substitute for professional
medical advice or treatment for specific medical conditions. You should not use this information to diagnose or treat a health problem or disease without consulting with a
qualified healthcare provider. Please consult your healthcare provider with any questions or concerns you may have regarding your condition.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
