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Excessive Alcohol (excessive + alcohol)
Terms modified by Excessive Alcohol Selected AbstractsStressful life events and suicidal behaviour in countries with different development levels: Nicaragua, El Salvador, Chile and SpainJOURNAL OF COMMUNITY & APPLIED SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY, Issue 4 2010José Juan Vázquez Abstract This paper presents a study conducted on 709 Latin American undergraduates from four countries with different development levels (Nicaragua, El Salvador, Chile and Spain). The intention of this paper is to value the differences in the number and characteristics of stressful life events (SLE) suffered by the participants. Another purpose is to confirm the relation between SLE and suicidal conduct in Spanish cultural contexts, through the study of a multicultural sample of Spanish-speaking university students, and finally, to isolate the SLE that allow predicting a later suicidal conduct to a greatest extent. The information was collected by means of a self-applied questionnaire. The results indicate a greater presence of SLE among those who live in countries with lower development levels and among those who have attempted committing suicide. It is observed that the fact of having suffered certain SLE,physical or sexual mistreatment, excessive alcohol or drug consumption and having left home during childhood or adolescence,aid in the prediction of later suicidal conducts in the studied samples. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] A Recent Perspective on Alcohol, Immunity, and Host DefenseALCOHOLISM, Issue 2 2009Gyongyi Szabo Background:, Multiple line of clinical and experimental evidence demonstrates that both acute, moderate, and chronic, excessive alcohol use result in various abnormalities in the functions of the immune system. Methods:, Medline and Pubmed databases were used to identify published reports with particular interest in the period of 2000,2008 in the subject of alcohol use, infection, inflammation, innate, and adaptive immunity. Results:, This review article summarizes recent findings relevant to acute or chronic alcohol use-induced immunomodulation and its consequences on host defense against microbial pathogens and tissue injury. Studies with in vivo and in vitro alcohol administration are both discussed. The effects of alcohol on lung infections, trauma and burn injury, liver, pancreas, and cardiovascular diseases are evaluated with respect to the role of immune cells. Specific changes in innate immune response and abnormalities in adaptive immunity caused by alcohol intake are detailed. Conclusion:, Altered inflammatory cell and adaptive immune responses after alcohol consumption result in increased incidence and poor outcome of infections and other organ-specific immune-mediated effects. [source] Brief Intervention for Problem Drinkers in a Chinese Population: A Randomized Controlled Trial in a Hospital SettingALCOHOLISM, Issue 1 2009Yun-Fang Tsai Background:, Alcohol is a legal and accessible substance in Taiwan. As excessive alcohol has been linked to health and social problems, it is necessary to develop a brief, rapid, and low-cost tool to help health care providers deal with persons in Taiwan whose alcohol consumption has become hazardous or harmful to their health. Methods:, A randomized controlled clinical trial with 6- and 12-month follow-ups was designed. Eighteen medical/surgical units at a medical center in northern Taiwan were randomly assigned to 2 groups: experimental (n = 9) and control (n = 9). Inpatients on the units were enrolled if they met the following criteria: were older than 18 years, had no severe psychiatric illness, and were not pregnant. The experimental group (n = 138) received the intervention, a 15-minute counseling visit in which nurses screened participants using the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT), provided a health promotion booklet for adults, and individually discussed the booklet contents with patients based on their drinking level (AUDIT score). The control group (n = 137) received no treatment. Patterns of alcohol consumption were determined by AUDIT scores at baseline, 6, and 12 months later. Results:, Alcohol use disorders identification test scores decreased significantly in both groups at 6 months after the intervention, but did not differ significantly between the 2 groups. However, 12 months after the brief alcohol intervention, experimental subjects' AUDIT scores were significantly better than those of the control group. Conclusions:, Our brief alcohol intervention provided a 12-month benefit for problem drinkers in Taiwan. [source] Upregulation of ,-Catenin Levels in Superior Frontal Cortex of Chronic AlcoholicsALCOHOLISM, Issue 6 2008Ali M. Al-Housseini Background:, Chronic and excessive alcohol misuse results in neuroadaptive changes in the brain. The complex nature of behavioral, psychological, emotional, and neuropathological characteristics associated with alcoholism is likely a reflection of the network of proteins that are affected by alcohol-induced gene expression patterns in specific brain regions. At the molecular level, however, knowledge remains limited regarding alterations in protein expression levels affected by chronic alcohol abuse. Thus, novel techniques that allow a comprehensive assessment of this complexity will enable the simultaneous assessment of changes across a group of proteins in the relevant neural circuitry. Methods:, A proteomics analysis was performed using antibody microarrays to determine differential protein levels in superior frontal cortices between chronic alcoholics and age- and gender-matched control subjects. Seventeen proteins related to the catenin signaling pathway were analyzed, including ,-, ,-, and ,-catenins, their upstream activators cadherin-3 (type I cadherin) and cadherin-5 (type II cadherin), and 5 cytoplasmic regulators c-Src, CK1,, GSK-3,, PP2A-C,, and APC, as well as the nuclear complex partner of ,-catenin CBP and 2 downstream genes Myc and cyclin D1. ILK, G,1, G,1, and G,2, which are activity regulators of GSK-3,, were also analyzed. Results:, Both ,- and ,-catenin showed significantly increased levels, while ,-catenin did not change significantly, in chronic alcoholics. In addition, the level of the ,-catenin downstream gene product Myc was significantly increased. Average levels of the catenin regulators c-Src, CK1,, and APC were also increased in chronic alcoholics, but the changes were not statistically significant. Conclusion:, Chronic and excessive alcohol consumption leads to an upregulation of ,- and ,-catenin levels, which in turn increase downstream gene expressions such as Myc that is controlled by ,-catenin signaling. This study showed that the ,-catenin signal transduction pathway was upregulated by chronic alcohol abuse, and prompts further investigation of mechanisms underlying the upregulation of ,- and ,-catenins in alcoholism, which may have considerable pathogenic and therapeutic relevance. [source] (616) Osteoporosis in Men-An Overlooked Source of Spine Pain, A Case Study and State-of-the-art ReviewPAIN MEDICINE, Issue 2 2000Article first published online: 25 DEC 200 Author: Toni J Hanson, Mayo Clinic Osteoporosis is a significant cause of morbidity in the USA. It is estimated that $84 billion annually is spent in the care of osteoporotic fractures. Diagnosis and treatment of osteoporosis in males has lagged and has only recently been recognized as an important issue, which is certain to become more significant as the population ages. A case study of a 47-year-old male with low back pain is presented. His spine x-rays revealed wedge-compression fractures of the spine; and a bone mineral density was obtained. The bone mineral density revealed a value of 0.80 g/cm2 at the lumbar spine and 0.7 g/cm2 at the hip, with T-scores respectively of ,2.89 in the spine and ,1.69 in the hip, consistent with a diagnosis of osteoporosis. He was evaluated in the Metabolic Bone Clinic. His daily calcium intake was noted to be 400 mg to 500 mg per day. Risk factor assessment revealed a remote use of excessive alcohol until age 26, and remote less significant history of smoking. Additional laboratory tests were negative for a secondary etiology. He was treated with Fosamax, calcium, and vitamin D supplementation. His physical medicine and rehabilitation program is illustrated. In addition, vocational issues are described. A comprehensive review of the literature regarding osteoporosis in males including diagnosis, treatment, and references is provided. [source] | ||||||||||