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Recent Alcohol Consumption (recent + alcohol_consumption)

Distribution by Scientific Domains

Medical Sciences	75%

Selected Abstracts

Neuropsychological Deficits in Sober Alcoholics: Influences of Chronicity and Recent Alcohol Consumption

ALCOHOLISM, Issue 2 2000
William W. Beatty
Background: The relationships between severity of neuropsychological (NP) deficits and quantity and duration of alcoholic drinking remain controversial. Eckardt et al. (1998) proposed that NP deficits can be observed only if chronicity of alcohol abuse equals or exceeds 10 years. In this study we tested the hypothesis of Eckardt et al. and reexamined the relationship of NP performance and alcohol consumption. Methods: One hundred sixty-two alcoholics and 165 controls completed a NP test battery at least 3 weeks after the alcoholics attained sobriety. Chronicity varied from 4 to 9 years for 55 alcoholics and from 10 to 33 years for the remaining 107. Results: Compared to controls, both groups of alcoholics were impaired on the Shipley Vocabulary and Abstraction tests and on two versions of the Digit Symbol test, but there was no difference between the two alcoholic groups on any measure. Regression analyses that controlled for age and education showed that chronicity predicted less than 0.5% of the variance on NP measures. By contrast, a measure of recent alcohol consumption, the Quantity-Frequency Index, contributed significantly (approximately 5% of the variance) to the prediction of alcoholics'NP performance. Conclusions: These data provide weak support for a dose effect relationship between degree of NP impairment and level of alcoholic drinking in the past 6 months but no evidence for an influence of chronicity. [source]

Lifetime and baseline alcohol intake and risk of cancer of the upper aero-digestive tract in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) study

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF CANCER, Issue 2 2009
Cornelia Weikert
Abstract Recent alcohol consumption is an established risk factor for squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) of the upper aero-digestive tract. In contrast, the role of lifetime exposure to alcohol with regard to risk of SCC is not well established. Historical data on alcohol use are available in 271,253 participants of the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC). During 2,330,381 person years, 392 incident SCC cases (279 men and 113 women) were identified. Cox regression was applied to model sex-specific associations between lifetime alcohol intake and SCC risk adjusting for potential confounders including smoking. Compared to men who drank 0.1,6.0 g/day alcohol at lifetime, the relative risks (RR) for developing SCC were significantly increased for men who drank 30.1,60.0 g/day (RR 1.65, 95% confidence interval:1.00,2.71), 60.1,96.0 g/day (RR 2.20, 95%CI 1.23,3.95), and >96.0 g/day, (RR 4.63, 95% CI 2.52,8.48), and for former drinkers (RR 4.14, 95%CI 2.38,7.19). These risk estimates did not considerably change when baseline alcohol intake was analyzed. Compared to women who drank 0.1,6.0 g/day alcohol intake at lifetime, the RR were significantly increased for women who drank >30 g/d (RR 6.05, 95%CI 2.98,12.3). Applying similar categories, the relative risk for baseline alcohol intake was 3.26 (95%CI 1.82,5.87). We observed a stronger association between alcohol intake at lifetime and risk of SCC in women compared to men (p for interaction = 0.045). The strong dose-response relation for lifetime alcohol use underscores that alcohol is an important risk factor of SCC of the upper aero-digestive tract throughout life. © 2009 UICC [source]

Platelet Adenylyl Cyclase Activity as a Trait Marker of Alcohol Dependence

ALCOHOLISM, Issue 6 2000
John A. Menninger
Background: There is compelling evidence that genetic factors play a major role in the development of alcohol dependence. Platelet adenylyl cyclase (AC) activity has been proposed as a biochemical marker for differentiating alcohol-dependent and nondependent subjects, but the sensitivity and specificity of this marker have not been ascertained. The objective of this study was to determine the sensitivity and specificity of platelet AC activity in identifying alcohol-dependent subjects and to ascertain the effect of medical/psychiatric variables, drinking and smoking history, and age and body weight on AC activity. Methods: The cross-sectional study was conducted from 1995 to 1998. Participants were 210 Australian White men who were community volunteers and alcohol treatment inpatients in Sydney, Australia. There were 41 nondrinkers, 140 drinkers, and 29 men who were entering alcohol treatment. The main outcome measure was platelet AC activity. Classification variables were plasma ethanol, ,-glutamyltransferase, aspartate aminotransferase, serum carbohydrate-deficient transferrin (CDT), and urinary5-hydroxytryptophol/5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid (5-HTOL/5-HIAA) levels, and World Health Organization/International Society for Biomedical Research on Alcoholism Interview Schedule variables, which included alcohol use and dependence criteria. Results: Among subjects who reported abstinence for at least 4 days, both cesium fluoride (CsF)- and forskolin-stimulated platelet AC activities were significantly lower in those with a lifetime history of alcohol dependence compared with those with no such history (p < 0.005 and p < 0.05, respectively). The sensitivity and specificity of CsF-stimulated AC activity to discriminate individuals with a lifetime history of alcohol dependence were 75% and 79%, respectively. Similar values for sensitivity and specificity for CsF-stimulated AC activity were calculated when discriminating current alcohol dependence in the subjects in our sample. Irrespective of the history of alcohol dependence, persons who had consumed alcohol recently (within the last 3,4 days) showed significantly higher mean basal, CsF-stimulated, and forskolin-stimulated AC activity (p < 0.001), as did those who had elevated 5-HTOL/5-HIAA ratios or CDT levels, indicative of recent (heavy) drinking. The "normalization" of platelet AC activity to baseline levels after an individual stops drinking may be related to the generation of new platelets during the abstinence period. Conduct disorder and antisocial personality disorder were not associated with low AC activity, but low forskolin-stimulated AC activity was associated with major depression. Conclusions: We found that CsF- and forskolin-stimulated platelet AC activity discriminates between subjects with and without alcohol dependence in a population of subjects who had not consumed significant quantities of ethanol recently. Recent alcohol consumption is a confounding variable that can alter the measured levels of AC activity. Forskolin-stimulated platelet AC activity also may be influenced by a history of major depression. [source]

Determination of ethyl glucuronide in human serum by hyphenation of capillary isotachophoresis and zone electrophoresis

ELECTROPHORESIS, Issue 8 2008
Michaela Nováková
Abstract The determination of ethyl glucuronide (EtG), a marker of recent alcohol consumption, in human serum by hyphenation of capillary ITP (CITP) and CZE is reported. For CITP step, 1×10,2,M hydrochloric acid adjusted with ,-aminocaproic acid (EACA) to pH,4.4 was used as the leading electrolyte, and 1×10,2,M nicotinic acid with EACA, pH,4.4, was used as the terminating electrolyte (TE). All electrolytes contained 0.2% hydroxypropylcellulose to suppress electroosmosis. In CITP, EtG was separated from fast serum macrocomponents chloride, phosphate, lactate, and acetate. Zones of microcomponents including EtG that migrated between acetate and nicotinate were forwarded to the second capillary filled with a BGE identical with the TE. Conductivity detection was used in the CITP step. Sensitive detection in the CZE step was performed using indirect spectrophotometric detection at 254,nm. The assay is based on a 1:5 dilution of serum with deionized water and has a concentration LOD for EtG in diluted sample of 9.8×10,9,M. The method was used for the determination of EtG in sera of volunteers consuming alcohol. [source]

Effects of lactate and acetate on the determination of serum ethyl glucuronide by CZE

ELECTROPHORESIS, Issue 23 2006
Michaela Mrázková
Abstract The analysis of ethyl glucuronide,(EtG), a marker of recent alcohol consumption, in serum with an optimized CZE assay is reported. The method uses a 0.1-mm,id fused-silica capillary of 50,cm effective length that is coated with linear polyacrylamide, a pH,4.4 nicotinic acid/,-aminocaproic acid (EACA) BGE, reversed polarity and indirect analyte detection. The assay is based on a 1:1 dilution of serum with deionized water and has LODs for EtG, lactate and acetate of 3.8×10,7,M, 2.60×10,6,M and 2.18×10,6,M, respectively. Separation of EtG from endogenous macro- and microcomponents (anionic serum components of high and low concentration, respectively) and its quantification are shown to be possible for a wide range of lactate (stacker) and acetate (destacker) concentrations, macrocomponents that have an impact on the CZE behavior of EtG and that change after intake of ethanol. The assay has been successfully applied to the analysis of EtG, lactate and acetate in (i),sera of volunteers that ingested known amounts of alcohol and (ii),samples of patients that were classified (teetotalers and social drinkers vs. alcohol abusers) via analysis of carbohydrate-deficient transferrin. [source]

Hypothalamic Function in Response to 2-Deoxy- d -Glucose in Long-Term Abstinent Alcoholics

ALCOHOLISM, Issue 5 2001
John C. Umhau
Background: The body adapts to diverse stressful stimuli with a response characterized by activation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis. Chronic alcohol consumption can cause changes in the function of this neuroendocrine system. Although many studies have examined this phenomenon in drinking and recently sober alcoholics, few studies have examined HPA axis function in long-term sober alcoholics. Methods: To characterize HPA axis function in long-term sober alcoholics, we used a challenge paradigm with 2-deoxy-d-glucose (2-DG). An infusion of 2-DG (a nonmetabolizable glucose analog) induces a well-characterized stress response. In a previous study, our laboratory found an exaggerated corticotropin and cortisol response in alcoholics abstinent 3 weeks; in this investigation we compared the effects of an infusion of 2-DG on 19 healthy volunteers and 20 community-living alcoholics who had been abstinent more than 6 months. Results: In contrast to the previous study, long-term sober alcoholics did not have an exaggerated corticotropin and cortisol response after 2-DG. Conclusions: Previously observed abnormalities in cortisol regulation in 3-week-sober alcoholics may be related to the acute effects of recent alcohol consumption and withdrawal. Future investigations into the metabolic function of alcoholics, particularly investigations involving the HPA system, should consider the possibility that normalization may not occur until long-term abstinence has been achieved. [source]

Neuropsychological Deficits in Sober Alcoholics: Influences of Chronicity and Recent Alcohol Consumption

Accumulation of Hemoglobin-Associated Acetaldehyde With Habitual Alcohol Drinking in the Atypical ALDH Genotype

ALCOHOLISM, Issue 1 2000
Tatsuya Takeshita
Background: Those with the atypical genotypes of low Km aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH2) have high blood concentrations of free acetaldehyde, an active metabolite of ethanol, after drinking alcohol. In the present study, we measured acetaldehyde reversibly bound to hemoglobin (HbAA) in Japanese male workers. Methods: One hundred and sixty Japanese male workers in one plant participated with informed consent. The subjects were genotyped for the ALDH2 polymorphism by polymerase chain reaction method. HbAA levels were measured using a high performance liquid chromatography system with a fluorescence detector. For the study in which we examined accumulation of HbAA, eight Asian male volunteers participated with informed consent. Results: Although HbAA levels were significantly correlated with recent alcohol consumption in both typical (ALDH2*1/*1) and atypical (ALDH2*1/*2)genotypes, the slope in ALDH2*1/*2 was significantly steeper than that in ALDH2*1/*1. Multiple regression analysis on relevant factors for HbAA revealed that not only recent but also daily alcohol consumption increased HbAA levels in those with the ALDH2*1/*2 genotype, which suggests that HbAA accumulates with habitual drinking. We measured HbAA levels before, during, and after alcohol consumption,one drink (0.4 ml/kg) per day,for 7 consecutive days in male volunteers. During the drinking period, HbAA lincarly increased in ALDH2*1/*2 (n= 4) but not in ALDH2*1/*1 (n= 4). After reaching peak levels (+76.1 nmol/g hemoglobin) following the seventh drink, HbAA levels gradually decreased but were significantly higher for 3 days after drinking was discontinued. Conclusions: We demonstrated that HbAA levels accumulate with habitual alcohol drinking in the atypical ALDH2 genotype. HbAA was shown to be a good biomarker for increased internal exposure levels to acetaldehyde. [source]