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PubMed2007

The relationship between exposure to alcohol advertising in stores, owning alcohol promotional items, and adolescent alcohol use.

AIM: This paper describes adolescents' exposure to alcohol advertising in stores and to alcohol-branded promotional items and their association with self-reported drinking. METHODS: A cross-sectional survey was administered in non-tracked required courses to sixth, seventh, and eighth graders (n = 2125) in three California middle schools. Logistic regressions compared the odds of ever (vs. never) drinking and current (vs. ever) drinking after controlling for psychosocial and other risk factors for adolescent alcohol use. RESULTS: Two-thirds of middle school students reported at least weekly visits to liquor, convenience, or small grocery stores where alcohol advertising is widespread. Such exposure was associated with higher odds of ever drinking, but was not associated with current drinking. One-fifth of students reported owning at least one alcohol promotional item. These students were three times more likely to have ever tried drinking and 1.5 times more likely to report current drinking than students without such items. CONCLUSIONS: This study provides clear evidence of an association of adolescent drinking with weekly exposure to alcohol advertising in stores and with ownership of alcohol promotional items. Given their potential influence on adolescent drinking behaviour, retail ads, and promotional items for alcohol deserve further study.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2000

Nicotinoprotein (NADH-containing) alcohol dehydrogenase from Rhodococcus erythropolis DSM 1069: an efficient catalyst for coenzyme-independent oxidation of a broad spectrum of alcohols and the interconversion of alcohols and aldehydes.

Extracts from benzyl-alcohol-grown Rhodococcus erythropolis DSM 1069 showed NAD(P)-independent, N,N-dimethyl-4-nitrosoaniline (NDMA)-dependent alcohol dehydrogenase activity. The enzyme exhibiting this activity was purified to homogeneity and characterized. It appears to be a typical nicotinoprotein as it contains tightly bound NADH acting as cofactor instead of coenzyme. Other characteristics indicate that it is highly similar to the known nicotinoprotein alcohol dehydrogenase (np-ADH) from Amycolatopsis methanolica: it is a homotetramer of 150 kDa; N-terminal amino acid sequencing (22 residues) showed that 77% of these amino acids are identical in the two enzymes; it has optimal activity at pH 7.0; it lacks NAD(P)H-dependent aldehyde reductase activity; it catalyses the oxidation of a broad range of (preferably) primary and secondary alcohols, either aliphatic or aromatic, and formaldehyde, with the concomitant reduction of the artificial electron acceptor NDMA. NDMA could be replaced by an aldehyde, but not formaldehyde, the substrate specificity of the enzyme for the aldehydes reflecting that for the corresponding alcohols. The latter also applied to the low aldehyde dismutase activity displayed by the enzyme. From this, together with the results of the induction studies, it is concluded that np-ADH functions as the main alcohol-oxidizing enzyme in the dissimilation of many, but not all, alcohols by R. erythropolis and may also catalyse coenzyme-independent interconversion of alcohols and aldehydes under certain circumstances. It is anticipated that the enzyme may be of even wider significance since structural data indicate that np-ADH is also present in other (nocardioform) actinomycetes.

Alcohol Dehydrogenase↗
PubMed1994

Microheterogeneity of serum glycoproteins in alcoholics: is desialo-transferrin the marker of chronic alcohol drinking or alcoholic liver injury?

The appearance of desialo-transferrin (De-TF) in serum has been reported to be a biochemical marker of chronic alcoholism. However, conclusive evidence of whether De-TF is a marker for chronic alcohol drinking or for alcoholic liver disease (ALD) has not yet been obtained. Glycoproteins can be divided into two groups, a transferrin (TF) group and an alpha 1-acid glycoprotein (A1-AG) group, based on the characteristics of microheterogeneity (M-HTG) of each protein. In the present study, the appearance of M-HTG in serum TF and A1-AG in alcohol drinkers was compared. In 96 patients with ALD, M-HTG of TF was found in 66 patients (68.8%), and M-HTG of A1-AG was found in 61 patients (63.5%). In 20 patients with alcoholic pancreatitis, the detection rate of M-HTG of A1-AG was significantly higher than that of TF. In six patients with pancreatitis but not liver disease, M-HTG of TF was not detected. In 14 alcoholics without liver or pancreas disease, M-HTG of TF was not detected, whereas M-HTG of A1-AG was detected in 6 cases--a significant difference. The amount of alcohol consumed was not different in patients with and without liver disease. In non-ALD, M-HTG of both proteins was detected only in patients with decompensated liver cirrhosis. The detection rate of M-HTG in TF was significantly higher than in A1-AG. These results suggest that M-HTG of serum TF is a marker of ALD and that of serum A1-AG is a marker of chronic alcohol drinking.

Alcoholism↗
PubMed2000

The relationships of a family history of alcohol dependence, a low level of response to alcohol and six domains of life functioning to the development of alcohol use disorders.

OBJECTIVE: Numerous biological and sociocultural factors have been proposed as potentially important to the risk for alcohol use disorders. This study evaluates the relationships to alcohol abuse or dependence of several additional potential trait and state characteristics when studied in the context of a family history of alcohol dependence (FH) and the level of response (LR) to alcohol. METHOD: Data were generated from the successful 15-year follow-up of 97% of 453 sons of alcohol dependent men and controls; of these, 315 men were appropriate for the current analyses. Personal interviews were used to gather data from the subjects and additional informants to study the relationships among FH, LR as determined 15 years previously, and retrospective ratings over the recent 15 years for six additional domains of life functioning. These were evaluated as correlates of a diagnosis of an alcohol use disorder in both a 3-step hierarchical and a 7-step structured series of regressions for the subjects with complete data. RESULTS: LR, FH and measures from all of the domains except stress had significant zero-order correlations with alcohol abuse or dependence. The hierarchical regression revealed that LR and FH remained significant when considered in the context of the five remaining domains. Both trait-like characteristics (behavioral undercontrol, alcohol expectancies and ways of coping) and state-like domains (nurturance in the social support system and the amount of drinking in the environment) added significantly to the analyses. A heuristic model of the relationship among these variables was tested in a structured series of regressions with a final R2 of 0.22. Future prospective study of the offspring of these subjects will help evaluate potential causal implications of these findings. CONCLUSIONS: Prospective studies, measuring both biological and environmental factors, are needed for optimal understanding of the performance of such characteristics in real-life conditions.

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMed2004

Drinking restraint, alcohol consumption and alcohol dependence among children of alcoholics.

OBJECTIVE: Previous research has found drinking restraint to be a risk factor for alcohol use and alcohol-related problems in normative populations, but has not tested these relations in high-risk populations. The current study tested whether drinking restraint predicted alcohol-related outcomes in the same way for high-risk and low-risk individuals and tested whether there was a quadratic effect of drinking restraint on alcohol-related outcomes. METHOD: Data from an ongoing longitudinal study of children of alcoholics (COAs; n = 189) and controls (n = 192) were collected at two time points 5 years apart. RESULTS: The prospective findings extended previous cross-sectional literature by replicating the main effects of drinking restraint as a risk factor for subsequent drinking for controls. For COAs, however, higher levels of drinking restraint were associated with lower levels of later drinking. There was also a quadratic effect of drinking restraint in the prediction of alcohol dependence diagnoses, suggesting that those at the extreme levels of drinking restraint were least likely to develop alcohol dependence. CONCLUSIONS: The relation of drinking restraint to alcohol-related outcomes may be more complex than previously hypothesized because it may work in different directions for high- and low-risk individuals and may have a nonlinear relationship to diagnostic outcomes.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1998

Clamping breath alcohol concentration reduces experimental variance: application to the study of acute tolerance to alcohol and alcohol elimination rate.

An oral loading dose was combined with intravenous infusion of 6% alcohol at rates adjusted on-line to close the gap between measurements of breath alcohol concentration (BrAC) and a target of 50 mg%. The goal was to minimize the deviation from a prescribed course of BrAC over time. In a pilot study of 10 young men, subjects underwent three experimental sessions: twice at 50 mg% and once in a 0 mg% control condition. The pilot study assessed the performance of the BrAC clamp, its potential utility in studies of acute tolerance to alcohol, and the retest reliability of directly measuring the alcohol elimination rate (AER) calculated from the steady-state infusion rate. Reduced variance was demonstrated in 4 of 5 experimental parameters, compared with results of an earlier approach using a split-dose oral administration procedure. Subjects' perceptions about alcohol effects were measured in one BrAC clamping session, using Schuckit's Subjective High Assessment Scale: 3 of 15 Schuckit's items demonstrated statistically significant indices of acute tolerance to alcohol. Within-subject AERs calculated in the steady-state had a coefficient of variation of 6.5%. Details of the BrAC clamping procedure are provided. The pilot study demonstrated the ability to prescribe experimental parameters of the brain's exposure to alcohol while preserving experimental flexibility in studies of acute tolerance to alcohol and AER.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Biochemical markers of alcohol use and abuse: experiences from the Pilot Study of the WHO/ISBRA Collaborative Project on state and trait markers of alcohol. International Society for Biomedical Research on Alcoholism.

The development of reliable diagnostic tools for assessing alcoholism and harmful alcohol consumption is an utmost necessity for the success of efforts to prevent and treat alcohol-induced damage to both individuals and to society. A multinational study is underway to aid in the development of biological screening tools (state markers) which can, with good sensitivity and specificity, identify problem drinkers. To attain this goal information needs to be available on an individuals's drinking history and habits and related factors. A detailed instrument has been developed to obtain this information. The second goal of the study was to begin to develop diagnostic 'trait markers' which provide biological information on genetically determined predisposing and protective factors in the development of alcoholism. The developed questionnaire also provides background information on subject characteristics necessary for the development of trait markers. Centres will assay the obtained biological samples for 'traditional' and newly identified state markers of excessive alcohol consumption. These will include methanol measurements, gamma-glutamyltransferase, aspartate aminotransferase, carbohydrate-deficient transferrin, serotonin metabolite ratios, and erythrocyte aldehyde dehydrogenase. DNA obtained from the lymphocytes of subjects will be assayed for polymorphisms of alcohol- and aldehyde-metabolizing enzymes and dopamine receptor polymorphisms which can provide insights into protective and predisposing factors in alcoholism. The platelet enzymes, monoamine oxidase and adenylyl cyclase, will be assayed to assess the relationships between these putative trait markers and the genetic and environmental factors contributing to the aetiology of alcoholism. The current report is meant to introduce the study design and present a portion of the preliminary data gathered in the process of establishing this research programme.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1994

Relationships of measures of alcohol consumption with alcohol-related problems in multiple studies: a research synthesis from the collaborative alcohol-related longitudinal project.

Two measures of alcohol consumption were used to predict groups of alcohol problems in 21 general population studies from 11 countries to determine (a) if quantity of drinking per occasion or frequency of drinking per month constituted significant "risk" for alcohol problems, having controlled for each as well as individual-level and aggregate-level variables which might confound these relationships and (b) if these associations were homogeneous across studies. A two-tiered analysis assessed these relationships within each study by modeling age, sex, quantity per occasion and frequency per month as predictors of alcohol problems. Meta-analysis combined test statistics to determine if they were homogeneous across studies. The meta-analysis was repeated, blocking for per capita consumption of alcohol (a trait of nations thought to measure drinking norms) and the female rate of suicide (a trait of nations thought to measure societal-level stress). When only individual-level variables were controlled (age and sex), both quantity and frequency were risk factors for each drinking problem. However, except in the case of the association of quantity with alcohol treatment, the magnitude of these risks were heterogeneous across studies. When blocking for the societal-level traits, each had more relevance for some, but not all, of the relationships between consumption and problems. Particularly striking was the well-documented finding that per capita consumption of alcohol significantly distinguished the relationships of frequency of drinking and health problems (while the female suicide rate did not) and the previously undocumented finding that the female suicide rate significantly distinguished the relationships of both quantity and frequency with treatment (while the per capita consumption of alcohol did not). These findings suggest that the impact of norms and the impact of societal stress in groups have different but significant consequences for the relationships of consumption to problems.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2001

Alcohol-naïve alcohol-preferring (P) rats exhibit higher local cerebral glucose utilization than alcohol-nonpreferring (NP) and Wistar rats.

BACKGROUND: The present study determined local cerebral glucose utilization (LCGU) rates in alcohol-naïve alcohol-preferring (P), alcohol nonpreferring (NP), and outbred Wistar rats to test the hypothesis that innate differences in functional neuronal activity are present in limbic regions as a result of selective breeding for high-alcohol drinking behavior. METHODS: All procedures were conducted during the dark cycle. 2-[14C]deoxyglucose ([14C]2-DG; 125 microCi/kg) was injected intravenously and timed arterial blood samples were collected during the following 45 min and assayed for glucose and [14C]2-DG content. Rats were then decapitated, the brains removed and frozen to -70 degrees C, and 20 microm coronal sections were prepared for quantitative autoradiographic analysis. RESULTS: Rates of LCGU were determined in 55 regions and subregions, including limbic, cortical, and subcortical structures. LCGU rates were significantly (p < 0.01) higher in several limbic (e.g., ventral tegmental area, nucleus accumbens shell, olfactory tubercle, medial prefrontal cortex, and lateral hypothalamus), cortical (e.g., parietal, temporal, occipital, cingulate, piriform, and entorhinal), and subcortical (e.g., thalamus, habenula, preoptic area, and striatum) regions in P rats, compared with NP and Wistar rats, whereas rates in Wistar rats were higher in a few regions (e.g., CA1 and CA3 regions of the posterior hippocampus) than NP rats. CONCLUSIONS: The data suggest that selective breeding for high-alcohol drinking produces intrinsically higher functional neuronal activity in the central nervous system regions of the high-alcohol consuming P line compared with low-alcohol drinking NP or Wistar rats, although these differences may not generalize to other rat lines selectively bred for divergent alcohol drinking.

Alcoholism↗
PubMed1990

Hepatic alcohol dehydrogenase activity in chick hepatocytes towards the major alcohols present in commercial alcoholic beverages: comparison with activities in rat and human liver.

We have compared hepatic alcohol dehydrogenase activities in chick, rat and human liver with the major alcohols in commercial alcoholic beverages. 1. Chick and rat hepatic alcohol dehydrogenase was greater when assayed at a physiological pH in buffer containing chloride ions, as compared with the activity in pyrophosphate buffer at alkaline pH. 2. In contrast to reports of instability of ADH to freezing, we found the enzyme from all three species stable to freezing in 0.25 M sucrose. 3. Rat liver enzymatic activity was unstable in the presence of substrate, where as that of chick and human was not. 4. For all three species, the Km of hepatic ADH for substrate decreased with increasing chain length of alcohols. In both chick and human samples, the Vmax values for the higher chain alcohols were similar to that with ethanol, while in rat samples, ADH activity was dramatically lower with the higher chain alcohols compared to ethanol.

1-Propanol↗
PubMed2005

Alcohol drinking frequency is more directly associated with alcohol use disorder than alcohol metabolizing enzymes among male Japanese.

The development of alcohol use disorder (AUD) is related to various social, economic, cultural, environmental and hereditary factors. Several potential risk factors have been proposed for AUD in addition to alcohol consumption, including alcohol dehydrogenase2 (ADH2), acetaldehyde dehydrogenase2 (ALDH2), marital status, educational, occupational or past medical history (e.g. diabetes mellitus, hypertension, lung, digestive tract, or chronic liver disease) or smoking habits. The present study was performed to investigate the relationship between the aforementioned potential risk factors and AUD in Japan. A case-control study was performed on 153 male Japanese AUD patients and age-, gender-, or other confounder-matched controls to investigate the relation multivariately between ADH2, ALDH2 or alcohol drinking and AUD. Genomic DNA were extracted from nail clippings by the guanidium method, and genotyping of ADH2 and ALDH2 were performed using polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) methods. Univariate analyses by the conditional logistic regression model revealed statistically significant odds ratios due to ADH2*1/1 genotype, ALDH2*1/1 genotype, middle school as the final school attended, longest occupations as farmers, fishermen, craftsmen, miners, production process or construction workers, and past histories of chronic liver disease and AUD. However, multivariate analyses under a hierarchically well-formulated model strategy with interaction and confounding assessment indicated that (i) heavy alcohol intake was a significant risk factor (odds ratio per 1.0 g of daily ethanol intake; 1.096, 95% confidence interval; 1.026-1.171) for developing AUD after adjusting for other confounders; and (ii) ADH2*1/1 genotype and ALDH2*1/1 genotype were not risk factors after adjusting for daily ethanol intake and other confounders. The present study shows that AUD was more directly and strongly associated with alcohol drinking than with alcohol metabolizing enzymes among male Japanese.

Adult↗
PubMed1994

[Gamma-glutamyltransferase and blood alcohol level--criteria for alcohol risk in automobile drivers. A critical comment on the guidelines for medical-psychological studies of first-time alcohol offenders].

GGT and blood alcohol concentration (BAC) were measured of 2,655 male car drivers using alcoholized their cars during the year 1991 in the area of the city of Cologne. The results were evaluated statistically together with other parameters like age, time of taking blood sample and behaviour while drunken. BAC was 1.6% and more in 30.5% of all cases. Half of them had levels of 2.0% and higher. GGT in serum was increased (> 28 U/l) at 29.5% of the drivers, in 6% even above 100 U/l. 53% were younger than 31 years. Medium BAC and part of GGT higher than 28 U/l were remarkable lower in this group than at the older ones. 50% of all car drivers with blood alcohol levels above 2.0% have alcohol problems regarding GGT. Problem drinkers were found among the younger ones to an extent of 15%, but of 50% among the drivers older than 40 years. But also 25% of all with a BAC lower than 1.6% showed increased GGT levels. They remain undetected on account of the present instructions of MPA though there is a great danger repeating drunken driving. On the other side nearly 50% of those driving with an BAC of 1.6% or more are no driving drinkers regarding GGT but have to undergo MPA. The recommendation of the 30. German Traffic Courts Meeting in 1992 to determine other indicators of alcohol habituation in the blood samples taken after drunken driving like GGT and methanol should be taken in a corrected setting of the instructions. This would regard fairer the problems of an individual case. The connection of MPA with the height of BAC and other circumstances seen as indicators for extraordinary alcohol habituation is a wrong way and unnecessary if alcoholism markers are used like GGT, CDT and methanol.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1990

Effect of using alcoholic and non-alcoholic skin cleansing swabs when sampling blood for alcohol estimation using gas chromatography.

A study was carried out using 20 volunteers in whom venepuncture through the skin soaked in either ethyl or isopropyl alcohol was performed. A non-alcoholic cetrimide/chlorhexidine swab was used as a control. All subjects were initially alcohol free. Ethyl alcohol was detected in only one blood sample and the level was found to be only 0.4 mg% (roughly the limit of detection of the assay). A slightly higher level of isopropyl alcohol (3 mg%) was found in one of the blood samples. Alcohol estimation was carried out by head-space gas chromatography using a pair of instruments each fitted with a column exhibiting different retention characteristics. The system was similar to that used by other UK Forensic Science Laboratories where accurate, definitive results are a necessity. It was concluded that under very testing conditions only minute ethanol interference is produced by using alcohol-based skin cleansing swabs. This minimal interference is unlikely to affect clinical sample results, and even in a forensic situation the inadvertent use of alcohol-based swabs is unlikely to lead to a miscarriage of justice.

Antisepsis↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Treatment, Alcoholics Anonymous and alcohol controls during the decrease in alcohol problems in Alberta: 1975-1993.

In this study, the trends in alcohol consumption, alcohol-related problems, alcohol availability and treatment efforts were examined for the province of Alberta, for the period 1975-1993. Most of the trends previously observed in Ontario were also observed in Alberta. We found: (1) stabilization followed by important declines in per capita consumption of alcohol; (2) large decreases in most measures of problems such as cirrhosis mortality and traffic fatalities related to drinking; (3) increases in treatment and Alcoholics Anonymous membership rates; (4) increases in measures of physical availability of alcohol. One problem, impaired driving arrest rate, increased substantially during the years examined.

Accidents, Traffic↗
PubMed1983

Escherichia coli antibodies in alcoholic liver disease. Correlation to alcohol consumption, alcoholic hepatitis, and serum IgA.

In 41 patients with alcoholic liver disease, antibodies to 12 common Escherichia coli O antigens (expressed as number of O antibody reactions with an agglutination titre of greater than or equal to 40) and to immunoglobulins IgG, IgA, and IgM were studied for 8 weeks. In 18 patients (8 with cirrhosis, 10 with fatty liver) who continued drinking during this period no significant changes were found. In 23 patients (11 with cirrhosis, 12 with fatty liver) who stopped or reduced drinking, a significant decrease in the levels of E. coli O antibodies and IgA was found (p less than 0.05 and p less than 0.01, respectively). In these 41 patients and in an additional 43 patients with alcoholic liver disease the amount of E. coli O antibodies was compared with type of histological lesion. The levels of E. coli O antibodies were significantly higher in cirrhosis with alcoholic hepatitis (22 cases) than in cirrhosis without alcoholic hepatitis (17 cases) (p less than 0.05). In these 17 patients antibody levels were significantly higher than in 41 patients with fatty liver without alcoholic hepatitis (p less than 0.02). In all patients a significant correlation between the number of positive reactions to E. coli O antigens and serum IgA concentration was found (p less than 0.01). No microbes were cultured from the liver biopsies, and no E. coli O antigens were demonstrated in the liver tissue by immunohistochemistry. Our results support the hypothesis that the high levels of E. coli O antibodies in alcoholic liver diseases are due to failure of the liver to extract circulating antigens and gut-derived endotoxins.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Adult↗
PubMed1989

Level of agreement between questionnaire measures of alcohol dependence, alcoholism and problem drinking in a sample presenting at a specialist alcohol treatment service.

Two questionnaire measures of the alcohol dependence syndrome, one of alcoholism, and one of alcohol-related problems were compared in a sample of 101 subjects attending a specialist alcohol treatment unit. There was substantial agreement between the two measures of alcohol dependence, and lesser agreement between any other pairing. The measures of alcohol dependence also showed the strongest correlation with reported weekly alcohol consumption. The findings are compared with previous research, and the suitability of the various questionnaires as case-defining instruments in empirical investigations is discussed.

Adult↗